Wanderer of Time: Darkness Within
by Tinker16
Summary: The powers within have been steadily growing, buying time until the moment of remembrance. The moment swiftly approaches. Wanda's fears are coming to a head as she realizes what has been living inside her has only one purpose in the universe. And it holds no qualms in destroying any who gets in its way, even those who Wanda loves. (Part Three of the Wanderer of Time trilogy)
1. Ch 1: Christmas with the Tylers

Welcome, welcome to the third and last installment of the Wanderer of Time Trilogy! :D

Welcome back and hello again to any returning readers! And a very warm welcome and greetings to any new readers who have either recently started to read the trilogy, or have just found this part. :) If this is the first part you are reading for this trilogy, I must warn you that you will be lost and confused if you have not already read parts one and two. To read both _**Wanderer of Time**_ and _**Wanderer of Time: Silence Begins.**_ If not, then this part of the trilogy on its own might not make any sense whatsoever. Or, if you're like me, sometimes you like starting at random in a series just to see how you'll like it in the future. I do that sometimes with other book series. ;)

 **Special note** : In this part of the trilogy, things will be pushed to the limit. There will be very dark themes and much more mature topics. More towards the middle and later of the story than anywhere else. I'm hoping it will still be counted for rated T, but at any time if any of you believe that it might be more of a rated M story, then just let me know and I'll change it. I do not wish to make anyone uncomfortable in what events occur in the story.

Also, **Warning** : Very harsh death and blood within this chapter.

So, without waiting any further, let's dive in and enjoy part three! And I hope you all enjoy Third Wanda as well! I'm keeping my fingers tightly crossed in hopes that you all do. :)

XxXxXxXx

Wanderer of Time: Darkness Within

Chapter 1: Christmas with the Tylers

Laughter and cheer could be heard coming from the dining room. A Christmas cracker popped loudly, creating an echo down the hallway of the small flat, and even more laughter followed. Dishes clinked and clanked as a family enjoyed their holiday dinner together. All was calm and peaceful. All merry on the wonderfully happy day.

This was all Wanda heard and felt as she appeared from the white light into the wrecked bedroom of the Tyler flat. She lay on the ground, struggling with each breath as her lung continued to fill up with blood. Some of which trailed out of her mouth as she gasped out in a rasping breath. Clutching at her chest, she felt even more blood flow out onto her clothes and onto the carpet below her. Much of it spread out in a pool of red. Her mind and body was struggling past the shock. There was no wonderful feeling of warmth like her last death. There was only agony.

Struggling, she managed to roll over on her side. She blinked away the hazy from her eyes as her vision began to fade. Her other heart pounded away in panic. It was erratic. She knew if she did not try to calm herself down, it would soon give out. She tried to breathe in and out slowly, but was failing. Her breath as lost to her. Another pop of a cracker was heard. People were laughing away happily, completely unaware of her presence in the other room.

Wanda grasped at the carpet with a shaking hand, trying to pull herself to the doorway. But it was useless. Her fingers had gone numb and cold. Her muscles were not functioning properly as her whole body shook and trembled in her growing death. She was nothing more than dead weight now. Spurting out more blood, she struggled to intake some air. Trying to at least use her voice to save herself.

"H-he-el-l-lp," she rasped out in a hoarse voice, trying to call to the people out in the dining room. But she barely even made a sound. The blood in her throat (more of which she gurgled out) made it impossible to truly make a strong voice. However, she pushed through and tried again. "D-Doc-to-r-r." Nothing. Even if she were loud enough, they would still not hear her over the laughter and the telly.

She was going to die. Die in the room right next to them, and they would never know. They might find her later, but by then she would long be dead. Be nothing more than a stiff, cold, empty body. . . No. She could not let that happen. Not after everything she and the Doctor had been through. After everything they had done, all the love they had gained and lost. She was not going to just let herself die here, dammit. There had to be another way to gain their attention.

Fumbling around weakly in one of her cargo pant pockets, she prayed that it would actually be there at the ready. Feeling gleeful to finding it, shakily she pulled out her sonic. Pointing it at the doorway and making it go off, it buzzed and pulsed. But it was not loud enough for them to hear. Wheezing out in her breathing now, she focused her mind on the device. Point and think. That was what Eleven always said. Point and think. All she could think was to call the Doctor.

"Hold on. My sonic's going off," she heard the Doctor say. The dishes clanked some more as the others grew quiet. Wanda focused her mind, concentrating on getting his sonic to response. "Something's calling it."

"What is it, Doctor?" Wanda heard Rose ask curiously.

"It's not them aliens, is it?" questioned Mickey, sounding nervous.

"Oh, please don't say they've sent another Christmas tree," complained Jackie.

"No. No, it's something else," noted the Doctor. "Hang on, let me just . . . get a fix on the signal."

"Wait . . . Don't you hear that?" Rose spoke up, making them all go silent. "Mickey, turn the telly off." The news report shut off, making everything go still and hushed. Wanda pressed on her sonic, making the pulsing increase. "That sounds like—."

"Wanda's sonic," the Doctor spoke hurriedly. The chairs were heard crashing to the floor as everyone quickly ran from the dining room. Wanda let her arm drop to the floor in relief, no longer able to hold it up to the doorway as her arm and hands had gone completely numb. She simply lay there with the sonic held limply in her hand as they all came to the room.

"Oh, my god!" cried Rose upon the sight of the Time Lady on the floor. Blood all around her and on her. Blood coming up from her mouth as she spurted more out. The Doctor was at her side in an instant, rolling her over on her back.

"Wanda," he gasped in alarm, touching at her face and looking her over in a panic. Rose came to Wanda's other side and held onto her hand tightly.

"Wanda, oh god, what happened?" Rose cried as she looked over the Time Lady. Wanda tried to answer her, but gurgled and spurted more blood.

"I'll go get towels!" Jackie exclaimed, completely horrified by what was happening. She turned and rushed off back into the kitchen. Mickey ran after her to help.

"Wanda, listen to me, you need to regenerate," the Doctor told Wanda quickly. "Don't fight it. Just let it happen."

Wanda could only shake her head. He thought she was fighting it? She was trying to get it to happen. But nothing was occurring. Eleven had told her she needed him to be able to complete the process. But what was needed from him? She could not remember what he did to give her the spark for her regeneration. All she could recall was . . . someone holding her hand. As quickly as she could, Wanda fumbled her hand for the Doctor's. He seemed to notice she wanted his hand, so he grabbed her searching one and held on tightly.

"Hey, I'm here," he assured her, worried as to why she had not simply regenerated yet. All he could think was that something must have gone wrong. Terribly, dreadfully wrong. What could have happened to cause such injuries? Even something horrible enough not to allow regeneration? But then he saw it. A white, brilliant, glow was forming around Wanda's body. It was starting.

"Is she?" Rose asked, gazing down to the white glow in awe.

"She is. She's regenerating. We need to get back," the Doctor instructed Rose. He dropped Wanda's hand and grabbed Rose, making sure they both backed up to the doorway. But as soon as he let go of Wanda's hand, the glow stopped. Wanda whimpered as she clutched her hand at the air, desperately searching for the Doctor's again.

"I don't understand. Why did it stop?" Rose questioned, looking Wanda and the Doctor. "Yours didn't stop."

"I don't . . .," the Doctor shook his head, trying to think what was going wrong. He saw the way Wanda was reaching for him. Her eyes pleading with her choking as she tried to tell him something.

"H-h-ha-an-nds," she gurgled. He immediately dropped back down to her side, grabbing onto her hand. She pressed their palms together and used her other hand to keep his locked onto hers. The white glow started right up again. The Doctor shifted somewhat, unsure what he was doing. He felt a slight tug on his own regeneration energy, but it was only a small portion. Hardly even noticeable.

"Wanda, regeneration is dangerous. I have to stand back," he told her as he tried to remove his hand from hers. Wanda only shook her head as the glow around her increased.

She felt the energy building up within her. Increasing more and more by the second. The Doctor kept trying to pull away, but she only held on tighter. She could not let go. Everything would stop and she would die if they let go. And truth be told, she wanted him there for comfort. She wanted to tell him she loved him. To let him know that this her had always loved him. Even if they both had thought otherwise. But she could not get the words out. She would never get a chance to tell him she loved him through these lips ever again. Only her new lips could tell him now. She felt it coming. The change. The new her was being born. Here comes Third Wanda.

"I have the towels!" called out Jackie as she and Mickey came back from the kitchen. A bowel of warm water in one hand and towels in the next. They both stood in the doorway with Rose, staring at Wanda with wide eyes.

The energy reached its height and it seemed to flow out from her in rolling waves of white. Wisps of it surrounding everyone with warmth from the glowing light. Wanda slammed her eyes shut as she felt the warm energy coursing through her. Once again, everything within her burned and raced. As though she were on fire, but bathed in cool waters from the waves the energy flowed around her and over her skin. Within her she felt everything twisting and morphing into new shapes to fit the new body she would be receiving. Her heart and lung healed. Her bones shifted and she felt herself shrinking. She felt her hair growing and growing, spilling over her shoulders and pooling around on the floor. She felt her mind bursting wildly around as it seemed to jump start into action. Ready to process and solve everything and anything thrown at her. Everything about her felt light and airy. Or maybe that was giddy? Oh, yes. Giddy!

Then the process stopped. Wanda was left there on the floor, feeling healed, whole, and . . . giddy. Oooh, she liked giddy. Loved it. What she did not like was the damn sunburn and giant bruise feeling. That could go away. She did not like it. Oh! But she liked what her mind was doing. It kept jumping around with ideas and thoughts. She was thinking lots of thoughts! Nice thoughts. Loving thoughts. Oh, the Doctor. She loved the Doctor. Wait, was someone talking?

"Oh, is that reenergizing-thingy?" asked Jackie. "That was really beautiful."

"Hold on, that was different than what yours was, Doctor," spoke Rose. "Yours was all . . . violent and golden. Is it different for Time Ladies?"

"Uh, well, no . . . it's not supposed to be," the Doctor answered her.

As soon as Wanda heard the Doctor talking, she snapped her eyes open. She blinked, surprised to see what the room looked like. Everything was so . . . bright. As if everything had its own beautiful glow. Everything so bubbling and pretty. Wanda could stare hours at the little lights floating around the ceiling. Or was that just spots in her vision? Well, spots or not, they were dazzling.

"Wanda, how are you feeling?"

Her eyes darted quickly over to the voice. Ten was gazing down at her, brows raised high in bewilderment. Great worriment could be seen in his eyes. His wonderful brown eyes. Oh, she liked brown. She loved it. Everything about him. And Ten was . . . foxy.

Before anyone realized what happened, Wanda grabbed the Doctor's tie and jerked him down to her. She captured his lips in a heated kiss and pressed her hand in the back of his head to hold him there. The Doctor's eyes went wide with shock. Rose, Jackie, and Mickey all sort of blinked in surprise. Wanda pulled back with a loud smack and a large grin.

"Did anyone ever tell you you're foxy?" Wanda giggled. She blinked, realizing her voice sounded different. Much more . . . girlie. It was squeaky—no wait, it was giggly—no wait, it was . . . um, oh! It sounded like little bells. "Oh? Is that my new voice? Testing one, two, three. Testing. 'Eleven owls licked eleven little liquorice lollipops.' It's really squeaky compared to my last voice. And it sounds like I'm constantly giggling." She sat up in a rush, making them all sort of jump from her sudden movements. She stared around at them, blinking at all the beautiful glowing lights around their heads.

"No, wait!" she cried, grabbing her hair and pulling it to her face. She pouted greatly when she saw the light blonde hair in her hand. "Damn! I wanted to be ginger."

"Why did you want to be ginger?" Rose asked.

"Because I want to beat him to it first," Wanda replied, pointing at the Doctor who still remained sort of froze on the spot. He continued to blink in a daze from the searing kiss she had given him. Rose snorted at the sight of him just dumbly sitting there.

"You all right there, Doctor?" Rose asked with high amusement laced in her voice. Wanda gasped and jumped up, running to Rose and throwing her arms around the girl.

"Rose! Oh, I've missed you, girlie!" Wanda exclaimed happily. She pulled back suddenly, grabbing her hair again. "Hold on, I'm blonde like you now. Oh, look at this. This hair! It just keeps going down." She pulled at it, noticing how it was longer than any length she ever had before. "I feel like Rapunzel! Oh, if I let down my hair do you think the Doctor would climb it? Jackie!" Wanda suddenly grabbed the mother, making her drop the towels in shock.

"I've missed you! And Mickey!" Wanda exclaimed, all in a fit of delighted giggles. She hugged Mickey, making him drop the bowel of water. "Ha! So good to see my techie again! No, wait." She gasped pulling back to look out to the dining room. "Oh, my gosh. It's Christmas! I hardly ever get a chance to be at Christmas!" She bounced brightly out of the room and into the dining area. The group remained in their spots, unmoving as they all try getting their minds wrapped around what had occurred to their friend.

"Uh . . . what just happened?" Mickey asked, completely confused as to what was going on.

"Don't ask me. I haven't a clue," replied Jackie, shaking her head. She looked at Rose. "That's still Wanda, right?"

"Yeah. That's Third Wanda," Rose explained looking to the Doctor. "Doctor, snap out of it." She kicked him in the knee, making him shake his head to clear his mind from his daze and quickly stand up. They all hurriedly went into the dining room, watching how Wanda bounced around the room to look at all the decorations and lights.

"Oh, everything is just so bright and pretty," Wanda giggled away as she spun around and around while taking everything in. "Reminds me of the Aurora Mountains. Oh, mountains! I've missed mountains. We should go there. Oh, would you look at that! It's Christmas dinner. I haven't had Christmas dinner since the time at Jackson Lake's house. Ha! Turkey! I was right, Doctor. It's not ham that's needed, it's turkey! But I do like ham. And soufflés! I love baking—no wait, something's wrong!"

Wanda turned to them suddenly with a dead serious face on. They all sort of glanced to each other.

"What's wrong, sweetheart?" asked Jackie.

"Something's dreadfully, horribly wrong," Wanda told them. She stormed right up to Rose who leaned back some anxiously. Was there something on her face? Wanda stood up and down on her toes as if comparing something between the two of them. "Look at that. I'm bloody short. No, I'm not just short. I'm tiny! I'm even shorter than Rose."

"Are you calling me short?" Rose asked. She laughed lightly on how cute Wanda's pout was when realizing she was short. Like a child's pout.

"Yes. Though, you're not the shortest I know," Wanda commented, crossing her arms to pout more. Rose had been short as a companion. However, Martha was the shortest companion during Ten's reign. But Clara was by far the smallest companion of them all. Now, Wanda was practically her size in height. "Damn! I hate being short."

She spun around, making her long hair fly around her. "Short and not ginger. Ha! I'm sounding more and more like you, Doctor. Doctor!" Wanda suddenly turned back around and leaped at the Doctor. He stumbled back as Third Wanda wrapped her arms around his neck. "You. Are. Foxy. Foxy, foxy, foxy!" She gave him another kiss. All the Doctor could do was blink dumbly at the situation. She let go and jumped down from him. Damn, she was really short. She had to practically stand on her tiptoes now if she wanted to reach up to kiss him—no wait, she didn't want to kiss him. She wanted to smack him. So, she did. She gave a sharp punch at his arm, making him wince at the light pain.

"Ow! What was that for?" he whined, rubbing at his arm with a pout.

"'Cause, I felt like it, and I'm cross with you. At least, I think I am. Ummm, yeah. Yeah, I am," she said lightly, spinning around some more in the room. Oh, everything was just so bright and bubbling She could stare at the lights all day. Or were they spots? She never concluded what she was seeing.

"Why are you cross with me?" the Doctor asked, wondering if this had something to do with the way she had to regenerate.

"Because seventy-two flipping years is way too damn long for a clichéd misunderstanding," Wanda replied easily and not really sounding cross at all. More slap-happy, really. "No, wait, I think that might have been mostly my fault there. Umm, yeah, it was. Completely my own idiotic fault. I'm a moron. Bad me!" She gave herself a harsh slapped on the head as self-punishment. She giggled more and spun around with her eyes darting around like she was seeing something they were not. The group standing away from the Time Lady all looked at each other, beginning to worry over the short blonde's actions.

"Uh, Wanda, are feeling okay?" Rose asked carefully, wondering if something was wrong. She remembered how the Doctor was after he regenerated. Was the same thing going to happen to Wanda?

"Wanda, I think you might need to sit down," the Doctor suggested cautiously.

"Oh, I'm not tired," Wanda said cheerfully. She stopped suddenly and turned to them, frowning in thought. "No, wait. I think I'm about to pass out." She looked up at the ceiling, seeming to think and analyze something. Then she nodded and beamed at them. "Yep. Passing out."

Instantly her eyes rolled up and she fell forward. They all jumped forward to catch her. She fell right into the Doctor's arms, completely unconscious. The Doctor held her close to him, watching how her eye lids fluttered, muttering quietly and happily. Sound asleep and at peace in his arms. His hands tightened on her sage jacket. He winced, knowing his Wanda was gone. Maybe not forever, knowing he would see her again in his future, but . . . He had just seen her only a few minutes ago. Alive and happy. And now this happens. She died, and in a rather nasty way at that. Second Wanda—the one who had been with him since the end of the Time War and helped him heal—was gone.

"Is she going to be all right?" asked Jackie.

"What the heck happened to her?" questioned Mickey. "That didn't happen on one of your travels, did it?"

"No, it must have happened in the future," Rose told them. She moved over to Wanda, touching her ash blonde hair gently. It was sad in knowing Second Wanda had gone through something so horrible, but at least she turned out okay. Wanda was now the bright and bubbly Third Wanda. Still Rose's best friend. "Come on; let's get her out of these clothes. They're really big on her. I don't think she needs blood all over her, either."

"Right," the Doctor replied, letting Rose take Third Wanda from his arms. The blonde girl of the newest incarnation of Wanda.

He watched as Rose and Jackie moved the girl to the back. Going to clean her up and get her dressed. He glanced down to see some blood on his pinstripe suit. Second Wanda's blood. He hurriedly went into the kitchen and grabbed a washrag, wiping away the blood. He wanted no traces of having to remember that. Not ever. Though, he was sure the memory of tonight would never truly go away. He would always be haunted in seeing how Second Wanda had suffered from whatever horrid injuries she had undergone.

Had he let that happen? Was he so useless he could not save his Wanda? No, no. He had to stop thinking like that. He had promised himself when he regenerated that he would not just think of one Wanda as his friend. They were all his friends. All Wandas were his Wanda. Just as she had always told him all Doctors were her Doctor. He knew of this. He was a Time Lord. He had to stop thinking like a human. Just because he was closer to one incarnation of Wanda did not mean she would still not be his wonderful friend. A friend . . . who was a really good kisser.

A strange shiver went through him in remembering how wonderful her lips felt against his. He wondered if Second Wanda's lips felt the same. Well, technically he had already kissed Second Wanda. But his mind had been so jumbled up he hardly remembered it. Perhaps, he should try it again? No! He did not need to think like that. They were all his friends. Friends . . . who happened to accidently kiss during each of their regenerations. That was normal. The mind was a little erratic during those early moments of a new incarnation. Kissing between friends was normal. Yep, completely normal. And that was what he was going to keep telling himself.

"Doctor, I think she wants you," Rose came into the kitchen, seeing how he gripped the washrag tightly and was staring distantly out the kitchen window. "She keeps trying to get up."

"Hmm? Oh, right, yes," the Doctor said lightly. Setting the washrag down, he walked to the back room. They had placed Wanda into Rose's bed, away from the room with the large blood stain and the wrecked wall and door from the killer Christmas tree. Wanda kept trying to get up, muttering sleepily about not being tired.

"Now, I think you need to sleep," Jackie told her firmly, pushing the girl right back into the bed. "You even said so yourself about the Doctor. When this thing, whatever it is, happens, then you both need to sleep."

"But I'm not," Wanda yawned loudly, "t-tired."

"You need rest, Wanda," the Doctor told her firmly, coming over to sit down next to her. The moment he was beside her, Wanda's hand latched onto his own. He stared down at their hands, his mind starting to finally get past losing Second Wanda and the kissing, beginning to wonder instead on what exactly happened for her regeneration. Why was it different? Why did she need his hand? Had something gone wrong?

"Ooh, Spaceman. I like your foxy face," she started to giggle. Her words were coming out slurred. He chuckled, knowing how she was still going through the regeneration process. One does feel rather drunk when they were still cooking with energy.

"Yes, I'm foxy. Now, go to sleep," he told her sternly.

"You're damn right you're foxy," Wanda giggled some more. Jackie snorted and shook her head. Patting the Doctor's shoulder, the mother walked out of the room to give the two Time Lords some space.

"Wanda, sleep. You need rest," the Doctor told Wanda again.

"But I don't want to," Wanda pouted. "I want to spend Christmas with you lot. I never got a chance to. I don't want to miss it this time around."

The Doctor winced as he thought on that. That's right. Second Wanda really wanted to spend Christmas with them. And now . . . she would never get that chance. Did she ever get a Christmas with any of them? With him? Well, things would change for certain. He would make sure that Third Wanda would receive as many Christmases filled with joy as she wanted. "We'll spend Christmas together once you wake up. How does that sound?"

"But it won't be Christmas, then. It'll be . . . not Christmas."

The Doctor sighed and shook his head. All right. As many Christmases as she wanted . . . after she got better. Starting tomorrow. "Does it really matter what day it is? As long as we're together for a nice meal, won't that still count as Christmas?"

Wanda sighed as well and closed her eyes. Sinking heavily into the bed she let herself relax. "I guess so. But I swear I'm getting a real Christmas with my family one of these days." She giggled again, squeezing his hand gently. "I'm so glad you're here. I was so afraid I'd never see you again."

The Doctor smiled, giving her own hand a light grasp. "I'm glad you're here, too. Now, sleep. We can spend Christmas together tomorrow."

"Okay." Wanda let go of his hand, yawning and rolling over on her side towards him. She cuddled into the pillow and snuggled it like a child would a stuffed animal. "Don't go outside. The snow will make you sad."

The Doctor raised a brow to this, but nodded all the same. He stood up, going to the door. He stopped short and his hearts beat rapidly at the next words which drifted from Wanda.

"I love you, Theta," she mumbled sleepily. The Doctor's hand gripped the door handle tightly. Turning quickly back to her to ask what she meant or if he heard her correctly, all he was greeted with was a sleeping Wanda. She breathed in and out evenly with some of her blonde hair castigating around her face. Some of it fluttered as she let out a breath. All he could do was stare at her and feel his hearts beating away with anxious joy.

Slowly, he walked over to her and gently pushed away her hair from her face. He let his hand linger on her soft cheek, thumbing it carefully. Kneeling down next to her, he leant forward. Hesitating for a moment, he finally gave in and kissed her forehead tenderly. Pulling back with a small red tint on his face, he stood back up. He then walked over and turned out the lights of the room.

"Goodnight, Wanderer," he said softly.

XxXxXxXx

Sorry for the rather short opening for part three. But don't worry, the chapters will be getting much longer as the story continues. :) I really hope that you liked it! Let me know what you all thought or felt about the new part of the trilogy within a review. It really helps see what everyone thinks about the story, helping to make certain it's perfect for everyone. ;) I hope you all have the most wonderful day! Until next time to everyone! You're all beautiful! :D

Reviewers:

 **Queen Paddie** : Aww, thanks! I'm so happy that you enjoyed the ending. Hope you like the new part of the trilogy as well. ;) Thank you for the wonderful review! And for being an amazing reader. ;) Take care!

 **BlueFlame27** : Glad you liked it. :) I was a little worried that the ending to part two might not be all that good as I felt I could have done better, but I'm just so happy that you enjoyed it in the end. :) I really hope that you liked the new part of the trilogy and Third Wanda. Also hope to see you again for the future! Take care! :D

 **grapejuice101** : I'm glad that it was a unexpected ending for you. ;) I hope that you'll like the newest addition to the trilogy, as well as Third Wanda. And I hope to see you again soon! Until next time!

 **Guest(a)** : Yay! Glad you enjoyed the ending. :) I hope it was a nice surprise in seeing where Wanda ended up next. And that you enjoyed the new part of the trilogy. :)

 **Guest(b)** : Woot! I'm so happy that you liked it! :D Hope you will like the newest part of the trilogy. ;)

 **SilverMarkings** : Glad you enjoyed it. :) Actual, when Eleven thought on saving her, he meant finally having a chance to help First Wanda regenerate. That he felt as though he failed to be there for her during his Tenth incarnation, and while during his Eleventh, he could finally save First Wanda. As we can see here, Second Wanda turned out just fine. Well . . . fine in regenerating, but close enough I guess. ;) Hope you enjoyed it and to see you again for the future. :)

 **Aka-Baka Hoshi** : Well . . . something like that. Just another mystery waiting to be solved for later. ;) Yeah, I think the Doctor will definitely make it his goal to find Kovarian now and make her pay for that. Bad guys simply think they can get away with anything. Sometimes they do, but sometimes they never do. Hope that you'll like the new chapter. :) Until next time!

 **bored411** : Yay! I'm so glad that you liked it. :) I really, really hope that you enjoyed the new part and Third Wanda. I'm also so happy that the story helped to give you great new ideas for your own brilliant stories, too. :) Take care! Until next time!

 **Falling Right Side-Up** : Glad you liked it. :) Hope you enjoyed the new part as well. Until next time!

 **tangle of ivy** : Oh no, don't be late for work! But, I'm so glad that the ending was so enjoyable. ;) I think we've all been looking forward to the wedding. So glad that it turned out all right in the end. For the most part. I thought Amy killing Kovarian in that moment truly was fitting. For more reasons than one. But that's a spoiler for another day. ;) As we've seen from the show, River knows that she can't mess with time. She has to let things be as they will for the Doctor's timeline. Just as the Doctor does with time for the rest of the universe. Mess with time, and you end up creating even more chaos. I think River truly wanted to tell Wanda, but in knowing that the Time Lady would be happy in the end kept River going in her secrets. Oh, trust me, you are definitely going to see much of Wanda and the Doctor being a huge couple, and much, much romance. I can't keep them apart, really. lol ;) Hope it wasn't too long of a wait for the new part. And that you enjoyed it as well. :) Take care! Hope to see you again soon!

 **LegandsOfTime** : Yay! So glad you enjoyed it! :D

 **Justus80** : I'm so happy that you enjoyed everything in the end. I'll definitely miss Second Wanda as well. But I do hope that you and everyone else will like Third Wanda. :) Hope that you enjoyed the new chapter, and to see you again for the future!

 **Nanski33** : lol I hope I'm not killing you too much. ;) So glad that you liked it in the end! :D Hope you enjoyed the new chapter just as much, and to continue seeing you again in the future! Take care!

 **Jesuslovesmarina** : lol Glad you enjoyed it so much. :) I really hope that you enjoyed the new chapter and new Wanda just as much. ;) Aww, really I can't thank you enough for being such a wonderful reader and always giving the story so much support and love. Thank you for everything you brilliant, amazing, wonderful person you. :) And Wanda was never an OC just for me. She is here to bring joy to everyone. And so am I. :) Hope to continue seeing you in the future, and that you'll love part three just as much as the rest. Until next time! Have the most marvelous day! :D

 **Dawn** : Eh, I just feel as though I could have done better with the ending. But if you enjoyed it, that's all that matters in the end. :) Everything is all wrapped up and ready to start on Third Wanda's new journey. I hope that you liked the opening to part three so far and will continue to enjoy the rest to come. :) Until next time!

 **MKay** : Thank you! :) I'm just so happy that you enjoyed it. I really hope that you'll enjoy Third Wanda just as much as Second Wanda. And I also hope to see you again in the future. Take care! :)

 **Guest(c)** : Yep, they're married. Well, technically only in another alternate reality, but I'm sure it still counts. ;) So glad you liked the ending, and that story continues to keep you hook and ready to read more. ;) I hope that you'll enjoy part three just as much as the rest of the trilogy. I also hope that you liked where Wanda ended up in this chapter. Kind of a surprise for everyone there. ;) Until next time!

 **CorinaL27** : Glad you enjoyed it all around. They are totally cute together aren't they? ;) Hope you liked the new chapter to part three, and I hope that you'll continue to enjoy the rest. See you again in the future! :)

 **Whovianeverlark17** : lol Glad you enjoyed it so much. ;) Hope that you'll like the new chapter and Third Wanda as well. Yep, finally together. About time I think. ;) Nah, you're awesome. :D And I'm definitely excited to see what you think of the new part of the trilogy, and Third Wanda. Again, hope you liked them both. :) Until next time!

 **CalicoKitty402** : Nah, you're brilliant. ;) So glad that you enjoyed the ending. I really hope that you'll like the rest of the trilogy to come and Third Wanda as well. :) Hope to see you again soon, and have a amazing day. Take care!

 **bloodstainedhope** : I'm happy that you enjoyed the ending. I'm just not happy with it because I feel as though it could have been better. Like something more was missing. But as long as it brought you and others joy, then that's all that matters. :) Aww, I'm so happy that the story brings such inspiration to you. I know that every time I see the story bring others joy, then I'm definitely inspired to bring even more to the trilogy. :D I hope you have a wonderful day as well! Take care and until next time! :)

 **shiboahyello** : Yeah, I think the Doctor is there with you on that one. Kovarian will definitely found herself on the Doctor's bad end after that stunt. But luckily, Wanda did regenerate all fine in the end. At least now we've got Third Wanda. :) I hope you liked the new chapter and Third Wanda. Let me know if you did. And I also hope to see you again in the future, and that you'll have a amazing day! Take care! :)

 **Squidtastik** : Glad that I can still throw in the unexpected every once and a while. ;) Hope you liked the big shock there, and enjoyed the newest chapter as well. Oh, and I also hope there was enjoyment in finally seeing Third Wanda. :) So glad that you're doing better! I completely understand on having bad days. I've been having those more and more recently myself. One of the reasons why it's been taking longer to post these chapters out. But I keep moving forward, knowing that I promised you guys the rest of this story. And I always keep my promises. I hope that things continue to go well for you. If you ever need someone to talk to, don't hesitate to send me a PM. I'm here for you. :) Until next time, and have a fantastic day!

 **10th Squad 3rd Seat** : Yay! Glad you enjoyed. ;) Hope you liked Third Wanda, and that you'll enjoy the rest to come! Until next time!

 **sydney33331** : lol I'm guessing that means you enjoyed the ending. ;) I'm so glad that you did. Hope the crying was a good kind of cry. I also hope that you'll like the rest of the trilogy. Hope to see you again in the future! Take care! :)

 **Guest(d)** : Woot! Glad you enjoyed it. :) Hope you liked the new chapter, and will enjoy the rest in the future. Take care!

 **loveneverdies115** : So glad that you enjoyed it! :D I really hope that you'll like the new part of the trilogy. And hope to see you again in the future! Until next time! :)

 **Lady Artimes Blaine** : lol I am cruel at times, aren't I? ;) Hope that I'm not too cruel, though. And that you enjoyed the new chapter. I'll keep my fingers crossed that it made up for the cliffhanger from last time. :) Let me know if you enjoyed Third Wanda so far. I'd love to know what you think of her. :) Until next time!

 **alwaystherereading** : I'm so glad that you enjoyed it so much. :) It was about time the Doctor and Wanda got together, I think. And now, they'll be one happy couple. Or will they? ;) Time will tell. As for nanowrimo, I still feel as though I couldn't truly write anything good for it. But thanks for the offer to join in the challenge. Maybe I'll do it some time in the future. :) Hope to see you again soon! Take care!

 **Crystal12345** : Yay! I'm happy that you enjoyed it so much. :) Yeah, you could say I just love leaving you guys on the edge. lol ;) Hope you enjoyed the new chapter, and to see you again in the future! :D

 **Blinked310** : Thanks! Couldn't have made it here without you. ;) Yeah, definitely hard to get right. I felt like there was a lot more I could have done for Second Wanda, but . . . I just ran out of time and ideas really. Yes, finally. Only took them, what, seventy-five years? lol ;) Their relationship will definitely be taking a leap after that. You're right, not every death has to be dramatic. Sometimes, even for the Doctor, it's just a freak accident. I know for one incarnation, the Doctor simply fell off a high tower and had to regenerate. Nothing fancy. Just fell, done. Oh yes, very ominous. This is the part where things begin to change. And not in a very pleasant way, either. Be warned, for things may not always seem as happy and bright as they appear to be. For the darkness awaits. Hope that was a nice spoiler there. ;) Maybe not necessarily shouting at Nine. Perhaps more of . . . punching him. lol ;) There's a sneak peek for you. Hope to see you again in the next part! I hope you have a wonderful day, and stay brilliantly amazing! :D

 **Gladoo89** : Yep, finally. About time they were married, I'd say. ;) And you'd be right about the regenerating. Wanda is always in good hands. :) Oh yes. Alpha. Let's just say, it's going to be . . . interesting when she finally shows up. Until next time! Hope to see you again in the future, and that you enjoyed the new chapter. :)

 **Guest(e)** : Aww, thank you. That means a lot. :) I'm just so happy that the story is bring you such joy. I hope the joy continues far into the future for the trilogy. Hope you enjoyed the newest chapter, too. :D

 **A Week Of Sundays** : Oh, I think we're all happy for Wanda. :) It was never really her dream, just more of a small wanting or wish. But it's a wish that came true none the less. I hope you like Third Wanda and the rest of part three. Ah . . . no comment on little, ah, Wanderers. Yeah, I agree completely. I really felt as though it could have been better. But, for part two, it was the best way it could have ended. Now part three, on the other hand, that's where things get exciting. ;)

 **MyWaywardDaughter** : So happy that you liked it. :) I agree, there really was no other way it could have been. But, still think it could have been better in some ways. Oh well. Let's just hope that this part will be fantastic. :) Hope you enjoy! Take care!

 **Arosen Time** : lol I'm guessing you enjoyed how everything turned out? ;) Glad you liked the wanderfully ending. ;) Hope you enjoyed the new chapter, and to see you again soon. :)

 **Guest(f)** : Hello, and welcome to the story! (If I didn't already say that you to, that is) :D I'm so happy that the story has brought you so much joy. For that is my only true goal: Bring joy. Though, I hope you'll get more sleep in the future. I'd hate for you to get sick from lack of sleep. :( Glad you enjoyed the feels. ;) As for all the mysteries, they will all be revealed within this part of the trilogy for certain. But really good theories. I love them. :) Nah, thank you for being an amazing reader and leaving such wonderful review(s). :) Until next time!

 **EmmaKathy** : Yep, Third Wanda. lol I hope that means you liked the ending. ;) And I hope to see you again soon! :D Let me know if you enjoyed Third Wanda. I'd love to see what you think of her. :)

 **Audrie-13** : Aww, sorry if it was a bad cry. I hope it was a good cry. Wait . . . hope that didn't sound weird. Anyways, I also really, really hope you enjoyed the newest chapter. And Third Wanda. :) Until next time!

 **wittendorffmaja** : Yes, I'm sad and will miss her, too. :( Though, we did see a bit of Second Wanda here. . . Briefly. Anyways, I'm glad you are still enjoying everything so far. :) Aww, thank you. I'll make certain to keep reminding myself that. ;) Hope you liked Third Wanda, and will continue to enjoy her through the rest of the story. :) Until next time you magnificent reader! Farvel! :D

 **KeeperMusicNight** : Hello, and welcome to the story! :D I'm so glad to see that you've been enjoying the trilogy so far. Glad it was a bit of the unexpected in the beginning. ;) And I don't take it the wrong way at all. I think we're all a bit wary when it comes to new books. That's why I give myself a rule to always give the book a chance to at least five chapters. I'm glad you found joy in the story to keep reading. I truly hope the joy continues throughout the rest to come. :) Oh, only about seventy-five years for them to get together. But, psh, who's counting. So, was this chapter a bit unexpected, too, on where you thought might have happened? ;) Aww, thank you so much. That means the world to me. :) I wish I can convey to you and all other readers on just how much each of you mean to me. You're all just . . . fantastic! :D Each one of you is what keeps me going in creating. For all I ever wish is to bring joy with my writing. And I really hope that I'm doing just that and succeeding. I hope that you enjoyed the newest chapter, and that I will get to see you again in the future. :) Take care, and have a wonderful day!

 **ajwehri** : Yay! Glad you liked it. :) Nah, thank you for being an amazing reader and taking the time to leave a wonderful review. :) You're awesome! Hope you liked the new chapter and Third Wanda. ;) Until next time!

 **Twilights Castle** : It really is awesome, the relationship between Bad Wolf and Wanda, isn't it? ;) And there is a reason to that. But that's a spoiler for another day. Until next time! Take care!

 **jb** : Me too! :D Though, I'm mostly excited to see what everyone thinks of it. Hope you liked it. :)

 **Guest(g)** : lol I'm guessing you liked it? ;) Thank you so much! Hope you'll continue to enjoy. :)

 **Guest(h)** : Nope, Wanda is definitely not the Moment. But she is something . . . unique. Let's just say that and leave a spoiler for another day. ;)

 **Guest(i)** : Thanks! I couldn't have done it without you wonderful readers. :) Hope you enjoyed the new chapter!

 **vdwdtw0809** : Woot! I'm so happy that you're liking the story. I hope you continue to enjoy the rest to come. :) Until next time!

 **Judoon Platoon** : Well, no need to be frozen any longer. For now here's the next part, ready to take you onto the next adventure. ;)

 **Pond2** : Yay! So glad you weren't disappointed and that it was good. :) Oh, I could never think to not response to everyone. For each one of you is truly amazing. Plus, each of you takes the time to not only read the story, but to review it as well. It's the least I can do to return the favor and show you all how much each of you means to me. :) Published? Nah, not for me. I don't think anything I write could ever be worthy of publishing. Nah, thank you for not giving up on me. ;) I hope you enjoyed comic con. :D That sounds totally awesome! Until next time! Take care!

 **Guest(j)** : Woot! I'm happy you enjoyed all of it. :) I hope the enjoyment will continue onwards in to the future. Hope you enjoyed the new chapter and Third Wanda. And you have a fantastic day as well. :)

 **StraightFromCrazy** : Why, thank you. That truly means so much to me. :) I hope you have a brilliant day!

 **nicolekunstekova** : Aww, thank you. I'm so happy that you're enjoying the story so far. I hope the enjoyment continues throughout the rest to come. :) I'm also so happy to have brought you such joy. I'm always glad in knowing how much the story can help through the bad times. For I know each and every one of you helps me through my own. In seeing your happiness, it gives me such joy and feeling of doing something right in my life. Thank you. :) Take care!

 **Shinonome Sakuya** : Hello, and welcome to the story! I'm so happy that you're enjoying it so far. :D Really, the story is nothing in comparison to the show. But I am happy that it brings you brilliant joy all the same. And that you find such warmth for both Wandas that we've seen so far. I really hope that you'll enjoy new Wanda and the rest of the story to come. Let me know what you think, for I'd love hearing all of what you have to say. :D Until next time! Take care!

 **Nerd4StageAndScreen** : Sorry for the late update. Been a rough month. But it's here now, and I hope that you enjoyed it. :) Until next time!

 **KoNeKoLuvsU** : Hello! Welcome to the story! :D I'm so happy to hear on how much you've been enjoying it so far. I truly hope the enjoyment continues onwards throughout the rest to come. I also hope that you will enjoy Third Wanda, and the romance between her and the Doctor. ;) Nah, you keep on being amazing! ;) Until next time! Take care!

 **Guest(k)** : Day 30: Sanity restored. ;)

 **Twix13** : _Bonjour_! Yay! I'm so happy that you enjoy it. :D I hope that you'll continue to enjoy throughout the rest. And Third Wanda, too. ;) Hope you have _formidable_ (I hope that's the right word)day! Until next time!

Thank you all again! You're all amazing! :D

~Tinker~


	2. Ch 2: New Wanda

Helloooo, readers! :D

Wow! Just wow! Over ninety reviews on just the first chapter alone? Wow! You guys are amazing and brilliant, have I ever told you that? ;) Thank you all so, so much! And if you're wondering if I'm going to reply to them all: yes. Yes I am. So, if the word count on this chapter seems really, really long, just know that the chapter itself is not that in-depth. I just want to make certain to keep my promise in always trying to reply to everyone. :)

Also, on a quick note, I want to apologize on being so behind in updating this chapter. Final weeks at college. My computer crashed and had to get a new one. which took a while to raise the funds for. It's been a nightmare. Plus, still working on typing this part up. I was already done with part one and almost done with part two beforehand, so that was why I was able to post up so quickly in the past. However, not the same case with part three. Still a long work in progress. But we'll get there to the end. ;)

So, without keeping you away from the story any longer, here's the new chapter. Enjoy! :)

XxXxXxXx

Chapter 2: New Wanda

Wanda's mind lazily woke up before her body did. She left her mind drift around, thinking over a different assortment of topics through her mind. First things first, what the hell happened? Not the whole regenerating or her dying, but . . . had she really wasted so many years with the Doctor? No, time with the Doctor was _never_ a waste. But it could have been so many years of love they might have shared. If only one of them had been smart enough to just say 'hey, I love you, let's get married.' But would that have really worked? Hmm . . . probably not. Oh, who cares anyway? Well, no she did. She really, _really_ felt bad about putting both of themselves through all of that. But was in the past, and this was a new her. She was going to make sure this version of herself never once questioned her love. Never once questioned the Doctor's love. She had screwed up once as Second Wanda. She was not going to do it again.

She understood now that, through all this time, it was selfish of her to fight against the Doctor's love. She had been so focused on thinking things had to remain the way they were. So focused and afraid of change, frightened to be a horrible friend in any possible way. As well as terrified in believing she could have ruined the Doctor's life in any way. But all this time, she had been so foolish. All the advice and the hints the companions and the Doctor had given her. She was a _real_ moron for not listening.

But of course, she was also naïve. So, _so_ naïve. Of course, that had always been her. People had to tell her up front about these certain things for her to be able to understand or fully grasp something. If people did not tell her straight about specific aspects on life, such as love as one example or . . . other things that would not be mentioned. She made a face of disgust in thinking about Amy and Rory, still with no bunk beds. So, these certain aspects, if not fully confronted or straight up told to her, then she would be completely oblivious to the truth. Even if it did jump right under her nose.

Or perhaps it was more that Second Wanda really could not grasp love? Perhaps, it had been a fatal flaw of the incarnation. Yes, she had loved the Doctor dearly as her Second self, but . . . it was as though the lights were just not clicking fully on. There was a spark of love, but not made completely whole yet. However, she could tell, that this new her, was very different from her last incarnation. This was it. This new her could finally move past the insecurities and fully love the Doctor. No more doubt hidden inside. No more self-conscious feelings. For even though Second Wanda had been confident up front, there were still many qualities of First Wanda within. Now though, Wanda knew none of that would ever trouble her again. At least, not as bad as it had been in the past.

Secondly, now that she could recall what happened after her regeneration, she must say she was embarrassed by her actions. Yes, she promised herself she would always show the Doctor she loved him. But that was for the appropriate Doctors. Ten with Rose was still too new and young to the idea of loving anyone. Especially Wanda herself. She could have ruined everything by her silly and unorthodox behavior. No, wait, was it unorthodox? It felt right to her. She felt so . . . giddy and giggly. Oh, she liked that! Giddy and giggly!

Wanda shifted on the bed, starting to feel the rest of her waking up. Her mind was fully awake now and was jumping around so fast and free. Like a hyper child. She felt the same affects. She wanted to jump around on the bed, or run outside—no wait, running! Ooh, she missed running! She wanted to run and run and—no wait . . . was someone in the room with her? No, wait, they were in bed with her.

She shifted her hand around, feeling an evenly breathing chest. She felt her body cuddle up against another. Two heart beats gently lulled their rhythm under her ear. Smiling softly, nothing but happiness and glee went through her as she realized it was the Doctor. He was resting with her. Opening her eyes, she snorted in seeing the usual sight of sleeping Ten. Some drool leaked from his mouth as he snorted and mumbled his random words. He did not have his arms wrapped around her like he would in the future. But Wanda was still touched that he wanted to at least sleep with her. Of course, it was their habit. Neither one of them could sleep without the other anymore. At least, not sleep soundly.

Thinking on that, Wanda went over on how the others Doctors would sleep. Nine was always stiff, and usually just slept on his side. Never moving, never breathing a mumble. He never cuddled, either. In fact, there were a few times she had nestled up next to him as her Second self, but he would always jerk away from her. Not liking the touch. It was too foreign to him for someone to cuddle with him. Of course, Ten would change in that, growing to enjoy the cuddling. Eleven was both a cuddler and a snuggler. He was always like a little kid, nuzzling right up to her and falling to sleep almost instantly. Sometimes, he would lie with his own head on her chest. Listening to her heart beats for a lullaby.

Wanda smiled warmly at the Doctor, letting herself contently lie there as she listened to his hearts. Oh, did she ever love listening to his hearts. She giggled, snuggling up closer to his chest and nuzzling her face into the brown, pinstripe suit. But then, after a few minutes of lying there, she felt restless. She was bored. She wanted to do something with her family. She wanted to go off on an adventure. She wanted the Doctor to wake up. Pouting at him, she gently shook him.

"Doctor, time to get up," she whispered. She wanted to be gentle and not be a burden. He might still need some sleep from his own regeneration he had undergone. But she really, _really_ wanted for him to get up. She still wanted to spend some sort of Christmas with him. "Doctor? You awake?"

"No," he mumbled, grunting and rolling over to grab Wanda and pull her closer. She huffed and pouted. He was keeping her locked to him so she could not get away. So much for young Ten not being a cuddler. Apparently, he was too tired to notice what he was doing. Why the heck was he tired anyway? The Doctor was never tired. At least, not until it had been about two or more weeks of no sleep. By then, Wanda usually forced him to sleep. She had to make sure he kept up his health and not let himself become sick again like Nine had done to himself.

"Doctor, I want up," she told him, shifting in his arms. "Come on, you promised me Christmas once I woke up."

"Don't care. More sleep," he muttered. He snored lightly as he was drifting off again. Wanda pouted even more. Raising a sly brow, she stuck a finger in her mouth and lathered it up. Grinning like mad, she hurriedly pushed it into his ear.

"Gah!" he yelled out, moving away from her quickly. He fell off the bed in shock from the sudden sensation of gross wetness in his ear, taking the covers with him as they stayed wrapped around his legs. Wanda burst out in a fit of giggles. Rolling on the bed and clutching her stomach as the Doctor rubbed at his ear wildly. "What did you do that for?!"

"'Cause I felt like it, and you wouldn't let me up," Wanda told him, grinning like mad as he grumbled and rubbed at the inside of his ear. "Now, time to get up. You promised me Christmas." She bounced up from the bed, spinning around in the middle of the room. "Wow, Rose sure does love her pink. I always forget just how much. Look at this! I even have her pink pajamas. Though . . . they're a little too big on me." She looked them over, seeing how the bottoms were too long and the long sleeves almost fell over her hands. The shoulders were not even staying on her, going sideways as one side to almost fall over her right shoulder, showing some light skin.

"Dang, I really am tiny," Wanda remarked. "Look at me! So flipping tiny! I'll have to really search through the TARDIS wardrobe if I'm going to find anything to fit. What did you guys do with my old clothes? I hope you didn't throw them away just yet. I want to say goodbye to Second Wanda. I like doing that, saying goodbye to old mes, it feels nice, gives some closure, makes it official. Plus, I think Second Wanda deserves a nice goodbye. She's been through a lot, even more so than First me. Oh, I just can't wait to find some new clothes. I wonder what new style will look good on me. Something not purple, that's for sure. No, wait! Maybe purple will look better on me. I have no clue."

"Wanda, slow down," the Doctor told her, trying to settle down her rapid and speedy talking. She was going a mile a minute. Of course, Third Wanda always did have on hell of a mouth. She could ramble on and on, almost more than himself. And always so fast. Constantly sounding like she was a hyper child.

"Oh, I'm rambling. That's new," Wanda remarked. "Usually, I'm not the talker. I like to leave that up to you or the companions. Oh, my gosh! Speaking of companions! Rose!" She bounced hurriedly out the room. The Doctor got up, untangling himself from the covers, and walked out of the room after her.

Rose was standing in the kitchen talking with her mother when Wanda rushed up and hugged her tightly. Wanda giggled away with glee at being able to hug her pink and yellow friend again. She had missed her dearly. Rose laughed brightly and hugged her in return.

"Glad you're finally up," Rose told her.

"How long was I out?" Wanda asked curiously, pulling away from the hug.

"About two days," Rose replied, shrugging lightly. Wanda's jaw dropped in shock.

"Two days?! Again?! What's up with me always sleeping for two days?" Wanda pouted, then shrugged herself. "Well, sorry for the wait. Didn't mean to hold you guys up."

"I'm not complaining. I get to keep my daughter around longer," Jackie commented. The mother nodded to the refrigerator next to them. "There's some Christmas leftovers for you. The Doctor said you wanted Christmas dinner, so we packed you away some."

"Oh, thank you!" Wanda said cheerfully, giving the mother a bright hug. "I swear, one of these days, we are getting a real Christmas together. Without me coming in and spoiling everything, of course." She bounced over to the refrigerator and started to pull out the food.

Once the food was all heated up and ready for eating once more, Wanda set everything on the table and rubbed her hands together in excitement. She really did feel like a kid again. Everything was just so exciting to her. Was it still the regeneration, or was that just who she was now? A hyper and excitable person. Well, she did promise herself right before she regenerated that she would no long allow herself to be worried over things like her Second self had. Always worrying. This her was going to just enjoy life. Go with the flow of things and not allow herself to over think or worry any longer. Or, at least try to. And this her was going to love, definitely love. She loved, loved everything now! Especially the Doctor.

Oh, the Doctor, she wondered if Eleven was doing okay after everything that had happened. Was he worrying about her? She would have to make sure to tell him everything turned out all right for her once she saw him again. Oh, and Amy, Rory, and River as well. Tell them she was okay. Of course, only herself, not the Doctor. They had to think he was dead. Then—no wait, River was supposed to know he was alive. But, no, the Doctor never got a chance to tell her. So that means the Ponds were left in the dark and—

"Wanda, are you going to eat your food?"

Wanda blinked when hearing the Doctor's question, realizing she had spaced out in thinking. Man, was this mind of her just constantly jumping around in thought. It was just as hyper as this new body of hers. She wondered for a moment if her mind was acting strangely as a side effect from being split from two realities. Eleven mentioned something like that could happen.

"Yep, sorry. Was just thinking," Wanda told him, hurriedly digging into the food. But as soon as she took one bite, she froze. Pulling back slowly, she frowned at the turkey on her fork. Letting that drop, she tried the cranberry sauce. Blah! She spit it out, glaring at the offending dish. Then she went onto the chestnuts, the parsnips, the roast potatoes. But all disagreed with her mouth just the same.

"Um . . . Wanda, is something wrong?" the Doctor asked, who was sitting beside her at the table. He raised a brow at her, watching her take a bite of something then hurriedly pouting and going to something else to try. Not fully eating anything.

"Yeah, I'll tell you what's wrong. My freaking tongue regenerated wrong!" Wanda exclaimed angrily, banging her hand on the table in frustration as she dropped her fork. She pulled on her tongue, trying to glare at it the best she could. "Thit's thakeing eveybing thaste bab." She pulled on it some more, talking while holding onto it. The Doctor, and Rose, who had come into the dining room, both snorted at her behavior.

"Truth be told, I think that's just Jackie's cooking," the Doctor told Wanda quietly so the mother would not hear.

"No! Jackie's cooking is great," Wanda defended, finally letting go of her tongue. "It's just this damn tongue. Gah! This is so not fair. I wanted Christmas dinner, darn it all." She pushed the plate away and crossed her arms to pout at it. "Is it too late for me to regenerate a new tongue?"

"Yep. Afraid you're stuck with it," the Doctor told her with a cheeky grin. Wanda turned to him and stuck out her tongue, blowing a quick raspberry.

"So, Wanda, I've got to know, how come your regeneration is different?" Rose asked after laughing at Wanda's behaviour.

"Actually, I was wondering the same thing," added the Doctor. He stared at Wanda curiously as she hummed in thought.

"Well, you had to have noticed by now that I don't exactly heal like a normal Time Lord. At least, not as fast as you, Doctor," Wanda began to explain. "I don't exactly have regeneration energy of my own. Well, I mean, I do, but I just can't access it." She nodded to the Doctor. "You explained to me, after the first time I regenerated, that it's like I'm missing a spark. It's there, but it needs a trigger to make it happen. You provide me the spark I need. So, I have to have you there with our hands connected for me to be able to regenerate."

The Doctor hummed in thought. "Why is that? Especially in your energy not being harmful? What makes you different?"

"No clue," Wand shrugged. "I'm pretty sure you know in the future, but you won't tell me. There are a lot of things you won't tell me." Wanda trailed off softly, staring absently at the white table cloth in front of her.

That's right, she had forgotten about finding out the truth about herself. At least, some of the truth. The Time Vortex lived within her. As she had told the others back in the pyramid when Kovarian spilled the 'secret,' Wanda had always suspected that was what made her . . . different. What made her wrong and dangerous. She never wanted it to be true. It terrified her to no end in having that sort of power living within her. That was why she had simply placed it on a list of theories. More or less a list of her wishes that she had prayed were not true about her. But now . . . the truth was out. It was real. She had the Time Vortex within her.

This only raised more questions. Why? How? Why did she have the Time Vortex inside her? How did it get there? How was she not dead already from it? Why was she still alive? Was she really a weapon as Kovarian said? The Universe's Weapon? Wanda knew what the power of the Time Vortex could do once trapped inside an individual. Just look at what Bad Wolf had done. She wiped out the Daleks, turning them all into dust in a few seconds. Did Wanda hold such similar powers? She shivered at that thought. Gosh, she hoped not. She never wanted that kind of power. Being a Time Lord was enough. There was nothing more she wanted to be.

But this made her wonder even more. Why had the Doctor never told her this? Was it something he knew would cause her to be frightened? Well, yes, that much was true. She was greatly terrified of such powers within her. No, it was more than that. The Doctor did not want to tell her because he feared it would lead to something else. But what? What else could possibly be more dangerous about her? Was she truly a monster as others called her?

"You all right, Wanda?" asked Rose, making Wanda shake her head lightly to pull herself out of her wandering mind. She had been staring off blankly at the plate in front of her for a minute there.

"Yeah, sorry, just . . . thinking," Wanda said quietly. She shook her head quickly again, smiling brightly at them. She needed to snap out of this. She was being a drag again. She frowned back down at the food still on her plate. Scrunching her face somewhat, she grabbed her fork firmly and forced herself to eat the rest of it. No matter what her taste buds were screaming in detest, she was going to eat this Christmas dinner whether her tongue liked it or not!

"You know, you don't have to eat that, Wanda," the Doctor offered, trying to help her not have to force herself to do anything she did not want to. Especially forcing herself to eat something she did not like.

"Nope! I'm going to eat this whether my tongue likes it or not," Wanda declared, ready to fight her taste buds at any means necessary. The Doctor and Rose glanced at each other, shrugging at Wanda's antics.

Finally finishing the small meal, she placed down her fork and made a small face of disgust. Her taste buds really did not like that one bit. The Doctor and Rose both chuckled in amusement at her. Wanda merely stuck her tongue at them both.

"So, I guess I should go find myself some new clothes to wear," she said to them. She stood up, and bounced out of the dining room towards the front door. "What did you guys do with . . ." She stopped by the doorway of the room she had teleported to.

There was a dark stain of blood still on the floor. It looked as though someone had tried cleaning it up, but was unable to get the stain out. Man . . . she really had bled out so much. It made her sad to think that was how Second Wanda had gone out. How she had almost died. It really had been awful.

"Hey, you okay?" the Doctor asked her gently, coming up beside her to see the distant look in her eyes.

"Yeah. I just . . . feel bad for putting you all through that," Wanda whispered. She shook her head some, trying to stay cheerful. "Sorry. Didn't mean to stain the carpet so bad."

"What happened?" the Doctor questioned. "What caused you to go through that?"

"Spoilers," Wanda sighed. "Is there something we can do about the stain? I don't want Jackie, Rose, and Mickey having to see that."

"Yeah. I have something on the TARDIS that can get rid of it."

"Good. I'll have to apologize to Jackie about that later. To Rose and Mickey as well, for going through such an awful sight." She then looked at the Doctor. "I hope I didn't upset you, either."

The Doctor shrugged, trying to bypass how truly horrified he had been. Something he was still getting used to in feeling about the Time Lady. It boggled his mind how . . . protective he felt over her. Was it merely because of some affection he had come to realize he had while on Satellite Five? Or just that they were 'close friends'? Hmm. Hard to tell. He was still getting used to this new body and how it felt towards things. Mainly, how it felt towards Wanda.

"Well, time to get changed," Wanda said, bouncing to the door again. "Brand new me needs a brand new look."

XxXxXxXx

The first thing Wanda did once she entered the TARDIS wardrobe was go to the mirror. Spinning around, she looked over the new face of hers. The moment she saw her face, she had to laugh. Now, she finally understood why Jack always called her Tinkerbell. Everything about her appearance just looked like a pixie. Her features held sort of a mixture of a child-like appearance, and a sharp angular of that of a mystical creature. Even her ears looked somewhat pointed when she tilted her head just right. And she was very much a twig now. Much more like her First self had been with the slim and narrow look. Though, she looked thinner than First Wanda had. She almost looked too skinny. Hmm, she would have to fix that and eat more. Well, that is, if her taste buds actually worked right and let her eat. Dang it, she still wanted to actually enjoy Jackie's Christmas dinner.

Anyway, back on subject. Now that she had a better look at herself, she could see she was not as tiny as she first thought. It was mostly she was simply very short compare to her other two incarnations. First Wanda had almost been as tall as Ten and Nine, and came to the same height as Eleven. Second Wanda had been a few inches short than this, but still mostly the same height. Now, this new body, she noticed how she came up to about Ten's chest. So much smaller than what she was used to. She almost felt as though everyone were giants now compared to her.

The new body did not hold as womanly of curves as Second Wanda, but still held some hip action. As well as endowments that were larger than her First self, but still not as large as Second her. Which was good, because those had always annoyed Wanda the most in her last body. What a pain they were. Judging by the way her bone structure appeared, she would have to guess this body was close to or at mid-twenties. But she was so small and held such child-like features that she appeared to be much younger than that. About around Rose's age, or maybe even younger. Though, that might just be the pink pajamas making her look younger.

The hair was really a changer. She had grown used to the short style. Now, it was long hair all over again. Even longer than the mid-back length of First Wanda. It reached all the way to her waist now. And seeing the blonde in better light, she could tell it was an ash color. It was so light in color; it almost appeared to be white. Oh, and the eyes! They were so beautiful! They were a light, emerald green that sparkled and shined, with this strange mystical gaze to them, simply adding to her pixie appearance. Last, but not least, freckles! She had freckles now! Oh, she loved them! They were light and speckled her face, adding once more to the childish look. She giggled in delight and bounced up and down.

Once she was done loving her new body, she had a hard time finding an outfit. It was not that she could not find something to fit her. It was more of she just could not decide on what to wear. One moment, she would finally find something that she deemed perfect. Then the next she suddenly pouted and decided it simply did not match this new her. Did she have this much difficulty the last time picking a new outfit? She did not remember taking this long to find something during her Second incarnation. Maybe this new her was just picky. Or maybe ornery? No, no, not that. Maybe—no wait! She found it!

Wanda stood in front of the mirror proudly. Finally finding the perfect outfit that was actually able make her appear older than the teen look the pink pajamas had given her. She actually looked like the age her body was now. She wore a light, blue tunic which had long flowing sleeves, nice white designs on the sides and front, and was so long on her short body that it was almost a dress. Which she rather liked the dress _look_ now, but did still not seeing herself actually wearing dresses that much. With it, she had on brown capris (with pockets of course) and tan Merry Jane shoes. She decided wrapping a green ribbon around as a headband to help keep control of her new wavy blonde hair, making the ribbon tie into a bow that tilted to the side of her head. Long and wavy. Wavy and long. Maybe she should braid the hair as well? Or perhaps—no wait, she liked it flowing around. Yep, definitely liked it flowing and being long. Smiling brightly to herself, she turned and bounced away from the mirror.

She stopped short when seeing the old sage military jacket sitting on a chair within the wardrobe. The nasty blood stain was gone, but the hole from where Kovarian had stabbed her still remained. Oh . . . Walking up to the jacket, Wanda crouched next to the chair and gently petted the sage material. So many fond memories. So many years lived. Giving the ghost of Second Wanda a warm smile, Third Wanda stood up.

"Goodbye, lovely, sexy Wanda," she said quietly. "Don't worry. I'll take good care of our Theta." With that said, she turned and skipped out of the room.

The Doctor was already there, starting to send the TARDIS off. He turned and smiled to Wanda.

"Like the new look," he remarked lightly.

"You think it's good?" Wanda asked, spinning around and hoping for his approval. He nodded and sent a foxy grin, making her feel giddy again. She bounced up and down, pointing to her face. "And guess what else? Freckles! I have freckles now! You and I match! Though, mine are somewhat lighter than yours, so I guess we don't match completely. But close enough!"

The Doctor snorted, shaking his head slightly. "I'm guessing you like freckles?"

"I love freckles. Especially yours." Wanda bounced up and gave him a quick kiss on his cheek. Right on the exact freckles she loved so much.

The Doctor sort of pulled back in surprise, blushing and rubbing at his cheek in embarrassment. He gave her sort of a disgruntled pout. "Don't do that. Now I've got slobber all over my cheek."

Wanda merely giggled in delight to his reaction. Rose suddenly bounced inside with her travel bag all packed and ready to go. Wanda hurriedly went over to the door before the Doctor sent them completely off. She waved to Jackie and Mickey cheerfully. "Bye, Jackie! Bye, Mickey! See you both around!"

They waved back, making Wanda beam happily. Man, she really did feel like a kid. Everything was just so bubbly and giggly now to her. Was this going to be a normal thing? Her always being bouncy, giggly, giddy, and—oh. The TARDIS was leaving. She hurriedly closed the door and went over to the console. The Doctor grinned at both her and Rose, sending them off. Wanda already knew where they were going, but she still felt the same excitement as the other two. That never changed. The excited feeling of travelling was always there. Even for someone who knew everything.

Once the TARDIS had landed, Rose and Wanda both went outside to the new world together. Rose could only stare at the sight before them with her mouth hanging open in awe. Even Wanda herself was amazed by the beautiful, dazzling city of New New York. High spiraling skyscrapers that shone brightly in the sunlight. Flying vehicles zooming around the air, all sleek and fancy. Beautiful waters of a river lapped the shore right in front of them. All with soft, rolling apple-grass. Oh! Apple-grass! Wanda had not seen apple-grass since her old home. Smelling it again, it sure did bring back memories. Very nostalgic.

"It's the year five billion and twenty-three," the Doctor told them after he walked out of the ship. "We're in the galaxy M87, and this . . . this is New Earth."

"That's just . . .," Rose trailed off, at a loss of words. She tried again. "That's just . . ."

"Not bad?" Wanda offered with a grin. Rose laughed in delight.

"Not bad at all," the Doctor laughed along. Wanda giggled brightly. Boy, was she always going to giggle now? Sure, she giggled somewhat before, but not to this extent. Now, she felt like giggling about everything.

"That's amazing," Rose breathed out, staring to all the flying cars and dazzling buildings of New Earth. "Oh, I'll never get used to this, never." The girl started to bounce up and down upon the earth below her feet. Wanda bounced with her as Rose continued to speak with joy. "Different ground beneath my feet. Different sky." Rose stopped hopping up and down, though Wanda continued. More or less because she had felt like bouncing since the moment she had awoken this morning.

"What's that smell?" Rose asked them, sniffing the air some. Wanda finally settled down from her giddy bouncing, beaming to the other two.

"Apple-grass!" she exclaimed with joy. She giggling and spun around. "Oh, I've missed apple-grass so much! Come on. Let's go enjoy the view." She walked up, linking her arms with both the Doctor and Rose and strolled off with them both.

The trio happily wandered a ways from the TARDIS. Eventually, they found a nice spot to lie about and soak in the sights. The Doctor, gentleman as ever, spread out his tan overcoat for the two girls. But Wanda had other ideas in mind.

"Sit, Doctor," Wanda said, patting the empty spot next to Rose. With a curious expression in place, the Doctor followed her command and sat down. Smiling and giggling away as she had been since regenerating, the Doctor's lap was made into a nice and comfortable seat by Wanda. She wiggled in his grasp on his lap, wrapping his arms around her middle as she leaned back against his chest. All the while the Doctor could only feel his face growing a red, heated, tint and feel his hearts rapidly speed up.

"Um . . . what are you doing, exactly?" he questioned Wanda slowly.

"Making you my seat. I like your lap. It's comfy," she told him as she gazed up to him with a merry smile. He only felt even more embarrassed in seeing Rose trying to hold in a fit of laughter from the corner of his eye.

"Well, I'd rather not be your seat. Thanks," the Doctor told her, pushing the Time Lady away from him. Wanda pouted and crossed her arms.

"Fine. Then this beautiful lady will just have to find someone even more gorgeous to sit on. Maybe someone who likes lovely ladies to give them affection," Wanda sassed lightly. Oh, the sass was still there. Maybe a few traits from Second Wanda remained with her. Wanda smiled over at Rose, going into the girl's lap, doing much of the same as she had with the Doctor. "How 'bout it, gorgeous? Think you'd like a stunning lady like myself in your arms?"

"Why, yes, I would," Rose laughed, finding Wanda's antics to be amusing. The Doctor rolled his eyes at the two girls, knowing they were both doing this to tease him. Third Wanda always did things like this, jumping on people's laps or their backs. She was a constant cuddler and big on showing affection. It had annoyed him in the past whenever she would try to do the same to him, but now . . . he found he rather enjoyed it.

Wanda giggled a few seconds more before she ended up moving off of Rose and onto the grass next to the two of them. She wanted to enjoy lying on the grass, feeling the cool texture and breathe in the smell. It brought back so many memories. Many to which she . . . had been forgetting over the years. Wanda lied on her back, staring to the blue sky above. A sad nostalgia started to wash over her. Lost memories of her parents, friends, her village, her old world. It had been so long now. Seventy-five years. She wondered . . . if Shelly and Tina had kids of their own. Husbands, children, grandchildren. Her parents would be gone by now. But hopefully they lived long and blissful lives. At least, that is what Wanda hoped they had. She hoped everything was still fine and happy back in her old world.

"So, Wanda, you said you've missed apple-grass. Have you been here before?" Rose asked the Time Lady once the Doctor got done rambling about the planet's history.

"Yeah, sort of," Wanda replied, snapping herself out of the sad nostalgia. Being sad and worried was old her. This was new her. She was giddy and giggly now. "But what I really meant was the apple-grass I had back in my old world. We had fields of it in certain parts of the countryside."

"Really?" the Doctor questioned, sitting up to stare at Wanda curiously. He raised a skeptical brow. "Your universe's Earth had apple-grass?"

"Yep," Wanda said lightly. She bent her legs, crossing one over on top of the other and started to bounce the top leg some. She just felt as though she had to keep moving. Staying still too long was uncomfortable.

"Is it normal of parallel universes to have different grass types?" Rose asked the Doctor. He hummed in thought. His eyes looked over Wanda in a studying manner as she continued to smile and stare to the blue sky.

"What else did your world have, Wanda?" he questioned, sounding thoughtful and curious. Though, with a hint of uncertainty within an undertone to his voice. "I remember you mention some other differences before. How different was your universe?"

"Well, we had more advanced technology than this universe's Earth," Wanda explained. She looked over to Rose. "Your Earth, I mean. Not New Earth."

"Oh? And what else did you have besides apple-grass?" Rose asked, very curious now. Wanda never did talk much about her old world. Always too focused on living in her new life. Though, Rose knew it was mostly because it probably hurt Wanda to discuss the family and friends she had lost.

"We had red grass, too," Wanda told the girl. She looked back to the sky, smiling away. "I loved the red grass. We had only small meadows of it. But boy, did I love the stuff. Even had this special silver tre—."

"What did you say?" the Doctor breathed. Wanda looked over seeing how he appeared to have tensed. His eyes wide holding look of astonishment and pure disbelief written within.

"Oh, um . . . red grass. We . . . had some back in my world," Wanda told him, suddenly realizing that the mentioning of red grass might upset him. She knew how it had also been a part of Gallifrey's landscape as well.

Though . . . now that she thought about it, why was it also apart of her world's landscape? Huh . . . in fact . . . there were many things off about her old world, things to which she never really bothered to question before. Why though? It was almost as if . . . whenever she tried to think over the strange interworking's of her old world, something kept blocking her mind from dwelling too far on the topic or delve too deeply through her mind to understand why exactly her old universe's Earth had been so strange. She wondered if this had to do something with her lack of remembering, or the headaches, or the barriers, or even the newly acknowledged Time Vortex.

"Your world . . . had red grass?" the Doctor asked again, sounding doubtful and suspicious of her words.

"Yeah. My old home had many strange wonders to it," Wanda replied, trying to think of another topic to discuss. For some odd reason, she felt extremely uncomfortable on thinking too much upon her village or her memories of it. Rose glanced over at the Doctor, seeing the expression he held. She then gazed back at Wanda.

"Can you tell us about these . . . wonders?" Rose asked curiously, starting to question the girl exactly upon the true strange workings of this old world of Wanda's.

"Well, I mean . . . I don't . . . remember much," Wanda mumbled. She tried concentrating on her mind, forcing her way through.

So many years she had been putting off the mysteries to her. So many unanswered questions. It had been mostly because of pressing issues of the relationship she had with the Doctor. As well as most of these years were with Eleven during his 'running away from his death' moments. Much of it spent running around, saving the day, bouncing from here and there. There was hardly any time to sleep, much less think over the questions to which had been plaguing her since arriving to this universe. Then the whole Time Vortex thing . . .

"Wanda? Wanda, are you all right?" asked Rose.

Wanda shook her head, realizing she had curled up on her side and was gripping her head. She blinked away the white spots from her vision. The ringing in her ears faded away and her hearts settled down from their rapid beating. The headache lingered behind somewhat, making her feel lightheaded as she sat up. Staring over at her friends, she saw how Rose looked at Wanda with concern while the Doctor continued to stare at her curiously. Almost as though he were waiting to see something interesting happen.

"Yep. Fine. Just a headache. Don't worry. I get those sometimes," Wanda answered Rose, standing up from the ground. Brushing her capris from the grass, she stared off to the white building in the distance with the green crescent moon symbol on the side. "We better head out. Need to take a quick visit to the hospital." Rose stared over to where Wanda was looking.

"Why?" questioned Rose. Both she and the Doctor began to stand up. The Doctor put back on his coat while glancing atWanda.

"'Cause the Doctor received a message on the psychic paper. Right, Doctor?" responded Wanda, still gazing to the hospital with interest.

"Right," the Doctor replied. He frowned, seeing how Wanda kept her gaze adverted from his on purpose. As if she was anxious by his studying eyes. "Wanda, how often do you get headaches?"

"Spoilers," was all she said before taking off at a run. "Come on, Spaceman! Come on, girlie! Last one there's a bowel of glouten!" She laughed merrily as she heard Rose and the Doctor briskly following after her.

Wanda arrived to the hospital first with the others coming up behind her. She felt great from the run. So full of energy and ready to just run around everywhere. She wondered if this was going to be an all-time thing with her. She sure hoped so. She liked the feeling of being hyperactive. Scanning her eyes around the place, she saw different nuns (Sisters of Plenitude) in white walking around. Most had their faces covered with a silk covering while others had their faces showing freely. All the different humanoid cats seemed to freak Rose out. This only made Wanda giggle at the girl's shock. Seriously, after spending so much time with the Doctor, Wanda assumed the girl would have gotten used to such strange sights by now. Cat people were not even the strangest.

"No shop," remarked the Doctor as they walked towards the lifts. "I like the little shop." He frowned lightly to disappointment in seeing no such little area of his liking. Wanda gazed around the white and plain lobby area of the hospital.

"No fountains, either," Wanda commented. "They need a fountain. I like fountains. Gives the place some character." She looked over to a nice corner with a small spot of sun shine. She pointed in that direction. "I think a fountain would just look lovely over there."

"And that's where I'd put the shop," the Doctor pointed over to another spot. "Right there." He grinned at Wanda as she laughed merrily.

Moving off to the lifts, Wanda stopped short as the Doctor began to call out the doors to open and send them up to Ward twenty-six. She knew by now Cassandra and Chip had seen their arrival. Chip would call the lifts to change right before Rose would get in, sending the girl down to the basement in another lift where they were located. Cassandra wanted Rose, needing the girl as a new body. Wanda felt conflicted as she knew this was an event meant to happen. Cassandra getting a new body and causing trouble that is. Not specifically it being Rose's body, mind. But . . . it would be putting Rose's life in danger with Cassandra using the psychograft. And Wanda would not have any of her companions be placed into harm's way. Even if she knew things would turn out all right, she was not about to take any chances. Especially when it came to Rose's life. The timeline could always change again. If Rose died today because of Cassandra's petty revenge, then Wanda would never forgive herself if she simply sat back and let it happen.

So, without a further thought about it, she simply grabbed Rose and pushed her right into the lift behind the Doctor. Right before the doors swiftly closed shut. The other lift next opened up with a ding, letting Wanda know that was the one she needed to take. Straight down into the depths of the dark basement of Cassandra's lair.

"Wanda?" called out the Doctor from inside the lift that had closed.

"You two go on up. I won't be far behind," Wanda said loudly to the two within the lifts. "Oh! And sneak peek: you're about to meet an old friend. _Very_ old friend. So, be nice. Also, don't be surprised if I'm acting a little strange when we meet up again."

"You'll what?" asked Doctor, sounding distant as the lift moved upwards.

"I said . . . You know what, spoilers," Wanda called out, walking over and into her lift.

She thought she might drop a hint for the Doctor so that way he would know not to overreact or something. She knew how he tended to get around her sometimes. Though, then again, this was earlier Ten. He was not as overprotective as later Doctors. Especially Eleven. However, Wanda knew that was more or less her own fault for being so brash in her last incarnation. That was something else she had promised to work on. Not allowing herself to be in constant danger any more. It put too much strain on the Doctor, and Wanda did not want to be a burden in anyway. But . . . this was different than just being plain idiotic and brash. She was protecting Rose so . . . hopefully the Doctor would understand.

Wanda jumped some when the disinfection started. The water spraying at her was rather on the cold side. But shrugging it off, she let the water give her a nice little clean. Even rubbing around her hair as if she were taking a shower, giggling some as she knew the Doctor was doing the same. The puff of white powder hit, then the high fans drying her off which made her all nice and clean for the hospital. The lift doors opened up seconds later, allowing Wanda to step out. Chip was there, staring warily at her with his swirling designs all over his face and arms while wearing a plain white hospital scrubs.

"You are clean. But you are not the human child," he said to her. Wanda smiled brightly.

"Nope. Afraid not. Your mistress is stuck getting little old me," she told him. She nodded to the old and dark hallway towards the liar of Cassandra. "Go ahead and lead the way." Chip turned and hurriedly walked back into the room of his mistress. Wanda strolled right on behind, a slight bounce in her step. Was that also going to be normal for her? Bouncing almost everywhere she went? Hmm. Well, she rather liked it actually.

Chip and she both walked into the room with an old reel projector playing off a party from a few centuries ago. Piano music played along as it showed the guests having a wonderful time. Cassandra as an ordinary human could be seen having a fun time with the guests. A nice, normal, gentle woman. What the heck happened to her to cause her to become the mean and nasty—no, wait, Wanda realized she had her answer as she stared at the flat, flesh colored trampoline of the future Cassandra. All those surgeries must have really scraped off the loving side of her humanity. What a shame.

"Hello, Cassandra," Wanda said to the present and flat Cassandra.

"And who are _you_ , exactly?" Cassandra asked with a nasty sneer. "I was certain to get that little—."

"Oi! Language!" Wanda yelled at the trampoline. She felt her face heating up, her eye twitching, and a temper flare within her for Cassandra calling her friend such a nasty name. Wanda had half a mind punching the smug expression right off the dirty flat, flesh woman. Oh, she had a temper now. That's new.

"Well, no matter. I suppose another blonde will do," Cassandra said, dismissing Wanda's angry expression and narrowed eyes. "Who are you, anyway?"

"Oh, you don't recognize me, do you? Of course, you weren't paying me much attention during that day. No one was, really," Wanda said in her rapid talking. "It was a rather busy day, you killing off all those people and such. And with the Doctor being a prat. Then again, that's Nine for you. Always the prat and the temper. He could spark off like a volcano, he could. Not the others, mind. Just him. But then—."

"Oh, would you just shut up already," snapped Cassandra. Snickering was heard from Wanda, smirking cheekily as she had rambled on purpose there, just to annoy the flat woman. Cassandra merely narrowed her eyes. "Who are you?"

"I'm the Wanderer. Though, you might have heard Rose and the Doctor just call me Wanda," explained Wanda. Seeing the blank expression on Cassandra's face, Wanda rolled her eyes. "You know, the chestnut girl." Still, Wanda was given a blank look from the flat woman. "The one that didn't really talk much and told you to shut you yap for accusing old Boe Face for setting lose your metal spiders."

Cassandra gasped slightly. "You?! You're that skittish little assistant of that Doctor?"

Wanda beamed, waving to the woman. "Yep, that's me. Hello!"

Cassandra ignored this outburst. "You're that chestnut girl?"

Wanda rolled her eyes once more. "I thought we've established this."

"Then, is that man travelling with you, is _he_ that Doctor?"

"Yep." Wanda gazed around, seeing the psychograft in the corner of the room. "Same Doctor, new face. Just like me."

"That hypocrite!" Cassandra grumbled in rage, looking rather insulted and angry by this news.

"Yeah, he is about some things." Wanda turned her sight back onto the flat woman, keeping her eyes steady and even. Her new emerald eyes holding an insightful and wise gaze within the mystical appearance of the irises. "But when it comes to you, Cassandra, he was right. You can't keep cheating death or evolution. You've destroy yourself, your humanity, by becoming what you are now. You're more dead than alive."

Cassandra narrowed her eyes. "At least I'm not like the rest of the mutant stock. I'm still pure."

"Being human isn't about what your origins are or what you're made of. It's about _living_. Loving, crying, anger, sadness, life, death: that's what being human is all about. Not getting yourself plastered into a frame. Turning yourself into a museum piece." Cassandra scoffed, rolling her eyes. Wanda simply raised a brow and crossed her arms. "And I know for a fact that the skin used for you now came from your back. So, basically, you talking out of your—."

"Oh, I remember that night," Cassandra said hastily, seeming to what to bypass the whole backside part of her revival. The video of the projector went on to show normal Cassandra having a good laugh with different men of the party. "Drinks with the ambassador of Thrace. That was the last time anyone told me I was beautiful. After that, it all became . . . such hard work."

"Well . . . beauty is skin deep. And you're nothing but skin now, so . . .," Wanda shrugged slightly.

"But I've not been idle," Cassandra went on, pressing to get to the matter at hand. "Tucked away, underneath this hospital, I've been listening. The sisters are hiding something. Oh, these cats have secrets. Hush, let me whisper. Come closer."

Letting out a small huff of breath, Wanda knew it was time. "Right, well, love to come over there and hear what you've been up to, but . . . I'd rather not. Thanks." Wanda gazed to the psychograft, stepping towards it. "Now, look what we have here. A Mark 38 psychograft, banned on all developed worlds. You've been rather naughty in getting this baby here." Wanda patted the side of the machine, giving Cassandra a stern look. "You were going to use this to gain a new body. Rose's body."

"Well, I was. But now I'm stuck with you," Cassandra retorted.

"And you expected for me to be stupid enough to just walk right into this machine here." Wanda gave the flat woman a raised brow. "I may be idiotic, but I'm not _that_ dumb."

Cassandra glared at her. "Then, I'll resort to other means in gaining your body. Chip." Her servant began to step aggressively towards Wanda.

"Stay where you are, Chip." Wanda pointed firmly at the male, making him stop in uncertainty. Wanda then looked back to the machine in front of her. "See, there's no need to force me, really. I know that brain of yours, Cassandra, is about to give out, so you're on your last bit of life. And I'd hate to just see you die without at least giving you a second chance, so . . ."

Wanda stepped up into the machine. She knew she must do this. The possibilities had already shown her that. Plus, she truly did wish to give Cassandra another shot in finding her humanity. Everyone deserved a second chance, especially right before their end. So, as soon as Wanda stepped into the machine, each of her hands was grabbed with an energy hold.

"Ha! I've got you now!" Cassandra cheered in triumph.

"Oh, no, I've been captured. Save me," Wanda drawled out in a bored tone. She rolled her eyes somewhat. She could not believe Cassandra was not questioning why exactly she was so willingly being taken over. Villains were morons sometimes.

"Chip, activate the psychograft," Cassandra ordered her clone servant. Wanda remained perfectly still and calm as the machine was activated. A light energy encased around her, starting up the process. Cassandra grinned at the Time Lady in victory. "The lady's moving on. It's goodbye, trampoline, and hello, blondie." Sucking in a breath, Wanda braced herself for the invasion of Cassandra upon her body and mind. This was not going to be pleasant.

XxXxXxXx

Well, that's something to look forward to for the future. Wonder what will happen next? I guess we'll just have to find out next time. ;) Hope everyone enjoyed and that part three is starting to get interesting. Let me know if you enjoyed it or not within a review for it always helps in seeing what brilliant thoughts, ideas, comments, or anything else you all want to share. I hope to all to stay safe, and I promise to keep you all in my prayers. Keep shining everyone! :D

Reviewers:

 **Aka-Baka Hoshi** : Yay! So glad you like it so far. :D Hope you will continue to enjoy the rest. Take care!

 **Shinonome Sakuya** : I'm super excited and happy as well. I can't wait to see how you and all other readers will like the new part of the story. :) As well as new Wanda, of course. ;) Glad you enjoyed the brief moments with her so far. Hope she was enjoyable within this chapter, too. Until next time! Take care! :D

 **grapejuice101** : Sorry the update wasn't as fast as usual. I'll try better next time. It will be much easier now that school is almost over. :) I'm so happy that you liked the first chapter. I'll keep my fingers crossed that you enjoyed the new one as well. ;) See you soon!

 **nicolekunstekova** : Nah, you're amazing. ;) So happy that you enjoyed it! Hope to see you again in the future. :)

 **NeoGnat** : Woot! Glad you enjoyed Third Wanda in the first chapter. Hope you will continue to like her throughout the rest to come. :) See you again soon!

 **Siriusly Potter-tastic** : Yay! So glad that you think so and that you enjoyed it. :) Hope you liked the new chapter as well, and to see you again soon. Take care! :)

 **GracefulWolvesInTheNight** : I'm excited with you! You have no idea how much I've anticipated this part in the trilogy. As well as how all readers would take the last part. I hope you all will enjoy it just as much as the first two part. :)

 **jaz7** : lol Glad you're so excited. :) I know I am, too! :D Hope you enjoyed the newest chapter, and to see you again soon. :)

 **Wicken25** : Hope it was worth the wait. ;) And that you will continue to enjoy the rest to come. Take care! :)

 **Dawn** : Yay! Glad you liked it. :) I'm nervous in seeing how everyone will like the new part. Hope it continues to be good. :) That was really a plan I've had all along. Third Wanda is supposed to be almost the complete opposite of her First self. Though, with some qualities that still carry over through time. ;) Some things just never change. It's funny working with Third Wanda, as I'm completely not outgoing at all myself. So, it tends to become a rush and overwhelming when dealing with her. lol ;) And yes, Third Wanda is very much a excited cute puppy. ;) Hope to see you soon!

 **BlueFlame27** : I really hope that you'll really like Third Wanda. :) I'm keeping my fingers crossed that you'll find her enjoyable throughout the rest to come. And as you can see in this chapter, the hyperactive personality doesn't really die down for her. lol ;) I guess you could say that Ten there was pulling a First Wanda. Trying to pretend the kiss was nothing and all. Wonder if it will work the same for him as it did for Wanda. lol ;) And I'm so glad to hear that you'll be staying with the story! :D I can't wait to see what you think of the rest and of the new chapter. :) Until next time!

 **Falling Right Side-Up** : And I'm so glad to see you here for the third part! :D I really hope that you like it so far. :) Eleven and Wanda's reunion won't be too far away. A few more chapters in from now should be about when we'll see Eleven again. Hope to see you again for the future, and that you'd the newest chapter. :) Take care!

 **alwaystherereading** : Yep, I'm back. Glad to see you here, too! :D I really hope that you liked Third Wanda so far. :) Nope, not so insecure whatsoever. Though, she can still have her moments. I think anyone can, really. Even the Doctor. Eh, I think both the Doctor and Wanda deserve a good slap. It was both of them that created the misunderstanding in the first place. The big dummies. lol ;) Hope you enjoyed the new chapter! Until next time!

 **sophiewhettingsteel** : Woot! Glad you liked it. :D It is fun writing Third Wanda. She's much more . . . free spirited than her previous selves, I guess you could say. I'm looking forward in seeing if you'll enjoy the rest of the last part. I really hope that you do. :) I'm keeping my fingers crossed until the very end. ;) And yes, much more scenes like that in the future. ;) Take care, and hope to see you again in the future!

 **Authora97** : I'm so happy to hear that you like it. :) And Third Wanda, too. ;) Don't you love it when that happens? I know that happens to me all the time when I keep wishing for something to happen in a story or show and it does. lol ;) Or you might be psychic. Could be that one. ;) Until next time!

 **sketchtheunicorn** : Oh, don't worry about reviewing all the time. Just enjoy the story as you want to. That's all that really matters in the end. :) But I do love seeing the joy the story brings to everyone. It just makes me so happy to know what different moments each reader enjoys. I'm so glad that you like Third Wanda so far. :) She is definitely upbeat. Or, at least tries to be as often as she can. Hope to see you again in the future! Take care! :D

 **Booklover0608** : Yep, agreed. Definitely adorable. ;) The lights she's seeing could be a Alpha thing. Could be something else, too. Just something we'll have to learn about later. Even later than part three. But that's spoilers for now. ;) But all main mysteries that are presented in this trilogy will be resolved by the end of this part. Hope the anticipation and enjoyment continues through the rest. Until next time! :)

 **Twix13** : Hello! I'm so glad to see you again! :) He can be pretty shy at times. Mostly around Wanda. ;) Oh, yes. Third Wanda has one hell of a chatter mouth. But it's just another lovable part of her. ;) Yep, definitely good. Hope to see you next time, too! :D

 **Justus80** : Oh, yes. This Wanda is like a wind up toy that never stops. For the most part, anyway. ;) Glad you like it so far! Hope to see you again real soon. :)

 **UVBlueBerns** : Hello! Aww, thank you so much. I'm just so happy that the story brings you such joy. That's all I can ever want in the end. :) Truthfully, I still feel as though I could do better in how Wanda is. But this is the main reason why the story started to begin with. I wanted to make a better example, in a way, or better representation of what could be done in a Doctor Who storyline. Or any story arc, for that matter. As a way to show people there can be something new when it comes to an OC, and to help with the stigma against people who wish to make their own character as well. People who like to make OCs tend to get picked on by others in the fandom, and feel as though they must hide their creations. At least, this is what I have experienced and seen for myself. I really hope this changes though, because everyone's creations and imaginations are wonderful and brilliant in their own way. :) I'm glad that you're finding more stories to enjoy. I'm sure they're even better than this one. ;) Sorry that this update was so late. I really hope to see you again in the future. And that the story will always stay enjoyable for you. Take care! :)

 **pocketdictator** : lol I'm guessing you enjoyed the first chapter, then? I'm happy that you did! :D Thank you for leaving a wonderful review! Hope to see you again soon!

 **Isanxd** : Glad you liked the nice intake on regeneration. :) I also think it would be nice for the Doctor to explain what it feels like for a Time Lord to regenerate. I guess this is as close as we can get to know what it feels like. ;) The story will get darker, in some ways. Though, it also depends on what you consider 'dark' per say. Could be perfectly normal to some as none have the same perspective. It was pretty long between posts. And this one. Sorry about that. Missed a whole week in being able to update with my computer being fried for a while. Then, I had to catch up on school work after. Then finals. Ugh. Nah, I'm not that good. I know there are plenty of authors much better than me. :) There's still so much I can improve on. But only with all lovely readers' help, of course. ;) Until next time!

 **Unstoppably-demonic** : Aww, thank you so much! I'm just so glad that you're enjoying the story and that it brings you such joy. :) I really hope that you'll continue to enjoy the story and Wanda into the future. Don't worry. Ten can't fight it forever. ;) Hope to see you again! Until next time!

 **tangle of ivy** : Woot! Glad that the new update made you so happy. :) It is indeed hilarious. Much more interesting than her first regeneration. ;) She'll get around to telling him that . . . Eventually. Anyway, until then, we just get to see some fun awkward times between the two during the early years. ;) Until next time! Take care!

 **Blinked310** : Yay! Glad there was no disappointment. :) Though, sorry about taking so long in the updates, lately. I'll try to get better at posting more often. I always find that the best way to develop and evolve a story is to evolve the characters along with it. Or vice versa. It's just something that needs to happen to continue on in transforming the story into something more. Or else, it risks falling flat later on. Especially when crossing the line in over stepping how long the story should last. Eventually, things must come to a close. If not, then things become repetitive and lack luster. Which I really hope that this story does not become any time soon. As for why Wanda does develop the way she does, you're right on point. I truly wanted to create someone who could be a perfect match for the Doctor. I always feel sorry for the guy, never getting a love that could last for him. Or, at least, not find a love that he can truly return affections for, or that can be a equal part for him. It's actually funny. In the beginning, I had absolutely no plans for either Wanda or the Doctor to have feelings for the other. They were merely supposed to be good friends/companions. Kind of like Donna and Clara are to the Doctor. But over a year while I was still developing the story, I found that the story began to take off on its own course. Soon, before I even knew it, the Doctor and Wanda sort of feel in love with one another and they just became a couple perfectly in sync with the other. So, in the end, I rolled with it. I went back to the beginning of the story, made some adjustments, and here we are today. :)  
I'm glad that you like Third Wanda, for the first chapter at least. Hope you'll continue to enjoy her. :) I'm keeping my fingers crossed that everyone will. I really wanted Third Wanda to be a complete one-eighty from First Wanda. Total opposites. But still have that Wanda charm and core personality, too. And with this, this is the moment where Wanda finally shines the most. You could say that Third Wanda is where she is truly herself. Who she was always meant to be. :) Nah, you're never wrong. ;) Hope to see you again soon! Until next time, and I hope that you enjoyed the new chapter, too. :)

 **mysteryasgardian** : Well, maybe not as much hilarious times with Nine as you might think. But still, she is rather funny. ;) I hope that you'll enjoy the rest of the story. And don't worry, Jack won't be that far off now. Hope to see you again in the future! :)

 **UltimateFan-girl15** : Yay! Glad you enjoyed it. :) Hope you enjoyed the new chapter as well! Take care!

 **Takara Matsudaira** : Yep, it's here. And here's the new one as well. lol ;) Sorry it's been taking so long. I feel awful about that. :( But I promise to try not to rush. I really don't want to mess up and make the story bad for you guys. Hope you enjoyed the new chapter, and to see you again soon. :)

 **Ronin Kenshin** : Thanks! So glad that you like Third Wanda so far. :) Hope you'll like her through the rest of it, and that you enjoyed the new chapter. :) Until next time!

 **Squidtastik** : Oh, definitely bubbly. lol ;) Glad you like her already. :) I hope that she'll continue to be enjoyable through the rest to come. Take care! :)

 **SilverMarkings** : lol No, don't worry. The series will never be cancelled. Just a little behind in the updates lately. Things have been crazy here. Ugh. Anyways, sorry for the late update again. I'll try my best to get the next one up sooner. :) See you next time! Take care!

 **Nanski33** : Helloo! :D Missed you, too! So happy that you're still enjoying the story. And that you like Third Wanda so far. Hope the enjoyment continues onwards. :) Nope, she is definitely going to be a lot of giddiness through most of this. ;) Though, she might have been a little extra bubbly there with regeneration. Thanks! I hope that you're doing well, too! :) And that you have a marvelous day! Take care!

 **Gladoo89** : Yay! So happy that you like Third Wanda so far. :) Hope she continues to be enjoyable for you. Oh, I know. The same happened to me with Nine becoming Ten. First words out of the Tenth Doctor's mouth and I was hooked. lol ;) Ah, sorry if it was a bit harsh for you. I'm basing the material in the story on the T rating that is seen within Torchwood. Since Torchwood is rated T (at least here in the States) and they show quite a lot of blood, I thought it would be all right for a few moments like that within this story. But I will change it if concerns go up for people later within the story. I will continue to post up any warnings in the beginning of the chapters. Sorry that I forgot to post up a warning in the first chapter. I edited back over later and added the warning for those in the future reading. I hope that helps. :) Sorry again if I made you uncomfortable or upset in any way from the first chapter. :( I hope that you're days are going well and to see you again in the future. Take care! :)

 **bored411** : Yep, big changes for Wanda all around. Hope you enjoyed the changes. ;) Oh, the Doctor does like her, but he just doesn't want to admit it yet. Kind of like what he went through with Rose and River on the show. Hope you enjoyed the new chapter. Until next time! :)

 **FREYA ASTRID NOVA** : So happy that you like Third Wanda so far. :) A good match, yes. And they are definitely adorable together at times. ;) The Doctor is in such denial about his feelings, isn't he? lol ;) Hope you enjoyed the new chapter, and to see you again in the future. :)

 **Kayleen143** : Young moments in the growing relationship for the Doctor can be rather funny and adorable at times. ;) Hope you liked the new chapter!

 **WibblyWobblyFez** : Third Wanda is rather adorable, isn't she? ;) I'm so happy that you are liking it so far. Hope you enjoyed the new chapter as well. :)

 **LegandsOfTime** : I'm excited that you're excited. :D I'm so glad that you liked the beginning of the third part. I hope you'll continue to enjoy the rest, and enjoyed the new chapter, too. :)

 **Lady Artimes Blaine** : lol Well, I hope I'm not too cruel. Don't meant to be. Hope you enjoyed the new chapter, and will continue to enjoy Third Wanda. :)

 **Jesuslovesmarina** : Woot! So happy that you're enjoying Third Wanda so far. :D And yes, I agree, I think Ten really likes her, too. ;) Until next time!

 **Jaxrond** : lol I'm guessing they were good feels. ;) So glad you're enjoying everything so far. Oh yes, new Wanda and Eleven are definitely a good match for each other. You could say, stemming off the theory from the show itself, that Eleven might have had some influence on Wanda's regeneration. But I'll leave it open for discuss for all readers before making a final conclusion on that. ;) See you again the future! Take care!

 **ajwehri** : Aww. I'm so happy to make you happy. :) I'm so glad that the story brings you such joy. I hope the new chapter as enjoyable as well. :)

 **MyCatDoesMyLaundry** : Oh, I'm sorry. Didn't mean to make you cry. :( I hope the last chapter made up for that. And possibly this chapter, too. ;) Aww, thank you. I'm just so happy that the story brings you such joy. I know how it is in dealing with hard times. But I also know how finding a good story, or something else that can bring you joy, truly helps in escaping the pain and to even inspire you into creating something of your own. This is one of the reasons why this story came to be in the first place. I was going through hard times, and through my pain, Wanda was born. :) I truly hope that the story continues to bring you joy and makes you happy. :) Until next time! And have a most wonderful day!

 **WickedSaraBear** : Yay! So glad that you're liking it so far. :) Yeah, sorry about that. I hope it wasn't a real bad cry or feels. :( Not so much a darker version of Wanda herself . . . for the most part. More or less just the story going dark for the characters and events. Spoilers until then. ;) We will definitely be learning more on Alpha and everything else that has been building up in mystery. Things will come to a close within this part. Yes, we will be seeing more Nine. As for Twelve, sorry, but he's just one Doctor who Wanda will never get to meet within this trilogy. As for within another story . . . we'll have to wait and see. Still thinking over what's going to happen there. Until next time! Take care! :)

 **KoNeKoLuvsU** : Woot! So glad that you're enjoying Third Wanda already. :) Oh yes, she is definitely a whole lot of fun working with. Though, it's also hard keeping up with her sometimes. lol ;) I really hope that you'll like the rest of the story to come. Let me know if you do, for I'd love to see what your thoughts are on everything. :) Until next time!

 **Corina27** : I think we've all been waiting. ;) Oh, Third Wanda will definitely be the wild child of all Wandas combined. I really hope that you'll like the rest to come. I'm just so happy that you're excited. :) Hope you enjoyed the new chapter, and to see you again for next time!

 **jessetimm5491** : Glad you liked it. :) Hope you enjoyed the new chapter! Take care!

 **BlueFlame27** : lol Glad you enjoyed it so much. ;) Hope this chapter was just as enjoyable. :D

 **Tayla** : I'm excited as well. :D Mostly to see what everyone thinks of Third Wanda and part three more than anything else. ;) Yep, no more denial or second guessing for Wanda now. She's completely letting go and is just gonna go with it. ;) Hope you enjoyed the new chapter! Take care!

 **rainbownarwhal** : lol Glad you enjoyed. ;) Sorry about the late update. I try going every two weeks in a post. But things got crazy lately. Promise to try and update sooner next time. Though, one never knows when life likes to jump in the way of plans.

 **Twilight Lion** : Yep, I remember you. :) I remember all lovely, brilliant readers. :D Yay! So happy that you're still enjoying the story. :) Hope you'll continue to like the rest to come. Oh, trust me, you haven't seen the half of her hyper-ness. lol ;)

 **Pond2** : lol Didn't mean to make you almost miss your que. I hope things on stage went all right in the end. :) So glad that you like Third Wanda so far. I hope she was enjoyable in this chapter as well. :) And I can't wait to see you again in the future! Take care!

 **Crystal-star-Tyler** : Glad you enjoyed. :) Hope you liked the new chapter, too. Sorry again for the late update. Promise I'll try to post much sooner. And maybe even with a surprise thrown in. ;)

 **jb** : It's not sad at all. I'm just so happy that the story brings you such joy. :) Hope you enjoyed the new chapter as well. Until next time! :)

 **Woman-of-water** : lol So, I take it the first chapter was good? ;) Glad you're enjoying it. Hope you liked the new chapter, too. And will continue to enjoy the rest of the story to come. :)

 **SoufflGirl** : lol Glad to have made you so happy with the post. I hope this new chapter made you just as happy. :) Sorry that it was a little late than usual. Life sometimes. Ugh. Anyway, hope to see you again in the future. Until next time! :)

 **Guest(b)** : Glad it was worth the wait and that you enjoyed it. :) I hope this new chapter was just as enjoyable and worth the wait. I promise to try and not make you wait so long next time for an update. I really hope you have a wonderful day. :) Take care!

 **EmmaKathy** : She is rather cute, isn't she? ;) Glad the chapter made you so happy and even made you laugh a little. :) I'm just as excited about part three as you are. :D I can't wait to see what you and all other readers think of the story. I hope it's good for all. :) Doomsday will be coming up pretty soon. It's going to be a really big event and turning point for everyone. Especially for Wanda and the Doctor. Hope the new chapter as good and that you have wonderful day. :)

 **Rosen Time** : You're very welcome. ;) Thank you for always giving such lovely reviews. I'm just so glad that you enjoyed the last chapter. Hope you liked this one, too. :) And that Wanda was just as fun in this part as she was in the last chapter. ;)

 **alexa-chan me** : Yep, that was the moment. And yes, it is rather saddening that the trilogy will end soon. But all good things must come to an end eventually. Nothing can last forever, as they say. You're very welcome, I'm glad you liked the ending to part two. :) I hope you enjoyed the new chapter. And thanks for the review! :D

 **Crystal12345** : lol Yes, she is rather cute, isn't she? Very adorable. ;) So glad you liked it! Hope you like the new chapter, too. :)

 **KeeperMusicNight** : I'm so glad that the last chapter as enjoyable. I hope this one was just as fun to read. :) Oh yes, definitely a one-eighty from First Wanda. I thought it would be a nice touch in Wanda's development. ;) Hope that you'll continue to enjoy the new Wanda for the rest of the story. :) Really? Huh, good timing on both of our parts. ;) I made certain in the beginning when writing this story that everything would interconnect so well that you could read from the beginning of Wanda's perspective or the Doctor's and you'd still get the same story in the end. And, just as a small spoiler, many of the questions have already been answered. But as to what those answers are, well, that's spoilers. ;) The darker themes won't really happen until more towards the middle of the third part. So we'll have plenty of time to adjust to Third Wanda. :) Thanks for the wonderful review! I'm just so happy to see from you. :) Hope your day is doing fantastic, too! Take care! :D

 **thebeezekneeze** : Sweet! Glad you liked it. :) Hope you enjoyed the new chapter as well! :D

 **BowTiesAreCool97** : Yay! Glad you liked it. :) Sorry for the late update. Life really dragged me down this time. But I'll try getting the next one out sooner than this one. Especially with school finishing up for the semester. :) Hope you enjoyed the new chapter and to see you again soon! :D

 **Guest(c)** : I hope that was a nice surprise there in regeneration twists. ;) I thought it would be a nice touch. Yep. That pretty much sums up Third Wanda. lol ;) In a way, I think it was just them influencing Wanda, making her become the person she was always meant to be. There still might be a few moments of guilt and doubt for her, though. Some things can never leave her completely for that's just who she is. But she will definitely be more confident and won't let things drag her down as she did before. :) Those might have been mentioned, and she have a bit of an Oncoming Storm side to her. Just have to wait and see when Wanda might have done that. Spoilers until then. ;) Hope to see you again and that the new chapter as enjoyable. :)

 **RAGINGPANSIES** : Sometimes, it's good to have some fluff and death together. ;) Glad you enjoyed. Hope you liked the new chapter just as much. :)

 **theson** : Glad you liked the first chapter. I really hope that you'll enjoy the rest in the future. :) Hope the new chapter made up for the late update. Take care and hope to see you next time! :D

 **Audrie-13** : Good cries are always . . . well, good. I always like a good cry. Makes me happy in the end. In a weird way. I guess that sounded weird, didn't it? lol ;) Don't worry, I totally get it. So happy that you enjoyed the fist chapter! :) Hope you liked the new one, too. Oh, sweet! Happy late, late, late birthday. :) Sorry I missed your B-day. I hope it was the best ever! :D I hope this chapter can be considered a late birthday and early Christmas/Holidays present. :) Until next time! Take care!

 **maja wittendorff** : Yep. I thought you might like that. :) So glad that you enjoyed Third Wanda in the first chapter. Hope you liked her in this one, too. :) Actually, I've never seen The Hobbit, or any Lord of the Rings movies for that matter. I actually got the idea from a video of a New Report blooper. Some News channel here in the States had a guest on the air tell the reporter he was going to pass out as they were talking, smiling, and standing there. Next thing anyone knew, he did. He was all right in the end, of course. And . . . it's bad of me, but I actually think it was rather funny just how it happened. Nah, thank you for being an amazing reviewer, supporter, and reader for the story! :D Hope to see you again in the future! Take care!

 **Fredikins** : Hello and welcome to the story! I'm so glad that you're enjoying both it and Wanda so far. I do hope the enjoyment continues. :) I'm so sorry to hear about those attacks. ;-; I truly hope that you're okay and safe now. I will keep you and everyone else in my prayers, for the world is truly becoming a scary place to live in. I wasn't involved in the chaos myself, but I do have family who live in Paris. Luckily, they're all right. Just a bit shaken up. Things will get better, though. I have hope and faith that everything will be all right in the end. So, past that topic, I'm truly am glad that you're liking Wanda. :) Sorry about all that naive nature from before. But, no worries, she grew out of it in the long run. Hopefully. ;) And the relationship will grow. Trust me. Don't worry, any and all answers will be revealed within this last part. And yes, sadly this is the end to Wanda in this part. But there might still be an extra special story in the works for a later time. ;) Spoilers for now. You can actually read the trilogy backwards. I made the story flow through both Wanda's and the Doctor's timeline. That way, you can start from the Doctor's pov, or Wanda's, and it would totally make sense. For the most part, anyway. ;) Hope to see you again soon! Take care, be safe, and have a wonderful day! :)

 **loveneverdies115** : Yep, very giddy. ;) I guess you could say she sort of influenced by a certain Eleven. lol ;) Oh? Well, Twelve got his looks based off another by a great influence of character. Maybe Wanda did the same. You never know. ;) lol Anyways, until next time! :D

 **Shinonome Sakuya** : Hmm. Could be that. Could be something else. Well, I guess we'll just have to wait to find out who 'Em' is for later. Spoilers until then. ;) But don't worry, all answers will be resolved and revealed in this part. For certain. :) Hope you liked the new chapter. Until next time! :)

 **10th Squad 3rd Seat** : Glad you like her! She is pretty adorable, right? ;) Hope you enjoyed the new chapter!

 **Whovianeverlark17** : I'm just as excited. I'm really, really looking forward to what everyone thinks of the rest to come. :D The relationship will definitely progress. For both of them. ;) Hmm. I haven't really thought about the revenge part. I might add in something later about that. For now, just let your imagination soar in what you think the Oncoming Storm would do to Kovarian. ;) Hope you enjoyed the new chapter. The Empty Child will be coming up . . . more towards the middle of the story. I'm actually working on typing up that one now. I hope it turns out good. :)

 **ash** : One update coming right up! Just a little late on delivery. Heh. Sorry about that. Yep, Wanda's all okay. :) And no more agitation . . . for the marriage or relationship, that is. Hopefully nothing else is will be annoying. :) I hope that you enjoyed the new chapter and to see you again later! Take care! :)

 **StraightFromCrazy** : Yay! Glad you like it! :D Hope you enjoyed the new chapter, too! Until next time! :)

 **All The Stories Are True 24601** : Nah, I'm not that good of a writer. There are many others way better than me. And definitely better stories. But I'm just so happy that you're enjoying the story. :) Hope you'll continue to like the rest! See you next time!

 **AnnaRooma** : Umm . . . she might be. Just by a little bit. ;) I'd like to give you warm welcome to the story, and truly hope that you'll enjoy the rest to come. :) Until next time!

 **frostia-tyler** : Sorry again for that. :( I really didn't mean for it to take so long, but things just kept getting in the way of writing. School. Work. Computer dying. Plus, it does take quite a while to answer all the reviews once I get done in editing the chapter. I really hope that the new chapter made up for the wait. And I'll try my hardest to get the next update out soon. :) Hope you have a wonderful day! Take care!

 **AliceInGalifrey** : Hello and welcome to the story! Well, really, it's taking longer because of part three not being completely finished. And it being the end of the semester at school didn't help either. But the main schedule I try for is at least every two weeks there's an update. It doesn't really matter on the day of the week when this happens, but I do try for a Monday or Friday. I hope that helps. :) Hope to see you again soon, and you enjoyed the new chapter! And don't worry about the extra review. It's all good. ;)

 **HellInHighHeelsPond** : Oh? That's so cool that a song reminds you of this! :D I'll definitely try out the song now. Thanks for sharing! Hope you enjoyed the new chapter. :)

 **BeCent** : lol You're very welcome. And thank you, too. ;)

 **amrawo** : So happy that you liked the first chapter! :) Hope you'll enjoy the rest in the future. I'm relatively new myself compared. Only been a fan for a couple years. So, I'd like to warmly welcome you to the show and fandom. I hope that show will continue to be enjoyable for you through the ages. :)

 **Guest(d)** : Thanks. Glad you liked it. :) Hope you enjoyed the new chapter as well. Take care!

 **Delirium** : Thanks for the lovely review! I'm so glad that you enjoyed the story so far. Hope you'll like the rest of part three to come. :) Many people actually never voted on the poll, so I'm not certain if the majority still wants something like more intimate moments. But I'll go ahead and take a crack at it. Maybe even post it up not too far away in the future. :) It will definitely be rated M though. And since it will be that rating, you can be certain things will be much more mature and adult. If you like stuff like that, of course. Anyways, hope to see you again in the future. Until next time!

 **chloeX15** : Nah, thank you for being a wonderful reader, supporter, and reviewer! :D I'm just so happy that the story has brought you such joy. :) I really do hope that you'll like Third Wanda. Let me know if you do! I loved to hear all your thoughts on the story. :) Until next time!

 **Belle** : Yay! Glad you liked it. :) Aww, thank you. I know I'm not that good of a writer, but I'm certain I'll get better one day. :) Well, that thing with telepathy is that it does take quite a bit of strength and concentration from a person. Much more than many assume. It's not just like breathing. It's like running and reading a book at the same time. So, since Wanda was at a very weak point both physically and mentally, being in the process of death and all, it would have been too difficult for her to reach out to the Doctor in such a way. That's another reason why she and the Doctor don't always speak to each other this way. It's sort of exhausting if done too often. Hope that helps clear up some things. :) And hope that you enjoyed the new chapter as well. Take care!

 **ShadowKitty896** : Woot! I'm happy that you caught up! :D Hope you enjoyed the new chapter. And that it was worth the wait. :) Don't worry, won't have to wait until long for Nine or Jack. ;) Until next time!

 **InsanityIsACalling** : So happy that you're enjoying the story so far! I really hope that you'll like the rest to come. :) I also hope that the new chapter was enjoyable along with Third Wanda. Her bubbliness will definitely last. It might not always be there at times, but it will always not be too far away. :) As for that nickname, it will come into light very soon. ;)

 **Positively Stubborn Angie** : So glad that you like the story! Hope you'll like the rest to come. Let me know if you do or if there's anything more I can do to make it better. :) Until next time! Take care!

 **Jutemay** : Yay! Welcome back! :D So glad that you like the new part so far! And Third Wanda, too! The tables have definitely reversed on who's innocent in the relationship. lol ;) Hope you're doing well, too! And hope to see you again soon. :)

 **Nerd4StageAndScreen** : Welp, here's the new update. ;) Hope you enjoyed, and to see you again in the future! Have a fantastic day! :D

 **Guest(e)** : Again, real sorry about being late on the update. :( Things just went real crazy this last month. I blame the Holidays. But don't worry, I'll try my hardest to make certain not to take as long as this time in posting. And if I do, I'll make certain to give out two chapters next time. ;) I hope everything is okay on your end, too. Take care friend! :D

 **Guest(f)** : Thanks! The story couldn't have made it this far without the help of all you lovely, brilliant readers! :D Hope to see you again soon and that you enjoyed the chapter. :)

Thanks again everyone! You're all marvelous and fantastic readers! Pies and cakes for everyone! :D

~Tinker~


	3. Ch 3: Hello, Blondie

Merry Christmas, _Feliz Navidad_ , _joyeux Noel_ , _Frohliche Weihnachten, Wesolych Swiat, glaedelig jul,_ everyone! :D

Or Happy whatever other holiday that any wish to celebrate and rejoice in! :D

I hope I spelled all of those right. If not, I'm so sorry. And sorry if I didn't say Merry Christmas in the right way, or missed another language that I should have done. I just wanted to do something nice and to show how much love I wish to spread to all across the world on such a wondrous day. :D If you can't already tell, I totally love Christmas! lol ;) And with my love of Christmas, comes my wish to give you all a awesome Christmas present! :D Even though it is two days late of updating on Christmas. My bad. Just think of it as a late Christmas present. ;) With the present not just being one chapter, but two! I really hope that you all will enjoy the new chapters and will have (or had) the best day ever!

XxXxXxXx

Chapter 3: Hello, Blondie

It was the oddest sensation ever. It hurt greatly as well. It was as if she was being squeezed by an elephant, and that elephant's name was Cassandra. Her whole mind was compressed down as the consciousness of Cassandra pushed her way into Wanda's.

Cassandra would now have full control over all of Wanda's body. The Time Lady made certain, however, that the mind was not taken control. There was too much at stake if Cassandra got her hands upon Wanda's abilities with the possibilities, and whatever else might be locked away within her head. She had no real idea if the Time Vortex energy was placed there or not. But judging by the mysterious barriers which constantly held her mind back during many occasions, Wanda was certain they were what kept the energy living within her at bay. To which she greatly thanked whoever indeed placed the barriers within her mind.

So, now, with her mind safely tucked away, Cassandra could only control the body. Whenever the woman wished to push for memories or anything locked away within Wanda's mind, there would only be a blank wall. Cassandra was on her own. Wanda merely sat in the back in the recesses of her mind, still aware of what was happening. She could still feel her body, somewhat. Still see and hear, though it was rather muffled and fuzzy. But she had no real control over anything. Well, anything involving movement. At least Wanda still held control over her own mind and thoughts. It was strange, though. She would have thought there could be no retaining awareness at all after the psychograft process.

Wanda, in feeling Cassandra slowly become more conscious and in control of the body, realized something was building up within. Something did not like the sudden intrusion. Something was growing angry, ready to retaliate. Turning more into the recesses of her mind, Wanda searched for the source of anger. Of course. It was that one barrier that always acted up. Huffing internally, she sent quick thoughts to it, hoping to tell it off and to let it know she had things under control and _wanted_ this to happen. Upon this, the barrier instantly went silent and seemed to settle. Almost as if giving a shrug to Wanda in saying 'if you want this to happen, then I will not fight it.' Wanda found it odd actually sort of . . . communicating with the barrier. She had only done so a few times in the past. Now, in really sensing how very _alive_ the barrier was . . . it made her wonder what sort of power the Time Vortex in her had created. Did she have something like Bad Wolf living inside of her? Finding this revelation unsettling, Wanda turned away from these thoughts. Ready to dwell on that another day as she turned her attention on Cassandra finally waking up in her new body.

"Mistress?" Chip asked from above Wanda's fallen body. Then, it felt even stranger to Wanda as she saw and felt her body move on its own accord. Beyond her own control. Yes, a very odd sensation indeed.

"Moisturize me," said her body, her voice. But it was not her speaking now. It was Cassandra. Wanda could not help but roll her eyes (internally of course) at Cassandra's first words through her mouth. She watched Chip move away, then her new thin, small hands were held up to her face. Cassandra studying them with great interest.

"How bizarre," Cassandra breathed with excitement. "Arms . . . fingers . . .," she gasped when the long blonde hair fell forward into the new face of hers, "Hair. Oh, let me see! Let me see!"

 _Whoa there, Cassandra. Take it easy._ Wanda spoke out as she felt her body wobble unsteadily when the woman in control suddenly shot up from the ground in a rush.

Cassandra was pushing the still shocked body into quick movements. The body stilled, stiffening up as Cassandra paused suddenly in her movements. "Chip, did you say something?"

"No, mistress," responded Chip. Cassandra hummed, then shrugged, seeming to think of hearing the voice within her head as nothing.

Wand felt completely stunned and astonished. Cassandra had heard her. Not only was Wanda retaining consciousness that should not be happening, but she could still communicate with Cassandra. Very strange. Was it because of the protections she had placed up within her mind before her body had been taken over? Or did it have something to do with the barriers or the Time Vortex? Either way, she was not complaining. Though, she did feel like complaining about the way Cassandra was moving her hands all over Wanda's body once the woman had found a mirror to investigate the new body she inhabited.

"Oh, my god! I'm a chav!" Cassandra exclaimed. "No, worse than that. I'm a child!"

 _Oi_! Wanda retorted. But Cassandra was too engrossed of her new looks to have noticed Wanda's internal response. It was even more bizarre to Wanda as she watched her own body standing in front of the mirror, making strange expressions to which Wanda was certain she herself would never make.

"Look at me! From class to brass," Cassandra continued on whining and complaining about the new body she had stolen. Wanda had half a mind to just tell the woman that if she wanted a better body, she should have made one herself instead of taking a body from someone else. If one was going to steal, one should not be picky about the stolen good. At least, that was Wanda's opinion. A shiver of disgust went through her as Cassandra started running her hands up and down Wanda's body in a very awkward and a _way_ too personal level.

"Although . . .," Cassandra remarked lightly, shifting the blue tunic around so more of Wanda's endowments was exposed. Mostly to show off more cleavage. Not something Wanda would ever do personally. She watched as her body turn in the mirror, her eyes staring at the reflection in a sensual manner. "Ooh, curves. Oh, baby." Her body started to bounce up and down as Cassandra admired the endowments and the hips. "It's like living inside a bouncy castle. And, oh! Hearts! She has _two_ hearts! It's like a samba!" Cassandra felt around the chest, feeling the two hearts beating away at a rapid beat.

"The mistress is beautiful," Chip remarked, admiring the new body of his mistress just as much as she was. Wanda wanted to gag at the way the two were going on about _her_ body.

" _Absolutement_!" agreed Cassandra. She glanced over to the now empty metal frame of where her trampoline self once was. "Oh, but look." Both her and Chip walked up closer to the metal frame and dead brain of Cassandra's old self.

"Oh, the brain meat expired," Chip spoke sadly. "My old mistress is gone."

"But safe and sound in here," Cassandra told him, tapping at her new head.

"But what of the Wanderer's mind?" Chip asked curiously.

"Oh, tucked away," Cassandra replied lightly, sounding smug.

 _Ha! You wish!_ Wanda retorted. She felt her body stiffen as Cassandra grew alarmed by the echoing voice of the Time Lady.

"No . . . It can't be. She's still . . . _aware_ ," breathed Cassandra in disbelief. "How is that even possible?"

 _Guess I have a stronger mind than you've anticipated._ Wanda replied, wishing she could smirk at the expression of complete and utter shock upon Cassandra's (her) face. _And, if you've noticed by now, you don't have access to any of my memories. So, you're going in blind. Have fun with that. I'm sure the Doctor will just_ love _to see you again._

"Dear god, she has complete control over the mind," Cassandra gasped, sounding very startled now.

"Mistress?" Chip said, sounding concern for Cassandra's wellbeing. Straightening up and gazing off with a snide expression, the new owner of the body huffed lightly.

"No matter. Even if she has control of the mind, _I_ have control of the body. And that's all I need," Cassandra said, sounding harsh in her hard tone. Wanda did not like her voice making that type of tone. It did not suite the new her.

 _Oh? You think so?_ Wanda remarked with some sarcasm. Oh, sarcasm. That must have stayed along with the sass. Either that or maybe that was just a part of who _she_ was. No matter what incarnation. Wanda shook her trailing mind off this thought, going back to the event at hand as Cassandra walked back over to the mirror.

"This is my body now, missy," Cassandra retorted, going back over to the mirror in the room and giving an onceover on the appearance of Wanda's body once again. "I can do with it as I please. Maybe even a little work. Though, I must say, nice rear bumper." She rubbed at Wanda's backside.

 _Oi! Cut that out!_ Wanda scolded; feeling very violated by Cassandra's roaming hands. _If you keep that up, no one is going to believe you're me. You'll be found out in a heartbeat._ At that moment, Wanda's mobile phone started to ring in the brown capris back pocket. The woman in charge of the body was startled by his noise, jumping some in surprise. Wanda internally rolled her eyes once more. _Relax, it's just a mobile phone. Answer it._

"Oh? Why should I do that?" Cassandra asked with a spiteful tone.

 _Because if you don't, the Doctor is going to become suspicious and this whole day is going to be ruined for you lacking. Now, answer the damn phone!_ Wanda said strictly, sounding like either a mother or a teacher. Cassandra grumbled some as she pulled out the mobile, answering it.

"Wanda, where are you?" came the Doctor's voice from the other end. Cassandra held it away from herself, gazing to it with uncertainty as to what to say or do.

 _Saying 'hi' is usually the custom here. Unless that's too nonhuman for you?_ Wanda spoke sarcastically. Yes, the sass and the sarcasm were defiantly apart of who she was. But Second Wanda did hold it more with finesse than this incarnation could.

"Well, how do you speak?" Cassandra hissed out quietly, placing her hand over the mobile so the Doctor would not hear her.

 _It's_ your _body now. You figure it out._ Wanda told her, snickering some when seeing the disgruntled expression in the mirror. Cassandra held the mobile up to her ear.

"Um . . . wotcha?" Cassandra finally responded to the Doctor. Internally, Wanda was mentally facepalming at the woman's response through her body.

"Where've you been?" the Doctor questioned, sounding puzzled. "How long does it take to get to Ward twenty-six?"

"I'm on my way, guvna," Cassandra told him. "I shall proceed up the apples and pears."

"You'll never guess. I'm with the Face of Boe. Remember him?" the Doctor went on, not seeming to think anything about Wanda's strange words. The Time Lady wondered if maybe he was thinking it was a part of her new incarnation, or that regeneration was still taking affect within her mind.

"'Course I do," Cassandra laughed with a sneer on her face. "That big old Boe . . . Race."

 _Face._ Wanda corrected her.

"I better go. See you in a minute," the Doctor said quickly, hanging up. Cassandra hung up as well, placing the mobile back into a pocket.

"Well, then, seems like I'm meeting up with your dear Doctor," Cassandra spoke in a mocking tone. She smirked slyly as she admired the Time Lady's stolen body once more, holding hands at her hips as she eyed the curves. She even swayed her hips sensually. "In this body, I could do a number of things with him. Things which I haven't done in ages. I'd love that."

 _Oh, you are_ so _pushing your luck here._ Wanda growled, feeling a flare of her temper coming up harsher than it had been before. As well as a little bit of possessiveness. The Doctor was her Theta, and no one else's. Well, not saying he belonged to her or anything. Just . . . well, he was sort of her husband. And she was his wife. This thought suddenly left Wanda feeling stunned. That had slipped her mind. The fact that the Doctor and her had gotten somewhat 'married,' as well as recalling him saying he planned on making it official once they meet again. At this thought, Wanda felt both a mixture of excitement and nervousness. Was it normal to feel both anxious and happy at the thought of getting married?

"Either way, I think I need to spice up this body's looks," Cassandra said, gazing up and down the body once more. "It's too tiny and child-like for my tastes."

 _Stop being so damn picky about_ my _body._ Wanda retorted, shaking off the sudden thought of her and the Doctor being married. Or going to get married. Either way she looked at it, she could only feel her hearts fluttering rapidly in response.

XxXxXxXx

Cassandra had ruffled up Wanda's hair dramatically, taking out the ribbon bow, ripped tunic so it showed off _way_ too much cleavage, making the shirt hang off her shoulders somewhat, and the middle had been torn off as that it was practically a belly shirt. The woman seemed to think all of this was 'appealing.' That the Doctor would just fall right into her hands with these 'adjustments.' Wanda could only snort at this.

 _Yeah, I'd hate to tell you, but these sorts of appearances on a woman doesn't work on the Doctor._ Wanda told Cassandra as they walked through the halls towards Ward twenty-six. She watched her body move into the Ward. It still felt rather odd and strange. Almost like watching a show on the telly, only very up close, very fuzzy and dim, and through a first person's view.

Soon, Ward twenty-six came into view. Showing them the many patients in their beds, or whatever it was they rested upon, and seeing other nurses walking around, helping the patients feel comfort. Her eyes wandered over to the Doctor, who just stood up from one of the stools besides an empty bed and turned around to face Cassandra. The Time Lord sort of stopped short with his eyes widening, his jaw going slightly slack, and his gaze wandering up and down Wanda's body in a stunned manner. Completely taken to the 'adjustments' that Cassandra had done.

 _What was that about the appeal not affecting the Doctor?_ Cassandra spoke to Wanda, sounding very smug and haughty.

 _Shut up._ Wanda grumbled, greatly displeased that the Doctor would be so callous as to gawk rather openly at her body. But she was glad that he seemed to snap himself out of it after only a second of gawking, shaking his head quickly to go back to being normal Doctor. She could see Rose coming over next to him from the Face of Boe. The blonde girl raised a brow at Wanda's new 'looks,' seeming to think very differently about them. Rather confused and baffled, perhaps even slightly skeptical and suspicious. Wanda felt proud of her friend, knowing that Rose would not be fooled so easily.

"There you are. Come and look at this patient," the Doctor said to Cassandra. Still completely unknowing that it was truly the once flat woman controlling the body now and not actually Wanda. He walked up, grabbing her arm and pulling her over to a patient within the Ward. It was a red man who sort of floated in the air. "Marconi's disease. Should take years to recover—two days. I've never seen anything like it. They've invented a cell-washing cascade. It's amazing. Their medical science is _way_ advanced."

"And this one," he went on, pulling Cassandra over to another patient who was completely ghostly white. "Pallidome Pancrosis—kills you in ten minutes, and he's fine." The Doctor gazed around. "I need to find a terminal. I've got to see how they do this." He started off towards the Ward's entrance. Cassandra and Rose followed along behind him as he continued to speak. "'Cause if they've got the best medicine in the world, then why is it such a secret?"

"I can't Adam-and-Eve it," Cassandra responded. Next to her, Rose sort of stopped short.

"What?" asked Rose, sounding slightly bemused by the words coming out of Wanda's mouth. The same bafflement the girl had felt when hearing the way Wanda had been speaking over the phone. The Doctor came to a halt in his steps as well, turning to Cassandra with a raised brow.

"What's—what's with the voice?" he questioned, just as bemused as Rose. Cassandra walked a little ways in front of him, moving closer to him and looking him up and down. Gazing at him the same way she had at Wanda's body, only very much more voluptuous.

"Oh, I don't know, just larking about New Earth," Cassandra replied huskily. "New me." Rocking her hips somewhat, Cassandra continued to gazing at the Doctor's body rather hungrily. Wanda could feel her temper flaring again. The Doctor gave a small grin.

"Well, I can talk—New New Doctor," the Doctor laughed lightly. "New New Doctor and New New Wanda. We're a pair, we are."

"Mm, aren't we just," purred Cassandra as she leaned even closer to him.

 _Cassandra, don't you dare._ Wanda growled in a low tone.

Cassandra quickly grabbed the Doctor by his tie and yanked him down to capture his lips, giving him a _very_ long and rough kiss with her hands all vigorously running through his hair. The Doctor's body stiffened up in shock, though he did sort of leaned into Wanda's lips. Not really kissing back, but seeming to be caught up in the rapture of the embrace. Finally, Cassandra pulled back with a loud smack.

"T-t-terminal's this way," Cassandra spoke with a breathless voice. She walked away towards the terminal, breathing out very much in a small pant from what she had just done, leaving behind a shocked Rose, and a _very_ stunned and breathless Doctor.

"Yeah. Still got it," Wanda heard the Doctor speak in a very high-pitched voice from behind. Wanda snorted internally some, finding the situation both funny and aggravating. She could not believe Cassandra had done that. It made her so angry with the woman.

 _Oh, stop your complaining. You know you wanted to do that as well._ Cassandra said to her. _Your pounding hearts are a clear sign of that._

 _I swear, I'm going to sock you the moment I get my body back._ Wanda grumbled.

XxXxXxXx

After they all looked over the terminal, the Doctor managed to open up a secret doorway into the Intensive Care. The secret area of the Sisters of Plenitude. All the while, Wanda could see the side glances both the Doctor and Rose were sending Cassandra. Though, the gazes seemed to go unnoticed by the woman in control of the body as she walked into the grim and solemn halls of the Intensive Care.

Going down a set of stairs to the main area, they came onto a level filled with cells of some kind. Green, glass doors closing off many chambers. Thousands more could be seen at different floors going throughout the vast building. An internal structure of the hospital, all hidden away from the world. Inside of each cell, through the green tinted glass doors, they could see a figure of a person within. All of these figures were being held captive against their will within strapped chairs inside. They continued to walk down a ways before the Doctor finally opened one of the cells with his sonic screwdriver. The green cell door hissed as it opened, showing them a man inside, strapped onto the chair with tubing going into his body. All of his skin was dirty and cracked with boils here and there, while wearing a dark gray hospital gown.

"Oh, my god," Rose breathed quietly, her voice shaking as she was horrified by the sight.

"That's disgusting," Cassandra gagged at the sight and the smell coming from the man. "What's wrong with him?" No sympathy within her voice whatsoever. Wanda could only feel a welling of sadness for the poor man within. Her hearts beating with empathy for the poor suffering soul. She felt Cassandra scoff and shy away from these feelings.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," the Doctor said softly to the man within the medical cell. The man within only stared back blankly, seeming unable to speak. The door was slowly closed as the Doctor moved onto another. Opening the next cell, they saw a woman within this time, in the same state as the man before.

"What disease is that?" Cassandra asked the Doctor.

"All of them," the Doctor explained, his voice sounding grave. "Every single disease in the galaxy. They've been infected with everything."

"That's horrible," Rose replied, her own voice filled with sadness.

"What about us?" asked Cassandra, not sounding at all sad or grave. Not even a small bit of pity. "Are we safe?"

 _Have a heart, would you? There's people being tortured and put through hell here, and all you can think about it is yourself?_ Wanda grounded out, feeling just as sad and grave as Rose and the Doctor were.

"The air's sterile," the Doctor answered Cassandra curtly. "Just don't touch them." He closed the door, moving away to look over the railing to the thousands of other cells. Rose and Cassandra moved over on either side of him, staring off to the vast area around them.

"How many patients are there?" questioned Cassandra.

"They're not patients," the Doctor answered, his hands gripping onto the railing tightly. His eyes flashed with anger as he kept his gaze focused on ahead and not the Time Lady next to him. Rose shot a quick glance at Wanda, her own eyes narrowing somewhat.

"But they're sick," Cassandra pointed out.

"They were born sick. They're meant to be sick. They exist to be sick," the Doctor grounded out. "Lab rats. No wonder the Sisters have got a cure for everything. They've built the ultimate research laboratory. A human farm!"

"I can't believe this," Rose said, disgusted by what was being done to the humans. "How could the Sisters do such a thing?"

"I'd like to know the same thing," the Doctor said through gritted teeth. He turned and stormed off with each girl following behind him.

"Why don't they just die?" Cassandra asked the Doctor curiously with a calculating voice, as if eating all of this up as a juicy story or a great way to gain a prize.

"Plague carriers," the Doctor answered curtly. They stopped by another row of cells, staring at the figures within. "The last to go."

"It's for the greater cause," came the voice of Novice Hame. All turned their heads to stare at the young cat nun standing down the hall from them. She stared rather unsure and nervous at them. The Doctor glared at the cat, storming over towards her and feeling the anger from before swelling up even more upon the sight of the nun.

"Novice Hame, when you took your vows, did you agree to this?" he asked the cat, his voice harsh and strict, filled with anger. The young nun walked up closer to them.

"The Sisterhood has sworn to help," Novice Hame explained.

"What, by killing?!" the Doctor shouted bitterly, his anger finally bursting forth. Novice Hame winced at his aggressive shout and eyes. Seeing how a storm raged within the brown of his irises.

"They're not real people," countered Novice Hame. "They're specially grown. They have no proper existence."

"What's the turnover, hmm?" the Doctor retorted, walking closer to the nun. "Thousand a day? Thousand the next, thousand the next? How many thousand? For how many years? How many?!" Though Cassandra kept her eyes mostly on Novice Hame, Wanda could see the Oncoming Storm raging within the Doctor's eyes within the corner of her vision. Novice Hame saw this as well, wincing from the Time Lord's fury leaking out.

"Mankind needed us," Novice Hame disputed, trying to have the Doctor see reason. "They came to this planet with so many illnesses, we couldn't cope. We did try. We tried everything. We tried using clone-meat and bio-cattle, but the results were too slow. So the sisterhood grew its own flesh. That's all they are—flesh."

"How can you say that?!" Rose exclaimed, clearly revolted by the cat's lack of remorse. "They're alive! They're human! How can you live with yourself?!" Internally, Wanda was cheering Rose on, wishing she could yell the same things.

"But think of those humans out there, healthy and happy, because of us," Novice Hame countered.

"If they live because of this, then life is worthless," the Doctor retorted through gritted teeth, baring them angrily at the nurse.

"But who are you to decide that?" questioned Novice Hame. The Doctor stormed up to the young cat, towering over her.

"I'm the Doctor," he bit out. "And if you don't like it, if you want to take it to a higher authority, there isn't one. It stops with me." Novice Hame flinched and leaned back, staring back at the furious Doctor cautiously. Cassandra walked up around to stand beside the Doctor. Staring at the young cat with a keen gaze of interest, the woman continued to play around with Wanda's hair absently. Almost in a bored manner.

"Just to confirm—none of the humans in the city actually know about this?" she asked the young cat.

"We thought it best not—," Novice Hame began to answer.

"Hold on," the Doctor cut in, stopping the nun from answering completely. He sent another hard side glanced at the Time Lady next to him. "I can understand the bodies. I can understand your vows. One thing I can't understand: What have you done to Wanda?" Cassandra halted in her twirling of the long, wavy, blonde hair. Dread coursing through her rather quickly.

 _Busted._ Wanda said in a singsong voice.

"I don't know what you mean," responded Novice Hame, clearly confused by what the Doctor was talking about.

"And I'm being very, very calm," the Doctor gritted, even shaking somewhat from his angry building up. "You want to be aware of that—very, _very_ calm." It surprised him greatly on how angry he really felt by Wanda being taken over, or corrupted, or changed, or simply placed within harm's way. Strange how he felt so . . . protective over his friend.

"And the only reason I'm being so very, very calm is that the brain is a delicate thing," the Doctor continued on. "Whatever you've done to Wanda's head, I want it reversed."

"We haven't done anything," Novice Hame remained firm in the Sisterhood being innocent with what had happened to Wanda.

"I'm perfectly fine," Cassandra told him, hoping to keep up her charade.

"These people are dying, and Wanda could care," the Doctor retorted.

"And she would _never_ dress up like that," Rose added, pointing to the ripped tunic showing too much skin. Cassandra frowned, giving them both a small sneer.

"Oh, all right, clever clogs," she huffed out. Going over to the Doctor, she pulled out his tie and gave him a seductive gaze while he merely stared down with uncertainty. "Smarty pants. Ladykiller."

"What's happened to you?" he questioned, trying to rapidly think of what could possibly have happened to Wanda.

"I knew something was going on in this hospital, but I needed this body and your mind to find it out," Cassandra told him. Furrowing his brows and frowning, the Doctor hardened his gaze.

"Who are you?" he asked.

Cassandra stood on her toes to whisper into the Doctor's ear. "The last human."

The Doctor pulled back, pure disbelief going through him now. "Cassandra?"

"Cassandra?" Rose sputtered out in shock.

"Wake up and smell the perfume," Cassandra told them. She yanked out the small perfume bottle from within the tunic. Instantly, both the Doctor and Rose fell to the ground with a quick spray in their faces of the drugged perfume. Each of them out cold from the sleeping drug. Novice Hame hurriedly crouched down beside each of them, checking them over.

"You've hurt them. I don't understand!" Novice Hame exclaimed in alarm. The young cat looked up to a smirking Cassandra. "I'll have to fetch Matron."

"You do that, 'cause I want to see her," Cassandra ordered the nun. "Now, run along. Sound the alarm!" With the quick retreat of Novice Hame, Cassandra walked over and yanked a cable from the electrical system by the wall. Alarms started to blare with red lights on the walls going off. The woman only smirked more through Wanda's face. The Time Lady within, watching all of this anxiously, could only sigh and mentally shake her head.

 _This is_ really _not going to be pleasant._ Wanda said quietly. Cassandra only scoffed in response.

XxXxXxXx

Not the best Christmas present with it leaving on a cliffhanger and all. But I still hope that it was a good read. :) Let me know what you think of it in a review for it always helps to see what brilliant ideas you guys may have for future chapters. :) Because you're all awesome!

Reviewers:

 **BlueFlame27** : Yay! I'm really, really happy that you're enjoying Third Wanda. And I'm also glad that moment there made you laugh. I thought it was a nice touch for humour there. ;) Agreed, Third Wanda and Eleven truly are alike. They're the perfect match for each other. :) And the mystery just keeps getting larger as it goes. Though, not so surprising with Wanda's memories being different, as we have seen this occur before in the past. But now it just becomes even more clear on how wrong her memories truly are. Hope you enjoyed both chapters today! And a very Merry late Christmas/Holiday to you! :D

 **weaver yk** : Woot! Glad you like new Wanda. :) She really is a giant ball of energy, isn't she? ;) Hope you enjoyed both chapters today! Until next time! And have a Happy Holiday! :D

 **Nerd4StageAndScreen** : You're very welcome. Thank you for giving the story such a lovely review. :) You're awesome! Hope that you liked the new chapters. And don't worry, we will be seeing Eleven very soon. ;) Have a Happy Holiday! Take care! :D

 **NeoGnat** : So happy that you liked it. :) Well, as we saw happen, with Wanda wanting Cassandra there, in a sense, nothing reacted in defense. As to why the is, a answer for another day. ;) I hope that you enjoyed the new chapters. :) Until next time! And have a very Merry late Christmas/Holiday.

 **grapejuice101** : So glad you liked it. :) I really hope that you'll like the new chapters, too. Hope that your days have been going well and that you had a wonderful Christmas. :) Until next time!

 **ScarlettAngelica** : Yay! So glad you liked it. :) Hope you had a great Holiday! :D

 **FREYA ASTRID NOVA** : Third Wanda is rather adorable, isn't she? ;) I'm so happy that you're liking her so far! :D Yeah, it really stinks for her not being able to have that Christmas dinner. :( Hopefully next time for her, though. It's sort switched around to the opposite for her and the Doctor. Now it's his turn to get all flustered and blush all the time. lol ;) Thanks for the review! Don't worry about length, I totally love long review. They're my favourite. :) Hope you had a wonderful Christmas/Holiday. Until next time!

 **SilverMarkings** : Hmm, good theory. It could be the truth to the mystery. Or it could be something else entirely. We'll just have to wait and see. ;) Thanks for sharing you theory. I love seeing what everyone thoughts are on the mystery! :D Hope your day is going well! And that you enjoyed the new chapters as well. :) Until next time! Have a wonderful Holiday!

 **tangle of ivy** : Hope you enjoyed the protective side of Ten. ;) There will be quite a few moments to come between past Doctors and Wanda for the future. I hope that you'll enjoy them. :) Until next time! Hope you had a wonderful Holiday/Christmas.

 **C1ever C1ara** : Woot! So happy that you liked it. :) And that you're enjoying Third Wanda as well. I was so excited for you and all other readers to meet her. So I'm super happy that so far everything is enjoyable. :D Hope you liked the new chapters just as much as the last one. Have a very Merry late Christmas/Holiday. :)

 **SimplyAngie9315** : I'm so ecstatic that you like Third Wanda! :D I hope that you enjoyed the new chapters just as much as the last. :) Until next time, and I hope that you had a magnificent Holiday.

 **Shinonome Sakuya** : Oh yes, definitely a child on a sugar rush. lol ;) Well, not as protective as he will be in the future. Remember, he doesn't exactly realize his feelings for her just yet. The feelings are there, just not at the surface completely. But there is still some protective side to him when it comes to Wanda. Even if it's not as dramatic as Eleven's protectiveness. I hope you enjoyed the chapters anyway. :) And thanks! Finals did go mostly well, and I am most certainly enjoying the holiday. Though, sorry that I haven't gotten more chapters out. I hope the two chapters today made up for that. :) And I really hope that you had a wonderful holiday, too! :D

 **mysteryasgardian** : Hope that you enjoyed the new chapters. :) Yep, doing the Day of the Doctor in a future chapter(s), and have big plans for it. Let's just say, it's going to be very interesting. ;) Hope to see you next time, and that you had a brilliant holiday. :D

 **nicolekunstekova** : Yay! I'm just so happy that you enjoyed the last chapter so much. :D You could say that Third Wanda is a lot like what little sisters are sometimes. lol ;) I hope that you enjoyed Third Wanda so far and her characterization. I really hope that you liked the new chapters, too. :) And to see you again soon. Have a very Merry late Christmas/Holiday. :D

 **Justus80** : Yes, that did suck for poor Wanda there. One of the downfalls to regeneration. Also, sorry if it was not conveyed well in the last chapter. Wanda said she was just from another Earth. Not Gallifrey. She was merely mentioning how her parallel Earth had strange wonders to it, such as red grass. Something which will be explained in the future for certain. :) Well, you could say that most villains are idiots at times. I'm guessing Cassandra's ego got in the way of noticing what exactly Wanda was saying and doing. Hope you enjoyed the new chapters, and that you had a great Christmas/Holiday. :) Until next time!

 **alwaystherereading** : Yep, I'm back. ;) And I'm so happy that you're enjoying Third Wanda. :D You're right, she still is Wanda through and through til the very end. I think we'll all miss Second Wanda. Just as much as we miss First Wanda. But just remember, all past Wandas still live on through each new Wanda to come. :) Well, not much of a reaction from anything within Wanda's mind. Hope you weren't disappointed with that. Hope you enjoyed the new chapters just as much as the last one, and that you had a very Merry Christmas/Holiday. :) Take care!

 **Pond2** : So glad you enjoyed it. :) I really hope that you liked the new chapters just as much. Also, thank you so, so, so much for the wonderful picture! You have no idea just how much that means to me. :D I even cried with just how touched I was in seeing it. I've been wanting to have a picture done of Wanda (all Wandas) for ages now, but I just don't know anyone who can draw or wants to draw. And I also can't draw myself, so no go there. lol ;) Again, thank you! You're totally awesome, amazing, brilliant, fantastic!

 **GracefulWolvesInTheNight** : I'm excited that you're excited. :D I really hope you liked the new chapters just as much. I used to reply to the reviews this way in the past, and let me tell you it was a disaster. Too much of a mess for me to keep up with. Not only this, but there are so many reviewers who are a guest on the site and do not have a way for me to talk to them by any means other than through the chapters. And if I only replied to those on the site, it really sort of makes those without an account feel left out. And I also have tried replying to only other site users through PMs, and to guests through chapters. But it became a unbalanced and unequal process with still the same issue of many being left out. By doing replies this way, it makes it so everyone is equal and that way no one gets left out. :) I did think about stopping the process of replies, but I made promise to you brilliant readers to always give you all delight in a bright and cheerful response, and I always keep my promises. ;) Sorry that if the replies do annoy you, though. :( But don't worry, because really that might be the only chapter with that many replies in it. For that never really happened before. I hope you had a wonderful Christmas/Holiday, to see you again soon, and that you have an amazing day. :) Take care! Until next time! :D

 **All The Stories Are True 24601** : Thanks! I hope that I can keep up in making each chapter shine just as much as you and all other readers do. :) I'm just so happy that you're enjoying all of the trilogy and all Wandas so far. I truly hope that you'll continue to find joy throughout the rest. :) Until next time! And I hope that you had a very Merry Christmas/Holiday.

 **Guest(a)** : lol Glad you like her. ;) I quite agree. She is rather adorable. Oh yes, I think Wanda has finally been someone to beat the Doctor in a rambling contest. lol ;) And I really think Eleven and Third Wanda are truly a perfect match for each other. Things are settling down for a bit on my end. But the clam won't last for long as school is starting up again in a couple weeks. Ugh. But as long as I keep a smile going and get a chance to talk with lovely reviewers like you, I'll make it through. ;) Hope you're doing well, and that you had a very Merry Holiday. :) Until next time!

 **KoNeKoLuvsU** : Aww, I'm so glad that the story gives you such joy. :) I know I get so excited whenever I get to see a review from lovely readers such as yourself. ;) Oh, that will be quite a list. There are so many hints, many which I think I might have hidden a little too well. lol ;) But there are also some which have the answer right in plain sight. You just have to look for them. ;) And I'm certain there will be even greater stories out there that will blow away this trilogy, ones that you'll enjoy even more. Though, I do hope that this trilogy will always have some good old nostalgic value for you. :) I know I enjoyed very single moment with you guys. You're all so awesome! You could say some of those reverse moments for the Doctor and Wanda were very intentional. ;) And you always be fantastic as well! :D Until next time! Hope you had a good holiday.

 **bored411** : Not really, no. But Wanda's dealt with worse. ;) Oh yes, Rose is very ticked. But the Doctor is just as much. Subconsciously more than anything, I think. Nope, not too much turmoil with the barriers there. I think with Wanda still being conscious and in control of the mind, it helped keep things calm and leveled. I really don't think Cassandra noticed the barriers, since Wanda kept almost everything at bay from her. Hope you enjoyed the new chapters. :) And that you had a very happy holiday. Take care!

 **Corina27** : Agreed. Very adorable. :) Things have become very reversed now for the Doctor and Wanda. Complete 180 from the beginning of Wanda's journey, I think. ;) So happy that you're enjoying it all! Wishing you a very Merry late Christmas/Holiday. :)

 **sherlocksmistress** : Nah, you're beautiful, talented, and brilliant. ;) Nice quote. I'm just so glad that the you're happy with the last update. :) Hope you liked the new ones as well. I'm really hoping that the last part will be good, too. I'm keeping my fingers crossed until the every end. I try not to stay away so long. Things just . . . get in the way, though. :( I'm hoping for a more regular schedule . . . eventually. Hope to see you again in the future, and that you had the most wondrous holiday! :D

 **StraightFromCrazy** : No, the possibilities showed her that the day was going to turn out okay. Not so much on what was going to happen to her, but what was going to happen to everyone else in the hospital. And as we saw, one barrier was not happy, but with Wanda still being conscious and actually wanting all of that to happen, I think everything turned out all right in the end. :) I hope that you enjoyed the new chapters. And that you had a very Merry Christmas/Holiday. :)

 **JB** : lol Guessing that means you enjoyed the last chapter? ;) Hope you liked the new ones just as much. Until next time! Happy Holidays! :D

 **UltimateFan-girl15** : So glad you liked it! :D I really hope that you enjoyed the new chapters, too. :) Take care! And I hope your holiday has gone well.

 **Nanski33** : Yay! So happy that you're liking Third Wanda. :) I think it really helps in having her have a personality like that. Plus, it truly shows just as much she's developed since the first part, and just how much of a perfect match she is for the Doctor. ;) And don't worry, she'll be with Eleven again soon. Until next time! Happy Holidays and/or Merry Christmas. :)

 **Jesuslovesmarina** : Woot! So glad that you liked it. :D I was actually afraid that Wanda's outfit might not be good enough for her new incarnation, but I'm so happy that you liked it. :) Yep, you're quite right. The Doctor is really annoyed more of himself than towards anyone else. Mostly because of him being at a loss on how to feel about Wanda. But I'm sure he'll figure it out soon enough. ;) Take care, and I hope you had a very Merry Christmas/Holiday! :D

 **RAGINGPANSIES** : Because, I think I might have an addiction to them. lol ;) Hope you enjoyed the new chapters. :) Happy Holidays!

 **Audrie-13** : Glad that it was a good present. :) Hope the new chapters were just a good. And I hope to see you again soon, too. Take care, and I wish you a very Merry late Christmas/Holiday. :)

 **Serendipity989** : So glad you liked the regeneration. :) I was hoping that it would be just as good as what we see in the show. And I'm so happy that you're enjoying Third Wanda. Hope you liked the new chapters, and that you had a wonderful holiday. :)

 **beulah2013** : Oh, home sickness. I hate that, too. I'm so happy that the story helps, though. :) I know how sometimes just the little things can really help. I really hope that you'll continue to find joy in the series. :) I'm always so happy to bring others joy. I truly hope to see you again soon, and that maybe the home sickness won't be a bother to you any longer. :) Take care! I hope you had a wonderful Christmas/Holiday.

 **amrawo** : Yay! Glad you liked it. :) And I know that I'm excited for you excitement. :D Until next time! Happy late Holidays. :)

 **Lady Artimes Blaine** : Just a bit crazy, yes. lol ;) I think she can most certainly give Eleven a run for his money. Well, you can't expect the Doctor at this stage in their relationship to be so open about it. Plus, they're not exactly in a relationship, so it will take time. Just think of it as a nice little twist on things going in reverse for him and her from what it has been. ;) Hope you enjoyed the new chapters, you holiday, and to see you again soon! :D

 **Loveneverdies115** : Woot! I'm happy that you liked it. :) Just a little excited. Haven't seen it just yet, but I'll get around to it eventually. I was actually behind in watching season 9, too. Just caught up now. I hope that you enjoyed it all. :) And that you liked the new chapters to this story, too. ;) Have a very Merry late Holiday. Take care!

 **Twix13** : I'm happy that you're happy! :D Having the Doctor be the shy one for once is both very funny and loveable. I just wanted to hug him sometimes. But I think I'll leave the hugging to Wanda. lol ;) I really wanted each change to have meaning and a reason behind it. I didn't just want to make her jump into a new incarnation randomly with no support or backbone to it. With each change in her character, it has great showing of just how much she's grown. :) I'm glad you enjoyed what has become of that, too. As to when exactly the story will stop, that will just have to be spoilers for now. But that's as where the trilogy stops. With the extra story I have happened, it will continue onwards with the newer seasons that we've seen recently. And don't worry, I have special plans for the Day of the Doctor. ;) See you next time! Hope that you had a lovely holiday! :)

 **Snowy702** : I know, right?! I was so shocked in just how many lovely readers reviewed! :0 It just made my day in seeing just how much joy the story is bringing to everyone. :) I hope the story brings you just as much joy, too. We'll be seeing Wanda and Eleven together again very soon now. ;) I hope that you have fun reading her just as much as I have fun working with her. :) Also hope that you enjoyed today's new chapters. Until next time! And I wish you a very Merry Christmas/Holiday. :) Even if it's a few days late. ;)

 **HellInHighHeelsPond** : Yep, she certainly does still play violin. Just doesn't have time for it as much as she used to. But I'm certain that will change in the future. ;) Take care! And have (or had) a very Happy Holiday!

 **AnnaRooma** : Yep, definitely will find out much more about Wanda and her past now. :) So glad that you liked the last chapter! Hope you liked the two new ones as well. :) And a very Merry Christmas to you, too! I hope you had a good holiday. :) Take care!

 **Purple Ocelot** : Well, not to fear, Wanda had things all under control. ;) Though, I do believe that if Wanda did not want Cassandra there, and/or was in danger and unconcious, the barriers would most definitely have revolted against Cassandra. Hope you weren't too disappointed with nothing happening there. Also hope that you enjoyed the new chapters and had a great holiday. :)

 **GrumpyCatWriter101** : Yay! I'm happy that you're liking it. :) I'm not quite sure what you mean there. Did you mean notice Cassandra being inside of Wanda, or Alpha? If it was Cassandra, oops, my bad that things didn't change much there. I hope you enjoyed the new chapters anyway. :) And I hope that you had an amazing holiday. :) Take care!

 **Muffin Dragon** : Woot! So glad that you like it. :) Thank you so much for giving the story such a lovely review. I always love getting to see and meet all readers. :) I hope the enjoyment continues throughout the rest of the story! And that you enjoyed the new chapters, too. ;) Take care, and have a great holiday!

 **Whovianeverlark17** : Oh yes, senior life in high school. Enjoy it now as it lasts. lol ;) I'm a senior, too, only in a university. So much fun. Ugh. But it's all worth it in the end to give you guys a great story. :) Oh, I definitely think the Oncoming Storm gave her more grief. And his feelings are definitely becoming more notice by him, I think. ;) Eventually he might realize the truth to him and Wanda. Just as she herself has. Hope that you liked the new chapters. And that you had a brilliant holiday. :D Take care! Until next time!

 **starry night** : I'm so glad that you're liking the new story and Wanda. :D Yep, no more holding back for her. Now, there's just the issue that she might not be able to hold back at all. lol ;) Sorry, no Twelve in this trilogy. Though there may be something planned for a special story I have under works at the moment. But that's yet to be seen just yet. Hope to see you again soon! Have (or hope you had) a very Happy Holiday/Christmas. :)

 **wittendorffmaja** : Nah, no worries. If anyone knows a busy schedule, it's me. ;) I'm just glad to see that you're enjoying the story. :) I think Wanda discovering those moments are my favorite, too. I've seen some of the Hobbit. Not really my style. I was always more into Harry Potter (the books at least) than anything else. I'm more of a reader than a movie goer. For certain reasons, really. Kind of hard to enjoy a movie if you can't actually 'see' it. lol ;) Hope you enjoyed the new chapters! Until next time, and hope you had a brilliant holiday. :)

Well, that's all for now! Take care everyone, and thank you all so, so much for being so awesome! Bye, and may the Fez be with you! (Yes, I know, that was dorky, but I couldn't help myself. ;) )

~Tinker~


	4. Ch 4: Chaotic Hospital

Hey again!

Welp, as promised, here's the second chapter for the day. I hope everyone likes it. :)

XxXxXxXx

Chapter 4: Chaotic Hospital

Wanda could only watch, feeling the anxiety and worriment kicking in tenfold as Cassandra called Chip down into the Intensive Care. The clone arrived almost immediately. He helped his mistress place both unconscious Rose and the Doctor into an unused cell. The Doctor was placed up onto the chair within, strapped down to keep him there, while Rose was left at his feet on the floor. With them locked away, the only two left in the dark and solemn hall waited for the arrival of the Matron. Wanda remained ever vigilant of what was occurring and being done. As well as keeping an ear out for when the Doctor and Rose would awaken again. Finally, her two friends locked away in the cell began to stir.

"Let us out! Let us out!" the Doctor and Rose yelled together. Gazing to the two within the cell, Cassandra sauntered over to stare at them through the green tinted glass.

"Aren't you both lucky there was a spare? Standing room only," Cassandra said with a smug voice. Having already felt her victory was met for the day.

"You've stolen Wanda's body," the Doctor grounded out in rage.

"Well, I was aiming for little old Rose, but the Wanderer got in the way," Cassandra told him. "So, I had to make do."

"What? You were after me?" Rose asked, sounding very much surprised.

"Over the years, I've thought of a thousand ways to kill the two of you," Cassandra continued on, ignoring Rose completely. "And now that's exactly what I've got—one thousand diseases. They pump the patients with a top-up every ten minutes. You've got about three minutes left. Enjoy."

"Just let Wanda go, Cassandra," said the Doctor, completely ignoring the fact that both him and Rose were likely to die. Internally, Wanda was huffing. Not believing the Doctor did not include Rose there for Cassandra to let loose. Forget about Wanda's life, saving Rose and the Doctor himself was more important.

"Well, I was. But now, I find myself rather attached to this body," Cassandra replied in a sly tone, rubbing her hands around Wanda's body, once more admiring the curves and the backside. "She is rather young looking. I need youth for the plans I've got cooked up. Though, I will have to make her classier and less common looking. As well as figuring out how to get her to shut up."

"Wait, Wanda's still aware?" the Doctor questioned, very much shocked by this information.

"Very much so," Cassandra gnashed, clearly annoyed by this fact. "She won't shut up, really. Now, hush-a-bye, it's showtime."

Wanda did not pay attention to the arrival of Matron Casp and Sister Jatt. Cassandra had her full attention on the two cat nuns while Wanda herself let her own focus trail off in waiting for the chaos to begin. She already knew the blackmail Cassandra was going to try on the Sisters was not going to work. Things would only go downhill from there.

 _Wanda?_ the Doctor's voice echoed within Wanda's mind. She tensed for a moment, afraid that Cassandra might hear him as well. But the woman simply continued on trying to get the Matron and Sister to give her money. Apparently, only Wanda could hear the Doctor.

 _Yes?_ Wanda replied, going into the back reaches of her mind so that Cassandra could not hear her speaking to the Doctor. She heard the Doctor sigh in relief.

 _Good. You are still there. I was afraid she had erased you in order to gain your body._ the Doctor said quietly.

 _No, I'm all right, just a little compressed at the moment._ Wanda explained, trying to sooth his worries.

 _But . . . how are you still conscious? I mean, it's possible for someone to lock up their mind from the invading consciousness, but to still be aware is, well, bizarre. How are you doing it?_

Wanda hesitated, wondering if she should tell him. Would it be too soon? Too late to tell? She never knew exactly _when_ the Doctor knew of her . . . strange mind. Though, 'strange' was putting it lightly. Perhaps, if the question comes up again, she might explain it all later. For now, it was best to only focus on one crazy mess at a time. _Let's just say I have many abnormalities to my mind._

Both of their attentions were drawn away as Cassandra's blackmail on the Sisterhood failed. Matron Casp and Sister Jatt outright refused, evening going as far as deeming that Cassandra must be silenced from knowing of the Sisterhood's dark secret. Upon the sight of Matron Casp's claws, Cassandra hurriedly ordered Chip to release all diseased humans from their cells on the level they were currently on. The cells doors opened quickly, allowing not only the Doctor and Rose to be freed, but the captive humans locked up within the hall as well. The two nuns backed up as the dazed diseased started to come towards them. Wanda watched anxiously for a second before Cassandra turned away from the scene and started to walk down the hall.

"What have you done?" the Doctor asked Cassandra, outraged that she had allowed this to happen. Had she no clue what consequences would come of this? Was she truly clueless in her greed?

"Gave the system a shot of adrenaline, just to wake 'em up," Cassandra answered quickly. "See ya!"

Inside, Wanda could only watch helplessly as Cassandra ran down the hall away from the scene. Chip followed closely behind his mistress. Wanda could hear Rose and the Doctor not too far back from them. It was only a few seconds later that the entire Intensive Care facility sparked along all the cells. Every single one of them opened, releasing the diseased carriers from within. Cassandra started to scream in panic as she ran faster in fright, knowing that everything was now thrown into chaos as the cells around them exploded along the locks of the doors, making every cell burst open behind them. All around them they could hear the dazed humans whispering out hoarsely for someone to save them, to stop the pain. Finally, they all came to a stop by a staircase to look around in horror at the sight of all the plague carriers roaming around.

"Oh, my god," Cassandra gasped.

"What the hell have you done?" the Doctor growled at her.

"It wasn't me!" Cassandra exclaimed. The Doctor glared at her, knowing she had been the one to start the chain reaction.

"One touch, and you get every disease in the world," he told her. "And I want that body safe, Cassandra!"

"Doctor!" Rose said, gaining his attention. She pointed at the slowly advancing diseased humans stumbled towards them.

"We've got to go down," the Doctor ordered them, making Rose move down the staircase first. Then Chip went next in a rush, though not before glancing over his shoulder towards his mistress.

"But there's thousands of them!" cried Cassandra at the Doctor, staring around in horror upon the sight of all the massive hordes of infected coming towards them.

"Run!" the Doctor yelled at her. The woman only shook with fear at the sight of the diseased humans coming even closer.

 _You heard the man, now move it!_ Wanda shouted.

Finally, with a scream of fright, Cassandra ran down the stairs with the Doctor right behind her. Keeping a firm hold on her shoulder as they went as though he wanted to make absolutely certain Wanda's body would be unharmed. They could hear the building announcing quarantine in affect for the entire building. No one was leaving the hospital anytime soon, leaving them all trapped within with the infected carriers.

Reaching the basement area that had once been Cassandra's lair; the woman tried getting the lift to let them up. But the quarantine made it so nothing could move between the different hospital floors. Cassandra then promptly led the group back towards the room she had been living, knowing of another escape route they all could take. As they arrived into the room, a group of diseased humans arrived, blocking off Chip's path from them.

"Don't let them touch him!" the Doctor yelled, starting to go back for the clone.

"Leave him!" shouted Cassandra. "He's just a clone thing. He's only got a half-life. Come on!" She grabbed both Rose and the Doctor's hands, pulling them along. More of an instinctive reaction from Wanda's body than her own doing. In truth, Cassandra would rather not touch or help either of them out at all. They could hear Chip calling out for his mistress as they ran off. Cassandra felt no sympathy for him whatsoever.

 _Oh, you really are heartless, aren't you?_ Wanda bit out, feeling her own sympathy for the poor clone.

 _Shut up._ Cassandra retorted, feeling a twinge of regret. Being in this oversensitive body and its emotions were really starting to affect her. It was like . . . everything about the Wanderer just screamed 'save them,' 'help them,' 'love them all.' Still baffling and confusing Cassandra on why that was. Eventually, they reached the room of Cassandra's lair, but became trapped on all sides by the incoming plague carriers.

"We're trapped!" cried out Cassandra in desperation. Completely frightened and unable to think of anything that could save them . . . save _her_ life. Not _them._ She could care less about _them_. Cassandra winced as she felt a strange twinge go through her, grounding her teeth as she knew this was the Wanderer's doing. She even felt the smug satisfaction coming from the Wanderer as though the trapped girl had won at something.

 _Actually_ caring _for someone other than yourself there, Cassandra?_ Wanda replied smoothly.

 _Shut up!_ Cassandra barked back.

"Well, it's your fault in the first place," Rose bit back at the woman who had her friend's body, replying to the earlier comment the woman had made. The companion glared heatedly at Cassandra, hating the once flat woman even more than she had before. Cassandra glared at her in return.

"Shut up! This is not my fault!" the woman yelled, hating the feeling as though she were trapped in a corner. She glanced back and forth between companion and Time Lord, desperate for them to come up with _something_ for a plan of escape. "Now, what are we going to do?" Eyes darkening when he saw the psychograft in the corner of the room, the Doctor gazed harshly at Cassandra.

"Well, for starters, you're going to leave that body," the Doctor ordered her. Walking over closer to the machine in the corner, he pointed his hand holding his sonic screwdriver harshly at it. "That psychograft is banned on every civilized planet. You're compressing Wanda to death."

"Well, she's not exactly dead, now is she?" Cassandra retorted, crossing her arms as she adverted her gaze and pouted like a child being scolded.

"Conscious or not, she'll die off if you remain in her body," the Doctor countered bitterly, wishing he could just rip her out of Wanda's body. To save his . . . friend, somehow. He stormed closer to Cassandra when seeing her refusing to even acknowledge him. "Now, get out!"

Cassandra walked away from the two glaring people, staring off to a far wall with a disgruntled expression. "But I've got nowhere to go. My original skin's dead."

"You should thought of that before you took Wanda's body," snapped Rose, just as irate as the Doctor by this point. Though, the Time Lord's fury could still be outmatched as he gritted his teeth, eyes flaring with a storm as he felt ready to snap at the idea of Wanda being close to death.

"Well, I'm not leaving," Cassandra replied, crossing her arms. Dead set on remaining alive within this body. The Doctor whipped his sonic at the woman, aiming it at Cassandra with a raging storm within his eyes and demeanour. Ready to strike the woman down.

"Get out, now. Give her back to me," the Doctor growled darkly.

"I can't," Cassandra barked at him, turning around with a sharp glare. But then she sucked in a breath, backing up as the Doctor stormed right up to her, towering over her with a dark look in his eye. A vicious storm within him, ready to burst at her.

"If you don't give her back to me, Cassandra, I will not hold back," he growled in a very low and threatening tone, pointing his sonic at her chest. "Now get out!"

"You asked for it," Cassandra retorted. Sucking in a breath, Cassandra's consciousness left in a pink glowing energy, going straight into the Doctor himself. The Time Lord stumbled back as Wanda gasped loudly, sucking in her first own breath since Cassandra's control. It hurt just as bad as Cassandra going into her body. Everything sort of snapped back into place all at once. Her vision and hearing cleared in an instant, and felt her muscles aching from the sudden change in who exactly was controlling the body. And she had a raging headache to boot. Wanda moved her hands around some, double checking that her motor functions were still in proper order, as well as her actually being in full control. Her legs wobbled, making her almost fall to the ground as they felt heavy as if they had fallen asleep.

"Wanda, are you okay?" Rose asked the stumbling Time Lady, holding onto the short girl to help her not fall onto the ground.

"Yep, that just hurt a little," Wanda assured her friend, smiling as she patted Rose's arm in reassurance. Turning her attention onto the moving Doctor, she glared knowing who was truly in charge of the Time Lord now. She only hoped the Doctor was able to block off his mind before he was rendered unconscious.

"Ooh, my," said Cassandra with the Doctor's voice. Sounding ever so wrong with the way the words were being spoken. As well as the way the Doctor's body was moving around. He grinned ever so cheekily as he (Cassandra) looked his new body over. "This is . . . different."

"Cassandra?" Rose asked in disbelief at the sight of the Doctor moving around and grinning slyly. Then his hands began to roam as Cassandra inspected the new body. The very same as she had done with Wanda's, inspecting all the sensual foxy curves.

Wanda felt her face heat up in her anger, wishing that her body was not so sore so that she might rip that damn woman out of her Theta's body. Damn Cassandra for touching what should only be touched by her! Wanda blinked at that thought, but did not scold herself for thinking it as she would have in the past. He was her husband after all. She should be allowed to think such thoughts. Plus . . . really, no one should touch him like that unless _he_ wanted to be.

"Goodness me, I'm a man. Yum!" Cassandra spoke in delight by the new experience. "So many parts, and hardly used. Brand new just like the Wanderer's. Ah! And with two hearts as well! Oh, I really do like the samba these two have going on!"

"Get out, Cassandra," Wanda ordered, hating the way the woman was treating the Doctor's body even more as she saw hands wandering even lower than they should be. Damn it, if she dare touch him anywhere else, Wanda swore she would—

"Ooh, he's slim," Cassandra continued on, ignoring the Time Lady. "And a little bit foxy." The Time Lord's brows wiggled some at the two blondes.

"I swear to god, Cassandra, if you don't get out of him this instant . . . ," Wanda growled in spite, ready to snap at the woman.

"What are you gonna do? Punch me? Hit your precious Doctor?" Cassandra snorted, laughing as if she had told the funniest joke.

Wanda balled up her fist and shook it at the woman as her left eye twitched rapidly. "Maybe I will, if you don't get out!" Though, Wanda knew this was merely a statement in hopes that Cassandra might be frightened enough to leave the Doctor's body. In truth, Wanda did not think she could ever truly lay a hand on the Doctor. The doors around the room suddenly burst open, letting in a horde of the diseased humans. All heading straight for the group. The Doctor's body jumped with alarm as Cassandra panicked.

"What do we do? What would he do? The Doctor, what the hell would he do?" cried out Cassandra, making the Doctor sound like a frightened child. Wanda rolled her eyes.

"How about using your eyes?" she retorted, pointing to the ladder behind them that would lead to the lift's open shaft. Cassandra immediately pushed the two girl's out of the way, climbing up. Wanda made sure Rose followed right after with herself coming up the rear.

They all hurriedly climbed up the ladder into the empty lift shaft. It was a vast and long stretch between them and the ground. Taking a long while before any of them came close to an escape. Wanda refused to look down, not even once. Her hands shook tremendously, gripping on tighter onto the ladder each time she climbed higher and higher. Gosh, did she hate heights. Ever since dying from that one fall in 1938, as well as the Doctor almost falling from the Empire State Building, her fears of high places had only worsened. Suddenly, she screamed out as someone grabbed her foot roughly. Almost slipping for a second, Wanda hurriedly wrapped her arms tightly around the side of the ladder to hold on. Glancing down, she saw how it was Matron Casp holding onto her.

"All our good work, all that healing, the good name of the Sisterhood: you have destroyed everything!" Matron Casped yelled at Wanda, yanking on her foot harshly.

"Go and play with a ball of string," retorted Cassandra from above.

"Everywhere—disease!" hissed Matron Casp. "This is the human world. Sickness."

Suddenly, the cat started to scream out in pain. Wanda watched with wide eyes as the boils and sickly skin spread throughout the nun's face. The nun let go of Wanda as she slipped, screaming all the way down the long shaft and hitting the floor below with a echoing thud. Wanda let out a shaky breath as she started to climb up again. She ordered the other two to do the same as the diseased people continued to climb up after them.

Eventually, they reached the top of the shaft, ending at a lift door. Cassandra slammed on the door with her new hands, but it was pointless. Only a sonic screwdriver could open the doors. Wanda was too far away herself to be able to open them with her own screwdriver. Only the Doctor could with his body being the closest.

"Now what do we do?" Cassandra whined out.

"Use the sonic screwdriver," Rose ordered her. Fumbling around for a moment, Cassandra pulled out the sonic from within the Doctor's suit pocket.

"You mean this thing?" she asked them, holding up the silver tool for them to see.

"Yes, I mean that thing," Rose said, sounding greatly annoyed.

Cassandra made a very disgruntled and annoyed expression on the Doctor's face which did not suit the Time Lord at all. "Well, I don't know _how_. That Doctor's hidden away all his thoughts."

Rose rolled her eyes. "Cassandra, just go into me. The Doctor can open it."

"Don't you dare!" shouted Wanda, glaring at the Time Lord above. "I swear, if you even think about going into Rose, I will do much worse than punch you!"

"Wanda, I'm not letting her go back into you," Rose argued. "Just let me—."

"No! This isn't open for debate," Wanda disputed, shooting Rose a sharp look before glaring at the Time Lord above once more. "Cassandra, just go into me. And for the love of god, Rose, tell the Doctor to just open the doors. Don't let him argue about with Cassandra."

"Hold on tight," Cassandra spoke up. She exhaled, letting out her consciousness. The energy travelled straight to Wanda, entering her once again. Everything was compressed about her once more, sending Wanda back into the recesses of her mind having Cassandra back in control. The Doctor above shook his head as he snapped back into awareness. He then promptly glared down heatedly at the Time Lady below.

"Cassandra, get out of her," he growled, pointing the sonic at Wanda's body.

"Doctor, Wanda said not to argue," Rose told him.

"I don't care!" he yelled, his eyes flashed with a furious storm as he stared the Time Lady down. "I order you to leave her!"

 _Oh, Doctor, shut up!_ Wanda yelled at him. _I'm fine._ _Just open the damn doors._ But it was too late, Cassandra had already left and went right back into the Doctor's body.

"No matter how difficult the situation, there is no need to shout," Cassandra grumbled, as if still talking to the Doctor.

"Cassandra, get out of him! We need to get the doors open!" Rose yelled.

"But if I go into the Wanderer, he simply refuses. He's so rude," Cassandra complained. Wanda groaned and started to bang her head against the ladder's side. They did not have time for this!

"Oh, for Pete's sake! Cassandra, just go into one of the sick below us," Wanda told the woman. "It's the only way to get the idiot to shut up and open the doors." Cassandra looked down at the diseased woman climbing up the ladder below Wanda with an expression filled with disgust and revulsion. But Wanda could tell the women knew she had to do it.

"Oh, I am so gonna regret this," moaned Cassandra. Exhaling, her consciousness went into a female plague carrier below them. The Doctor shook his head, really starting to get a headache now. With a glance down below him, he saw Wanda and Rose were still themselves. The sick woman far down was heard complaining about her looks, telling him where Cassandra had gone to. In a rush, the Doctor opened the lift doors, allowing their escape. He helped Rose up quickly, followed by pulling a panting Wanda up.

"Nice to have you back," he beamed at the Time Lady. He then frowned with concern when seeing how pale and shaken the short blonde appeared. "You all right?"

"Yeah. It's just, I really, _really_ , don't like heights," Wanda explained, sighing in relief for being back on solid ground. She smiled as she felt the Doctor rubbing his hands along her arms in a soothing gesture as though hoping to help ease her fears away. Suddenly, she fell forward as Cassandra hurriedly went back into her. Wanda's body fell to the ground, moving to lean up against the wall. The Doctor closed the lift doors, making sure they were all safe before glaring at the dazed Time Lady on the ground.

"That was your last warning, Cassandra!" he began to yelled angrily at her. But he stopped short upon seeing the distant gaze of those emerald eyes.

"Inside her head . . . they're so alone," Cassandra breathed ever so quietly. In such remorse. "They keep reaching out, just to hold us. All their lives, and they've never been touched." For once, she was truly feeling empathy and overwhelming sadness. Something she had not felt for centuries. It only made it worse with the two hearts. Two hearts that made the emotions twice as woeful. How could the Time Lords stand such amplified effects? Especially the Wanderer?

The Doctor held out a hand to the Time Lady, feeling pity for Cassandra. Gazing up at him, Cassandra took the offered hand, using it to pull herself off the ground. They stared at each other for a second before the pounding doors behind them made it clear they should get a move on. Rose patted the Time Lady's arm lightly as she felt her own pity for the woman within. The trio then ran, hand-in-hand, ready to fight for their lives . . . together. Arriving to Ward twenty-six, they were greeted with a charging Frau Clovis, the Duke of Manhattan's assistant, banishing a chair as defense. But after showing her their skin as a sign they were not infected, Clovis dropped the chair.

She informed them at Ward twenty-six was the only safe place. All the other Wards had been taken over with the infected. Acting fast, especially after Clovis' announcement of her trying to override the quarantine to save herself, the Doctor ordered everyone to gather up the intravenous solutions around the room. All cures made for every disease by the Sisterhood. The Doctor fashioned a heavy silk rope, strapping all the solutions onto said rope and around himself. Creating another metal device to let himself slide down the lift's cables outside in the hall from the Ward. He then ran outside the Ward after convincing the group of survivors to open the doors for him. Once outside in the hall, opening the lift doors, he jumped onto said cables and attached the device he had created. Rose and Cassandra could only stare at him in disbelief by his actions.

"What do you think you're doing?" asked Cassandra.

"I'm going down," the Doctor explained, though his words came out muffled with the sonic screwdriver clamped tightly in his teeth. Getting the device set tightly on the cables, he pulled out the sonic from his mouth and sonicked the metal clamp he had made. He then glanced over his shoulder at the two blondes staring at him as though he were mad. "Come on."

"Ha! Not in a million years," Cassandra retorted, crossing her arms in a huff.

"Yeah, I'm with her on that one," Rose agreed, stepping away from the lifts.

"I need another pair of hands. I need at least one of you to come with me," the Doctor told them in exasperation, wishing Wanda were here with him right now. He knew _she_ would not hesitate or complain if he asked her for help. She would already be on his back, ready for action by now.

"Well, if you just need one of us," Rose spoke up. Sending a sly smile and glance to Cassandra, Rose suddenly grabbed her and pushed her to the Doctor. Cassandra screamed and leaped at the last second, wrapping her arms around the Doctor to hold on tight. Rose waved at them with a laugh and hurriedly went back into Ward twenty-six before Clovis closed it from the incoming plague carriers from down the hall. Gulping, Cassandra only gripped onto the Doctor tighter as Wanda's fear of heights was beginning to affect her as well.

"You're _completely_ mad!" Cassandra exclaimed with fear upon looking down to the long drop below them. But then Cassandra felt the two hearts beginning to flutter at the closeness of the Time Lord to this body. Cassandra smirked slightly. "I can see why the Wanderer likes you."

The Doctor grinned proudly at this as he felt Wanda's hand hold onto him for support. "Going down." He let go of the brakes on the device, sending them plummeting down at rapid speed. The metal grated against the cable and sparked as they fell farther and farther down. The Doctor was heard laughing with glee with Cassandra screaming in fright. They slowed down and came to a light stop at the ground level lift. Immediately the Doctor began to work, emptying out all the intravenous solutions from his makeshift sling into the disinfectant tanks above the lift.

"Now, that lever's going to resist," the Doctor told Cassandra after instructing her to hold onto a lever next to the tanks. "But keep it in position. Hold on to it with everything you've got." The tank started to bubble and smoke from all the solutions mixing together. Once finished with the solutions, the Doctor then opened the lift's emergency door.

"What about you?" Cassandra asked, greatly confused by what the Time Lord was doing.

"I've got an appointment," the Doctor replied with a small grin. "The Doctor is in." With that said, he jumped down into the lift.

Cassandra held onto the lever as tightly as she could. Below she and Wanda could hear the Doctor open the lift doors with his sonic and started to call the many diseased humans inside towards him. Cassandra pulled the lever at the Doctor's command, using all her strength to hold on. The computer announced the disinfection and the process began by spraying the entire lift with the intravenous solutions the Doctor had mixed together. The solutions sprayed both the Doctor and all the infected humans inside the lift. The plague carriers were stunned by the liquid hitting them, backing up from the lift.

"All they want to do is pass it on. Pass it on!" the Doctor said loudly to the humans. "Pass it on!"

"Pass on what?" questioned Cassandra, still bewildered as to what was happening.

 _The cure._ Wanda explained to her, internally smiling with joy. _The Doctor cured them. He saved them. Everybody lives!_ She laughed merrily, wishing she could jump around with glee. Cassandra felt stunned by this news. She thought the Doctor would have killed them, not saved them. Jumping down next to the Doctor, Cassandra could only stare in awe at the sight of the once diseased humans now completely healed. No cracked and dirty skin. No boils. Only clean and healthy. One of the young female humans walked up to the Doctor, giving him a hug.

"Oh, that's right. Hey, hey. There we go, sweetheart," the Doctor said kindly, giving the young dazed girl a hug back. Wanda felt her hearts swell with pride and love at the sight of seeing the Doctor be so gentle and kind. The love and warmth he shared with others, the healing Doctor he was. The man Wanda loved more than anything in the universe. She dearly wished to have control of her body at that moment. Not only to hug the new humans around them, knowing how much each one only wanted some affection and love. But she wanted to hug the Doctor as well to show him how much she loved the healing man he was.

"It's a new subspecies, Cassandra," the Doctor went on speaking, walking around the room to give more new humans a hug or pats on the shoulders. "A brand-new form of life. New humans! Look at them, look! Grown by cats, kept in the dark, fed by tubes, but completely, _completely_ alive! You can't deny them 'cause you helped create them. The human race just keeps on going, keeps on changing. Life will out! Ha!"

Cassandra rolled her eyes somewhat, finding his rambling and gleeful attitude to be both annoying and amusing. She could see another reason why the Wanderer loved the strange man. Not only was he mad, but he was wonderful in bringing warmth to the world as well. She could learn to respect a man like that. Even if she did still feel dislike for him.

 _I thought he was going to kill them, like the way he killed me._ Cassandra spoke to Wanda as they continued to watch the Doctor happily help the once sick people. The way he showed them all kindness . . . it baffled Cassandra in some ways. _He had been so willing to let me die in the past. What's changed?_

 _Well . . . he never technically 'killed' you in the past._ Wanda corrected her. True, Nine did not act to save Cassandra from her seemingly fate. But . . . he still did not 'kill' her pre say. Wanda internally frowned, not sure on what to think about that. _Anyway, he's a different man now. Much more . . . forgiving in some ways._

 _But will he always be like this? Forgiving, I mean?_ asked Cassandra.

Wanda went to answer 'yes,' for to her the Doctor was always forgiving. But, for others . . . . Images from her show flashed through her mind. Moments the Doctor had later within his life. Moments to which always made Wanda wary to think about. She remained quiet, unable to say 'yes' in confidence. But unable to say 'no,' either. For the Doctor was forgiving. Just . . . not always. For sometimes . . . he was vengeful.

 _And what about you?_ Cassandra continued to wonder. _Will you always be forgiving as well?_

Once again, Wanda could not answer that. She thought over what she had said and done within the alternate timeline to Kovarian. The anger and hate Wanda had felt for that woman. The unforgiving emotions she held . . . Wanda had never felt such a way before. Well . . . maybe once with the Family after what Alice, her human self, had been through. But still, she had tried to be forgiving and merciful with the Doctor by becoming Alice Rivers along with John Smith. However, back there, within that alternate timeline with Kovarian . . . Wanda had never felt so . . . dark before. And now that she truly thought on it, she realized much of her has changed over the past decades. She has become someone rather different than from the timid girl she once was. The only question now: Was this necessarily a good thing? Or was it bad all together?

 _I . . . I don't know._ Was all Wanda could say in the end.

XxXxXxXx

It was some time later when the quarantine finally lifted that the authorities arrived. All of the remaining Sisters of Plenitude were arrested. They watched back in Ward twenty-six as Novice Hame was escorted out in cuffs. All the new humans and remaining people of the hospital were taken to safety. Luckily, hardly any Wards had actually been taken over by the plague. Only a few people had been infected and died. This made Wanda glad that at least many had a happy ending. With Novice Hame gone, the Doctor realized there was still one patient left that had been asleep this whole while. And now, without his attendant, the Doctor knew they needed to check up on the Face of Boe.

Going further into the Ward, they all saw the Face of Boe had awoken and was staring off at the distant city of New New York from the window next to him. A calm, gentle gaze in those old eyes of Boe. Rose and the Doctor both walked up smiling at him while Cassandra remained back. Giving a slightly purse of her lips at the sight of the old Boe Face.

"You were supposed to be dying," the Doctor said to the ancient being.

 _There are better things to do today_. the Face of Boe responded within all of their minds in a calm, soft voice. _Dying can wait._

"Oh, I hate telepathy," complained Cassandra. "Just what I need, a head full of big face." Both Rose and the Doctor sent her a stern gaze and shushed her.

 _I have grown tired with the universe, Doctor, but you have taught me to look at it anew._ said the Face of Boe. The Doctor walked up closer to the old Face and kneeled down in front of the glass container.

"There are legends, you know, saying that you're millions of years old," the Doctor said.

 _Well, now, that would be impossible._ chuckled Boe in response. Wanda internally chuckled along with him, swearing that she saw a small wink sent her way.

The Doctor smiled at the old Boe Face. "Wouldn't it just?" His smiled disappeared, giving a more serious expression and tone to the ancient being. "I got the impression there was something you wanted to tell me," he glanced over at the Time Lady, "and Wanda."

The Face of Boe nodded. _A great secret._

The Doctor nodded. "So the legend says."

The old Boe Face smiled at him. _It can wait._

The Time Lord gave a pout, his tone changing to a slight whine. "Oh, does it have to?"

 _We shall meet again, Doctor, for the third time—for the last time—and the truth shall be told. Until that day._ The Face of Boe then slowly vanished in from of them in a glittering, blue energy, beaming to another location within the universe. The Doctor, Cassandra, and Rose could only stare at the spot in astonishment.

"That is enigmatic," the Doctor remarked, nodding with delight approval. "That—that is—that is textbook enigmatic." Internally, Wanda was giggling away.

 _Always the showoff, Jack._ she said quietly, making sure Cassandra and the Doctor did not hear her. In her mind, Wanda could hear a chuckle. This only made her smile more, knowing it was the old Boe Face himself. She watched as the Doctor stood up and faced Cassandra squarely.

"And now for you," he said sternly. Rose turned to face the Time Lady as well, crossing her arms in the same stern manner. Cassandra stared at them both warily.

"But everything's happy. Everything's fine," she told them. "Can't you just leave me?"

"No. Get out of Wanda," ordered Rose, growing angry again by Cassandra being so selfish as to put Wanda in harm's way.

"You've lived long enough," the Doctor added. "Leave that body and end it, Cassandra." The woman felt a stab of fear making the body she was in shake with fright.

"I don't want to die," she cried. Though her cry sounded fake and forced, it did hold some truth in how frightened she felt. How terrified she was of dying.

"No one does," the Doctor replied quietly.

"Help me!" Cassandra cried loudly. Though, she was saying this more to the Wanderer than to the Doctor. She could feel pity coming from the Wanderer within her as the girl watched on.

 _Sorry. But there's nothing I can do._ Wanda spoke softly.

 _I'm scared to die._ Cassandra sniffled. _I'm so afraid._

 _I know. It's okay._ Wanda whispered gently. _It's okay to be afraid. And it's okay to die as well. Death is just another waiting adventure._ Cassandra only felt confused and unsure by this. She had never seen death that way before. Only as the final end, never a waiting journey for someone.

"I can't," the Doctor answered Cassandra's earlier plea as she continued to cry.

"Mistress!" came the call of Chip. Cassandra and the others turned in shock to see the clone still alive and well. He smiled brightly at his mistress as he walked up to them.

"Oh, you're alive," gasped Cassandra.

"I kept myself safe, for you, mistress," Chip explained. Cassandra stared at him for a moment, her mind racing with a new plan as she saw the male clone smiling at her.

"A body," she contemplated aloud. "And not just that—a volunteer." The Doctor looked at her quickly, his eyes narrowing, once more looking strict and stern.

"Don't you dare," he said, pointing a finger at the Time Lady. "He's got a life of his own."

"Haven't you've destroyed enough lives today?" Rose snapped at Cassandra.

"But I worship the mistress. I welcome her," argued Chip defensively. He was all but ready to give Cassandra whatever she desired. Even his own life. Cassandra winked at Chip as she exhaled.

Before either the Doctor or Rose could protest any more, the woman had already left Wanda in the pink energy. The energy went straight into Chip who gladly accepted it. Wanda's legs gave out as the muscles objected greatly at having another snapping switch of who was in control. Apparently, the body was complaining about the constant jumping of consciousness. The Doctor and Rose both caught her before she fell to the ground.

"Whoa! Careful," Rose said, patting the Time Lady's back.

"You all right?" asked the Doctor, staring at Wanda in concern.

"Yep. Fine. Just a little lightheaded," Wanda assured them as she straightened up to face Cassandra in her new body. She stumbled again there for a moment. The Doctor decided to keep an arm around her, allowing her to lean against him until she could get her bearings. He knew that even though she had been conscious inside the body, she had still suffered great affects from being compressed for so long today.

"Oh, sweet lord, I'm a walking doodle," Cassandra said while examining her many swirling designs on her skin.

"You can't stay in there," the Doctor told her in a hard tone. "I'm sorry, Cassandra, but that's not fair. I can take you to the city, they can build you a skin tank, and you can stand trial for what you've done."

"Well, that would be rather dramatic," Cassandra remarked with a small shrug. "Possibly my finest hour. And certainly my finest hat." She touched her head, laughing lightly. Letting her hands drop to her sides, she sighed quietly. "But I'm afraid we don't have time. Well, poor little Chip is only a half-life, and he's been through so much. His heart is racing so." Cassandra paused, letting herself feel the body's internal discomforts. "He's failing. I don't think he's going to last—."

Suddenly, Cassandra's legs gave out. Wanda was already there by her side, knowing what was going to happen. She caught the woman, helping her lower gently to the ground. The Doctor and Rose hurriedly kneeled down beside the dying body of Cassandra. The woman panted out as Chip's body slowly failed her.

"I'm dying," Cassandra noted, feeling at her chest. She thought for a moment, staring to the trio kneeling beside her. She smiled at them. "But that's fine."

"I can take you to the city," the Doctor offered. Cassandra smiled more, shaking her head sadly.

"No, you won't," Cassandra countered. "Everything's new on this planet. There's no place for Chip and me anymore." Pausing for a moment, she continued on. "You're right, Doctor, Wanderer, it's time to die.

"An awaiting adventure," Wanda smiled. Cassandra laughed and nodded.

"That's good. I like that thought," Cassandra agreed. Patting the woman's hand gently, Wanda looked to the Doctor and Rose.

"There is one last thing we can do," she told them, her voice sounding grave. "A final farewell."

XxXxXxXx

They walked out with Cassandra into the restaurant of the last night anyone had ever called her beautiful. Mingling and laughing in the crowd of party goers was young Cassandra, still human and her ordinary self. Wanda patted the future Cassandra's shoulder softly as the dying woman hugged the black cloak around herself tighter.

"Thank you," the woman whispered to both Time Lords.

"Just go. And don't look back," the Doctor replied quietly.

"Good luck," Rose added kindly.

"Take care," Wanda said softly. She gave one last pat on the woman's shoulder as Cassandra walked away from them.

They watched as future Cassandra gave her younger self a heartfelt goodbye of sorts. Telling the young self on how beautiful she really was. Then, Chip's body finally failed. The young Cassandra caught the poor dying body, calling out for medical help for the dying Chip and older Cassandra. Young Cassandra cradled the dying person in her arms tenderly, unknowing that it was her future self who she was caring so kindly for.

Wanda reached down, holding both the Doctor and Rose's hands as they solemnly turned back around to the TARDIS, leaving behind the last human in peace.

XxXxXxXx

Good? Bad? The most terrible thing ever? If you have any thoughts on the chapters, or anything particular, or even if you just want to make a shout out, just leave a review. It always helps to see what everyone has in mind for the story. Especially with just how many wonderful and brilliant ideas you all have! :D Bye-Bye everyone! Until next time!

~Tinker~


	5. Ch 5: The Ghosts of Christmas

Hey, everyone!

It's been a while, hasn't it? Sorry about that. I always seem to be late in updates anymore. If any of you are wondering why, well, there's the lay out of my schedule. School started up recently, with a very big bang. So, I have 15 hours of classes. Then, on stop of that, I have 48 hours of mini-internships I have to do within a semester. I've been in and out of the hospital lately. Nothing serious, hopefully, just been dealing with a sickness. And I work 40 hours or more a week. Basically, with the mess that's been going on in my life, I only have enough time to eat and sleep (haha, what's sleep?) before I have to get going again. Yay. But, I promise that I have been working on this story whenever I do find I have free time. It's just I don't get much free time anymore. :( I'm really sorry about that! I hate having to put you guys through a long wait in the chapters. But there's just no getting around it. Again, sorry. I feel awful about the lack of updates. :(

I hope that the story will still be enjoyable in the end, though. Even if it does take a little longer to get through. Thank you all so much for being supportive and patient with me. :) You all are awesome! And I really hope that everyone will enjoy the new chapter!

 **Special Note** : Oh! Before I forget! There has been an awesome drawing done by one of the your fellow readers. :) It's completely amazing, I just love it to pieces. So, I wanted to share with you all the drawing! Just search through Instagram **#Wandaonetwothree**. Go see the brilliant drawing, and give the creator lots of love for being magnificent. :D And if any of you would also like to share something in the future that ties into the trilogy, just let me know and I'll totally love your brilliance! ;D

XxXxXxXx

Chapter 5: The Ghosts of Christmas

It was only just after Wanda picked up a new outfit from the TARDIS wardrobe did she suddenly feel the warmth and saw the white light around her body. Jumping away from Ten and Rose's time, she appeared right back in the wardrobe room. She hummed somewhat, trying to think of where she might be now. Giving a onceover in the mirror to the new (and better, in her opinion) outfit, she spun around to enjoy the maroon overcoat that she had picked out. As well as the light, green tunic which hung longer in the back than it did the front, but still big on her that made it more of a short dress. She wondered if all shirts were going to look like small dresses on her now. Well, even though she did not mind the dress style, she was still going to wear something underneath for cover. She still did not like too much exposure, so she kept on her brown capris. Slipping back on her Merry Janes and tying back on a green ribbon into a bow in her hair (this time making it so it was a bow for a ponytail), Wanda skipped out of the wardrobe.

She took notice of the quiet and gloomy corridors, making her wonder if she was during Nine's time. The TARDIS was always ever so solemn during his reign. Mostly because Nine himself had a rather grim taste on things. So Sexy herself kept things dimmer to please her Thief. Wanda knew, though, that things would become much brighter and more cheerful down the road for Nine as he grew more into simply enjoying the universe once again.

Speaking of Nine, where was he? Wanda really wanted to see him again. She missed her Fantastic Doctor. It had been ages. She wondered if he was in another mood of his, or if, possibly, it might be during his later time when he had been more relaxed about things. Of course, this had been only with Second her, and she remembered how much he complained about Third her. It made her wonder for a moment if the Doctor, all Doctors, might not like this third incarnation as much as her Second self. Of course, the Doctor had been rather attached to her Second self since that had been the incarnation with him since the Time War. So, most likely chances that—no wait, there he was!

Wanda beamed brightly as she saw Nine walking stiffly towards the control room. Jogging forward, she jumped up and wrapped her arms around his shoulders in a cheerful hug. Kicking her legs out in the air behind her as she hung off his back.

"Nine! I've missed you!" she giggled brightly. Then on a second thought, she realized jumping up to give him a surprise hug might have not been the best thing. It seemed this new her was just as bad as her other incarnations on acting without thinking. Maybe even worse because of her hyper mind. Either way, Nine was not happy in being surprised in such a way.

"Get off me!" he yelled, throwing her off of him and onto the ground. She pouted, mentally scolding herself for not thinking that action through. She probably should have just said 'hello,' but this body just wanted to hug everyone who was precious to her. Much more affectionate than her earlier incarnations. Especially her First self. Young Wanda could hardly stand to hug someone most of the time, mostly because of her timidity. And Second Wanda was more open on hugs, but did still not give them out much. And—oh, the Doctor was talking.

"Who the hell are you?" he growled at her. Wanda bounced back up, brushing her capris as if dusting herself off.

"Wanda. The Wanderer. Blondie. Shorty. Anything you'd like to call me, really," she answered lightly. "Just don't call me a child. I mean, just because I'm short does not mean I'm a child. I am ninety-eight years old. I think I count as an adult by now. Though, technically, by Time Lord standards, I still do classify as a child I suppose."

"Wanda?" he questioned, raising a skeptical brow. Looking her up and down, he seemed to study her for a second as if wondering what sort of anomaly she was. It made her feel awkward with his searching eyes, as if she were an art piece or freak show. She crossed her arms, furrowing her brows.

"Just take a picture. It lasts longer," she told him with some sass in her voice. The Doctor snorted.

"You're not Wanda. You're too young," he said as if concluding his study of her. He narrowed his eyes as anger started to fill his gaze. "You're just like that other girl, pretending to be someone and something you're not. You're a fraud. And a killer, too, I bet."

"Excuse me?" Wanda scoffed, outraged by this remark. At that moment, Rose came around the corner of the corridor. She gazed at them curiously having heard rather loud voices coming from her room.

"What's going on?" Rose asked them. She blinked in surprise to seeing the short, blonde girl standing in front of the Doctor. "Hello?"

"Rose!" Wanda cheered, running over to give the girl a hug. "So glad to see you, girlie. I mean, I know I've just seen you like two seconds ago but I'm always happy to see you. Especially young you. Younger you is just so adorable." She pulled back, giving Rose a pinch on the cheek. The girl merely blinked, unsure of what exactly as going on.

"Um . . . who are you?" Rose asked slowly, uneasy with a sudden and random blonde girl hugging her and pinching her cheek.

"Oh, right, sorry, I forgot you've haven't met this me yet," Wanda said quickly, giving the girl some space and gaining a blush of embarrassment for her over excitement. "I'm Wanda. But, I mean, I know you've already met First and Second Wandas. Though, you meeting Second Wanda first, and First Wanda second, at least you're actually meeting Third me at a third time for you. So, I guess it's good timing on my part, and not so good for the other two mes. Oh, and there I go rambling again. That's really still new for me, you know. This new me is such a chatter box, I think I could talk for hours. I might just do that, in fact, if I'm bored or want to annoy someone. Especially the Doctor since he does the same to me on purpose all the time. In fact—."

"Would you shut up already!" the Doctor yelled behind her. Wanda turned to frown heavily at him while Rose blinked rapidly, trying to process the rapid and speedy words that Wanda had dished out.

"Oi, don't yell at me," Wanda scolded him sternly, walking up towards him to wave a finger at him. "The other two mes might have taken that temper lying down, but this is a whole new me. I don't feel as willing to just let people yell at me or push me around like I used to."

"Who the hell are you?" the Doctor demanded to know. "Are you working for that chestnut girl? Are you and her both keeping my Wanda away from me?" He stormed up to Wanda, towering over her while glaring down harshly. Like with Ten, she now came up to his chest instead of his shoulders as she had been used to. Only because Nine and Ten were rather on the tall side, though. She was sure with Eleven she would almost be up to his chin.

"I _am_ Wanda you idiot," Wanda retorted. "I'm Third Wanda. The oldest Wanda." The Doctor scoffed to this, not believing a word of it.

"Wait, you're Wanda, too?" Rose asked from behind the Time Lady. Wanda turned and gave her a smile.

"Yep. This is Third me. Don't worry, you'll get used to the sudden changes of me. Eventually," Wanda told her with a small shrug.

"Yeah, I doubt that," Rose replied, shaking her head and feeling rather stumped by the sudden and rapid change of appearances Wanda made.

"You're not Wanda," the Doctor repeated, remaining firm in his conclusion. "There's only one Wanda. _My_ Wanda. You and that other moron girl can go shove off." He turned, stomping away to the control room with a loud grumble. Raising her brows high, Wanda stormed off after him with a curious Rose trailing behind.

"If you just scan me with the sonic screwdriver, you'd see that I _am_ Wanda," Wanda retorted after him. "And just because I regenerated into a younger face, does not mean I'm not Wanda. I can't exactly choose what age I change into to, you know."

The Doctor turned around, doing a quick scan of her with his sonic screwdriver. Not because she suggested it. It was because he was curious. Yes, that was it. Curiosity. For he knew who his Wanda was, and this tiny blonde was not her. But when he pulled back his sonic, it said otherwise. He glared at the tool, not believing it. He knew the truth. This diminutive annoyance was not his Wanda. So, he promptly turned around with a huff and storm back off. Wanda rolled her eyes, following after him.

"So, I'm guessing you're in one of your moods again," Wanda remarked lightly. He only grumbled in response. Yep, definitely in one of his moods. Whenever he fell into one of these moments, he became very irritable, temperamental, and tended to lose track of everything around him. Only focusing on one thing and one thing alone: his anger at the universe.

"Why don't you just get lost?" he retorted bitterly. "Take yourself and that chestnut girl far, far away from me. And while you're at it, take the other blondie with you." He jabbed his thumb over his shoulder at Rose.

"Oi!" Rose and Wanda yelled angrily.

"I'm not going anywhere," Wanda stated firmly.

"And either am I," Rose agreed. The Doctor spun around to face them as they entered the control room, glaring at them darkly.

"This is _my_ TARDIS. I'm not having any unwelcomed guests on board," he snapped at them. "I'm sending you all back to Powell Estate." He jabbed his finger into Wanda's chest. "You, go get that brunette friend of yours. Tell her that she, like the rest of you, are not welcome."

"First Wanda isn't here, idiot. She can't be since I'm here. It means she jumped away to another time," Wanda gritted, grinding her teeth together harshly. She felt her left eye beginning to twitch as her temper flared up.

"Fine. Whatever," the Doctor said, throwing his hands up in frustration. "One less I have to deal with." He stormed over to the console, beginning to flip levers and spin dials, fixing to send both blonde girls to Rose's flat.

Wanda growled, stomping up to the console, undoing his work on the controls. Halting the TARDIS. "We're not going anywhere, and that's final."

Glaring at her, the Doctor started flipping back the levers. "You're not the pilot. I am. What I say goes."

"Ha! You're just the one giving some help to the real pilot. What the TARDIS says and wants is the _final_ say. I know for a fact that she won't send us off."

"Oh, you think so?" The Doctor turned to her, crossed his arms to stare her down aggressively. "And what do you know, huh? Nothing! You're just some whiney, good-for-nothing like that other moron. Both claiming you're the Wanderer and a Time Lord when you're not."

"But I am. And so is First Wanda." Wanda pointed a finger into his chest. "You're just too much of an idiot to see it. I'm your companion, Spaceman. Whether you like it or not."

He smacked her finger away, frowning at her. "Spaceman? Ha! You can't be Wanda. My Wanda would never call me such a stupid name."

"You wanna bet?" Wanda smirked, crossing her arms. "I know for a fact that a certain someone likes that nickname. He's even my husband."

She mentally scolded herself for letting that spoiler slip. As well as the fact that technically the Doctor and she were not married yet. In neither present time nor the future. Though, hopefully, Nine was in too much of a temper to realize anything amiss.

She was right about the 'Spaceman' nickname. She remembered spending time with Eleven, during her Second incarnation, of him mentioning once on how fond he was of her nicknames of him. 'Spaceman' being one of them. Though, at the time, that one had mostly been a slip for she had not started to call him by that name just yet during her Second incarnation. Now, she planned to use it quite often. Mostly as a memory of Donna.

The Doctor snorted at this. "Right. _You're_ married? That's a laugh. What kind of pathetic nutter would marry someone as annoying as you?"

Upon hearing the Doctor making fun of . . . well, himself, Wanda tightened her hands into angry and shaking fists while her eye began to twitch even more. "What did you say?"

The Doctor smirked, seeing her irritation building up. Good. She deserved to feel as angry and annoyed as he did. "Oh, you don't like me calling your husband a nutter? How about a weak, useless, twit who was clearly mad and out of his mind whenever he ever thought to marry the likes of you. As a matter of fact, you're also a royal—"

WHAM!

The Doctor fell back onto the grated floor with a raging Wanda standing over him with her left fist shaking.

She did not know why she did it. Maybe it was because of all the other times he had been nasty to her. Or maybe because she felt so protective over the Doctor so that anyone hurting or demeaning him in anyway, even by one of his own incarnations, made her feel the need to stand up for him. Perhaps it was even because she truly and simply had quite enough of the temper and nasty mouth of his. Either way, in that moment of him saying those hateful words, her temper reached its limits. All she remembered was seeing red and feeling ready to punch those who dare cross her. And so, she did just that.

She stood there for a moment, blinking in shock at the Doctor's unconscious body lying on the floor as her anger deflated. Her eyes then widened in fear.

"Oh, my god! I've killed him!" she cried out in panic. She hurriedly crouched by him, grabbing him by the shoulders and lifting him up into sitting position. "Doctor, wake up, wake up, wake up, wake, wake. Come on, don't be dead!" She shook him, trying to see if he was all right. But his head merely rolled around limply, still completely knocked out.

"Um, Wanda, he's not dead. He's just pasted out," Rose assured the overly worried Time Lady. Wanda stopped shaking the Doctor, looking back and forth between Rose and the unconscious Time Lord for a few seconds, blinking slightly. Then she gave the girl behind her an embarrassed smile.

"Oh, right . . . I knew that," she stated, letting go of the Doctor. He fell back onto the grating, still completely out of it. Wanda rubbed the back of her head nervously while standing up, still giving the unconscious Doctor a wary look. Half of her felt guilt and shame for lashing out at her Doctor. But the other, louder, half of her was feeling as though he had deserved it and even proud of herself.

"Um . . . was that bad of me to do that?" Wanda wondered aloud, starting down at the unconscious Doctor with uncertainty.

"Nope. I think he deserves a few more good punches, actually," Rose responded, grinning away cheekily at the sight of the knocked out Doctor.

"Hmm," Wanda remarked quietly, still feeling rather guilty. She dearly hoped this did not cause a rift for her and the Doctor's relationship. Then again, she also gave a cheeky grin. "Oh, well. I'll just have to apologize later, I guess."

"Is he going to be all right?" Rose asked, coming over to push her foot against the Doctor's side.

"Yeah, he'll be fine . . . I think. I'm sure he's fine . . . Hopefully. You know, I should really probably take him to the medical bay."

Rose snickered and shook her head. "Nah, I'm sure he's fine."

"Yeah . . . yeah, I'm sure he is, too." Crouching down, Wanda arranged him body somewhat so that he was lying more comfortably on his back and even took off her overcoat to give him a nice pillow of sorts. Making sure he was resting peacefully, she bounced around the console, beginning to send them off. "So, how long has it been since Platform One? I'm guessing not that long ago by the way idiot here was acting."

"It was just yesterday night, I think. It might be morning or noon by now," Rose told her, walking around the still unconscious Doctor. "It's hard telling time being inside this ship."

Wanda frowned at the Time Lord, wondering why he was not waking up yet. His mind should be kicking in, making him regain consciousness, as normal Time Lord biology does. Though, he had told her once a very powerful hit could knock a Time Lord out for quite some time before the mind started up functions once more. Perhaps she had hit him a little too harshly. Now she was really starting to feel guilty. She hoped no one, especially the Doctor, looked down on her for reacting in such a way. Shaking off this thought, she concentrated on sending them off. Knowing where they were needed, the ship helped her set the coordinates right away. They held onto the edges of the console as the TARDIS flew through the Vortex, shaking and rocking about in flight. Finally, they landed at their destination.

"Did we make it? Where are we?" Rose asked curiously, looking excited to be travelling to another time and place. Checking the scanner, Wanda beamed upon seeing the time and date.

"We're in Cardiff, December 24, 1869," she stated brightly. "Yes! My most favorite time of year. Christmas!" She bounced around with joy, giggling away happily. "Oh, I love Christmas. And I finally get to spend it with you." Grabbing onto Rose's arm, Wanda linked her own arm with the girl's, beaming away cheerfully. Rose laughed some, finding the girl's giddy manner amusing. As well as just glad at least someone on the ship actually liked her.

"That's so weird. I can't believe it's Christmas," Rose remarked, gazing to the girl next to her in thought. "I also can't believe you want to spend it with me. You hardly know me."

"Nope, it's the other way around. _You_ hardly know _me_. I've known you for over seventy-five years in counting." Wand smiled fondly at that thought, so happy to have been able to be around for so long for all the companions and the Doctor.

"Seventy-five years? You've known me for seventy-five years?" Rose shook her head, unable to wrap her mind around that thought. "Blimey, am I really around with you two for that long? How do we possible manage with this arse over here?"

"Oh, no, you misunderstand me. I travel around at random through four hundred years of the Doctor's time. So there are actually decades apart for me from when you, I, and the Doctor are actually travelling around and having fun together."

"Oh . . . well, that makes sense . . . I suppose." Shaking her head once more, Rose knew she would have to digest this information more thoroughly later. Gazing to the scanner, she began to think over where and what time they were now. "So . . . outside those doors, it's really Christmas in 1869?"

"Yep."

"That's so weird." Rose glanced at the TARDIS doors then looked back at Wanda. "It's like, think about it, though . . . Christmas 1869. Happens once. Just once, and it's gone, it's finished. It'll never happen again." She paused thinking that over. The idea of it sent a feeling of awe and wonder through her. "Except for you two. You both can go back and see days that are dead and gone, a hundred thousand sunsets ago. No wonder you never stay still." She shook her head slightly. "Too bad you have to travel around with such a—."

"Language, Rose," Wanda scolded sternly. "Give the Doctor some time. He really is not bad. He just has this temper and these moods he goes through. He's really quite lovely once you get to know him. Trust me."

There came a loud groan from on the floor. Both girls glanced around the console to see the Doctor slowly awaking. Sitting up, he rubbed at his sore jaw, wincing greatly.

"Who hit me with a mallet?" he groaned, rubbing his face. Upon seeing both girls staring at him, he glowered at Wanda. "You punched me! I can't believe you actually hit me!" He stood up, glancing down curiously to see the maroon overcoat on the floor. Odd. She made him a pillow out of her coat? Well . . . at least she was descent enough to do that. He picked up the coat and tossed it to her.

"Well, you pissed me off," Wanda retorted, putting back on her coat.

The Doctor merely frowned, rubbing at his jaw some more. Oh, did it hurt. He did not think he had ever been hit that hard before. How could someone so tiny pack such a punch? He actually felt . . . impressed by it. She had decked him, knocked him out cold. That girl . . . she was a fiery one she was. She . . . was one hell of a woman. And . . . he actually really liked that. His hearts picked up in a quick beat, giving him a strange sensation of emotions. He internally scolded himself, not liking on how awestruck and enthralled she had made him feel.

"I don't think I'm going to be able to talk or eat right for a week," he grumbled. Rose could be heard snickering loudly, looking so pleased as if she had been the one to punch the Doctor.

Wanda rolled her eyes lightly, though felt a heavy twinge of guilt go through her. "Quit being a baby. You'll be healed up by the end of the night." Grabbing onto Rose's hand, Wanda steered the girl down towards the corridor. "Rose and I have to get properly dressed." She pointed a stern finger at the Doctor. "You, don't touch anything."

The Doctor shot her another angry look before the girls disappeared around the corner. Though, after being unconscious for a few minutes, he did not feel as spiteful as he had earlier. That had mostly been because he still felt greatly betrayed by his Wanda for sending these . . . morons in her place. Why had she not warned him about younger versions of herself running around? Even if his sonic screwdriver said otherwise, he still did not believe that this diminutive blonde was once his Wanda. She had to be an earlier incarnation like the brunette girl. He continued to rub at his right cheek while glancing at the scanner. 1869? What the heck were they doing here? Huffing loudly, levers were flipped and knobs were twisted as he began to send them back to Rose's time. They needed to be sent back, far, far away from him so that he could find out what happened to the Wanda he knew. But, suddenly, the TARDIS sent a shock through him. He jumped back, rubbing his hands while glaring to the time rotor.

"Oh, not you, too!" he yelled, grabbing at a lever once more. "Please tell me you're not on that stupid blonde's side!" Upon saying this, he received an even nastier shock. As he moved away, shaking his hand to get rid of the feeling of electricity going through it, he heard the console beeping angrily. Almost as if the TARDIS were scolding him. "She is not Wanda! I don't care what _you_ or anyone else says! Now, you're taking us back to drop Rose and that other blonde off whether you like it or not."

Abruptly, the control room dimmed and the console powered down. The Doctor blinked in shock as he realized the TARDIS was receding back, making sure that he did not pilot her anywhere. He could not believe this! Was everyone in the universe against him?!

"Oh, you complete and utter—," the Doctor began to shout.

"Oi! Don't yell at the TARDIS!"

The Doctor turned, ready to yell at the tiny blonde, but stopped short upon seeing what she was wearing. A lovely late 19th century, off-shoulders, gown that was green with white lace. He noticed how she had braided her hair and laid the long braid over one of her shoulders to hang towards the front. A light green ribbon had been twined into the ash blonde hair. When did she have time to do that? But he could hardly contemplate anything else except for one thought running through his mind. Beautiful. No, beyond that. She was dazzling.

"You gonna gawk at me all day?" Wanda snorted upon seeing the Doctor sort of stare at her in a blinking daze. Nine almost looked the same way Ten did whenever he had gazed at her back at New Earth after Cassandra had ripped apart her shirt.

The current Doctor shook his head rapidly, mentally scolding and slapping himself. This blonde was nothing! She was not dazzling, was not beautiful. Only _his_ Wanda was beautiful. It was only his raven-haired Wanda that he found attractive. Wait . . . no. Agh! No, no! That was not what he meant to think.

"I think he might start laughing at us," Rose spoke up, adjusting her own gown. Hers was much in the same style only it was black and maroon with a small cloak tied around her neck. She had put her hair up into a bun with a feathered, purple broach stuck in her hair. "I wouldn't put it past him."

"Well, no, I was thinking you look rather nice, Rose. Considering that you're human," the Doctor commented lightly, thinking that the girl did actually suit the outfit well. He gave the Time Lady a side glance. "You, on the other hand, look like someone who just climbed out of the Strehoxx swamps."

"Way to make a girl feel pretty," Wanda retorted sarcastically. She stuck her tongue out at him, then linked her arm with Rose's. Together, they strolled out into the Christmas Eve night.

"Oi, where do you two think you're going?!" the Doctor called out to them. He received no answer. Grumbling under his breath, the Doctor followed after them. Might as well make sure they did not get into any trouble. Really, all he wanted to do was get back into the TARDIS and leave, but . . . he also felt excited on exploring around where they had travelled to. Damn his curiosity.

As soon as he stepped out of the door, Wanda snapped her fingers and the door swung shut behind him. The Doctor blinked rapidly, turning his head back and forth between the TARDIS and the Time Lady, who currently held a very smug expression. He pointed at her and the ship, trying to get his mind wrapped around the fact that she had actually closed his ship with the simple gesture.

"H-how did you do that?" he asked in complete and utter bewilderment. "You can't just go around doing that! That is _literally_ an impossible thing to do."

"A girl has her secrets," Wanda responded, winking at the Time Lord. Rose snickered at the Doctor who kept opening and closing his mouth to response to this, but seemed at a loss for words. Then, with face growing stern and angry, the Doctor stomped towards Wanda, poking her in the shoulder harshly.

"What did you do to the TARDIS? Do you have it under some kind of control?" he demanded in question. Wanda scoffed, pushing his jabbing finger away from her as she rolled her eyes.

"I've done nothing to the TARDIS, idiot," she huffed out in frustration. Could he be happy and not angry for, like, five minutes?

"Clearly you have, and you're going to tell me what right now," retorted the Time Lord, crossing his arms as he glared at the blonde girl.

Wanda raised a brow at him. "I could tell you, but that'd be spoilers. So no, I'm not telling you. But I will tell Rose that secret, embarrassing name if you don't back off in being a prat." She placed her hands on her hips and gave a sharp nod, knowing that this should shut him up. He would never want someone knowing _that_ name.

The Time Lord's eyes widening a bit as he feared of what name she was talking about. Was she . . . was she really going to tell someone his academy name? A name that he had always kept to himself, and only allowed those truly close to him to know. It was about as deep of a secret as his true name. His eyes narrowed as he glared darkly at the short blonde. "You wouldn't."

"I would if you don't start playing nice."

"I don't understand, what name?" Rose asked them, confused by what they were talking about.

"No pathetic human like her should ever know that name," the Doctor gritted through his teeth, thrusting a finger at Rose as he ignored her question.

"Call her 'pathetic' one more time and I'll scream the name out," Wanda bit back as she felt her left eye twitch wildly and her face heating up in her fury. The Doctor stepped closer, towering over the short girl.

"I swear, I'll find that damn, stupid husband of yours and—," he began to threaten, enraged by her girl's own threat.

Having enough of Nine's remarks on his future self, Wand turned to Rose and said, "The Doctor named the TARDIS 'Sexy.'" There was dead silence for a moment as the name was digested by the trio.

"W-what?" Rose began snickering, almost fully laughing as she found this knowledge beyond humourous. She knew men and their vehicles had sort of a 'special bond,' but that name was just too hilarious. The companion began laughing loudly, keeping a hand up to her mouth to try and calm herself. "Y-you named yo-our ship 'Sexy'? Hahahaha!"

The Doctor blinked, shocked to have heard this name spoken and told to a human instead of the other name he had been fearing in being said. He felt relief go through him in realizing the short blonde girl was not going to say his name. But, at the same time, he still felt highly embarrassed in the secret name he had given the TARDIS be told to someone else. That was supposed to be his private name for the ship. Darn that blonde.

"It's not that funny, Rose," Wanda grumbled, now regretting in telling the companion the old girl's name. "'Sexy' is a wonderful and perfect name for the TARDIS. Isn't that right, Sexy?" She looked over, smiling when hearing a pleasant hum given to her in return. Glancing at the Doctor, she raised a brow as she saw the mixture of embarrassment and relief in his expression. Then, it dawned on Wanda why he had been so angry when she made the threat of revealing a name. Did he really think she would ever tell someone his academy name? "Oh, Spaceman, I'm sorry. You thought I was going to say that other name, didn't you?" She walked over to him, patting his arm as a gesture of reassurance. "Don't worry. I'm not telling anyone that name unless you wanted me to. That's your name to tell, and no one else's." Giving him a kind smile, Wanda walked back over to the snickering, snorting Rose, grabbing the girl's hand.

"Come on, girlie. Time to explore," Wanda said brightly, pulling the companion along.

The two girls strolled off, leaving him there, dumbfounded as ever. She had apologized for making him worried over what name she might give out? That was something. At least she cared enough to know that 'Theta Sigma' was a name to keep hidden. He glanced back to the TARDIS, still reeling over the feat Wanda had done. Did she really—nah. Could have been a trick of some kind. There was no logical way that _anyone_ could ever close the TARDIS doors in such a way.

The Doctor trailed behind the two girls while they continued to walk with linked arms. Giggling away merrily to the delightful Christmas Eve night. Children could be seen running around cheerfully. Caroling could be heard echoing all around the stone streets. Horse-drawn carriages rode on by them as they strolled brightly along. Snow covered the ground in a thin blanket with some still falling gently down from the skies above. It was after some time of walking through the streets, with the two girls enjoying the beautiful night and the Doctor beginning to grow bored, did they finally hear the screams coming from the Taliesin Lodge music hall.

"That's more like it," the Doctor said cheerfully, glad for a distraction from the mess of many Wandas. He ran around the two girls in excitement while they hurriedly followed after him. People came running and screaming out of the music hall with police whistles sounding off in the distance. The trio rushed inside to see a blue gas entity flying around the hall. The Doctor smiled brightly at the sight. "Fantastic."

" _Eccellente_ ," agreed Wanda, smiling brightly by what she had said. "Oh, _eccellente_. I like that. I think I might say that more often."

"No one cares," the Doctor said, not even bothering to look at her as he hurriedly walked off to investigate what was happening. Wanda stuck her tongue at him in response.

She watched as the Doctor jumped on stage with Charles Dickens himself, the man who had been entertaining the hall's guests with his story _A Christmas Carol._ Of course, once again, the Doctor was in one of his moods where he did not focus on anything or anyone else except for the ongoing adventure at hand. Completely forgetting about Wanda and Rose. He just left them right behind—no wait . . . Where is Rose? Wanda's eyes widened as she realized she had been too distracted watching the gas entity and the Doctor. Not paying attention to where her friend had run off to. Oh, no.

"Doctor!" she shouted, gaining the Time Lord's attention. "They've taken Rose!" She turned and ran off back outside, knowing by now both Gabriel Sneed (the undertaker) and his servant girl, Gwyneth, had kidnapped Rose. Sneed doing so as he believed Rose had seen too much after finding them both taking away Mrs. Peace's dead body. Those two were the ones who worked at the morgue where all of this had started in the first place.

Wanda rushed out of the hall, seeing the now distant carriage of Sneed's going down the street. The Doctor came up beside her, not looking as worried about the stolen companion as the Time Lady.

"Is she always a nuisance?" the Doctor remarked with irritation laced in his tone.

"Are you always an arse?" Wanda retorted, placing her hands on her hips while staring sternly at him. He only rolled his eyes in response.

"You're not escaping me, sir," Dickens said while storming out of the hall after the Doctor. The man fully believed that the Doctor had been the one behind the event within the Taliesin Lodge. "What do you know about that hobgoblin, hmm? Projection on glass, I suppose. Who put you up to it?"

"Yeah, mate. Not now, thanks," the Doctor dismissed to the man, walking off down the street, more or less focused on getting back Rose. He had a promise to keep, after all.

Wanda swiftly followed after him as they both climbed into a nearby carriage. The Doctor ordered the driver to follow after the hearse of Sneed's. Dickens angrily jumped into the carriage with them. The coach rocked as the driver made the horses hastily follow after Sneed and Gwyneth.

"You can't do this. This is my coach," Dickens barked at the two of them.

"We're just borrowing it," Wanda said.

"I don't care," Dickens disputed.

"Everything in order, Mr. Dickens?" the driver called down to them.

"No, it is not!" Dickens yelled angrily. The Doctor did a double take to the man beside him, finally taking in the appearance of his light brown crinkled hair and goatee. As well as the Victorian dress suit the man was wearing.

"What did he say?" the Doctor asked the man next to him. Wanda smiled brightly, indicating her hand as an introduction to Dickens.

"Doctor, meet _the_ Charles Dickens," she said happily. The Doctor beamed at the man next to him.

"Charles Dickens. You're brilliant, you are. Completely, hundred percent brilliant," he rambled away excitedly. "I've read them all: _Great Expectations_ , _Oliver Twist_ , and what's the other one, the one with the ghost?"

" _The Signal Man_ ," Wanda helped the Doctor in his thoughts.

" _The Signal Man_! That's it! Terrifying," the Doctor grinned away at Dickens. "The best short story ever written. You're a genius."

"And I just love _A Christmas Carol_ ," Wanda added in. "Though, mostly because I'm more of a sucker for Christmas. I mean, I love all your other books, too. But anything Christmas just wins my heart over. Especially in the way you told the story. Masterpiece, it was." Dickens looked rather pleased upon hearing both of their praise and admiration of his works. A gratified smile fell upon his face.

"You want me to get rid of them, sir?" the driver of the coach asked.

"Uh, no, I think they can stay," Dickens told his driver, continuing to smile, grateful to find people who seem so enthusiastic about meeting him.

"Honestly, Charles—can I call you Charles? I'm such a big fan," the Doctor spoke quickly, still delighted to be meeting such a famous historic figure.

"You're a what? A big what?" Dickens asked, looking greatly confused about the term the Doctor had used.

"He means great follower of your work," Wanda told the man. He nodded and made a small noise of understanding. The Doctor continued on rambling while the carriage rocked in the pursuit of Rose. All the while Wanda giggle quietly, smiling at the Doctor's excitement as Dickens seemed to become even more confused by the speedy words of the Time Lord. And the Doctor said that _she_ rambled on too much and too fast?

They arrived to Sneed's house in no time. Wanda jumped out of the carriage immediately, wanting to get to her friend before anything bad happened. Dickens and the Doctor followed in suite, all hurriedly going to the door of the house. Gwyneth was the one to answer upon Dickens' knock. The servant girl nodded her head politely as she shifted nervously on the spot.

"I'm sorry, sir, we're closed," she said to Dickens.

"Nonsense! Since when did an undertaker keep office hours? The dead don't die on schedule," Dickens responded with a huff of the servant girl's excuse to make them leave. "I demand to see your master!"

"He's not in, sir," Gwyneth replied quickly, looking even more nervous by the second.

"You're a terrible liar," Wanda spoke up, gaining the girl's attention. "Please, just let us inside. You've taken our friend and we'd like her back." Behind Gwyneth, they could see the one of the gas lamps on the wall flaring up. The Doctor raised a brow upon the sight of the strange flickering fire.

"Having trouble with your gas?" he asked Gwyneth. The girl turned to the lamp, gazing at it in slight alarm, appearing to become even more nervous by the moment. The Doctor moved around the servant girl, going over to the gas lamp. He pressed his ear to the wall, listening intently. "There's something inside the walls. The gas pipes . . . something's living inside the gas."

"Yes, there's something in the gas. We can worry about that later," Wanda said quickly, moving inside the house. "Right now, we need to save Rose."

"She's not even in trouble," the Doctor scoffed. Upon these words, they heard Rose's screams of terror echoing through the house. They all hurriedly took off to the girl's calls of fright. Sneed tried to stop them, outraged that they dare come into his house. But Wanda roughly pushed past him, running off to save her friend.

She did not even hesitate when she came up to the door which held Rose captive. As soon as she ran up to the door, she lifted a foot up and kicked the door in. It flew on it hinges and ripped off the siding, falling straight onto the ground in a thump. Rose could be seen struggling in the grasp of the dead Mr. Redpath and Mrs. Peace. Running up to Redpath, who held his cold hand over Rose's mouth, Wanda gave a punch straight into the dead man's face. He stumbled away, letting Rose go. Pulling the girl back over to the group, Wanda glared down at the two dead beings who stared wide eyed back at her. Not really out of alarm or anything. Their eyes were mostly wide because they just could not blink or anything.

"Do you always punch first and ask questions later?" the Doctor grumbled to the Time Lady.

"Sorry, lost my temper there," Wanda replied, feeling rather embarrassed on her loss of control. It was once again she saw that red in knowing her friend was in danger and close to being killed. Then, once she saw that red when seeing Redpath being the one trying to kill Rose, she sort of . . . lashed out without thinking again. She would have to work on that. It was so unlike her to have such a temper and loss of control. Though, then again, it might just be a trait of this new her.

The Doctor glanced at her while raising a brow, then a quick side look at the door on the floor. This . . . girl (yes just 'girl' because she was _not_ Wanda) was much stronger than she looked. At least, when she was angry. The sore face of his reminded him of this.

"It's a prank. Must be," Dickens said from behind them, unbelieving to the clear evidence of the dead walking and living before him. "We're under some mesmeric influence."

"No, we're not. The dead are walking," countered the Doctor, rolling his eyes somewhat. Humans, always denying the truth that was right in front of them. The Time Lord then stared sternly at the two dead beings in front of him, noticing the blue glow within their cloudy eyes. "My names' the Doctor. Who are you, then? What do you want?"

"We're failing—open the rift—we're dying," Redpath spoke, sounding as if many voices were speaking together with his own. "Trapped in this form. Cannot sustain. Help us." Then, together, both he and Mrs. Peace open their mouths, letting out a terrible scream of agony. The blue gas entities left them, going back into the gas lamps on the wall. The two dead people then collapsed to the floor with a loud thud.

The group remained silent as they all stared at the dead bodies with stunned expressions. Wanda rocked on her feet, feeling very uncomfortable with them all simply standing there with dead bodies on the floor. She decided to speak up to snap everyone out of their silent daze.

"Well . . . that's not something you see every day," she joked lightly, trying to break the tension of everyone's shock and fright. This only earned herself a sharp and strict glance from the Doctor. To which she responded with her sticking her tongue out once more.

XxXxXxXx

Sorry that it isn't too long this time. But trust me, as the third part progresses, the chapters are going to get even longer. Which I hope no one minds having such long chapters. :) I also hope that the most recent chapter was good. Was it? Or maybe bad? Okay? So-so? If you like to voice your opinion, give feedback, have any brilliant ideas, or just want to yell to the world, then leave a review. Ever bit of advice and/or comment helps in making certain the story remains enjoyable for everyone. For the story is made for you all. ;)

Reviewers:

 **Nanski33** : Yay! Glad you still are enjoying it. :) Hope you liked the new chapter! Until next time!

 **Twix13** : Yep! I thought it would be a nice surprise in there being two chapters. ;) I'm glad you enjoyed the surprise. Nah, thank you for being awesome and leaving such lovely reviews. :) Not just yet with Eleven, but that one will be coming up soon. Actually, we won't really be seeing Clara for a while. Not until past the sort of the bigger events that will be taking place in part three. Sorry about that. Hope you see you next time as well! Take care! :)

 **RequestForAngels** : lol I'm guessing that means you enjoyed the last chapter? ;) Hope you liked the new one as well. :)

 **Ronin Kenshin** : Glad you liked it. :) Hope you enjoyed the new chapter. Especially maybe a certain part that we were all waiting for. ;) Hope to see you again soon! Take care! :D

 **Shinonome Sakuya** : Thank you! Same to you! :D Nah, I'm always going to continue this story. It's just a slower process than the last two because of part three not actually being complete. I had already complete parts one and two before I began posting them up onto the site. Part three, however, is still a work in progress. Yeah, I kind of feel sorry for her, too. Mostly because of how pressured she must have felt in 'staying beautiful' and all that. Kind of takes a jab on how our own society acts sometimes, I think. Very true. The Doctor does tend to lose himself at certain moments. Then again, it also made Wanda really think in just how far she has come, too. Glad you enjoyed them. :) Hope you liked the new adventure as well. Take care, and see you later! ;)

 **Guest(a)** : Well, wait no longer, for here is that moment. Hope you enjoyed it. ;)

 **ScarlettAngelica** : Woot! Glad you enjoyed it so much. :) Sorry that it's been so late on a update. I'll try my best to work on getting the next one out sooner, but I can't guarantee when exactly that will be. Sorry. :( But I hope that the new chapter made up for the wait. :) Until next time!

 **Otakuchamasherlockluvr** : Hello! So glad you enjoy Third Wanda. :) I think peppy is a good word, yes. Of course I remember you! I remember every reader who leaves lovely reviews. :) Sorry that you couldn't log in. I hope the issue was fixed for you later. Thanks for the heads up on the misspells. :) I made certain to fix them right away. Hope that there wasn't as many in this new chapter. But if there are, don't hesitate to tell me. I always greatly appreciate when others let me know, so that way I can make certain that the story is perfect for everyone. :) Have a great day/night as well! Until next time! :D

 **grapejuice101** : Yay! I'm so glad you loved it. :) Hope you liked the adventure Wanda is going through. I'll try my best to update in two weeks. Hopefully. Until next time! Take care!

 **SimplyAngie9315** : I'm so happy you liked it! Both of the chapters, that is. :) I'm so glad that you enjoyed the scenes with Cassandra. I thought they would be a nice moment there. :) Hope you enjoyed the new chapter! Take care and have a fantastic day! :D

 **Justus80** : I can't remember if you told me in the past or not. Sorry that I can't recall that if you did. But yes, I think Wanda would make references if she really thought about it. Then again, I think she's just so excited about living in the moment with everyone that it kinda leaves her about making jokes like that. lol ;) I hope that you enjoyed the new chapter, and that you had a great Christmas as well. :) Though, now I also hope that whatever other holiday is coming up for you will be just as awesome. :) Take care!

 **mysteryasgardian** : Woot! Glad you liked it! :D Yep, we'll be seeing him soon. Very soon. ;) I hope that you will like that moment when it comes, and that you enjoyed this chapter, too. :) Take care! Hope to see you again soon!

 **Unstoppably-demonic** : Yay! I'm so excited and happy that you're enjoying the new adventures and new Wanda so far! :D Hope you enjoyed Nine's reaction to her. ;) And maybe, possibly, her retaliation back at him. ;) Hope to see you again next time! Take care!

 **Pond2** : No, thank you! You're just awesome! I really am the one who is honoured that you would take the time to make something for the trilogy. Thank you. *bows in respect* I'm glad you liked both chapters. :) I hope that you liked the new one just as much. ;) I agree. Very satisfying. I always get this silly smile on my face when she's says it. lol ;) Really, though, it is something beyond special for them. I'd like to think, as my own head cannon, for Time Lord's names are something very intimate. That's why the Doctor reacted in such a way when River Song said his name into his ear that one time. Just my theory. What do you think about it? :) And, really, that's how Wanda and the Doctor are about speical names as well. I just can't stop them from being that way. ;) Take care and see you soon! Oh! And the chapter you're wondering about is in the second part of the trilogy, chapter 45. Enjoy. ;)

 **Crystal-star-Tyler** : Glad you liked it. And the fun moments as well. ;) Hope you enjoyed the new adventure. Take care! Until next time! :)

 **alwaystherereading** : Thank you for the lovely review. :) Glad you enjoyed the moment with Wanda and Cassandra. I think perhaps the fear of heights might not ever go away completely. Dying from a high place might have ruined heights for Wanda forever. So glad that you're liking Third Wanda! :D Hope to see you again soon!

 **Audrie-13** : Me and cliffhangers. I just can't help but write them. lol ;) Yay! Glad you had a good Christmas. :) Oh, I hope that it wasn't a bad cry. :( But I'm so happy that you enjoyed it. :) Hope that everything else has been going well for you. And to see you again soon! Have a wonderful day! :)

 **KoNeKoLuvsU** : Yep, two in a row. Hope you enjoyed both. ;) Eleven will be appearing soon. Not too long away now. Though it will be a little while before we get to see Third Wanda and Eleven together with young Amy. Jack will be around more often than he has been, though. :) Hope that you're having a wonderful day! Until next time!

 **Takara Matsudaira** : Woot! So happy that it made your day. :) Oh, I hate that. Snow days should be for everyone. Not just kids in school, but for work, too. At least the chapters made up for that. I hope. :) Hope this one was good as well. Take care, and see you again next time!

 **Lady Artimes Blaine** : Glad you liked the last chapters. :) Man, are you psychic or what. lol ;) Yep, here we are for the Unquiet Dead. Hope you enjoyed the new adventure as well. I'll keep my fingers crossed. ;) Until next time!

 **Corina27** : Yay! I'm so glad that you liked them. :) I'm so happy, too, that you're enjoying Third Wanda. She is definitely fun to write with earlier Doctors. Though, as a sneak peek, I truly enjoy writing her more with Eleven. ;) Hope you liked the new chapter! Until next time! Take care! And no worries about forgetting your user name. I got you. ;)

 **Guest(c)** : Whelp, here's the new update. ;) Hope you enjoyed! Take care!

 **bored411** : Glad you enjoyed the sweet moment. ;) I think there's been a few others who've done it. I'm just not certain who. And I know that they probably did much at it then I did. ;) Oh, silly Doctor. He's just so confused by this point. lol ;) Hope to see you again in the future! :D

 **shiboahyello** : lol I'm happy that you liked it. ;) Oh, yes, the Doctor is most certainly a ham at times. That ego of his. lol Yes, some villains can change for the better and be given second chances. Other's, however, . . . cannot be changed or forgiven. Hope you enjoyed the new chapter! Until next time! :)

 **caughtindeception2** : Yay! So happy you like! :D Yes, I know the struggle of fanfictions never finishing. I promise not to let this happy to the trilogy. Though it might not be fast on getting the whole thing out there, I will continue on! I just hope that you're not too upset about the late updates. :( Aww, thank you. That means so much to me. :) You're amazing and brilliant! Don't ever forget that. :) Hope you have been having a wonderful new year so far. Take care! :D

 **Isanxd** : Thank you for leaving such lovely reviews. :) We will be finding out soon enough. Though it might take a while. Sorry about the wait for that. Nice theory. I won't give away any spoilers here, but I will say great theory. Just gotta wait until the every end to find out. ;) Hope to see you again soon! Have a wonderful day! :)

 **CJ/OddBall** : Yep! You'd be right. In love, but really clueless. That's young Ten for you. ;) You'd be very right. Everything is reversed when it comes to Wanda and the Doctor's relationship. I guess you could call it reverse psychology. lol ;) Hope you enjoyed the new adventure with Nine. Especially for a certain moment within. ;) Not to worry, we will be seeing Eleven very soon. And no holding back. Promise. ;) Thanks for letting me know about the songs! I love them. :D Oh! Beyond Two Souls! I love that game! I have the soundtrack of it, too. ;) Jodie's Suite is one of my favourite themes, but for that ost, I think it's better suited for anther, more special character that I have in mind, who will be showing up later in a Doctor Who extra I have been planning. Spoilers for now on that. ;) Haven't seen the Christmas special just yet, but I will . . . someday.  
As for Wanda's theme, you should check out this game called Bioshock Infinite. It's really amazing, and much of what Wanda's abilities are is something I based off a character within this game. Her in is Elizabeth and she is something very similar to Wanda. I usually don't like making character's similar to others, but I just love Elizabeth so much that I could not help creating a character like her in the Doctor's universe. Look up on YouTube: Bioshock Infinite, Elizabeth's theme, and that would be a theme sound I think best suited for Wanda. ;) It fits perfectly, especially with the violin piece. Even better, check out this violinist who I love called Taylor Davis on YouTube. Many of her pieces are something I think Wanda would play. Reviews are supposed to be uploaded right away, though there can be some delays. However, I do know that there has been some issues with the site's review system. I did receive your reviews, thankfully. :) And when seeing your worries, I made certain to immediately contact FanFiction's support for you. I always try to help any readers or writers in getting these kinds of issues solved. If you have any more problems, just let me know and I'll try my best to help. :) Sorry that this is a little late in the issue, but I hope it helped in some way. Also, thanks for checking up on me. I'm doing just fine. ;) Hope you're doing good, too. I haven't done that episode in this trilogy, but Wanda does go to it in her Third self. It just won't be something covered as it's more of a background adventure that happened for her and the others. Just let your imagination soar on what you think happened there. ;) Hope to see you again in the future! Until next time!

 **unknown** : Yay! lol I'm glad you're excited and liked them. :) I'll try making it a surprise every so often of double chapters. Maybe even . . . triple chapters. ;)

 **Jennaakaqueen** : Yay! I'm so glad that you enjoy the trilogy. :D I hope that you'll continue to find enjoyment throughout the rest to come. And hope to see you again in the future! Take care, and have a lovely day! :)

 **SilverMarkings** : Glad you enjoyed it. :) Whelp, onto Nine! Hope you enjoyed. :) Yep, Wanda will be there for Nine and Ten before they regenerate. Though it will be a while before we get to that moment. Sorry for the wait there. But I hope that you'll like it once the moment arrives. :) Until next time! Take care!

 **KeeperMusicNight** : Hello! Nah, you're completely fine! As I tell others, it doesn't matter to me how many reviews I get. Just review whenever you like. Don't worry about it at all. ;) I just love seeing from you and being able to chat, and in knowing that the story brings you such joy. :D You could say the story will get more interesting with Wanda/Alpha mixing. Wanda likes most things. It's just everything tastes odd to her now than what she has been used to. Wanda dealing with a younger Doctor, having to go in reverse for their relationship, is rather enjoyable to write and read. I hope you'll continue to like the reverse roles. You know, I think Wanda would speak old cockney just for laughs, too. lol ;) I thought it might be interesting in seeing how it would be for someone taking over another's body. Oh, I don't really think what I've written is all that good. I'm certain there are others out there much better than mine. The story has only gotten this far because of the wonderful, amazing support from you and other readers who have helped me push through so much. :) I'm just proud to have brought so much joy to others. Enjoyment which I hope continues for all. :) Hope you're having a brilliant new years as well! Take care, and hope to see you again soon! :D

 **TPWABW** : Woot! Glad you enjoy! :D Hope that the story still stays good and that I can continue bringing joy to all! Until next time! Take care! :) And have a fantastic day!

 **Gold Silveric** : Yay! Happy that you're enjoying it so far. I really hope that you'll continue to enjoy throughout the rest to come. :) Sorry, no older doctors here. Not unless you count the War Doctor as an older Doctor, as I do plan on doing the 50th special. :) Hope to see you again next time! Take care! :D

 **RagingPansies** : So glad that you enjoyed it. :) And the moments between Cassandra and Wanda, too. :) Until next time!

 **Isanxd** : From what I think, it would feel like an elephant sitting on you. Kind of like how the Doctor said it was compressing the person within and such. Aww, thank you so much. I know I'm certainly not the best, but I do hope to become someone better in the future at writing. :) And you are a great, wonderful person! Thank you for all your support! Have a brilliant day! Take care! :)

 **Aliceofgallifrey** : Sorry that it's been so long in updates. I hope that the new chapter makes up for that. Thank you so much! I'm just so happy that you're enjoying the story so far. I hope that it stays good throughout the rest to come. :) Take care and see you in the future!

 **Guest(d)** : Whelp, here's more! Sorry for the wait. I really hope that you'll enjoy it. :) I know I get excited whenever I get to see all readers enjoy the story. ;) Take care! And have a lovely day. :)

 **JB** : More coming right up! ;) Hope you enjoyed. :)

 **wittendorffmaja** : Hey! You're all good! I'm just happy seeing from you again. :) Sorry to hear that your class isn't doing so good. :( I totally understand on things being busy. Glad your Christmas was good and that I got the spelling mostly right for the holiday greeting. Hope your new year has been going good as well. :) So glad that you enjoyed the newest chapters. I always keep my fingers crossed whenever a new update is out that it's good. Thanks for being so patient with me. I know how hard it is to wait so long for new chapters in stories. I'll keep trying to get the updates out sooner, promise. Until the next time! And may the Force be with you! :D

 **Alexa-chan** : Not really Alpha being the one to effect that. It's more of Wanda's mind simply has up too much protection for anyone to be able to take over mentally. Physically, yes. But never her mind. And yes, the compression did pretty much push Wanda into the back of her mind as Cassandra had the front control. Basically, Wanda was the passenger while Cassandra drove the vehicle. Hope that helps in explaining things. :) And I also hope that you enjoyed the new chapter. Take care! Until next time! :)

 **Nuffsa1d** : I'm just so happy that you're enjoying it. I hope that I can continue writing enjoyable content throughout the rest. I know I'm not the best at times, but with you and other's help and wonderful support, I'm certain I can make things perfect. :) Though I'm certain there are many other stories out there way better than this one. There are far better writers than little old me, and who are much more brilliant. :) I think Third Wanda is everyone's favorite so far. Mine included. lol ;) Hope you enjoyed the new chapter and to see you again next time. :D

 **SNicole25** : Just wanted to let you know thank you for leaving lovely reviews on the other parts of the trilogy. :) I'm just so excited and happy that you're enjoying it all. Only four chapters, well, now five, for this part so far as sadly I have not gotten much time to work on it as much as I had in the last parts. But I'm working on changing that soon. :) Hope to see you again in the future, and that you enjoyed the newest chapter. :) Take care!

 **Guest(e)** : Oh, yes. Very bubbly. ;) Glad you like! Until next time!

 **Musicsparks87** : Oh, no problem in not leaving reviews. I'm just happy to bring you joy. :) But I am very glad to hear that you're liking it so far! I really hope that the story continues to be good. :) I know that there are much better stories out there than this one, but I'm just so glad that you like it. :) Hope you enjoyed the new chapter and to see you again in the future. Take care and have a wonderful day! :D

 **Emmabear37** : Next chapter, starting . . . now. ;) Hope you enjoyed! :D

 **Guest(f)** : Sorry for no update sooner than this. Hospital visits on top of other things just made it possible for me to work on the story much. Hope you enjoyed the new chapter. :)

 **Guest(g)** : So sorry for the late update. I really hope that the new chapter made up for that. :)

 **LindaTheNerd** : Nope, no bad at all. lol ;) Though I do hope that it was just as enjoyable reading it again as it was the first time. I also hope that you'll continue to enjoy the rest to come. :) No, I can't say that I have heard about Halsey or Melanie Martinez. Are they famous?

 **Insert Clever Dr Who Name** : Yay! So happy that you like it! :D Oh, I know I was laughing, too. She's just so enjoyable. lol ;) Oh yes, definitely needed it thrown in her face. For both of them, I think. Sorry I haven't wrote much so far. Just a slow going process at the moment. But don't worry, I'll always continue this. :) Aww, thank you. I think you're even more fantastic! Hope to see you again in the future! Take care! :)

 **Everleigh Tait** : Yep, I'm back! Don't plan on going away any time soon. Just a little slow in the updates is all. I know I missed you all, too. ;) Hope to continue seeing you in the future! Take care and have a wonderful day! :)

 **NeoMulder** : Woot! Glad you love it. :) I'm also glad that I was able to get Wanda's different personalities just right. I'm always worried that I don't always do so good at that. I know I'm not the best writer out there, but I do hope to do my best. :) Hmm, not really certain if I'm doing anything special on getting all the other character's personalities. I know that I write each chapter while watching the show to get their mannerisms correctly while writing. And I also read the scripts of the show to see the written form of how they talk and such. The only tip I can think of is research. Lots and lots of research and to make certain to watch the show while writing. I hope this helps. :) Nah, I don't think I'm good enough to make a novel. But I'm happy that you are enjoying the story so much. Take care and hope to see you again! :)

 **Guest(h)** : Don't worry, I'm definitely not leaving. Ever. :) I'll always return to all you lovely readers.

 **Guest(i)** : Yay! Glad that you enjoyed the trilogy so far. Hope that the enjoyment continues. :)

 **Guest(j)** : Sorry for such a late update. All is indeed well. Also, sorry, but I only make author's notes at the very end of the parts, simply to let people know of when the newest parts of the story is out. Too many author's notes would just crowd the story up. But anyone who contact me by PM I am always happy to response to. :) I hope things are going well for you!

 **BeCent** : Yep, everything's fine. Just a little overwhelming in life and such. A few hospital trips. Nothing too serious at the moment. I'll keep you guys updated if anything else with my health develops. I hope things are doing great for you. :) So glad to see from you again and that you're still enjoying the trilogy. Spoilers on anything to come for the future. Not even a sneak peek, sorry. Don't worry, we will be finding out more about her mind, though. ;) Until next time!

 **ash** : Yep, everything is all sorted and in the clear. When it comes to their relationship, at least. So glad you're still enjoying it. :D Hope you'll continue to like throughout the rest. Take care!

 **Guest(k)** : Whelp, wait no more. I hope you enjoyed. ;)

 **Guest(l)** : Woot! Glad you enjoyed! :) Yep, I'm okay. Just a bit overwhelmed by things. I hope that you're all right. And that all your days are lovely. :) Hope the new year has been treating you well, and to see you again for the future. :)

 **Guest(m)** : I'm so happy to hear that you like the trilogy so much. :) Don't worry, I'll never, ever stop writing. I'll never abandon you guys. ;) Nah, you're amazing. ;)

 **Fireball221B** : Hello again! Nah, I never forget any reader! Of course I remember you! It's been too long. I hope things have been going well for you. :) So glad to have given you a nice surprise last time. Yep, I'm okay. Just a bit overwhelmed and a little sick here and there. Stay fantastic yourself. ;) Until next time!

Hope everyone has been having the most wonderful of days! Thank you all you brilliant readers! :D Until next time! Bow ties for all!

~Tinker~


	6. Ch 6: Gwyneth's Insight

Hi, everyone.

I hope things have been going well for all.

 **Special notice:** I know it's been a while since the last update. Some of you must be wondering where I've been for over a month now. Well, I'm afraid I have some bad news. I don't know if any remember the news from last time, about me being very sick lately. I have been going in and out of the hospital, and about three weeks ago I received results on why I have been sick. I've debated for a while now on whether I should tell anyone about this, since I'm afraid it might cause some of you to be upset, and I also don't really want to worry anyone. If you do become upset by this news, I just want to say I'm sorry. I wish no ill intent onto anyone. So a warning now if anyone gets easily upset by bad news of this subject matter.

But, well, bottom line of what I'm trying to say is, recently I have been diagnosed with cancer. Known as Hodgkin disease. Cancer in my white blood cells, basically, from the way it's been explained to me. Now I know that sounds bad, but it is very treatable. And it was caught early, so the doctors say I have to good chance. :) So, please, don't worry. I've already started treatments and am on the way to fighting this. I just wanted to explain this to you guys so that way its understood on why I can't always update the story as regularly. With the treatments I go through, it effects everyone differently. For me, it makes me extremely tired, and makes my muscles not function as well. So it's a little slow going in writing now. Sorry about that. I wish things could be different, but it looks like for a while now the story might slow down quite a bit.

Sorry, I hope everyone is all right with this news. :( I just wanted to touch base with you all and keep you up to date in what was going on. Especially if things with my disease turn bad. I've already have plans in the works in case something comes up. If I can no longer write for whatever reason, then I have my friend willing to post up the chapters for me. The chapters won't be edited so please don't mind the grammar mistakes, and she doesn't want to reply to reviews, either, since she feels that isn't right of her to do so. So I hope that is okay with all of you. If it isn't, just let me know and I'll try to work something out for you all. For I always want to make certain that everyone is happy in the end. :)

So again for the bad news. I just really hope that everyone will find their days amazing and that the chapters ahead will bring cheer. :) Take care everyone!

XxXxXxXx

Chapter 6: Gwyneth's Insight

"First of all, you drug me, then you kidnap me—and don't think I didn't feel your hands having a quick wander, you dirty old man!" barked Rose angrily at Sneed as she waved a cane at him.

They had moved into the living room of the house where a nice cozy fire spread a relaxing blanket of warmth around them. Sneed currently sat on an armchair, looking very disgruntled by Rose's angry rant at him. Gwyneth glanced at the raving girl every second or so as she prepared some tea for everyone. Dickens sat at the small dining table; drink his own cup of tea. The Doctor and Wanda stood by the fireplace, watching the scene of Rose's scolding in amusement. Wanda keep snickering, feeling greatly proud of her friend telling the old man off. She glanced at the Doctor, surprised to see him hold a similar grin. Though, she wondered if it was more because he simply enjoyed seeing someone be yelled at. Most likely from the way he was not really looking at Rose, but more of the peeved expression of Sneed's face.

"I won't be spoken to like this!" retorted Sneed crossly at Rose.

"Then you stuck me in a room full of zombies," Rose continued on, glowering to the old man. "And if that ain't enough, you swan off and leave me to die! So come on, talk!"

"It's not my fault! It's this house!" Sneed yelled. This seemed to be more of a slip on his part for he appeared to regret saying this, giving a small wince upon exclaiming his words. He glanced around everyone nervously as they all stared at him. "It always had a reputation. Haunted. But I never had much bother until about three months back, and then the stiffs," Wanda shot him a disproving gaze upon this term, making Sneed clear his throat, " . . . the, um, the dear departed . . . started getting restless."

"Tommyrot," muttered Dickens, taking a sip of his tea. Both the Doctor and Wanda rolled their eyes to this. Each Time Lord finding the famous man's clear denial to be irritating, especially after what they had all witnessed tonight.

"You witnessed it!" argued Sneed. "Can't keep the beggars down, sir. They walk. And it's the queerest thing, but they hang on to scraps." Sneed continued on explaining how each walking dead tended to act upon the last wishes or plans as when they had been alive. Gwyneth came around, handing both the Doctor and Wanda their cups of tea.

"Two sugars for you, sir, and a pinch of honey for you, ma'am," Gwyneth told them politely. "Just how you like it." The Doctor gave the servant girl a curious stare while Wanda smiled gratefully.

"Thank you, Gwyneth," she said, giving a very small wink to the girl. Gwyneth nodded and walked off to continue her duties. Wanda sipped on her tea, glad to find it tasted almost like her mother's.

"Morbid fancy," Dickens spoke up, gaining back Wanda's attention. Still, the man was denying all the words of Sneed.

"Oh, Charles, you were there," the Doctor bit out in an irritated tone.

"You can't ignore what's right in front of your face," Wanda added in.

"I saw nothing but an illusion," argued Dickens.

"If you're going to deny it, don't waste my time, just shut up," the Doctor retorted. Famous writer or not, he was not going to put up with a stupid human who refused to see the truth. He turned his attention onto Sneed, ignoring Dickens completely now. "What about the gas?"

"That's new, sir, never seen anything like that," Sneed answered.

"Means it's getting stronger, the rift's getting wider and something's sneaking through," the Doctor stated, more or less speaking his thoughts aloud.

"Something not good," Wanda mumbled quietly, taking another sip of her tea. She dearly wished she could stop this, to say something to make things change from what was to come later. She wanted to tell the Doctor what was truly going on (if he would even believe her) and have him make it so Gwyneth would not die at all. But . . . she had already looked into the possibilities while they had been travelling in Dickens' coach. The only way to stop the Gelth was . . . Gwyneth's sacrifice. Hearts sinking sadly, Wanda could only stare at the ground distantly as guilt swept through her. Remaining emotions from Second Wanda plaguing her.

"What's the rift?" asked Rose.

"A weak point in time and space," explained the Doctor. "A connection between this place and another. That's the cause of ghost stories, most of the time."

"That's how I got the house so cheap," said Sneed. "Stories going back generations, echoes in the dark, queers song in the air, and this feeling like a . . . shadow. Passing over your soul. Mind you, truth be told, it's been good for business. Just what people expect from a gloomy old trade like mine."

The door of the living room opened and close, indicating that Dickens had taken his leave in a huff, still finding the entire situation unbelievable. Glancing at the Doctor, Wanda nodded her head in the direction of the writer. The Doctor seemed confused, not sure what she was trying to point out. Frowning, she nodded her head to the door again. Still he simply lifted a brow as if wondering that she was merely having a muscles twitch. Wanda let out a light huff. She never had this problem with later Doctors. They always seemed to know what she was thinking or what she meant with her light nods or shakes.

 _Go after him, idiot. He needs to talk to someone. Preferably you._ Wanda finally decided to speak into his mind. _Also, you should really apologize for telling him to shut up._

The Doctor frowned and rolled his shoulders. As if shaking off her presence within his mind. Apparently, he did not like anyone else besides her Second self to be the one speaking to him this way. But, nonetheless, he went after Dickens anyway. This made Wanda smile, glad that, even though he hated this incarnation of her, he at least listened to her.

Spotting Rose leaving the room, Wanda decided to follow along. Walking around the nice, old house, she finally found both Rose and Gwyneth inside a pantry. Gwyneth was busy working on cleaning up while Rose seemed to be trying to help.

"Please, miss, you shouldn't be helping, it's not right," Gwyneth said to Rose, taking away the washrags from her.

"Don't be daft," responded Rose, taking the rag back.

"We'd love to help you," Wanda spoke up, walking over to begin washing the tea cups. But Gwyneth remained firm, taking the rags from both girls. She looked rather embarrassed for someone actually wanting to help her. Most likely not used to people being so generous to her. Both Rose and Wanda smiled kindly at her, understanding of the girl's timid behavior.

"How much do you get paid?" Rose questioned.

"Eight pound a year, miss," Gwyneth answered. Rose stared at the girl for a second, wondering if she had heard that right.

"How much?" she asked, wanting to make sure she had indeed heard correctly.

"I know, I would've been happy with six," Gwyneth replied, turning to clean up the mess around the pantry.

"I think you deserve a raise for everything Sneed's put you through," Wanda said to the girl.

"Oh, it's not all that bad, miss," Gwyneth stated, shifting around some pantry supplies.

"So, did you even go to school, or what?" Rose asked the girl, thinking that maybe she was so happy with little money because of lack of education.

"Of course I did," Gwyneth told her, turning around to face them. "What do you think I am, an urchin? I went every Sunday, nice and proper."

Rose raised a brow. "What, once a week?"

Gwyneth nodded. "We did sums and everything. To be honest, I hated every second."

Rose laughed lightly. "Me, too."

Wanda snorted. "You two are crazy. I loved it whenever my tutor came over. Favourite subject had to be History." The other two both snorted to this, shaking their heads in disbelief to someone actually enjoying school.

"Don't tell anyone, but one week, I didn't go, and I ran down the heath, all on my own," Gwyneth said to them, looking excited to sharing such a secret with them. They all started to laugh then.

"I did plenty of that," Rose remarked. "I used to go 'round the shops with my mate Shareen. And we used to go and look at boys." She chuckled at this, loving the fond memories she and her friend had.

Gwyneth blushed some, bashful by this statement. "Well, I don't know much about that, miss." Wanda could not help but smile. Gwyneth reminded her of Young Wanda. Very timid and shy to such subjects of emotional responses to males and such. Though, now that Wanda herself was much older and more . . . open minded to such subjects, thanks to Amy and Rory and a few other companions, she really thought more on the Doctor. Noting many . . . features she had never much taken notice to before. At that thought, Wanda smirked cheekily.

"Oh, come on, time haven't changed that much," Rose responded, shaking her head at the bashful girl. "I bet you've done the same."

"I don't think so, miss," Gwyneth replied, looking nervous to discuss such subjects.

"There has to be some man in your life you've fancied," Wanda spoke up, giving the girl a small, sly smile. "Maybe a nice gentleman? One that tends to give you nice smiles or polite words? Hmm?" The servant girl twisted her white apron some, glancing to the ground before answering them with a small smile.

"I suppose. There is one lad," she told them. "The butcher's boy. He comes by every Tuesday. Such a lovely smile on him." The girl grew a fond smile as she thought of her crush. Both Rose and Wanda smiled and giggled lightly.

"Oh, I like a nice smile," Rose commented.

"Me, too," Wanda agreed, thinking over the many smiles of the Doctor. Nine with his sassy grin, Ten with his own foxy one, and Eleven's stunning and boyish one. All that seemed to light up the world around them.

"Good smile, nice bum," Rose added. Both of them snorted and laughed while Gwyneth stared at them in shock at their humour.

"Well, I have never heard the like," Gwyneth stated, shaking her head at the two blonde girls. She giggled along for a second, seeming to think their words and behavior more silly than anything. "I swear, it is the strangest thing. You've got all the clothes and the breeding, but you two talk like some sort of wild things."

"Maybe we are," Wanda said, winking at Rose. The girl giggled, nodding in agreement.

"You need a bit more in your life than Mr. Sneed," Rose said to Gwyneth.

"Oh, now, that's not fair," replied Gwyneth, her eyes growing sad in thought. "He's not so bad, old Sneed. He was very kind to me to take me in, because I lost my mum and dad to the flu when I was 12."

Rose looked taken back by this news, giving Gwyneth a sympatric gaze. "Oh, I'm sorry." Wanda nodded, sending the girl the same expression. Gwyneth smiled at the two of them, glad for their kindness.

"But I'll be with them again, one day. Sitting with them in paradise. I shall be so blessed," she said, smiling warmly at this thought. "They're waiting for me." She indicated her head to Rose. "Maybe your dad's up there waiting for you, too, miss." Then, nodded lightly to Wanda. "And your Shelly and Tina, as well."

Wanda stiffened, her eyes widening slightly. No, they were not . . . Were they? It had been many years and . . . Tina was at least ten years older than her. Shelly around the same age. Most likely . . . they were gone by now. Wanda stared sadly at the ground, knowing that the most conclusive thought was they were indeed far gone by this point. In her universe, only their children and grandchildren lived for them both now.

"Um, who told you he was dead?" Rose asked, staring at Gwyneth with some suspicion in her eye for the girl's insight. The servant girl tensed, hurriedly turning around to start washing the tea cups.

"I don't know. Must've been the Doctor," she said, trying to dismiss her comment. Wanda stared at Gwyneth, watching how anxious the girl was becoming.

"Your powers are getting stronger, aren't they, Gwyneth?" Wanda asked carefully.

"So are yours," Gwyneth responded. Both girl and Time Lady stiffened upon this slip of words. The girl looked at Wanda with wide eyes, seeming alarmed by what she had said to the Time Lady. "Sorry . . . sorry, miss, I . . . I just think too much."

"What do you mean?" Wanda breathed, feeling herself tensing.

Gwyneth's eyes became glazed over as she stared at the Time Lady, intently gazing at the blonde. "The powers within . . . they are growing."

Rose glanced between the two of them, gazing at Gwyneth in question. "Gwyneth, what are you talking about?"

The servant girl gazed at Rose now, her eyes staring as if seeing something frightening. Something to which she had the gift to gaze upon. "You've both come from such a long way." Her eyes shifted, more focused on Rose. "You're from London. I've seen London in drawings, but never like that. All those people rushing about, half naked, for shame. And the noise. And the metal boxes racing past. And the birds in the sky—no. No, they're metal as well. Metal birds with people in them. People are flying." Gwyneth's lip began to tremble. The more she saw, the more frightened she became. "And you—you've flown so far, further than anyone. The things you've seen. The darkness. The big bad wolf . . ."

Wanda reached forward as she saw Gwyneth shaking. She wanted to comfort the girl, perhaps pull her out of the visions that were being seen. Wanda knew how . . . terrible visions could be. But the moment she touched Gwyneth's shoulder, the girl turned sharply to stare at the Time Lady with wide eyes.

"The alpha wolf. She will escape. She will break free from her bindings. The weapon will be activated," Gwyneth breathed out in a shaking voice. She backed away from Wanda, staring at the Time Lady in pure horror as she bumped into the pantry shelves behind her. Gwyneth's eyes came back into focus as she stared shakily at them. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

"It's—it's all right, Gwyneth," Wanda spoke quietly, feeling herself shaking as well. 'The alpha wolf'? What did the girl mean by that?

"I can't help it, ever since I was a little girl, my mum said I had the sight," Gwyneth explained in a shaky voice. "She told me to hide it."

"But it's getting stronger, more powerful, is that right?" came the voice of the Doctor. They all jumped upon hearing his voice, turning their gazes sharply to see him standing in the doorway of the pantry. He stared curiously at Gwyneth, seeing to be studying the girl and what he had heard. The servant girl adverted her eyes from the man, nervous by telling strangers such secrets of herself. As well as afraid of her growing abilities.

"All the time, sir," she told him. "Every night . . . voices in my head." The Doctor nodded, already understanding how the girl became like this.

"You grew up on top of the rift," he noted. "You're part of it. You're the key."

After Gwyneth confining to him about the powers that have plagued her whole life, the Doctor decided they should have a séance. A way to draw out the gas ghosts using Gwyneth and her powers. The perfect way to solve the issue of the walking dead. So, the Doctor gathered every one of the house, making them sit around a table, holding hands. Dickens kept scoffing and huffing about the situation. Still in denial, as always. Gwyneth led the ritual, calling out to the 'spirits' of the house. They heard crying whispers echo around the house, growing closer to them.

"Can you hear that?" Rose whispered to Wanda. The Time Lady simply nodded her head in response, anxiously staring at Gwyneth. It was growing closer, the time of the girl's death. Wanda could see it, flashing rapidly before her mind. Just as all deaths did. Something that would always repeat in her mind over and over again, both during and after the adventure. A repeating cycle of death.

Gwyneth stared up to the ceiling, seeing the Gelth appearing above their heads. Everyone else looked up upon the girl's gasp of the sight. The blue gas entities started to gather around them. All entities whispering in quiet tones. The entities were trying to speak with them, but all their whispers came out gurgled and muffled. None of their words making it through the air as the gas creatures of the other side could not force their voices from the rift. With the Doctor's instructions, Gwyneth was able to make the link, bringing the entities more clearly into the world from the rift. Three entities appeared behind the servant girl, materializing in more clearly as human figures than the rest of the gas creatures. The group around the table all stared in awe, Dickens even more so, as the creatures created a bright blue glow in the room.

"Pity us," the large entity spoke, its words echoing around them as its child-like voice mixed with Gwyneth's. "Pity the Gelth. There is so little time. Help us."

"What do you want us to do?" the Doctor asked, gazing calmly at the sight behind Gwyneth.

"The rift. Take the girl to the rift," instructed the entity. "Make the bridge." The Doctor's eyes shifted to that of suspicion. He was not one to leap right into helping others without at least knowing their true natures first.

"What for?" he questioned them, his voice following the same suspicion on his expression.

"We are so very few," spoke the entity, sounding sorrowful. "The last of our kind, we face extinction."

The Doctor immediately felt a stab of pity as he straightened in his seat. The last of their kind . . . just as he was. "Why, what happened?"

"Once, we had a physical form like you. But then the war came."

"War? What war?" questioned Dickens, seeming greatly dumbfounded by the scene playing out before him.

"The Time War," answered the Gelth. Upon these words, the Doctor tensed greatly. So, they were more than just the last of their kind. Like him, they were survivors of the war. With this said, a wave of empathy was felt for the creatures by him. He stared down to the table with a distant gaze as the Gelth continued to speak. "The whole universe convulsed. The Time War raged, invisible to smaller species but devastating to higher forms. Our bodies wasted away. We're trapped in this gaseous state."

"So that's why you need the corpses," the Doctor concluded.

"We want to stand tall, to feel the sunlight, to live again," said the Gelth. "We need a physical form, and your dead are abandoned. They're going to waste. Give them to us."

"But we can't," Rose told the beings, looking horrified by the gas creatures taking the once alive people's bodies for their own.

"Why not?" the Doctor countered, frowning at the girl.

"It's not . . . I mean, it's not . . .," Rose tried to make the Doctor understand her disgust to the idea.

"Not decent? Not polite? It could save their lives," the Doctor retorted with a bite in his voice.

Rose shook her head, giving him a hard stare. Looking at Wanda, she squeezed the Time Lady's hand to get her to agree. "What about you? You can't agree to this, either."

Wanda stared at the table, pondering deeply. In truth, she was just a horrified by the idea as Rose was. But . . . even if Wanda knew that it was not going to happen anyway, she would agree with the Doctor on this. Yes, it was not decent or polite to those who had once been alive, but if it meant saving other lives then Wanda could understand the usage of the dead.

"I agree, with the Doctor," Wanda confirmed her thoughts. Rose's shoulders slumped in disappointment while the Doctor nodded and seemed to appreciate the Time Lady being on his side.

"Open the rift," pleaded the Gelth. "Let the Gelth through. We're dying. Help us. Pity the Gelth." With that said, the three entities were sucked back into the gas lamps behind them. The light disappeared along with them and Gwyneth slumped against the table unconscious.

XxXxXxXx

Rose and the Doctor were arguing. Again. Like always. Wanda rolled her eyes as she gently wiped at Gwyneth's sweaty forehead with a cool-wet rag. The girl was exhausted after opening the link for the Gelth. The Doctor had finished explaining what exactly the Gelth were to Sneed and Dickens, as well as why they needed the bodies. Dickens had finally come around in believing what was happening, though with a great dumbfounded behavior. He seemed bewildered by everything now. That, and the alcohol he was gulping on was not helping him, either. Now, the decision was to allow the Gelth to come in through the rift and use the dead bodies for transportation until the Doctor could find them new bodies and a new home. This only sparked the argument between the companion and the Time Lord.

"Seriously, though, you can't," Rose said angrily at the Doctor.

"Seriously, though, I can," the Doctor retorted bitterly.

"It's just . . . wrong," Rose said, looking disgusted with the Doctor and his plan. "Those bodies were living people. We should respect them, even in death!"

"Do you carry a donor card?" the Doctor responded snidely.

Rose frowned, crossing her arms grumpily. "That's different, that's—."

"It is different, yeah, it's a different morality—get used to it or go home! In fact, why don't you just go home, anyway?! There, saves us all the trouble of having you around."

"And why don't you stop being such a bighead—." And a few choice words were thrown out by Rose. The Doctor responded with his own nasty words which only escalated the argument even further. Huffing, Wanda stood up from her chair, marching over to the two idiots. She promptly smacked them both sharply on the back of their heads, silencing them immediately from the hit.

"Would you two just shut up already? God, you're both like children," Wanda scolded them. The Doctor shot her a glare. Rose merely looked like a child being disciplined by her mother. Wanda placed her hands on her hips, staring them both down. "Now, if you please shut your yaps, let's hear what Gwyneth has to say. Go ahead, Gwyneth." Turning to the servant girl, they saw how she had sat up from the sofa, staring at them with clear determination.

"The angels need me," Gwyneth said firmly, turning her gaze to the Doctor. "What do I have to do? They've been singing to me since I was a child, sent by my mum on a holy mission," Gwyneth smiled warmly by this thought. "So tell me."

The Doctor stared down at the girl for a moment before glancing over to Wanda, seeing her anxious eyes and her pinching thumb behind back. It seemed she was trying to hide her anxiety the best she could. But the Doctor caught on better than most.

 _Tell me, before I decide on anything, whether or not this is going to turn out well._ the Doctor spoke to Wanda. She hastily let go of her thumb when realizing he was staring at her.

 _Just . . . do what you think is best._ she answered. He raised a brow to this response.

 _I need to know what's going to happen before I decide anything, so just tell me._ the Doctor stated sternly.

Wanda shook her head. _I'm sorry, I can't. I have to let you and the others act as you will. I cannot interfere with these events._

The Doctor sent her a harsh annoyed gaze. _So, in other words, spoilers._ He looked to Gwyneth, going through with a decision.

Wanda followed along behind the others as they made their way down into the cold basement to which had been converted into the morgue. It was dark and damp with different tables holding the recent dead. Thankfully, all were covered with white sheets. Wanda swore though, as she stood with the others in the chilly room, that the air around them spoke of Death. It was unnerving and unsettling. Wanda shivered as the room grew colder around them. The main Gelth from before flew out of a nearby lamp on a wall, facing them with glee.

"You've come to help," it spoke in joy, still sounding like a little girl. "Praise the Doctor. Praise him."

"Promise you won't hurt her!" Rose demanded from the entity, still worried greatly over Gwyneth's wellbeing.

"Hurry, please," said the Gelth, ignoring Rose's demand completely. "So little time. Pity the Gelth."

After explaining what the Doctor had planned for the transportation of the entities to the Gelth, Gwyneth stepped forward under the archway of the room. The girl stood in the centre of where the Gelth was hovering. The girl established the bridge, linking the Gelth to this world. Gwyneth opened her mouth wide as it glowed brightly white. Wisps of the blue gas flew out of her mouth as the entities were freed. Many swirling around the air with glee. Wanda shivered as they slithered by her. They were more like gaseous snakes than ghosts or even angels in her opinion.

"She has given herself to the Gelth," spoke the main Gelth entity, still attached to Gwyneth firmly. More and more Gelth flew around the cold and dark room, lighting it up with their blue glow. "The bridge is open. We descend." The large entity changed suddenly, growing dark in color and appearing to be made of fire now, lighting up the room with a chilling orange-red. Its face contorting into a nasty and wicked grin with rows of sharp, knife-like teeth.

"The Gelth will come through in force," it spoke with a monstrous voice. No longer sounding as the weak and innocent child as before.

"You said that you were 'few' in number," Dickens said angrily.

"A few billion," sneered the Gelth. "And all of us in need of corpses." All around them the dead were coming to life as the Gelth started to take over. One came behind Sneed, snapping his neck in an instant. A Gelth hurriedly went inside him, taking the body for itself. All the dead slowly started to come towards the remaining group. The Doctor shot Wanda a harsh look of rage.

"I told you to warn me about something like this!" he yelled angrily.

"I'm sorry! I couldn't!" Wanda spoke loudly over the many voice of Gelth and corpses. She stared fearfully at the advancing dead. In the corner of her eye she saw Dickens run away from the basement. She hurriedly grabbed both Rose and the Doctor's hand, pulling them back from the walking bodies into a small alcove. Quickly, Wanda shut the metal gate of the small space, making it as a barrier between them and death.

"Give yourself to glory," the Gelth spoke together with many voices. All the Gelth used the dead bodies to come after them. The many corpses pushed against the metal gate, waving their pale, rotting arms through the bars to get after the trio. "Sacrifice your lives to the Gelth."

"I trusted you. I pitied you!" the Doctor shouted at them.

"We don't want your pity!" all the dead cried as one as many shook viciously at the bars of the gate. "We want this world and all its flesh."

"Not while I'm alive," the Doctor spat out.

"Then live no more," countered the Gelth as they shook the metal gate even more. The trio pushed themselves as far up against the wall of the small room as they could. All feeling dread course through them upon being trapped, merely waiting for death to occur now.

"But I can't die," Rose breathed out shakily. She glanced between the two Time Lords. "Tell me I can't. I haven't even been born yet. It's impossible for me to die. Isn't it?"

"Time doesn't work like that. You can be born in a later century and die in another earlier one," Wanda explained. "It all depends on where you're at in time."

"And it's all _your_ fault," the Doctor spat at her. "If you warned us beforehand none of this would be happening right now. We wouldn't have die. But because you think you're so high and mighty—."

"Oh, just shut up!" Wanda yelled, glaring at him. "We're not going to die, you idiot. Do you think I'd really just let Rose or you die? Just like that? If you really believe that, then you're a bigger idiot than I thought."

"Well, then, what's your _brilliant_ plan? You gonna fight them off? Punch them all? 'Cause it seems to me that you're just as useless as that other moron from Platform One," the Doctor barked.

"Just shut up and turn up the gas," Wanda retorted. She reached around him, ripping a gas pipe from the wall next to him with one hand in a might force. Gas came hissing out immediately. The Gelth let out a scream as they were sucked out of the bodies, making the corpses collapse to the ground uselessly. Rose and the Doctor stared at the sight in amazement. Both rather relieved that the bodies were now empty and unmoving once again. They heard a coughing Dickens come into the basement. The man hurriedly turned down the flame of the lamps in the basement, turning up the gas. Just as he had done through the rest of the house. The trio quickly pushed their way out of the small alcove as they rushed over to the man.

"Gwyneth, send them back!" the Doctor yelled out to the servant girl who still stood fixed to the spot under the arch. "They lied, they're not angels." The girl swayed on the spot, staring at them all in a daze.

"Liars," she said softly.

"Look at me," the Doctor said firmly. "If your mother and father could look down and see this, they'd tell you the same. They'd give you the strength. Now send them back!" Gwyneth continued to stare blankly at him. Her posture slumped as she limply stood there. Rose began coughing greatly as the gas from the house filled her lungs. Dickens hurriedly walked her out of the room as the Time Lords stayed behind with Gwyneth. The Doctor, in desperation to save the girl. Wanda, to say goodbye. She stared at Gwyneth with sorrow, already knowing what had happened to the poor girl.

"I can't send them back," Gwyneth said. "But I can hold them. Hold them in this place, hold them here." She reached into her apron, pulling out a box of matches. The Doctor shook his head, holding out a hand for the matches.

"Come on, leave that to me," he told her, insisting on making sure the girl lived. His eyes still not believing the state of the girl in front of him. Wanda gripped her hands together tightly as they shook. Tears starting to well up as the girl gazed back at them, unblinking and bleak of life.

"Doctor . . . look at her," Wanda whispered. The Doctor glanced at the Time Lady and then back to Gwyneth. Finally, he saw what he had been delusional to. Slowly, he reached up a hand to Gwyneth's neck, feeling the lack of a pulse. His eyes grew sympathetic, knowing they were too late. From the moment they began to let the Gelth in, Gwyneth had already been lost to them.

"I'm sorry," he whispered sadly. She merely stared back blankly. He gave her a grateful kiss on the forehead before running out of the room. Wanda stepped forward, tears leaking down her face as she stared at the lifeless girl.

"Gwyneth . . . I'm so sorry," Wanda breathed out shakily. "I wish . . . I wish . . ." She could not get the words out. Gwyneth merely nodded softly.

"I know. It's all right, miss," she whispered. Gently, Wanda reached up to the girl and gave Gwyneth her own kiss of gratitude on the forehead. With a small and soft squeeze on the girl's shoulders, Wanda turned and ran after the Doctor. The moment Wanda sprinted a short distance from the house, it exploded into a fiery flame. Destroying all the dead and the Gelth in one fatal swoop. She continued to stare at the burning house for a moment, staring mournfully at the sight. Poor Gwyneth. Poor Sneed. She wished . . . Suddenly, she felt a tight and angry hand on her bare shoulder.

"You. You did this," the Doctor growled at her. His eyes flaring up with a raging storm. Wanda stared calmly back.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly.

"You had the chance to warn us, and you just sat there, doing nothing!" he shouted. "First Jabe, then Sneed, and now Gwyneth. When will it stop with you? How many more lives will you destroy because you don't feel like they're worthy enough to save?" He jabbed his finger harshly at her chest as he spoke. Upon his last words, she slapped his hand away with a loud smack.

"How dare you," she grounded out in a low tone, her own eyes flaring up in boiling anger. "Do you really think I consider anyone unworthy to save? Do you really think that I simply wish for death to happen?"

"Pretty much, yeah," he retorted spitefully. "'Cause that's all I've seen. You, strutting around, thinking none of the rest of us are worth saving. You think you're so much better than us when in reality you're nothing but a fraud and a killer! You're a monster for what you've done!"

"Stop it!" Wanda tightened her hands into fists, but not from anger. This time, she only a wave of sadness. "Don't you think I wish I could save them? All of them? But I can't!" She tried holding it together. She did not want anyone to think of her as a weakling or melodramatic for giving into her tears from earlier. She did not feel as though she had the right to even be sad or to cry during this moment. But all she could think of was how she had forgotten about poor Sneed dying, and the look of 'why' within Gwyneth's dead eyes.

"Always I have to stand back and watch them die. People who I care about. People who are so kind and loving, who deserve to live and have a life," Wanda cried, her tears finally spilling free down her face. "I see the life they can have. Gwyneth could have married that butcher's boy, Jimmy. Would have had the most wonderful and cheerful life. But instead, I have to stand back and watch her die. Stand aside as she and all those others die over and over again."

Her whole body was shaking now as she cried. Images of what Gwyneth's life could have been, flashing before her eyes. It pained her more than anything in seeing what could have been, as well as seeing how the Earth would have fallen into ruin and chaos if the rift had not been close this night. Gwyneth's sacrifice was the only way to close the rift, to make sure that everyone survived and lived on. It was a choice to be made. That was it always came down to in the end, a choice. To either save one while millions more suffered, or to save millions while another died in their place. It was the very same choices the Doctor made on multiple occasions. Why could he not understand that?

"I just . . . hate myself every time this happens," Wanda sobbed, adverting her eyes away from the piercing blue eyes of the Doctor's. Eyes that she loved so much, but could not stand to have glaring at her. Tears streamed down her face as she stared at her feet, droplets leaking onto her shoes as she shook. More and more harsh images of those she let die flowing through her mind. Becoming punishments for her, as they always were. "Every single time I just wish . . . I wish it were me instead. I wish I could die for them. I just wish it were me!" Then, feeling like a coward, she turned and ran off down the street. Sobbing as she swiftly rushed away from them. Simply wishing she could disappear from this moment and be alone.

The Doctor stared in shock as he saw the blonde girl running down the street for a few moments before the white light appeared around her body and whisked her away to another time. He thought . . . well . . . he did not expect for her to wish to die.

"I hope you're happy," Rose snapped at him. "People have died here, and all you want to do is throw blame around?" He glanced over, seeing how the girl crossed her arms and glared angrily at him. "If it's anyone's fault, it's yours. You're the one who told Gwyneth to do it, and didn't even stop to think what might happen. Stop trying to pass off your own guilt by taking it out of the rest of us." Rose gave him a curt nod and stormed off back in the direction of the TARDIS. Dickens glanced to the Doctor then to the girl, deciding on following after her.

The Doctor frowned, feeling his angry subsiding somewhat. Though, he was still irritated with this new companion. Perhaps, he should make some sort of excuse to take her back home. And, as soon as he dropped the stupid companion off, he would find _his_ Wanda and start demanding some answers.

XxXxXxXx

 **Note from Tinker's friend** :

Hello to those reading. This is Tinker's friend as explained in her author's note. She wrote up the note a while ago and is in bed resting for a while as one of the symptoms from her treatment is hypersomnia. She would like to apologize now to all about everything that has happened. As explained in the note in the start of the chapter I will not be replying to the reviews. Tinker would like to apologize again for that. She says that she will reply to any new reviews for the next update and would like to make it up to you all with a two chapter post. So enjoy the two chapters.

If there is only one thing I can ask is please leave Tinker a review. I know it helps her spirit greatly every time she gets comments on her stories. Thanks for that very much.


	7. Ch 7: The Proposal

**Note from Tinker's friend:**

Hello. Here is the second chapter for the day. Enjoy.

XxXxXxXx

Chapter 7: The Proposal

Wanda stumbled in the corridor as she arrived inside a wildly rocking TARDIS. Still sniffled and hiccupping from her sobs, she quickly tired wiping away the tears. There was no time to be self-pitying or to act like a crybaby. She needed to remain strong and be there for the Doctor and whatever companion(s) might be with him. Their safety and happiness was always number one in her book. As always, they came first and her last.

"Oh, come on! Just send me back!" she heard Eleven yelling from the control room. She hurriedly walked down the corridor, going into the room to see Eleven, still in his military jacket and wearing the Stetson from being inside the _Teselecta_.

"I don't care if it crosses my own time stream! Send me back! She needs me!" the Doctor shouted at the time rotor as the TARDIS grinded and refused to go where the Time Lord wanted. He slammed his fists onto the console. "I thought you care about her?! Now, you just want her to die by the lakeside?! You know she can't regenerate without me!"

"Theta?" Wanda called out, gaining his attention. He turned sharply in her direction, looking both shocked and relieved. Wanda could only stare back in confusion as to what he was yelling about and why he was acting in such a way. "What's going on? What are you doing?" The Doctor hurriedly stopped the TARDIS, making it settle into a drift in space. He then rushed over to Wanda, pulling her into a tight hug. She stiffened, not exactly in the mood to be hugged by anyone at the moment. But her body almost immediately leaned into his touch, loving the comfort. This new body of hers sure did love affection. It almost craved it in some ways.

"Did you make it? Were you okay? Am I correct in thinking that was the moment you jumped to regenerate during Christmas at the Tyler's?" he asked rapidly. He pulled away, seeming to check over her to see if she were fine. She blinked, trying to understand why he was acting as if she were about to die right then and there in front of him. Then, it dawned on her what exactly as going on.

"Oh, you mean Lake Silencio? Yeah, I jumped away just fine," she assured him.

He sighed with relief, tugging her back into a warm hug. "Oh, thank goodness. I was so worried. I'll admit, I might have panicked a bit there."

Wanda snorted. "Only a bit?"

"Okay, more than a bit." Moving from the hug, he kept his arms looped around her waist which had her closely pressed against him. He gave her his normal dazzling, boyish grin. The grin to which always made her hearts flutter rapidly with delight. His grin dropped upon see how red and watery her eyes were, as well as the turmoil storming around her emerald irises. "Wanda, is something wrong? You look upset."

"It's nothing. I'm fine." She buried her head into his chest, glad to be back with Eleven. She missed him. No offense to Ten or Nine, but he had been the Doctor she wanted to be with after her regeneration. Not that she did not love the other two incarnations of the Doctor, it was just . . . she wanted Eleven to be the first face this face of hers saw.

"No, you're not fine." He pulled her back, holding her chin gently to make her face him properly. "Tell me, what happened?"

She winced, not wishing to really discuss what happened. For him, it had happened over two hundred years ago. He was far over what had occurred. She did not wish to bring it up and cause him to be upset over something that had transpired so long ago. "There's no need to worry about it, Theta."

He stared sternly at her, determined for an answer. "Tell me."

She sighed, pulling away from him. "I've . . . I've just come from 1869."

He blinked, trying to remember that specific date. It quickly clicked in his mind as he remembered that night. He suddenly looked greatly torn and remorseful. "Oh. Oh, Wanderer, I—."

"It's okay. Really. It's all in the past now."

"For me. But not for you." He cupped her face, gently thumbing her cheek over a few of the light freckles across her face. A feature to her he always found lovely. He blinked when realizing what she was wearing. "Oh, I remember this dress." He smiled, taking in the dazzling sight of her within the outfit. The way it made her appear like a mystical princess, bringing to life all her alluring features. "You're stunning. No, more than that. Absolutely breathtaking."

Wanda giggled, finding it funny how he seemed so excited to see her in the dress. As well as touched on his sincere and heartfelt words. "What happened to 'you look like someone who just climbed out of the Strehoxx swamps'?"

He rubbed his hands together, looking embarrassed. "Ah. Did I really say that? I don't remember saying that. Well, at any rate, you most definitely do _not_ look like someone who crawled out of the Srehoxx swamps."

She laughed softly. "Well, I'm glad you approve this time around." Glancing at the Stetson, she gave a coy smile. Like always, he looked so stunning with that particular hat on. "I like your hat there, Spaceman."

He blinked for a moment, then remembered he was still wearing the Stetson. He returned her smile. "Oh? Do you?" Wrapping an arm around her thin waist, he pulled her up against him. "Do I look like a cowboy? Or . . . wait, would it be more of a cowboy-spaceman for me?" He looked up, pondering this. "Is there such thing as a cowboy-spaceman? I'm sure there might be . . . somewhere. Oh, if there is I'd love to meet him. Or her. Might be a her. Could always be—."

Wanda rolled her eyes as he began to ramble. "Oh, just shut up and kiss me." She pulled on his bow tie, bringing his head back down to capture his lips.

Their mouths melded together almost instantly in a passionate embrace. Wanda moaned lightly, wrapping her arms around his neck as she felt the spark ignite within her. The Doctor pulled her flush up against him as he held her by her hips. The Time Lord bond between them flared up greatly, making them both feel as though they were dancing in the stars. It was them and them alone in the whole universe. A whole life, waiting for them to share together. Wanda pulled away, panting slightly from the breathless feeling she received from the kiss. She moved her lips over to his cheek, the same one she had punched so greatly in the past.

"Sorry about me punching you," she whispered as she kissed down to his neck. She had never felt so . . . zealous before. Never even been brave enough to do more than give into simple kisses with the Doctor. Now, however, she felt ready for so much more.

"Oh, that's all right. I deserved it, anyway," he sighed, loving the light kisses she was giving his neck. His hands felt itching to reach around her further, but . . . "Wanda, have we been swimming yet?"

"Swimming?" she asked, reaching up a hand to start undoing his bow tie. His own hand caught hers suddenly, moving it away. She blinked, feeling confused. Then, blushed suddenly when she realized what she had been doing. She felt as though she sort of lost her head for a moment there. "Sorry . . . I . . . don't know what came over me." She chuckled, moving away from him, noticing how he seemed to pout greatly and looking almost disappointed by something.

"I think, as your Second self said once, it was merely a 'hormonal imbalance,'" he chuckled, pulling up her hand to give it a gentle kiss. "That, and Third you tends to be rather . . . enthusiastic." She rolled her eyes and stuck out her tongue in response. Suddenly, her stomach gave a rather loud rumble of complaint.

"Oh, that's right. I haven't had much to eat yet since regenerating," Wanda remarked, pouting at her belly. "All I had was Jackie's Christmas leftovers, which really tasted horrid. And all because of this stupid tongue." She pulled on the said appendage, glaring at its pink surface.

The Doctor laughed. "Well, let's get you something proper to eat." He kept a hold of her hand as they strolled together through the corridors to the main kitchen. Their fingers entwined together in a joyful embrace.

"So, we have a lot to discuss now," Wanda commented.

"Do we?" the Doctor questioned.

"Yes. There's the Time Vortex, for starters. And the increasingly bothersome 'mysteries' behind me that I know must be grating for you and others by now. But, of course, _this_ you already knows all the solutions to these mysteries. So, really, it's more grating to your past selves. Then there's . . . the sudden and abrupt marriage." She blushed to this last statement, feeling the flutter of excitement and nervousness pass through her again.

The Doctor smiled, somewhat happy and sad at the same time. "That's quite a list to discuss." They strolled into the large and bright kitchen. Wanda hopped onto one of the stools by the counter while the Doctor searched through the area for something to cook. "How about an omelet?"

"Sounds good to me," Wanda giggled merrily, swinging her legs on the stool as she watched him gathering up supplies for her meal. "So, firstly: Time Vortex. Care to explain that?"

"Ah . . .," the Doctor paused in the middle of cracking an egg into a mixing bowl.

Wanda leaned on the counter with her chin resting in her hand, watching how he tensed immensely. "I'm guessing spoilers?"

"You could say that," the Doctor mumbled quietly. He hurriedly started to prepare the meal, not looking back at her. His shoulders tense and he stood rigidly by the stove.

"I have some theories, actually." Wanda watched him pull some extra ingredients from the cabinets for the eggs and placing a pan on the stove. "Some things I've jotted down over time. Questions that sometimes pop up, because, really, if I don't write them down, I tend to forget. Which is strange, because I don't forget things that easily. Well, okay, I do forget some things from time to time, but it's mostly only when my timeline crosses another and such." She paused, observing how his shoulders remained tense while he began cooking the dish.

"It's almost as if something keeps making me stray away from thinking too greatly upon the mysteries," Wanda continued on. "Every time I start trying to think on the subject, or remembering things from my old world, my mind slips away from these thoughts. Almost as if my mind forces itself to forget it was even thinking on the matter. Which could explain why I forget some details of our adventures sometimes. Because most likely whatever is suppressing my memories could also be blocking important information. It's all very vexing. Making me wonder if this has something to do with the infamous barriers and headaches. Or, possibly, even the Time Vortex living inside causing some sort of damage to my mind. I know it already causes damage to my body whenever I dwell too much and too long on the possibilities. That's very evident. But what other kind of damage is it doing? Is that why I get horrible headaches when I try to remember things that I should know?"

The Doctor sat down her omelet in front of her, gazing at her with worried eyes as she continued to ramble on curiously. He always knew how clever she was. Just . . . never realized how insightful as well. She was growing closer to the truth all on her own. Even more so then she even realized. This had to stop. Hurriedly, he reached forward and gave her a passionate kiss. Wanda squeaked in surprise, but leaned into the kiss all the same. Mmm, lips She liked lips. Her Theta's lips were the best. And—no wait, he was trying to distract her.

"Stop it," she scolded, pulling back from the kiss. "We're discussing this whether you like it or not." The Doctor winced somewhat.

"You aren't supposed to remember yet. It's still too soon," he said.

"How long, though? How much longer do I have until I remember?" she questioned. He pulled out his sonic, doing a quick scan of her. He flicked it open, checking the readings. He closed the sonic back up, sighing heavily.

"Not long," he replied. He walked around the counter, sitting on a stool next to her.

Wanda frowned, staring at the green-tipped sonic screwdriver. "You always do that, scanning me. What exactly are you scanning for?"

"Your age."

"Ah." She started on her meal, smiling with delight on finding that at least her taste buds still enjoyed Eleven's famous omelet. "Well, as I was saying. The Time Vortex." She paused in taking a bit of egg. Slowly, she lowered her fork back to the plate, staring blankly at the dish. "Theta, I'm not going to lie. Knowing that the Time Vortex energy is living inside me . . . it scares me. I'm terrified of that kind of power." She looked at him, seeing how he gazed sadly in return. "And everyone was calling me the Universe's Weapon . . . am I dangerous? I mean, of course I am, but . . . does this mean that I—."

"No, you're not dangerous," the Doctor said firmly, gripping her hand in a reassuring manner.

"Sweetie, you may hold high hopes for me, but I know better," Wanda replied, giving his hand a squeeze. "I know what this kind of energy can do. What kind of power it holds. I've seen it first hand with Bad Wolf." She paused, thinking over the certain entity. Explained so much now, what Bad Wolf had meant when saying Wanda was not allowed to take Rose's place. She already had the energy living inside of her. It would not have worked at all, or even would have created her into something even worse with a double dose of Time Vortex. "And I also remember very clearly once you telling Jack how this kind of energy can turn a person . . . into a vengeful god. Especially a Time Lord."

"Is that what I am now? A vengeful god? Is that why others consider me the Universe's Weapon?" she asked him.

"No, it's . . . not that necessarily," the Doctor mumbled, shifting uncomfortably on the spot.

"And there's something else, as well. Something else lives inside me that makes you terrified of me to no end."

The Doctor's eyes hardened. "No. Nothing about you terrifies me. _You_ are no monster, no weapon, and no vengeful god."

"Then, what else is there inside of me that is even worse than the Time Vortex?"

The Doctor sighed heavily, gloomily gazing down at their entwined hands. "Spoilers."

Wanda sighed as well, finding this dragging mystery to her to be so troublesome. "Can you . . . can you somehow remove the Time Vortex from me?" She stared at him with hopeful eyes, wishing to have these terrifying powers taken from her.

The Doctor stared solemnly back. "I'm sorry. It's embedded within you too greatly. It can never be removed."

Wanda sighed once more, taking a few bites from her omelet. "And all this talk of . . . remembering. You always say that. How I'm not supposed to remember. Remember what exactly? Is it how I became like this? The Time Vortex? Becoming a Time Lord? Are they interconnected?" She looked to him, seeing how he seemed to grow more and more uncomfortable with her questioning. "I have a theory on that, actually. I'm thinking something must have happened on my way of coming from my old universe to this one. Something which gave me these powers and turned me into a Time Lord. It must have been so . . . horrific that when I finally found my way to you, it had been blocked off by the barriers in my mind. Am I correct?"

The Doctor stood up suddenly, shaking his head and waving his hands. "Enough. Let's not talk about this." He grabbed her empty plate, placing it in the sink. Turning back around to face her, he clapped his hands together merrily and gave a brilliant and eager smile. "Time to get married!"

Wanda stiffened, feeling a jittery sensation spark up within her. "What? Now? As in, right now?"

"Oh, now, don't get cold feet on me. I promised to marry you properly once we met up again, and I plan on keeping it." He grabbed her hand, and, like an excited child, dragged her out of the kitchen.

"Wait, wait. Hold on. I still want to discuss this with you." Wanda pulled back on her hand, stopping him short in the corridor. "The fact is, for seventy-two years that we've been together as a 'couple' you've had me convinced you were planning on marrying another woman. How can you expect me to just get over that so suddenly?"

The Doctor opened his mouth, looking ready to disagree. But then closed it suddenly as he appeared rather embarrassed. "Yes, well, about that . . . I mean, I didn't necessarily mean that . . . all those things I've said . . ." He pouted, giving her his puppy eyes. "Can't we just get married and forget about it?"

Wanda huffed, pulling her hand from his grasp, she crossed her arms. "Theta, you kept telling me for years how you couldn't wait to marry her."

The Doctor nervously rubbed his hands together. "Well, that part was true. I really couldn't wait to marry you."

"And that you were excited to start a family with her."

"Also true."

"That you knew the love between us was simple and you knew how it wouldn't last."

"You know, now that you mention that . . ."

"How you just _knew_ that you would love your wife even more so than anything. That our love was nothing in comparison. That you would love your future wife to no end and far beyond. You would be willing to let me go once you married your wife. And, don't forget, how you kept telling me how you just knew that your wife was stunning beyond belief."

"B-but I meant you!" The Doctor hurriedly grabbed onto her hands, holding them while staring pleadingly into her eyes. "I really, truly, thought you knew that we were going to get married. I never even considered that you thought it was River. I knew how you said 'another woman' and all that. But I merely thought Second you separated herself from her Third incarnation, which is you."

Wanda raised a brow at him. "Did you have any proof that I knew it was me? Or did you merely assume on the spot?"

The Doctor looked embarrassed then, giving a nervous smile. "I . . . mostly . . . assumed."

Wanda felt her eye twitch. "So, you're telling me, for seventy-two years, you just _assumed_ that and you kept telling me all those things. Did you ever realize how much those words hurt me?"

Shoulders slumping some, the Doctor stared on rather sadly and looked greatly regretful. "I'm sorry. I never realized. If I knew, I would have never said anything like that. In fact, now that I think about it, much of that should have been reworded. I was very callous to say most of that."

Wanda patted his hands, feeling regretful herself. "And I shouldn't have been so delusional to my feelings for you. As well as I should have realized the possibility I kept seeing of you and River marrying was nothing more than my own mind making up a falsity of my uncertainty of our love. I'm not saying you're all to blame, Theta. So please don't be so harsh on yourself. If anything, it was my own stupid part that kept us apart."

The Doctor shook his head lightly. "Now, don't say that. Yes, you may have been naïve. But I think only confirming your expectations of me marrying another is what really kept you from excepting our relationship fully."

"Maybe. Though I think my constant uncertainty of us might have made you come up with assumptions to my behaviour of our relationship."

"Are you . . . still uncertain now?"

She smiled warmly at him. "No. Not anymore."

The Doctor stared at her with his puppy eyes. "You aren't mad at me, are you? Not only with the horrible misunderstanding, but, also, the way I treated as my Ninth self?"

"Sweetie, I never hold that against you. I know how you were back then. I'm very understanding when it comes to that. And as I said, it's all in the past now." Wanda lifted up one of his hands, giving his wrist a kiss. "As for the misunderstanding, I think we can both agree that we were idiots."

The Doctor chuckled. "Yes, but I believe I'm the bigger idiot." Pausing for a moment, he gazed thoughtfully at her. "I could change it though, our misunderstanding. If I run into Second you in the future, I could tell her and make it so we could be together sooner."

"You know you're not supposed to change time like that."

"But I would if you wanted me to."

Wanda shook her head, giving him a small smile. "No. Let time be as it is. Besides, maybe it was really meant to be Third me that married you."

He beamed in response. "Maybe. And, like you said, it's all in the past now." He gazed around the corridor with a thoughtful expression. "Come on. I want to show you something before anything else." Threading their fingers together, he steered Wanda down the corridor some ways before coming up to a large, gray, metal door. He hurriedly opened the door, then came up around Wanda, holding his hands over her eyes. "This is something I've been making for you since knowing that we were getting married."

Wanda felt giddy with excitement, bouncing slightly on the balls of her feet. "Oh? What is it?" She tried looking around his hands into the dark room, impatient on waiting to see the surprise.

"Now, no peeking." He pressed his hands more into her eyes, making sure she did not see anything. He guided her inside, making sure she was directly in the centre of the dark room. The door behind them closed, making everything go pitch black. Now, both Time Lords were blind in the room. But, ever so slowly, lights began to appear. The Doctor smiled up to the ceiling, glad that it was working. He leaned close to Wanda's ear to whisper. "All right. You can look now."

Removing his hands from her eyes, Wanda gasped upon seeing the sight around them. Stars. Hundreds of floating stars all twinkling around them. Different arrangement of stars within their own little galaxies, with comets, asteroids, planets, and all other assortments of what would be in space. From where she stood, it almost felt as though she were floating within space while gazing at these stars. There were even more sparkling beneath her feet, looking to be far below her. A star glittered close by to her. She reached out attentively, letting her fingers pass right through the star. It was holographic room of space. With all the stars she could ever look at.

"Oh, Theta, it's beautiful," Wanda breathed out in awe at the sight. She turned around to face him with a brilliant and elated smile when she stopped short upon seeing where he was. He had dropped down on one knee, staring at her with bright and hopeful eyes.

"Wanderer," he spoke gently while taking her hand into his, "I know we've had our troubling times. But through all of that, I want you to know I've always loved you. Maybe not in the beginning of meeting you. I actually think I fell in love with you the moment you punched me." He chuckled while Wanda snorted.

"Punching you made you love me?" she asked, baffled by this.

"Maybe not 'love' exactly. But it did start a spark of something," he replied with a chuckle. He smiled tenderly. "You know what my first thought was right after you hit me? 'What a woman.'" Wanda laughed along with him. He cupped her hand tenderly with both of his as he gazed into her eyes lovingly. "Wanda, to me, you are my everything. No, wait, that's cliché, um . . . I mean, it's true, but I'm trying to think of something unique. Uh . . . oh! You are my shining star lighting up my dark path. No, wait, is that cliché as well?"

Wanda could not stop giggling. Eleven was so adorable when he rambled on like this. The Doctor shook his head quickly, knowing he was messing up their moment. He did have a speech all planned out for this. But it seemed his mind was not working properly to get his meaning out quite right.

"Well, what I'm trying to get at is . . .," he started to fumble within his jacket, searching through the dimension pockets for a certain small object. "Wanderer, would you . . . would you . . . oh, where is it?" He gave a grumble as he dug through the pocket all the way up to his armpit. Unable to find the object he was looking for. All the while, Wanda was in a fit of giggles. "Ha! Found it!" He pulled out a small, velvet box. "Now, without further delay. Wanderer, would you do me the most glorious honour of becoming my wife?" He opened the box, revealing a silver ring. The very same ring that he had once placed on a cake for her.

Now that she actually had a chance to look at the ring closely, she saw beautiful engravings on the silver metal. All Gallifreyan engraved designs from what she could tell. Much like the children's book she had once bought the Doctor. She smiled warmly at him, touched that he would give her such a lovely ring.

"I would most certainly be honoured," she replied. The Doctor beamed away as he pulled out the ring and placed it on her hand. It fit a little loosely. He must have picked it out mostly for her Second self, for her fingers now were much too thin for the ring. Even thinner than her First self's fingers. She gazed at him as he stood back up in front of her. "Oh, but I don't have a ring for you."

Smiling warmly, he reached down the front of his shirt and pulled out a silver chain with a golden ring attached to it. It held similar engravings to her own. "Don't worry. You'll give me my ring sometime in the past. I didn't want to lose it, so I wear it like this. It's a way to keep our love close to my hearts. That, and I couldn't have any of your past selves see it."

Wanda smiled as she felt love and warmth spread through her to his words, his loving smile, and everything else about him. She just . . . loved him so much. Even more than she had ever realized before.

"Sorry about the bad proposal," he said, gazing down at the finger on her finger in embarrassment. "Not my most glorious moment there."

"No, it was perfect," she whispered, glad to have such a wonderful and heartfelt moment between them. She would not want him to have done it any other way. Leaning forward, she gave him a loving and tender kiss. They held each other like that for a moment. She threaded her fingers gently through his soft hair. He held a hand lightly behind her head and wrapped an arm around her waist to hold her so close to him. They pulled away, both breathing out in a huff from the overwhelming sensation of their shared embrace.

"So, what do you say? Wanna get married now?" he asked with a grin.

"What about Amy, Rory, and River? I pretty sure they would want to be there for our wedding," Wanda replied. "And I'm sure there are a few others who would want to be there as well. I mean, I want them there, too. Don't you?"

"Well, of course," he agreed, nodding his head. "But we can't go get any of them at the current moment. I'm dead, remember?"

"Right," she sighed, leaning her head against him, right under his chin. "I'll guess we'll have to wait, then."

"Right." The Doctor pouted, feeling greatly disappointed. But he knew Wanda had a point. They had to have their family there with them for the ceremony. There was a moment of silence as they stood there within the star filled room, holding each other close.

"Or . . . we could always renew our vows in a separate wedding for them," Wanda suggested, giving him a coy smile. The Doctor's face lit up with the most brilliant smile.

"Oh, yes. We could," he agreed. He grabbed her hand and excitedly led her out of the room. She giggled all the way to the control room, and the Doctor sent them off to the nearest chapel for a wedding.

XxXxXxXx

 **Note from Tinker's friend:**

This will be the last update for the day. Tinker as always hopes that all of those who read will enjoy. Again if you all can leave her a review. I would really appreciate it in seeing her happy from comments on the story. Thanks. Goodbye for now.


	8. Ch 8: Missing Bride

Hello everyone!

I hope everything has been going well for all since the last time. And man has it been a long while since last time. Sorry about that. :( I feel bad in not getting back to you guys sooner. It was just my family and friends sort of convinced me to take time off from everything to get healed up. And I do mean everything. Sort of went off the grid and just stayed in a special facility to get treated. And it worked! I feel a lot better now. I'm not entirely through all my treatments, but the doctors say I'm making good progress. :) So, to make up for such the long break, I'm going to upload something extra. ;) It' going to be a super update day, for I'm not putting up just one, nor two, nor three chapters. I'm going to give you guys four chapters today! That's right! Four chapters! :D It's a way to say thank you all for such lovely and caring words and support that you all have given me since being sick. Thank you, thank you all so much for that! It truly means the world to me. :)

I hope everyone enjoys them! Have a good read! :D

XxXxXxXx

Chapter 8: Missing Bride

The white light flashed briefly within the TARDIS control room right next to the console. Wanda stumbled somewhat as she bumped into the console itself. Gazing around, she saw the Doctor standing with his back facing her and Donna in her wedding gown, glaring with rage at the Time Lord.

"I demand you tell me right now—where am I?!" Donna shouted at the Doctor.

Wanda snickered behind the Doctor's back, loving the ginger woman's spunk. Oh, she missed Donna so much. It had been quite a while since Wanda had last seen her. She would give the woman a big hug, but at the current moment that would be a bad thing. Donna was currently not a happy camper. Especially, in being dragged away from her wedding. Wanda knew she would be just as upset if she were pulled away from her own wedding. Which she almost had been, but luckily the vows had been rather quick. It turned out Eleven and her were both rather impatient people.

Wanda smiled warmly at this thought, feeling content with the warmth of love spread through her as she absently felt the hidden ring on her TARDIS key necklace under her green tunic. The best place for her ring, really. She would most likely lose it if she wore it on her ring finger. As well as it would draw too much attention from both past Doctors and companions if she did, in fact, wear it outwardly. Besides, it made her happy in knowing the symbol of the bond between her and the Doctor were close to her hearts.

The Doctor and Donna heard this snicker, drawing their attention to the Time Lady. The Doctor turned around, blinking in surprise to see Wanda standing right there. She smiled at them both, waving brightly.

"Hello. Don't mind me," Wanda said. "Please, continue on."

"Wanda?" the Doctor breathed, looking at the Time Lady as if he could not believe her presence there. Or, perhaps, rather not believe how cheerful her demeanour was.

"Yes?" Wanda responded curiously, wondering why he kept staring at her as if anticipating something to happen to her, or even waiting for her to suddenly breakdown.

"Are you—," he began to ask.

"Oi, don't just pretend I'm not here! I want answers, now!" Donna shouted angrily. "Where am I?!" The Doctor turned his attention back on the bride.

"Inside the TARDIS," he said in an unsure tone. Donna blinked, raising a brow as if wondering if she had heard the man correctly.

"The what?" she questioned.

"The TARDIS," the Doctor repeated.

"The what?" Donna asked again, trying to make certain what she was indeed hearing him correctly. But every time he said this certain word, it seemed unbelievable to her. So foreign to her ears.

"The TARDIS," Wanda told the woman. "T-A-R-D-I-S, TARDIS. She's called the TARDIS, though she does like another name. However, I can't actually tell you that at the moment because I know that you don't know until later. So, really, that other name is spoilers for now." Wanda rocked on her feet, smiling away at the extremely confused look on Donna. The woman might have been baffled from all that Wanda had said, or most likely from how speedily it was spoken.

"The what?" Donna asked again, this time mostly because she felt the situation to be so bizarre.

"TARDIS," Wanda and the Doctor spoke together. The Doctor walked over to the console, beginning to mess with some controls, starting a scan on the newly arrived woman in the ship.

"That's not even a proper word!" Donna yelled, growing angry with the two seeming to be making up words and messing with her.

"Actually, TARDIS is a proper word. What's not a proper word is Erleefreta, which means in the language of the—," Wanda began to ramble.

"I don't care!" Donna shouted. Wanda rolled her eyes, leaning against the console to watch the Doctor work on scanning the angry bride.

"How did you get in here?" the Doctor asked the woman, sending her a sharp glower. The woman was being completely unreasonable in yelling at both Time Lords.

"Well, obviously, when you two kidnapped me," Donna retorted. "Who was it? Who's paying you? Is it Nerys? Oh, my god. She's finally got me back. This has Nerys written all over it." The Doctor could only rub a hand through his hair, staring the woman with a dumbfounded expression. Next to him, the Time Lady kept snickering.

"God, no, we are not working for Nerys. She's a right . . . well, I would say that word, but that would be impolite of me. So, you can just use your imagination of what I was going to say," Wanda said lightly. "But, in all seriousness, Donna, we did not kidnap you. Seriously. Cross my hearts." She made the gesture over both her hearts. The ginger woman scoffed and rolled her eyes. Not only had she been kidnapped, but her kidnappers were a bunch of lunatics.

"Hold on, wait a minute," spoke up the Doctor, just now noticing the wedding gown on Donna. "What are you dressed like that for?"

"I'm going ten-pin bowling," Donna said sarcastically. "What do you _think_ , dumbo? I was halfway up the aisle!" The Doctor backed up some as the woman continued on yelling. He hurriedly moved around the console, working on figuring all of this out. He did not necessarily need a raging bride screaming at him at the moment. Neither did Wanda. Or . . . hold on.

"Wanda, are you okay?" he muttered over to the Time Lady, staring her up and down. She was wearing the same outfit. Maroon overcoat and everything. But she seemed to be acting strangely. Or, at least, odd from what she had been moments ago. He had only just turned around when the bride appeared. Had she jumped away in that brief moment?

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?" Wanda asked curiously, wondering why the Doctor seemed so . . . edgy around her.

"Did you just come from somewhere?" he questioned quietly.

"Yeah. Why?" Wanda glanced over, seeing Donna hurriedly rush over to the TARDIS doors. "Donna, wait!" She hurriedly rushed over to the woman.

"No, wait a minute! Wait a minute! Don't!" the Doctor shouted, running over with the Time Lady. The doors opened and Donna stood frozen to the spot by the doorway. A brilliant, bright, and colorful supernova could be seen lazily spinning around in space. Distant stars twinkling around here and there. Donna could only stare at the sight in awe, her mouth slightly hanging open.

"You're in space . . . Outer space," the Doctor told the stunned woman as he and Wanda stood just beside her. "This is our . . . spaceship. It's called the TARDIS." He hoped to ease the woman into the sudden revelation of there actually being such things as spaceships in outer space. Wanda stood close on the other side of the woman, gently patting her shoulder.

"It's a lot to take in, I know," the Time Lady said softly. Donna could only blink, completely flabbergasted.

"How am I breathing?" she finally asked them.

"The TARDIS is protecting us," the Doctor explained.

"She's always protecting us," Wanda added. "She's like a lovely and caring mother. Though, with a stubborn streak to her." She glanced over at the console, giving the old girl a grin when hearing a delightful hum and beeping from the TARDIS. Sucking in a shaky breath, Donna looked at the Time Lords.

"Who are you?" she asked them.

"I'm the Doctor. She's . . .," the Doctor paused when nodding his head at Wanda. He glanced at the Time Lady, staring carefully at her. Wanda raised a brow at him, noticing that he stared at her as if wondering who exactly she was. Almost as if she were someone he barely knew. Or someone who had been lying to him for years now of their true identity.

"I'm the Wanderer," Wanda introduced herself to Donna, giving the woman a bright smile. "But you can just call me Wanda for short. Wanderer tends to be a mouth full when you're running around in a rush. Plus, Wanda just has a nice, quick ring to it. Kind of like Donna, if you think about it. Oh, sort of like a fairy tale or valiant hero. Donna Noble, savior of the universe. Has a catchy tone to it. And—I'm rambling too fast again, aren't I?" She looked to the Doctor when seeing his wincing expression.

"Yeah, just little," he mumbled quietly. Wanda blushed, feeling embarrassed by her constant need to excitedly talk. She almost wished to be more like her First self who hardly ever spoke.

"How do you know my name?" Donna asked the Time Lady, staring at her with suspicion.

"Well . . . let's just say I know things," Wanda replied, giving the woman a wink.

"What kind of . . . things?" Donna asked slowly, staring at the Time Lady as if in complete and utter disbelief to the situation at hand.

"Um, well, I know that you're Donna Noble, human, and very late for her own wedding," Wanda said, somewhat tugging on the back of her hair. Oh, she missed being able to do that habit! Having short hair as her Second self had been a drag with that. Now that she had such long hair, she could tug on and twirl it as much as she wanted. Maybe even try some new styles and—crap, Donna was talking.

"How do you know that? What are you? Psychic or something?"

Wanda shrugged slightly. "Or something." She clapped her hands together, smiling cheerfully at the woman. "So, about that wedding. Let's get you to it, shall we?" She bounded off to the console while the other two by the door stood watching her. One in a daze, and the other quite distantly with an unreadable expression.

"You're both aliens," Donna stated, keeping her dazed and dumbfounded expression.

"Yeah," the Doctor mumbled quietly. He continued to watch Wanda with his distant gaze before shutting the TARDIS doors and bouncing up to the console as well. Pushing way his wandering thoughts, he decided to remain focused on the sudden appearance of the bride. "But I don't understand it, and I understand everything. Well . . .," a brief glance was given at Wanda, who was busy setting coordinates for them, "almost everything. This—this can't happen. There is no way a human being can lock itself on to the TARDIS and transport itself inside. It must be—impossible."

"Nothing is impossible, sweetie," Wanda piped up, stopping her fiddling with the TARDIS controls. "I do it all the time myself. Why couldn't someone else do it as well?"

"Yeah, well, you're not . . . normal. That's different," the Doctor said, waving his hand to dismiss Wanda's comment as he pulled out an ophthalmoscope from one of his many tools of the console and began to examine Donna. Wanda rolled her eyes as the Time Lord began to rapidly ramble on. "Some sort of subatomic connection? Something in the temporal field? Maybe something pulling you into alignment with the Chronon shell? Maybe something macromining your DNA with the interior matrix? Maybe a genetic—."

SLAP!

The Doctor stepped back in shock after Donna slapped him across the face. He blinked at the woman, seeing the rage had built up once again within the bride. Clearly, she had quite enough of his speeding, inconsiderate, ramblings. He seemed almost worse than the blonde to Donna.

"What was that for?!" the Doctor yelled at Donna, very much insulted to have some stranger slapping him out of nowhere and for no reason.

"Get me to the church!" Donna shouted angrily, fed up with being around the aliens. Especially the Doctor. Said Doctor shot the woman an extreme and sharp gaze of annoyance.

"Right. Fine. I don't want you here anyway," he retorted bitterly. He stormed over to the console beside Wanda, flipping around some switches and turning a few knobs. "Where is this wedding?"

"Already got you covered," Wanda told him, pointing to the coordinates on the screen for their destination.

"Right. Good. The sooner we get her out of our TARDIS, the better. Good riddance to bridezilla," the Doctor muttered. Wanda gave him a quick punch on the arm.

"Oi! Quit being rude," she scolded him.

"I knew it!" Donna yelled. Both Time Lords looked up in surprise to the woman's outburst. She stood by the TARDIS railings, holding up a woman's purple blouse. Both aliens tensed as they stared at the blouse. The Doctor, staring sadly and with guilt in his eyes. Wanda, her eyes wavering with utter sadness washing over her. It suddenly dawned on her when exactly this particular adventure took place. Donna's first appearance . . . right after the Battle of Canary Wharf. This meant . . . Rose . . . . Wanda sucked in a quick breath, feeling as though someone doused her with a freezing bucket of water. The Doctor gave a concern glance to the Time Lady, seeing the welling in her eyes.

"Acting all innocent," Donna continued on waving the blouse at the two, unnoticing to their reactions to the clothing item. "I'm not the first, am I? How many other women have the two of you abducted?"

"That's our friends," the Doctor said evenly as he held a steady, deadpan gaze with the red head.

"Where is she, then, popped out for a space walk?" Donna retorted sarcastically.

"She's gone," the Doctor replied dully. He glanced at Wanda again, seeing how the Time Lady stared at the blouse distantly. A swirling of regret and sadness mixed within her emerald eyes. Another wave of guilt went through him upon the sight. Donna noticed how the Doctor stared at the blonde girl next to him. Seeing how both seemed rather solemn about the blouse, Donna dropped her anger and stared at them both curiously.

"C-can—can I have that blouse, please," Wanda whispered. Donna nodded, handing the item over. Wanda absently thumbed the material. "Sorry, Doctor. I'd . . . I'd forgotten what today was."

"Are you okay?" the Doctor asked quietly. Glancing at him, Wanda noticed the look of pity he was sending her. He did seem upset about the absence of the companion that had just been lost, but . . . not in the way what she remembered from the show. More . . . regretful than heartbroken.

"Y-yeah," Wanda mumbled as she felt her eyes tearing up even more. "I just . . . I just thought I would be okay with it." The Doctor nodded sadly.

"I know," he whispered.

"What happened to your friend?" Donna asked them, staring at the Time Lady with concern to the sorrowful expression upon the girl's face.

"She's lost," the Doctor answered. "We lost her." Wanda cleared her throat, trying to get the lump to go down. It was silly for her to be acting so . . . forlorn when the event had not even happened to her yet. She was not meant to be sad now. It was the Doctor who she should be asking if he was okay. Not the other way around.

"Are—are you all right, Doctor?" Wanda asked him, staring at him with concern.

"Yeah. I'm fine," he answered softly. Gently, he placed a hand on her shoulder, rubbing it in a soothing manner. Wanda patted the hand, giving it a small, tender squeeze.

"I'll just, um . . .," Wanda cleared her throat once more. "I'll just go put this away. The coordinates are already set. Just—just send us off." She turned and walked swiftly down the corridor. Halfway down from the control room, she felt the ship begin to rock as the TARDIS flew through the Vortex. The Doctor had sent them off.

Steadily, she walked into Rose's room. The room that would never be used ever again. Just like any other room of a gone companion. Always an empty room left as a memory. Inside the lost companion's room, Wanda saw how much of it was the same as the Tyler's flat. As well as very pink. She chuckled; finding it funny how much Rose did love that particular color. Though, Wanda herself did still love her purple. Slowly and gently, she laid the blouse on the bed. She kept her hand on it for a moment, staring with an absent gaze at the item. Sucking in a breath, the reminder kept buzzing through her head, keeping her thoughts on remembering that this was not the end for Rose Tyler. It was only the beginning towards the lost girl's happy ending with a wonderful Meta Doctor. Smiling at this thought, Wanda nodded at the blouse, sending a silent, friendly, and fond farewell as she turned and walked back out into the corridor.

She reached the control room just as they landed. Donna stormed out, ready to be back at her wedding and marry the man of her dreams. They stepped outside with her, gazing around in confusion to where they had landed. They seemed to have arrived in a courtyard surrounded by building complexes. Nowhere near the church Donna wished to be.

"I said, 'Saint Mary's.' What sort of Martians are you?" Donna barked at them angrily, very aggravated with the situation at hand. "Where's this?"

"No idea," Wanda told her. "I swear that I—ooohhh, right. I forgot. The TARDIS is recalibrating." Both she and the Doctor patted the ship with concern. The Doctor bounded back inside to check the scanner of what might be wrong.

"She's digesting," the Doctor mumbled to the ship as Wanda walked inside. "What is it? What have you eaten? What's wrong?"

"Upset stomach I'd say," Wanda noted as the Doctor pulled out his stethoscope and listened to the groaning time rotor. "Oh, sorry, Sexy. I know how you feel. I bet it was like eating a bowel of glouten."

"Or one of your soufflés," the Doctor muttered. Wanda smacked him lightly in response to this. He snickered, but continued on checking on the TARDIS and calling out questions to Donna, who still remained outside. Currently, the bride was checking over the exterior of the TARDIS, trying to get her reeling mind over the 'bigger on the inside' concept. Eventually, the ginger woman had enough and ran off. Both Time Lords quickly gave chase.

"Leave me alone. I just want to get married," Donna told them both curtly as she walked briskly away from the ship and down the alleyway.

"Come back to the TARDIS," the Doctor insisted.

"No way," Donna said, looking very alarmed of them and what has been happening to her. "That box is too . . . weird."

"She's not that bad. You just have to get used to the size ratio. That's all," Wanda responded.

"Oh! That's all?" Donna replied smartly. She gave a quick check to her watch. "Ten past three. I'm gonna miss it."

"Why don't you phone them, tell them where you are?" suggested the Doctor.

"How do I do that?" asked Donna.

"Haven't you got a mobile?" the Doctor questioned.

Donna shot the Time Lord a look of great annoyance and irritation as she stopped abruptly on the spot, staring at him in disbelief that he would even say that. "I'm in my wedding dress. It doesn't have pockets. Who has pockets? Have you ever seen a bride with pockets? When I went to my fitting at Chez Alison, the one thing I forgot to say was, 'give me pockets'!"

Wanda glanced between the very edgy and irritated Donna to the frowning and flinching Doctor. She looked at the bride and stated, "Now, actually, I had pockets in my wedding dress. I don't ever wear something without pockets. You never know when you need pockets. Especially pockets that are bigger on the inside." She beamed at them both, then blinked when she realized the odd look the Doctor was giving her.

"Wedding dress?" he asked curiously.

"I-I mean, uh, _if_ I had a wedding dress. You know, if I plan on getting married someday . . . or something," Wanda said hastily. Mentally slapping herself for the slip she had made. "Because, you know, might be getting married someday or something. So you never know when—oh, look! A Christmas tree! I haven't seen one of those in ages! I miss Christmas! Love Christmas! Oh! We should buy some Christmas decorations and such. They'd be lovely on the TARDIS." She pointed hastily to a distant shop with a large Christmas tree within, trying to bypass what she had let slip. With a blush of embarrassment growing on her face, she cleared her throat and linked her arms with the Doctor and Donna. Beaming at them both, she walked them along. "Right, so, let's get you a taxi, Donna. And for future reference, pockets for your wedding dress."

Coming out of the alleyway, they walked into a busy and bustle main road of Oxford Street. People briskly walked about on the sidewalks, most carrying large shopping bags. All getting in their last time Christmas shopping. Many cars and taxis whizzed by on the road. For a few minutes, all three of them struggled to get a taxi to pull over for Donna. Apparently, most of the drivers believed the ginger to either be drunk or in drag. Eventually, they finally managed to get a taxi to pull over for them. But when they all realized they had no money for the fare, the driver dropped them right back off. This only made everyone frustrated with their situation. Donna even more so.

While Donna used a telephone box to call someone from the wedding, the two Time Lords jogged over to a busy ATM for some money. The Doctor bounced impatiently in the line while Wanda simply shifted around on her feet as she normally did, unable to ever stop moving in the new hyperactive body of hers. After a moment longer of waiting, the person at the machine left, allowing the Doctor to discreetly sonic it and receive an enough pounds for a fare. Wanda watched him do this for a second before realizing she was hearing some Christmas trumpets playing over around the street corner. Glancing over, she saw three masked Santas slowly making their way towards them.

"Damn it. I forgot about them, too," Wanda muttered.

"What?" the Doctor asked absently, not paying much attention to their surroundings as he was busy grabbing money from the machine. Over by the street, Wanda saw Donna get inside a taxi. Another masked Santa at the wheel as the vehicle drove away.

"Doctor, we better hurry. Donna's in trouble," Wanda said quickly as she pulled out her sonic. The Doctor looked up, seeing Donna being driven away and the three Santas lowering their brass instruments at them. Wanda moved around him and sonicked the ATM to spew out waves of money onto the street. The notes fluttered in the air as people around the sidewalks rushed around to collect the free money. Wanda grabbed the Doctor's hand and both of them ran off back towards the TARDIS.

"They took Donna?" the Doctor asked as they ran.

"They're after her. One of the reasons why she had been transported to the TARDIS," Wanda explained quickly.

"Care to explain how and why?" the Doctor questioned her.

"Sorry, spoilers. But sneak peek: it was in the coffee," Wanda told him as they came up to the TARDIS.

Together, they sent the TARDIS off, piloting the old girl into an unusual flight. Something to which she greatly disliked, but flew the path they had set all the same. Though, not without sparking and shaking harshly. Wanda concentrated on keeping them set on Donna while the Doctor himself worked on maneuvering to the bride's moving location. It was a difficult task, but they managed in the end. The ship bounced and buckled severely as they hit the tarmac of the highway a few times.

"Hold onto this lever," the Doctor instructed Wanda as he rushed over to the TARDIS doors. Wanda held on tightly, anxiously watching as the Doctor opened the doors. Just outside the shaking ship, she could see a very fast moving taxi with a scared Donna within. The robotic Santa continued on driving at a steady pace, too focused in its task to notice the rescue attempt just yet.

"Open the door!" the Doctor shouted to Donna.

"Do what?" Wanda heard Donna shout from within the taxi. It was hard hearing the woman, however, with the loud noises of other vehicles on the highway and the TARDIS engine gutturally sound.

"Open the door!" the Doctor repeated even louder for the woman.

"I can't! It's locked!" Donna screamed at him.

Swiftly, the Doctor pulled out his sonic and unlocked the door. He tried to get Donna to jump, but the robot driver finally noticed the Time Lord's presence there. So the taxi sped up and Wanda pulled the lever, making the TARDIS race after the taxi. The console sparked violently and the old girl gave a few moaning beeps and hums of pain. Wanda patted the console apologetically as they bounced harshly on the tarmac once again. She managed to steer them right back next to the speeding taxi. She watched as the Doctor used his screwdriver to keep the robot from driving off again.

"Listen to me. You've got to jump!" he yelled at Donna.

"I'm not jumping on a motorway!" Donna shouted back through the open window. Wanda hurriedly tied a long piece of string around the lever for guiding the TARDIS. She rushed over to the door with string in hand.

"Donna, if you don't jump they're going to kill you!" she shouted to the woman. "Just trust us! We're not going to let you fall! I promise!"

"Trust us!" the Doctor agreed as he held out his arms for the woman.

"Is that what you said to her, your friend, the one you lost?" Donna asked in response as she stared at them with very frightened eyes. "Did she trust you both?" Wanda winced, looking torn by this statement. The Doctor gazed on steadily at Donna, unflinching nor at a loss to these words.

"Yes, she did," he said. "And she is not dead. She is _so_ alive. Now jump!" Donna hesitated for a second longer before finally opening her door and jumping across the zooming gap between the taxi and the TARDIS. She fell right into both Time Lords' arms as they held her in a close embrace. Pulling on the string, Wanda sent them far away from the highway to someplace safe.

"See? Kept our promise, didn't we?" Wanda said, beaming away to the bride. "You're always safe on the TARDIS express." Donna stared back at the Time Lady for a moment before snorting and shaking her head.

XxXxXxXx

Wanda stood beside Donna on a rooftop. The Doctor currently struggled with dosing the fires of the console with a fire extinguisher behind them. Donna gazed at her watch sadly, seeing how they had missed the window of opportunity for her chance to be married. Wanda patted her arm, giving the woman some comfort on the disappointing day. Seeing the ginger woman shivering from the cold, winter air, Wanda quickly shrugged off her maroon overcoat and placed it around Donna's shoulders.

"Thanks," Donna mumbled quietly. She sighed heavily, feeling greatly let down. Walking over, both of them sat down on the edge of the roof with their feet dangling over the side. Donna glanced down at the coat on her, giving a small snicker. "God, you're so tiny. This wouldn't fit a child."

"Oi," Wanda retorted lightly. Both of them chuckled. Wanda was startled when she felt something warm wrap around her. It was the Doctor's own brown, pinstriped suit jacket. She smiled gratefully to him as he sat down next to her. Grabbing onto his hand, she leaned against him affectionately, making him smile softly. The trio gazed off to the distant buildings, letting the city noises echo around them as the Christmas winds whipped by.

"Did we miss it?" the Doctor asked Donna.

"Yeah," Donna replied quietly, staring down sadly. The Doctor gave the woman a sympathetic look.

"Well, you can . . . book another date," he suggested, hoping to lift the woman's spirits.

"'Course we can," Donna agreed.

"Still got the honeymoon."

Donna sighed heavily in disappointment. "It's just a holiday now."

The Doctor nodded, feeling bad for the bride. "Yeah. Yeah. Sorry."

Donna shrugged slightly. "It's not your fault."

The Doctor gave her a cheeky smile. "Oh. That's a change." Wanda poked him in the side as they all chuckled lightly.

"Wish you had a time machine. Then we could go back and get it right," Donna remarked.

"Yeah. Yeah," the Doctor replied, lightly, knowing he had yet explained to Donna about the whole time and space thing. Probably best not, now that he thought about it. "But . . . even if I did, I couldn't go back on someone's personal timeline. Apparently." Wanda gave the Doctor a slight disproving look for lying, but she let it slide this time. The Doctor smiled and shrugged to the Time Lady, then quickly remembered something else for Donna. "Oh, and you'd better put this on." He pulled out a small ring from his pocket.

"Oh, do you have to rub it in?" Donna responded dejectedly in feeling a stab of being reminded of her lost chance of marriage.

"Those creatures can trace you. This is a bio-damper. Should keep you hidden," the Doctor explained to her. Reaching around Wanda, he grabbed Donna's hand and placed it on her ring finger. "With this ring, I thee bio-damp." He made a pop with the 'p' and smiled at his own joke.

"For better or for worse," Donna joked back, giving a quick glance Wanda in between them. "Though, are you two already—?"

"No. No," the Doctor said hastily. He glanced at Wanda in embarrassment by that suggestion from Donna as he noticed the Time Lady holding a coy smirk. "We're not—we're not married."

"But are you both . . . together?" Donna asked curiously.

"Ah . . .," the Doctor trailed off as he did not know how to answer that. Wanda looked over at him, raising a brow. She herself was not about this particular point in time if the Doctor considered her as more than a simple friend. She knew how he struggled in coming to terms with his feelings just as much as she had in the past. Perhaps he still was unsure if his true hearts' desires.

"Well . . . I guess you could say that," the Doctor mumbled. He cleared his throat, looking embarrassed to discuss the topic. Donna raised a brow at the Time Lord's response. Wanda giggled, knowing the Doctor was simply uncomfortable with chatting about such topics.

"So, anyway," Donna spoke up, deciding on moving onto a new topic. "Come on, then, robot Santas—what are they for?"

"Ah, your basic roboscavenger," the Doctor explained, glad for the change of discussion. "The Father Christmas stuff is just a disguise. They're trying to blend in. We met them last Christmas."

"Why? What happened then?" Donna asked. The Doctor sort of gave Donna a skeptical look.

"Great big spaceship? Hovering over London?" he responded, trying to remind the woman of last Christmas's events. He only received a blank look from the ginger woman. "You didn't notice?"

"I had a bit of a hangover," Donna told him. The Doctor nodded, finding it odd someone could have missed such an extraordinary event. Looking off to the city around them, he spotted a certain area not too far away from them.

"I spent Christmas day just over there, the Powell Estate, with this . . . family," the Doctor spoke up, nodding to the direction of the particular complexes of which the lost companion used to live. "Our friend, she had this family. Well, they were . . . Still . . . gone now." He stopped, trailing off, letting his thoughts drift in remembrance to the lost companion and her family.

"I never did get a chance to spend Christmas with them," Wanda whispered sadly, gazing off distantly to the Estate. She sighed, pulling the Doctor's jacket around her tighter. She could not stop the welling sadness from passing over her.

Strange . . . even though she had not experienced Rose's loss yet, she still felt as though she had already been through the event. As if . . . sometime, long ago, she had dealt this tremendous loss such as that. Perhaps . . . even worse so. Still, she knew the Doctor was most likely feeling more of a loss than her, since he had recently just lived through the experience only a short while ago. She should be more concerned about him than her own toiling emotions.

"Your friend . . . who was she?" Donna asked them. The Doctor glanced at Wanda, worried that this certain topic might upset her. So, he quickly decided to move onto another subject. But before he could speak, Wanda answered Donna's question.

"Rose Tyler," Wanda answered, smiling sadly. "She was . . . our best mate. And then Jackie Tyler, her amazing mum. Mickey Smith, sort of . . . boyfriend/friend of the mix. They were all so wonderful." She stopped short, realizing her mistake of continuing on the subject. She knew how much it pained the Doctor to talk of past companions. She hoped she did not upset him by speaking out of terms. But from the soft smile he was giving her, she knew this was not the case.

"Yeah. They really were," he agreed fondly. He looped an arm around her, pulling her close to him. They all sat in silence for a moment, gazing on to the city around them. Allowing the sounds of the busy holiday to settle upon them.

Leaning her head gently against the Doctor's shoulder, Wanda gave a small smile of content as she felt him slowly rub her shoulder gently and lovingly. Her eyes travelled over to him, gazing warmly as he continued to stare off at the distance in tranquil silence. It caught her sudden attention when she noticed something missing. The Doctor's usual tie was gone, with a burn hole of some kind in his dress shirt. Frowning slightly, Wanda lifted her hand up to finger at the hole in his shirt.

"Doctor, what happened here?" she asked out of curiosity. Her brows furrowed, not remembering him receiving any burn marks on his clothes within her show. Had something changed again?

"N-nothing," the Doctor answered, shifting uncomfortably on the spot suddenly. He cleared his throat, seeming to try and ignore Wanda's curious gaze.

"Weren't you wearing a tie as well? What happened to it?" she continued to question, finding his behavior perplexing. He had been acting strangely since she arrived. Something else must have happened to him.

"I lost it," he answered stiffly. Wanda looked at him, raising a brow in confusion.

"You lost your tie? How'd you go and do something like that?" Donna spoke up, joining in Wanda's curiosity.

"I just did," the Doctor replied, frowning at the ginger. Seeing the two women's perplexed stares, the Doctor shook his head slightly. "Look, just forget about the tie, all right?" He sighed, rubbing at hand through his hair. He stiffened as he heard Wanda gasp next to him and felt her hand suddenly at his wrist.

Wanda pulled back his hand from his hair and stared at it in alarm. She could not believe she did not notice until now. His hand was bandaged up, wrapped in medical gauze. An angry and severe red mark could be seen on his upper palm, showing that it must be some kind of burn mark.

"Your hand. It's hurt," Wanda whispered in worried tone. Her hearts clenched as she began to worry greatly over him and his wound. Was it infected? Did it get cleaned properly? Was he in pain? Should she go into the TARDIS medical bay and get him some better medicine to heal it? Was he hurt anywhere else? She tried keeping herself calm as she felt panic building up within her over his wellbeing. She stared up at him in unease by his wound, seeing the way he stared at her with soft eyes.

"It's fine," he said softly. Eyes shifting back down to his wound, Wanda gently brought up his hand and kissed it. She then stared back at him once more, noticing how he seemed touched by this gesture.

"What happened, Doctor?" Wanda questioned him quietly. He stiffened, whipping his eyes sharply to hers anxiously. Wanda's eyes shifted in apprehension. "Your wound should have been healed by now. So what caused it? It must have not been a normal wound, so something powerful must have caused it. What hurt you, Doctor? Was it—."

"Question is, what do camouflaged robot mercenaries want with you?" the Doctor said hurriedly, seeming to want to bypass the subject of his wounded hand, and move onto the mystery behind Donna. He moved his hand swiftly away from Wanda's, making her look at him in uncertainty as he cleared his throat again. "And how did you get inside the TARDIS? I don't know. What's your job?"

Donna and Wanda both glanced at each other. The red head raised a brow as if asking Wanda what was up with the Doctor's sudden change of subject and his odd behavior. The woman also seemed uncertain as if she should really answer that question, and perhaps simply make the Doctor answer Wanda's questioning about his wounded hand first. Donna was actually wondering the same thing and would like to know how exactly the man had been hurt. But Wanda sighed, shaking her head slightly as if knowing it was no good trying to pry any further into the origin of the Doctor's wound. Once the Doctor changed the subject, that was the end of it.

"I'm a secretary," Donna answered, staring at him curiously as he dug out his sonic from the jacket around Wanda. He began to scan the ginger woman, which made her frown in disproval.

"It's weird. I mean, you're not special," the Doctor noted as he continued to scan her. "You're not powerful. You're not connected. You're not clever. You're not important. You're not—ow!" Wanda punched the Doctor sharply in the arm, making him wince and rub at his arm with a pout. He forgot how much more rough Third Wanda was in her smackings. Though, really, her punches in his arm were really light and almost friendly in way. He knew she was holding back in actually hurting him since if he had truly angered her then . . . well, it would be Christmas of 1869 all over again. That, and she truly did not realize her own strength in many ways.

"Oi, rude!" Wanda scolded him. "Donna Noble is the most important woman in the universe. And don't you forget it." She waved her finger at him like a scolding mother. She linked her arm with Donna's, beaming away at the woman. "Don't mind him. He's an idiot that doesn't know how to be polite." Donna laughed loudly when seeing the pout the Doctor sent the Time Lady.

"Oh, I like you," Donna said. "We're going to be best mates you and me. You kind of remind of a friend of mine from work. Real young and short, too."

"H.C. Clements, right?" Wanda asked, wanting to get this particular information for the Doctor. "Where you met your fiancé Lance Bennett?"

"Yeah," Donna nodded her head. She then frowned when realizing how accurate of her life the Time Lady seemed to know. "But how did you know that? Is this part of you just 'know things' ability?"

"Well, I would explain why I know, but you wouldn't believe me," Wanda replied.

Donna raised a brow. "Try me."

"I come from universe where the Doctor's life, and the other people involved within his life, is broadcasted as a television show. Which I watched daily. So, technically, this world around us now is nothing but fiction back in my old world. And, on top of that, I jump around time at random through the Doctor's timeline. So I never really meet people in the right order. And even though this is our first time meeting for you, I've already known you for years now." Wanda ended her quick explanation with a beaming smile.

Donna simply stared at her for a moment before shaking her head and staring off to the city. "You were right. I don't believe you."

Wanda chuckled lightly before bumping her hip slightly against Donna's "So, tell us about how you met Lance."

Donna smiled fondly in remembering her future husband to be. "I was temping. I mean, it was all a bit posh, really. I'd spent the last two years at a double glazing firm. 'Well,' I thought, 'I'm never gonna fit in here.' And then he made me a cup of coffee. I mean, that just doesn't happen. _Nobody_ gets the secretaries a coffee. And Lance—he's the head of H.R. He don't need to bother with me." Donna paused for a second, smiling over the fond memory. "But he was nice. He was funny. And it turns out he thought everyone else was really snotty, too. So that's how it started, me and him—one cup of coffee. That was it."

"When was this?" the Doctor questioned, his interest gained greatly upon the mentioning of coffee.

"Six months ago," explained Donna.

"Bit quick to get married," the Doctor commented, slightly stunned that two people would suddenly rush into a long term relationship that fast. He would much rather have a long wait until exchanging vows and sharing such an eternal bond with another.

Donna thought that for a second, thinking how to explain the sudden marriage of them. But . . . with some of the truth stretched. Just a little. "Well . . . he insisted. And he nagged, and he nagged me. And he just wore me down, and then, finally, I just gave in." She smiled, satisfied with her version of the story. Next to her, Wanda was laughing quietly.

"What does H.C. Clements do?" asked the Doctor.

"Oh, security systems, you know, entry codes, I.D. cards, that sort of thing," Donna explained. "If you ask me, it's a posh name for locksmith's."

The Doctor pondered on this answer, humming in the back of his throat. "Keys."

Wanda glanced down to Donna's watch, seeing how they only had about forty minutes left until the Racnoss ship arrived. They better get a move on.

"Well, we better get going," Wanda spoke up, gaining the other two's attention. "Got to get you back to your family, Donna. I'm sure they're very worried about you."

"Yeah," Donna sighed, not looking forward to what was to come. She just knew she was going to receive an ear full from her mother. "Time to face the consequences. Oh, this is gonna be so shaming. You can do the explaining, Martian boy."

"Yeah . . . I'm not from Mars," the Doctor countered. He suddenly frowned at the woman. "And how come it's just me that has to do the explaining?"

"Because I'm the innocent victim here, and I like Wanda," Donna replied, smirking at the Doctor. Wanda snorted and laughed next to her while the Doctor gave a small pout. Donna glanced at the laughing Time Lady. "Plus, Wanda's so tiny I doubt anyone would take her seriously."

"Oi!" Wanda exclaimed in mock anger. Both Donna and the Doctor laughed while Wanda stuck her tongue out at them.

XxXxXxXx

That's it for the first chapter today. And still more to come. ;) I hope everyone enjoys them all! Let me know if you did in a review. I would greatly enjoy any feedback. Especially to let me know in how I can make the story even better than ever. For I'm sure I lost a little bit of my touch since last time.

Also, since there is so many reviews from the last few chapters, I hope it's okay with everyone if I simply skip answering reviews again for this chapter. I know I promised to response to the reviews in the last chapter, but still getting my muscles to work again properly. Nothing serious, it's just my hands and feet get numb a lot after long usage and I can't really work them properly again. Something the doctors say will pass in time. Or not. Not sure at this point. Again, sorry for not keeping up with the reviews. :(


	9. Ch 9: Entangled Web

Hey again!

Here's the second chapter for today. Enjoy! :)

XxXxXxXx

Chapter 9: Entangled Web

Well . . . unlike Donna had originally thought, the people of her wedding were not heartbroken in the least.

Every single one of her guests and family seemed rather happy and joyful, in fact. None showing the least bit of concern for the missing bride. All were hopping around reception room, having a good time dancing to the loud music and spinning around in the bright and colorful lights. Food and drinks being consumed merrily around in the crowded dance room. Banners hung up around in cheerful displays of what would have been a happy wedding. Everyone seemed completely unconcerned of Donna's absence. It actually made Wanda very angry with them all. She felt her temper flare up as her eye began to twitch and her hands tightening up into fists as she watched Lance and Nerys dance. And boy, if she felt angry, she was certain Donna was beyond furious. In fact, glancing at the woman next to her, Wanda could plainly see the fury building up in the ginger woman's eyes.

Eventually, the guests and family members began to realize the presence of the newly arrived trio. One by one, they stopped in their merriment to stare with wide eyes at a very enraged Donna. The bride stood there in the doorway of the room with her arms crossed and glaring heatedly at her fiancé and Nerys. Those two still completely unaware of her arrival as they laughed and dance. Though, after noticing everyone else around them had stopped dancing, they too turned around to face Donna, the Doctor, and Wanda. The music stopped abruptly, sending the room into an awkward silence.

"You had the reception without me?" Donna bit out at them all, her voice wavering slightly as she felt completely hurt by everyone's actions.

"Donna, what happened to you?" Lance asked immediately, trying to cover up his lack of interest in the woman's disappearance and safety. Both Donna and Wanda shot him a glare. Though, each one for a different reason.

"You had the reception _without_ me," Donna snapped loudly at him. The Doctor stood there uncomfortably by everyone's gazing eyes, feeling awkward by the whole situation unfolding before them.

"Hello. I'm the Doctor, and this is Wanda," he spoke up to the room with an embarrassed smile. Everyone stared at him in disbelief. Wanda bummed his arm lightly, gaining his attention.

"Timing," Wanda muttered to him. The Doctor nodded slightly.

"Right, sorry," he mumbled back, realizing it was not the best time for introductions.

"They had the reception _without_ me," Donna said angrily to them both.

"Yes, we gathered," the Doctor replied, wincing at the loud exclaiming of Donna.

"Well, it was all paid for. Why not?" Nerys retorted snidely.

"Thank you, Nerys," Donna snapped at the blonde woman. Nerys sneered in response to this. Donna glared at everyone around the room. "Where's Aleena? She's in charge of reception, and I know for certain that _she_ wouldn't have let you all do this." At this point Donna's mother stepped up angrily towards her daughter.

"She ran off looking for _you_. And what else were we supposed to do?" Sylvia said crossly. "I got your silly little message in the end. 'I'm on Earth'? Very funny. But what the hell happened?"

This only sparked a barrage of comments and retorts flying from everyone as they all stepped around to face Donna closer. Donna herself looked on with wide eyes as everyone spoke at once, hitting her with so many questions she was unable to answer. Wanda felt ready to storm up in front of the woman as shield and tell them all off for overwhelming the bride with babbling. As well as for having the reception without the bride in the first place. But then suddenly Donna burst into sobs. Everyone hurriedly stopped talking as Lance hugged his fiancée. It made everyone forget their anger with the bride instantly. Over Lance's shoulder, while everyone clapped happily, Donna sent the two Time Lords a wink.

"Oh, she's good," Wanda said quietly to the Doctor. "I'll have to try that in the future." The Doctor chuckled, shaking his head lightly.

The two Time Lords moved over by the bar, leaning against the counter as the party started up once again. This time with the bride happily involved with the celebration. Wanda watched with a content smile as the bright and cheerful Donna danced with her fiancé. It sent a warm feeling through her, happily knowing this was a bright and wonderful moment for the ginger woman. If only it were not entangled within a web of lies. Oh, well, at least Donna will be receiving a real wedding later in her life. And with a real man who truly loved her.

Glancing at the Doctor beside her, Wanda saw how he smiled contently as well while staring at the dancing couples within the room. This made her wonder what exactly he was thinking during this moment. She remembered him recalling fond moments with him and Rose in the show. But now . . . she had no clue as to what the Time Lord was contemplating. Was it Rose? Maybe his first wife? Perhaps even past companions?

"What are you thinking?" she finally decided to ask him.

"Hmm?" he replied absently, pulling himself out of his thoughts. He glanced at her then back to the party at hand with a small grin growing on his face. "Oh, well, actually . . .," he rubbed his hand through his hair, "I was remembering the time we danced at the Yew-Tree Ball. Remember that?"

"Oh, yeah. Oh, my gosh, that's been ages," Wanda said fondly. "That party was a blast. And, if I remember correctly, _someone_ kept stealing me away from other men for a dance." She bumped her hip against him, snickering away at his foxy grin. "You were so jealous."

"I wasn't jealous," the Doctor countered, giving a small pout and a grumble. "I just didn't like the way those men were talking to you. And they were horrid dancers. A-and they kept trying to wander their hands around you. And—."

"Jealous," Wanda said in a sing-song voice. She laughed as the Doctor huffed slightly. But he chuckled along with her after a second thought, realizing that he had indeed been rather . . . protective of her that night.

The Doctor stepped in front of her suddenly, holding at a hand to her. "Care to join me for a dance? This time without the interruptions of other men?" He wiggled his fingers slightly, giving her an eager grin.

Wanda tugged on the back of her hair, pondering over whether they should really dance or not. It was not that she did not wish to. In fact, she had been thinking the same thing while watching the other couples having such fun. But they might get side tracked and might not be able to keep Donna safe if they let dancing distract them. "I don't know if we have time for that. We still have to figure out H.C. Clements, and see about how Donna disappeared. That, and also the—."

"Oh, we'll worry about that later. For now, let's dance." The Doctor grabbed her hand, pulling her out onto the dance floor.

They weaved their way in between the throngs of guests, finding a nice spot for them to dance. The Doctor spun her around on the spot, holding her hands and merrily dipping her a few times. All the while, Wanda laughed away with delight, blissfully having a wonderful time simply enjoying the company of her Theta. Her husband. She smiled even brighter when thinking of this as their wedding dance of sorts. The Doctor returned the smile, staring lovingly into her eyes as he dipped her once more. Stroking her face softly, he brushed a strand of hair behind her ear as they both smiled warmly at each other.

"I love you," he said quietly, though loud enough for Wanda to hear over the noisy music. He blinked, looking stunned on how easily those words slipped out of his mouth. Pulling Wanda up from the dipping motion, he ran a hand through his hair in embarrassment to this slip. Was that something he should say in such a public place? Did Wanda like being told that? "Ooh, sorry, that—that just sort slipped out. I hope that doesn't make you uncomfortable."

"No, not at all," Wanda replied softly, giving him a reassuring and touching smile. "I love you, too, sweetie." Leaning up, she gave him a quick peck on the lips.

The Doctor grinned briefly before staring curiously at her. "Do I say that often? I mean, in the future, do I tell you that regularly?"

"Quite often, yes."

"Well, then," he dipped her again, making her giggle joyfully, "I love you, Wanderer."

Wanda laughed as he pulled her back up and spun her around once more. "That was sudden. What brought this on?"

"Nothing. I just . . . it's something that should be said, is all. Especially after . . ." He trailed off, staring with uncertainty at her. The edginess from before could be seen passing over him as his hold on her loosened somewhat.

Wanda observed this, noting how he seemed suddenly uneasy around her. She stared at him with concern, beginning to worry about him even more. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." The Doctor cleared his throat, holding her close to him as they dance slowly around.

"Liar. You've been on edge around me since I've jumped here today. So, tell me, what is it?" She stared at him, seeing how he was not meeting her gaze.

Finally, the Doctor looked to her with a studying gaze. "Wanda, have you ever heard of someone called Alpha?"

Wanda stopped short in her dancing, making the Doctor stop as well. She stared nervously at him. Not from hearing that particular name. But from the strange spark of recognition that went through her. She felt something shift around within her mind behind one certain barrier. Something stirred up, raising its head with keen interest to listen to the Doctor.

"No," Wanda whispered. "No, I . . . don't think so." She grabbed the Doctor's hands, making them start dancing around again.

"Are you sure?" the Doctor asked, his eyes studying her reaction closely.

"Pretty sure, yeah," Wanda mumbled. The Doctor hummed, then stared off over her shoulder, seeming to drop the subject. For now, anyway.

She felt shifting behind the barrier settle back down, its head lowering to go back into its slumber. Staring off to nothing, the realization of why the Doctor was acting so edgy came to her. It had something to do with the mystery surrounding her. The strange unknown of her memories. And the Doctor never did like something he did not know. She hardly did either, at least, when it came to this dragging and tedious mystery to her. Then, she realized in a sharp twinge of guilt that she had just lied to him there. She had indeed heard of that name before on a few other occasions, but . . . she had always considered 'Alpha' a thing instead of a person of sorts. But the way the Doctor spoke of the name . . . it was as if Alpha was indeed a person.

Wanda stared at the injured hand of the Doctor's, furrowing her brows as she wondered if the cause of it might had been something to do with this 'Alpha' character. She would ask, but in the end, she knew the Doctor would never tell her. He kept his secrets very close. Sighing, she glanced at the Doctor's watch on the wrist of his uninjured hand. Their time was up. "Doctor, H.C. Clements is firm owned by the Torchwood Institute."

The Doctor blinked, then frowned heavily. "Is it?" He continued to move them around in a dance while he absently pondered over this information.

"Yep." Wanda glanced over at Donna who still danced with Lance. "And the reason why Donna was able to transport into the TARDIS was because of Huon particles."

"Huon particles?" The Doctor's brow arched high, completely bewildered by this. "That's impossible. That's . . . ancient. Huon energy doesn't exist anymore, not for billions of years. It's so old that . . ." He stopped their dancing abruptly, staring with wide eyes at the dancing Donna.

"That a bio-damper cannot hide the energy. And the robotic scavengers are already here." Wanda grabbed his hand, walking swiftly with him over to Donna. "Donna, they're here. The Santas, they've surrounded the building." The bride blinked at them in surprise at the urgent expression on the two Time Lord's faces.

"But you said I was safe," Donna responded as a fear welled up inside of her.

"The bio-damper doesn't work. We've got to get everyone out," the Doctor spoke in a rush. Donna gazed around in horror to the still happy dancing guests.

"Oh, my god. It's all my family," she breathed.

"Get everyone away from the Christmas trees," Wanda instructed the two. "They're deadly." The two nodded as the trio began to shout for everyone in the room to move away from the trees.

Both Donna and Wanda immediately went over to a group of children who stood around one of the trees, playing the ornaments. The two of them ushered the children away, pulling them to the middle of the dance floor. Everyone stared around in confusion to the Doctor and Donna's loud calls of alarm to the trees being dangerous. All sort of scooted together in the middle of the room. Sylvia rolled her eyes at the actions and words of panic from the Doctor.

"Oh, for God's sake. The man's an idiot," she said loudly. "What harm's a Christmas tree gonna—?"

The mother stopped speaking abruptly when seeing the ornaments starting to float away from the trees. All the red and green shining ornaments dancing around above their heads for a few moments. All the guests murmured in delight at the sight. This enjoyment was short lived when the first ornament attacked. It whizzed down straight at them, hitting the ground and exploded into a fiery ball. More and more of the deadly decorations followed in suit, causing everyone to scream in panic and terror. The room shook as the explosions crashed loudly. All of the guests ran and ducked, trying to get out of the way of the ornament's rain of destruction. Everything was being destroyed around them.

The Doctor and Wanda dodged around everyone and everything. One decoration exploded right next to them, sending them both flying over the DJ's sound desk. Peeking their heads over the desk when the explosions stopped, they saw the Santas had lined up in a row in the room. Every single one of them had their brass instruments pointed at the Time Lords, ready to kill. Both the Doctor and Wanda stood up, glaring at the robots.

"Oi, Santa!" the Doctor shouted. "Word of advice—if you're attacking someone with a sonic screwdriver."

"Don't let them near the sound system," Wanda finished, speaking this through the microphone.

The Doctor then jabbed his sonic into the deck system. The large speakers next to the desk shot out loud, ear-piercing pulses. All the humans in the room covered their ears from the pain of the noise. The whole building quaked as the pulses increased. The resulting harmonics caused the robots to shake and fall apart. All Santas collapsed to the ground, completely destroyed and now harmless. The Doctor pulled his sonic away, stopping the pulses. He went directly over to the Santas, grabbing the remote they had used for the trees.

"Look at that," noted the Doctor as he held the remote in one hand and robotic head in the other. "Remote control for the decorations. But there's a second remote control for the robots."

"They no longer have the freedom to be scavengers. Someone now has complete control over them," Wanda concluded, nodding as the Doctor showed her the glowing, rapid blinking lights on the exposed crack of the robot's head. She gazed at the damaged robots for a moment, she took in the sight of the damage done to them, feeling glad and satisfied that she and the Doctor had destroyed them. Good. Those damn robots deserved what they got. Glancing over, Wanda saw the Doctor take off with the remote and one of the robot's heads. Sighing heavily, she got up from her spot on the floor, jogging over to Donna, who was currently helping a few children up from the ground and checking for injuries. Wanda felt a brief flash of guilt for not immediately going over to the children in the first place. But then shrugged off her mistake. She knew they were fine, anyway. No harm done in not always thinking over other's safety.

"Come on, Donna. We better go after him," she said, grabbing onto the woman's hand and leading the bride out of the hall. They found him outside, sonicking the robotic head to trace a signal.

"There's someone behind this, directing the roboforms," he told them.

"But why is it me? What have I done?" asked Donna.

"If we find the controller, we'll find that out," the Doctor answered her. The sonic screwdriver increased its pulses, indicating the signal was coming from the sky. The Doctor ran off to see if he could keep a good hold on the signal.

"Isn't he going to check on my family?" Donna asked Wanda, frowning in disbelief to the man's lack of concern for those who had been injured. "He's a doctor, isn't he? Shouldn't he be helping them?"

"He's not that kind of a doctor," Wanda responded, frowning as she stared at the sky, trying to think over of what events were to come for the day. The ginger woman turned to Wanda, brows furrowing as she stared at the blonde.

"What kind of doctor is he, then, if he doesn't help people?" the woman questioned skeptically.

"He does help people," Wanda responded, looked at the woman, confused that Donna would think the Doctor was not helping. Was that not what both Time Lords were doing now?

"Clearly not if he doesn't even bother to check over people who've just been attacked by Christmas trees." Donna huffed, grabbing her dress, hitching it up as she turned to walk back over to the building. "You need to remind him to keep focused on what's more important. People's lives, or chasing mad robots." Donna walked over to her family, who had made their way outside as the paramedics arrived.

Wanda frowned as she stared at the dazed people, seeing the marks on them from the explosions. They all seemed fine to her. Sure, they were hurt, but . . . a few scruffs never killed anyone . . . Right? Hmm. Maybe she should be more concerned. She used to be in the past whenever someone got even the slightest cut on themselves. Though, in growing in the years of adventuring with the Doctor, injuries become the norm for her. Anything small like this moment was nothing in comparison of what could have happened and what has happened to others. So . . . it was okay to not feel too concerned at the moment, right? Wanda pondered over this, unsure of what to feel about her train of thought and lack of worriment for the people. Eventually, the Doctor ran back over to her, breaking her out of her stupor.

"I've lost the signal," he said quickly. Donna walked over with Lance, making the Doctor turn to her. "Donna, we've got to get to your office, H.C. Clements. I think that's where it all started." Next, he turned to Lance. "Lance—is it Lance? Lance, can you give me a lift?" The Doctor took off again, ready to get going.

"What?" Lance stuttered in disbelief. "I am not giving anyone a lift."

"Sorry, but you have no choice in the matter," Wanda replied, giving the man a smirk. Both her and Donna grabbed the protesting man and dragged him off.

XxXxXxXx

They arrived into the main offices of H.C. Clements. Donna and Lance stood by in bewilderment as the Doctor and Wanda tried getting the computers working for them. The Doctor rambled on in explanations to Donna about the locksmith-like company the woman worked for. As well as the Huon energy that she had been dosed with. Wanda did not pay much attention to what was being said, too distracted in getting the computer to work.

"Ha! Got it!" she exclaimed when the computer finally kicked on. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw the Doctor holding up a mug with a pencil inside it. Donna was currently giving the Time Lord a disgruntled look. Wanda raised a brow at this. "Did he just call you a pencil in a cup?"

"Yep," Donna grumbled as the Doctor came up beside Wanda to stare at the computer screen. The Time Lady promptly gave him a light smack on the back of the head.

"You are so rude," she mumbled.

The Doctor sent her a cheeky grin. "Yeah, but you like rude."

Wanda winked at him. "You bet I do." They both chuckled lightly before turning their attention to the screen as the schematics of the building were shown.

"Look at this," the Doctor said, making everyone stare intently at the screen. "We're on the third floor. Underneath reception, there's a basement, yes?" He hopped away from the computer, going over to call a lift up. There came a small ding and the lift doors opened. Stepping inside, the Doctor pointed out to the call panel inside the lift. "Then how come, when you look on the lift, there's a button marked lower basement? There's a whole floor which doesn't exist on the official plans. So what's down there, then?"

"Are you telling me this building's got a secret floor?" Lance questioned the Doctor, giving a flabbergasted expression. To which Wanda knew was all fake. The man already knew quite well of the secret floor, and of what exactly was happening to Donna.

"No, I'm _showing_ you this building's got a secret floor," countered the Doctor.

"It needs a key," Donna pointed out.

"I don't," replied the Doctor. He pointed his sonic at the level they needed, unlocking it so the lift would take them straight there. Putting away the sonic, the Doctor grabbed Wanda's hand, pulling her inside the lift as he gave a nod to the two humans standing outside the doorway. "Right, then. Thanks, you two. Wanda and I can handle this. See you later."

"No chance, Martian," scoffed Donna. "You two are the ones who keep saving my life. I ain't letting either of you out of my sight." She marched into the lift determinedly, standing firm next to them. Wanda gave the Doctor a grin.

"Guess we've got a new companion, Spaceman," she giggled.

"Huh . . . Spaceman? Oh, I like that," Donna grinned widely at Wanda. "I think I might just use that. Well, then, I'm sticking with you, _Spaceman_." She and Wanda laughed together. Donna then gave Lance, who still stood anxiously outside the lift, a stern gaze. "Lance."

"Maybe I should go to the police," the man suggested nervously, refusing to meet anyone's gaze as he backed up slightly.

"Inside," Donna demanded, pointing to the spot next to her. Lance reluctantly walked inside the lift, giving a very displeased expression. The Doctor promptly pushed the button, sending them down.

"To honour and obey," he mumbled to the man next to him.

"Tell me about it, mate," grumbled Lance.

"Oi," both Donna and Wanda grounded out. There was awkward silence all the way down until the lift finally dinged, opening its doors to let them out into a dark, concrete hallway. An eerie green light lit up the area, giving the place an unsettling feeling. Wanda breathed in the smell of stale water and felt the place to be very damp. But, of course, they were right under the Thames.

"Where are we?" Donna wondered aloud. All of them gazed around in curiosity to this question, wondering the same thing. Only Lance seemed unfazed by the place. Donna frowned, looking back at the Doctor as if he would know. "Well, what goes on down here?"

"Well, I'll tell you one thing. We are right underneath the Thames at the moment," Wanda told them. "Right below the Thames Flood Barrier."

"What, there's like a secret base hidden underneath a major London landmark?" Donna questioned, completely flabbergasted by this.

"Oh, I know. Unheard of," the Doctor responded sarcastically as his mind thought of the Canary Wharf building.

"Do you think Mr. Clements knows about this place?" asked Donna.

"The mysterious H.C. Clements?" the Doctor pondered. "Well, I think he's part of it." Gazing down one way of the damp and murky hallway, he spotted something of interest. "Oh, look—transport." Grinning, he walked over to the vehicles.

Minutes later, all four of them were cruising down the long passage on Segways. The Doctor was grinning away like mad. Wanda bounced lightly on hers like an excited child, giggling away. Donna, glancing at the Time Lords, burst out in a fit of laughter to the sight of them all on the small transport. The Doctor and Wanda both joined her, laughing away merrily. Lance glanced at the lot of them, mentally deeming them all bonkers.

They finally reached the main laboratory, with large equipment scattered around the room. Most of the room held chemicals bubbling away in a variety of different tube sizes ranging from gigantic to tiny.

"Ooh, look at this," the Doctor said upon the sight of the large laboratory. "Stunning!" They walked around the different tables and vats of chemicals. Both Lance and Donna gazed on with stunned expressions.

"What does it do?" asked Donna. The Doctor came up to some particular equipment, gazing on with wonder.

"Particle extrusion," he mumbled to himself. "Hold on." He bounced over to another set of vats and tubes, tapping on the glass of the device. "Brilliant. They've been manufacturing Huon particles. In case my people got rid of Huons, they unraveled the atomic structure."

" _Your_ people?" questioned Lance, staring at the Doctor in suspicion. "Who are they? What company do you represent?"

"Oh, I'm a freelancer," the Doctor answered casually. He gazed around, studying the different lab equipment. "But this lot are rebuilding them. They've been using the river! Extruding them through a flat hydrogen base till they got the end result—Huon particles in liquid form." He pulled away a small tube from a machine filled with said Huon particles. He held it up for them all to see. Donna stared at the liquid container with uncertainty.

"And that's what's inside me?" she asked. The Doctor held the container close to her. The particles within began to glow with a golden hue. Donna herself started to glow with the same light. She stared, wide eyed and completely alarmed by the sight of her glowing body. "Oh, my god."

"Genius," the Doctor remarked. "Because of these particles are inert. They need something living to catalyze inside, and that's you. Saturate the body and then . . ." Blinking for a second, his own eyes went wide with realization as it suddenly dawned on him how exactly Donna had arrived in the TARDIS. He grinned with excitement in figuring out the mystery.

"Ha! The wedding! Yes! You're getting married! That's it!" he exclaimed in delight, spinning and moving about like an excited child. His mouth became a motor as he rambled on rapidly in escaladed enthusiasm. "Best day of your life, walking down the aisle—oh, your body's a battleground. There's a chemical war inside! Adrenaline, acetylcholine—'wham!' go the endorphins. Oh, you're cooking. Yeah, you're like a walking oven, a pressure cooker, a microwave, all churning away. The particles reach boiling point—shazam!" Donna slapped him, bringing him to an abrupt end in his rushed rambling.

He stumbled back, looking disgruntled by the hit as the woman glared at him. "What did I do this time?"

"Are you enjoying this?" Donna retorted angrily, frustrated that he would find her life at stake so amusing and exciting. As well as other lives that had been placed on the line earlier at the reception.

"Yeah . . . he sort of gets carried away sometimes. Don't mind him, really," Wanda said, rubbing a hand at the back of her head as she gave Donna a sheepish smile. She sent the Doctor a stern look. He frowned, realizing he probably should have been more sympathetic for Donna's situation. The bride sighed heavily.

"Right. Just tell me. These particles . . . are they dangerous? Am I safe?" Donna questioned the Doctor carefully.

"Yes," the Doctor answered immediately. Though, looking into his eyes, one could tell of his deep worry for the ginger woman. Wanda sighed, shaking her head.

"Doctor, tell her the truth," she said softly. Hesitating for a moment, the Doctor gazed down at Donna, seeing the fearful expression on her face. The lies left him as he stared sadly at the woman.

"Huon particles . . . they're deadly," he told her gravely. Donna let out a shaky breath, looking ready to breakdown in alarm. He hurriedly placed a gentle hand on the woman's shoulder. "I'll sort it out, Donna. Whatever's been done to you, I'll reverse it." Wanda moved over to Donna, giving the woman a comforting hug.

"Don't worry. We'll fix this," she reassured the woman. She pulled back, smiling warmly. "I promise, you'll be fine." Suddenly, loud hissing could be heard echoing around the room. From the sound of it, the noise was being broadcasted from an intercom.

"Ooh, you can promise _nothing_ ," hissed out a woman's voice. The massive wall of the laboratory next to them rose up, revealing a whole other section of room. It was a vast room, with a canopy of webs on the ceiling. A bottomless pit in the centre of the room, lay only a few feet in front of them. Lining along the wall on catwalks were the robotic scavengers from before. They all faced the group below menacingly, aiming weapons pointedly at them. In some corners of the room, Wanda could see some drainage tunnels from the Thames leading into the room. Old sewer systems from her guesses.

"I have waited so long . . . hibernating at the edge of the universe . . . until the secret heart was uncovered and called out to waken," continued the hissing woman's voice. Wanda immediately placed herself in front of Donna, glaring at the robots to dare make a move to hurt the companion. Donna breathed out in fear, holding onto Wanda's arm in alarm at the sight. The Doctor remained calm as he began formulating a plan of action. He strolled up to the edge of the endless pit, glancing down at it.

"Someone's been digging," he remarked lightly, gazing down to see nothing more than darkness in the never-ending concrete abyss. "Oh, very Torchwood. Drilled by laser." His voice echoed down the hole as he spoke. "How far down does it go?"

"Down and down, all the way to the centre of the Earth," answered the hissing voice. The Doctor gave a skeptical glance up to where the woman's hissing voice echoed around.

"Really?" he questioned. "Seriously, what for?" Donna went to step up to suggest an answer to the Time Lord, but Wanda held the woman back, shaking her head.

"No, Donna. There are no dinosaurs at the centre of the Earth," she said. Wanda gave a light smile when thinking of dinosaurs, remembering a particular event for the future to come for the Doctor and companions. "Though, dinosaurs on a spaceship, now that's a whole other story."

"Right," the Doctor mumbled, shaking his head to what Wanda had said. Dinosaurs on a spaceship? Impossible. Staring up to where he guessed the woman speaking to them was watching them, he raised his voice loudly. "Only a madman talks to thin air, and trust me, you don't want to make me mad. Where are you?"

"High in the sky," the hissing woman stated proudly. "Floating so high on Christmas night." The Doctor narrowed his eyes with his brows furrowing greatly.

"I didn't come all this way to talk on the intercom!" he shouted. "Come on, let's have a look at you!"

"Who are you, with such command?"

"I'm the Doctor!"

There came another hiss. "Prepare your best medicines, Doctor man, for you will be sick at heart."

There was a beam of light as massive body appeared on the other side of the pit. A gigantic, red, female spider-humanoid, with long and massive legs and body, and a head shaped as a crown with black, beady eyes all through her face. All tied up with sharp fangs to which caused her to hiss with every breath.

"Racnoss," the Doctor breathed in disbelief. "But that's impossible . . . you're one of the Racnoss."

"Empress of the Racnoss, to be precise," Wanda told him. Only she was not surprised or frightened by the sudden sight of the enormous spider-woman as the other two next to her were. She merely gazed at the Empress evenly, making certain to keep an eye on the robotic scavengers as well in case any decided to make a move earlier than they were supposed.

"If you're the Empress, where's the rest of the Racnoss?" questioned the Doctor, keeping his own eyes leveled and hard as he stared at the Empress. "Or . . . are you the only one?"

"Such sharp minds," hissed the Empress, starting at the two Time Lords with glaring suspicion.

"That's it—the last of your kind," concluded the Doctor with a nod, glad to know that they were only up against one Racnoss. Any more than that and they would most likely be in deep trouble. Not that one Racnoss was not trouble enough already. Seeing the confused look of Donna, the Doctor quickly explained to the woman, "The Racnoss come from the dark times, billions of years ago. Billions. They were carnivores—omnivores. They devoured whole planets."

"Racnoss are born starving. Is that our fault?" retorted the Empress, hissing loudly at them.

"They ate people?" questioned Donna, trying to make sure she understood the situation. Wanda nudged the Doctor slightly, pointing up to the canopy of web on the ceiling. He glanced up, wincing somewhat at the sight within the entangled web.

"H.C. Clements, did he wear those—those, um, black-and-white shoes?" he asked Donna. With a nod from the woman, he pointed up to where they had seen the body of H.C. Clements. The said black-and-white shoes sticking out from the web. Donna gave a gasp of horror.

"Mmm, my Christmas dinner," laughed the Empress. The Doctor shot the spider-humanoid a sharp glare.

"You shouldn't even exist," he retorted. "Way back in history, the Fledgling Empires went to war against the Racnoss. They were wiped out."

"Except for me," the Empress replied smugly. Far behind her, both Donna and Wanda spotted a sneaking Lance. The man had run back along the tunnels earlier without anyone noticing towards the Empress. The two females watched him inching closer to the Empress with an axe in hand. Donna stepped forward, ready to distract the Empress from the nearing man.

"But that's what I've got inside me, that Huon energy thing," she spoke loudly. The Empress turned her head slightly when hearing a noise behind her. Donna narrowed her eyes. "Oi! Look at me, lady. I'm talking." The Empress kept her firm attention on the bride as Donna kept talking. "Where do I fit in? How come I get all stacked up with these Huon particles? Look at me, you! Look me in the eye and tell me!"

"The bride is _so_ feisty," the Empress hissed.

"Yes, I am," Donna retorted, keeping a close eye on Lance who was almost right behind the Empress now. "And I don't know what you are, you big . . . thing. But a spider's just a spider, and an axe is an axe. Now do it!" The Empress snarled and hissed as she turned to see Lance right beside her, raising the axe high in the air to strike. There was a brief pause, then the two began to laugh manically. Lance let go of the axe, tossing it aside as he continued to laugh.

"That was a good one," he laughed, pointing at the Empress with a wide grin. "Your face."

"Lance is funny," the Empress said to the trio, highly amused by what the man had done.

"What?" Donna asked, completely dumbfounded by what had just occurred. Wanda sighed heavily, gently rubbing the bride's shoulder sympathetically. The Doctor leaned closer to Donna, looking at her in pity.

"I'm sorry," he whispered quietly.

"Sorry for what?" Donna questioned, looking between the two Time Lord who kept gazing sadly at her. No . . . no, it could not be. She could not believe it. Looking at Lance quickly, Donna hoped with all her might it was not true. "Lance, don't be so stupid! Get her!"

"God, she's thick," Lance replied snidely, giving the bride a nasty sneer. "Months, I've had to put up with her. Months. A woman who can't even point to Germany on a map."

Donna stared at him in disbelief. The man she loved . . . he was . . . "I don't understand."

"How did you meet him?" the Doctor questioned her quietly, trying to help her see the truth.

"In the office," she answered.

The Doctor nodded. "He made you coffee."

Donna only blinked in response. "What?"

"It was in the coffee," Wanda spoke quietly. "The liquid Huon particles were laced within the coffee. Had to be done in a period over six months. Lance did that, for six months. Slowly turning you into a key. But at the same time, gradually poisoning you."

Donna let out a shaky breath as she felt her heart breaking. When seeing the tears springing up in the red head's eyes, Wanda gave the woman a hug, wishing to comfort her. The Doctor looked over to Lance and the Empress, glaring at them.

"It was all there in the job title—the Head of Human _Resources_ ," he grounded out.

"This time, it's personnel," Lance retorted smugly, looking rather proud for what he had done to Donna. He and the Empress chuckled darkly.

"But . . . we were getting married," Donna said weakly, her eyes tearing up as she stared heartbroken at her now ex-fiancé.

"Well, I couldn't risk you running off. I had to say yes," Lance responded with a slight shrug. Then, he let out a wave of hateful and spiteful words, seeming to what to get all of his hatred for Donna off of his chest. "And then I was stuck with a woman who thinks the height of excitement is a new flavor pringle. Oh, I had to sit there and listen to all that yap, yap, yap. 'Ooh, Brad and Angelina! Is Posh pregnant? 'X-Factor,' Atkins diet, Feng shui, spilt ends, text me, text me, text me.' Dear god, the never-ending fountain of fat—."

"You know, I'm gonna have to stop you right there," Wanda said loudly, holding up her hand towards him to halt him in his rant. Though, it was not the gesture which stopped him speaking. It was the piercing gaze of the Time Lady, with a dark flash of anger in her eyes.

The entire time of the man speaking, Wanda felt her temper flare up to a bursting, boiling point. Her eye twitched rapidly and her fist was shaking, turning white from being clenched do tightly. She had half a mind to stomp over to him and punch him right now.

" _You_. You are the most pathetic, worthless man," Wanda growled, jabbing her finger harshly in his direction as she glared hatefully at him. "How dare you speak to Donna that way?! You don't deserve to marry a wonderful and amazing woman like her! The most you deserve is a big, fat, ugly, vile spider. Oh, and look, you already have one lined up for you!" She jabbed her finger at the Empress, making the Racnoss hiss at her. "You've made the biggest mistake in your life for thinking you could hurt Donna. 'Cause I've got news for you, _bucko_. Donna Noble is the most important woman in the universe, and even more important than that, she's a companion. And when you mess with one of our companions, well, then, you're in a world of hurt."

"Ha! _Her_? Important? I haven't met anyone more worthless in my life," Lance laughed cruelly. Wanda felt her eye twitch as she saw red.

"Oh, I am _so_ gonna hurt you!" she yelled. She made a move to storm over to him, but the Doctor held her back by keeping a firm grip on her arm.

"Easy there," he mumbled in her ear. She huffed, but let herself calm down all the same. Man, this temper of hers was a very hard thing to control. Especially since she was not used to having one.

 _They're pissing me off._ she spoke to the Doctor's mind, gritting her teeth harshly as she watched Lance and the Empress laugh cruelly once more. Wanda even heard Donna give a small hiccup sob, making the Time Lady only wishing to defend her friend and avenge the woman's broken heart.

 _Yeah. I know. They're doing the same to me._ the Doctor replied evenly, giving his own heated glare to the other two across the pit. _You know, I'm starting to think your Third self inherited my Ninth's temper._ She heard him chuckled lightly at this. She could not help but smile and give a mental chuckle as well.

The Empress and Lance began to speak. Something about Donna, or the Empress wondering who exactly the two Time Lords really were. Neither one of them was paying much attention.

 _Doctor, if you reverse the particles' activity in that vial, you can call the TARDIS to us._ Wanda explained to him quickly in what the vial he had picked up could do. The same one he had been showing to them all earlier. _You won't get any answers from either of them, so might as well travel back in time and see what's buried under the Earth._

 _Already on it._ The Doctor smiled at her, pulling out the small vial that he had placed into his pocket earlier. Their attention was gained as the Empress began to order loudly her robotic scavengers to arm themselves.

"Kill the chattering little Doctor man and his annoying partner," the Empress commanded her small army. All the robots immediately aim their guns, ready to fire.

"Don't you hurt them!" Donna shouted, hurriedly placing herself directly in front of the two Time Lords.

"No, no, Donna. It's all right," the Doctor said calmly.

"No, I won't let them!" Donna cried in a panic to the robots ready to kill the Time Lords. The Empress gave a cry to fire just as the Doctor activated the vial in his hand, making the TARDIS materialize around the trio. They could hear the gunfire just outside of the ship as the Doctor rushed up to the console.

"Off we go," he said cheerfully. The engine revved up as the Doctor sent them off, directing them to a certain time in space. He smiled over to Donna. "Oh, do you know what you said before, about a time machine—well, I lied. And now we're going to use it. We need to find out what the Empress of the Racnoss is digging up. If something's buried at the planet's core, then it must've been there since the beginning. That's just brilliant. _Molto bene!_ I've always wanted to see this. We're going further back than I've ever been before. Isn't that just—."

"Doctor," Wanda spoke up firmly, making him stop abruptly in his rambling excitement. He looked up, blinking with surprise at the sight of a crying Donna and the Time Lady gently comforting the bride. Wanda shook her head sadly to the Time Lord, then turned her attention to the sobbing Donna. Softly giving kind hushes and rocking the woman in a warm hug.

"There, there. I'm so sorry," Wanda whispered to the bride. She held the crying Donna close, rubbing gentle circles on the woman's back for comfort. "Here, let's go sit down. Okay?" She steered Donna over to the pilot chair, setting her down. Scooting next to her, Wanda continued to rub soothing circles on the woman's back as Donna sobbed through her wrenching heart.

The Doctor stood awkwardly by the console, unsure of what to do or say. He decided on remaining focused on the task ahead and steer the TARDIS through the Vortex. Wanda was always better at doing the comforting and making sure everyone was all right in the end anyway.

"We've arrived," the Doctor told them after the ship came to a halt. He looked over to the two females, seeing how Donna had stopped crying now. Now, she simply stared down sorrowfully to the ground. He gazed down in concern at the ginger woman. "Want to see?"

"It'll cheer you up," Wanda said softly, rubbing Donna's arm kindly. "Gazing to the stars always cheers me up when I'm down. It might do the same for you, too, in some ways."

"I suppose," Donna mumbled gloomily.

The Doctor looked to the scanner at first, but seeing how the image was too small, he walked over to the TARDIS doors and opened them up. Holding onto Donna's hand, Wanda led her over to the doorway for the beautiful sight outside the ship. The stars twinkled in the dark space through the clouds of floating dust and rocks. The young Sun shone brightly around, sending waves of light to the still lifeless expanse before them. Everything around shone of new life and light, appearing so young and free.

"We've gone back four point six billion years," the Doctor told them as they all gazed on in awe at the breathtaking sight. "There's no solar system, not yet. Only dust and rocks and gas." He pointed upwards to the young shining Sun. "That's the Sun over there, brand-new, just beginning to burn."

"It's so . . . beautiful," Wanda breathed.

"Yeah. It really is," the Doctor agreed, smiling brightly at the Time Lady. She smiled back, holding onto his hand and affectionately threading their fingers together.

"Where's the Earth?" Donna asked them, searching around the sky for the sight she expected to see.

"All around us . . . in the dust," the Doctor explained, pointing around to the floating rocks and particles in front of them. Donna glanced at them, then stared back out into the space beyond, feeling tiny and small compared to the expanse before her.

"Puts the wedding in perspective," she mumbled quietly. "We're just so . . . tiny."

"No, but that's what you do," countered the Doctor, staring off distantly with a fond smile on. "The human race—making sense out of the chaos. Marking it out with . . . weddings and Christmas and calendars. This whole process is beautiful, but only if it's being observed." Donna was quiet for a moment while she thought this over, continuing to watch the gentle floating rocks and dust.

"So, I came out of all this?" she questioned.

"Yep," Wanda replied, bouncing lightly on her feet as she beamed. "Isn't it just amazing how that works? Out of all the cosmos of the entire universe, each of us gets the slightest and briefest chance to be born, to be created, and brought into life. And then, we can make that life into whatever we wish it to be. We can live a simple story, or make the most amazing and brilliant one. It's all up to us to decide." She beamed at Donna as the woman gave a small smile in return.

"I think that's the Isle of Wight," Donna joked, pointing to a rather large rock that floated past the TARDIS. They all chuckled. Donna smiled, letting out a breath as she was actually starting to feel better. Not completely better, no. That would take some time. But . . . these people, next to her now, they really knew what to say to bring someone's spirits up.

"Eventually, gravity takes hold," the Doctor spoke up, going back into explaining like a teacher of sorts. "Say, one big rock, heavier than the others, starts to pull other rocks towards it. All the dust and gas and elements get pulled in, everything, piling in until you get—."

"The Earth," both Donna and Wanda finished for him.

"But the question is . . . what was that first rock?" mumbled the Doctor, observing the passing rocks around them closely.

Just then, they heard a rocket engine coming up from the large clouds of dust. It slowed down until it came to a complete stop in the sea of rocks floating around. The ship itself appeared to be a massive, seven pointed, star-shaped rock, floating around within the ocean dust and gas. The Doctor hopped over to the console, beginning to scan the Racnoss ship as it activated its gravity field, bringing in all the dust and rocks around it. The ship surrounded itself into a gigantic shell, starting the creation of the Earth.

The TARDIS suddenly rocked violently, pulling them back to 2006. Wanda snapped her fingers, closing the doors as they hurtled through the Vortex. Donna and Wanda both stumbled over to the console as the Doctor struggled to keep the TARDIS where they had been. But it seemed like a lost battle as the ship just continued to rock wildly, and flying straight back to the underground lab at H.C. Clements.

"What the hell's it doing?" Donna asked, holding onto the console as the ship shook roughly about.

"Remember that little trick of mine? Particles pulling particles. Well, it works in reverse, and they're pulling us back!" the Doctor explained hurriedly as he tried to keep them from being pulled directly back into the lair of the Empress.

"Well, can't you stop it?" asked Donna, sounding fearful for being brought back to the Empress. "Hasn't it got a hand brake? Can't you reverse or warp or beam or something?"

"Backseat driver," the Doctor muttered as he worked furiously to stop the TARDIS.

"Doctor, use the extrapolator," Wanda said quickly.

"Right! I forgot I had that," the Doctor responded. He stumbled over, grabbing the surfboard device and slammed it on the console. The lights flicked all across the device's surface as he plugged it into the TARDIS and whacked it with the mallet, making it so they could arrive somewhere other than the Empress's lair. The TARDIS came to a halting stop, indicating they had landed.

"We're about two hundred yards to the right," the Doctor told them as they rushed out of the TARDIS. They had arrived back into one of the long hallways of the secret underground facility. The Doctor turned and ran to a large metal door which led up to the Thames Flood Barrier. He pulled out his stethoscope, listening to the door.

"But what do we do?" Donna asked, staring at the Doctor while feeling high anxiety coursing through her.

"I don't know," the Doctor replied, shrugging slightly.

"We tend to make it up as we go along," Wanda explained, giving a grin to the woman.

"But I still don't understand. I'm full of particles, but what for?" Donna questioned quickly.

"There's a Racnoss web at the centre of the Earth, but my people unravelled their power source," the Doctor explained hurriedly as he continued to investigate the door in front of him. Donna and Wanda were continuing to listen to him as he rambled on. Then, suddenly, and quite out of nowhere (at least for Wanda), both females were grabbed and dragged off by the Empress's robotic henchmen.

Wanda could only blink in astonishment as the robots held a hand over her mouth and lift her body up as they walked her off with Donna. Why the heck was she being captured as well? They only needed Donna for her Huon particles. Perhaps the Empress still held some resentment for Wanda calling her a 'vile, ugly spider'? Maybe it was to even make Wanda as extra food for the Racnoss? Most likely it was simply payback from the Empress. The ginger woman next to her fought wildly, trying to get her captors to let her go. But it was no use as the robots pulled them back into the laboratory. In a matter for seconds, the Empress had them entangled within her web on the ceiling. She hissed with victory at the sight of them all within her grasp.

"I hate you," Donna growled at Lance next to her.

"Ditto on that," Wanda grumbled. Lance rolled his eyes in response, deciding not to response to the two angry females.

"My golden couple. Together at last—your awful wedded life," hissed the Empress. She laughed at her own humour. "Tell me, do you want to be released?"

"Yes!" Donna and Lance yelled together. Wanda simply nodded slightly, staring fearful down to the pit below. Damn her fear of heights.

"You're supposed to say 'I do,'" the Empress retorted. All of them stared down in annoyance to the Racnoss.

"I do," Lance grumbled, looking revolted by saying this.

"I do," barked Donna at the spider-humanoid.

"I don't," cackled the Empress, amused greatly by her joke. Wanda groaned, wishing she could pull her hands out of the web around her so that she may pinch the bridge of her nose in aggravation.

"Congratulations. I think that was _the_ worst joke I have ever heard," Wanda grumbled loudly at the Racnoss. The Empress glared at her, insulted by this remark while the Time Layd merely stared back in exasperation while shaking her head. "No, seriously, that was the best joke you could come up with? If you're gonna villain you need to villain _right_. Why not 'til death do you part'? Or how about 'speak now or forever hold your peace'? Or better yet—."

"Oi, Wanda. Not. Helping," Donna spoke up, halting the Time Lady's words.

"Right, sorry. It's just, I'd really rather not be up here at the moment," Wanda apologized in embarrassment to her ramble on what jokes the Racnoss could have told.

The Empress hissed at them angrily for rambling on uselessly, and merely continued on with her plans. Wanda watched as the Huon particles were activated in both Donna and Lance. The golden glowing energy shot from the two of them, straight down into the pit below.

Wanda half listened as the Empress went on with cheers of victory as the sleeping Racnoss below were awakened. Closing her eyes tightly, Wanda merely concentration on not paying attention to the frightening height that she was currently at. She snapped her eyes back open again as Donna shouted next to her and Lance screamed in horror as he was cut from the web and sent down into the pit as food for the Racnoss below. Wanda winced, feeling pity for the man. Sure, he was vile and wicked, but no one deserved that kind of fate. She then gulped, feeling her stomach clench as she knew most likely she was next on the menu.

Wanda blinked as the Empress turned her attention away from killing off the other two still caught in the web. Instead, the Racnoss hissed at the seemingly robotic figure wearing a dark hooded robe climbing up the stairway to the catwalk above.

"You might as well unmask, my clever little Doctor man," the Empress spat out. Unmasking quickly and pulling off the robe, the Doctor frowned slightly at having been caught.

"Oh, well. Nice try," he muttered as he tossed the disguise aside. He whipped out his sonic to the web canopy above. "I've got you, Donna." The woman screamed as the webbing around her ripped, leaving her only gripping onto a large piece of it which she swung straight to the Doctor. The Time Lord held his arms out for the woman, but he missed by a mile as Donna swung underneath him instead and hit the metal staircase roughly. The woman fell back on the concrete floor, glaring up at him. The Doctor stared down with embarrassment. "Oh. Sorry."

"Thanks for nothing," Donna grumbled angrily. The Doctor cleared his throat, as he hurriedly did the same for Wanda, wanting to get her down before the Empress suddenly decided to make the Time Lady a meal.

"No, wait! I'm not ready!" Wanda cried out as the webbing around her broke. She gripped onto the one strand with all her might as it swung her to the Doctor. Fortunately, the Doctor had better aim and angling when it came to Wanda, making her swing closer to him. Unfortunately, he still missed in catching her. Wanda slammed into the railing in front of him instead, and ended up clinging to the metal siding.

"Oops, sorry," the Doctor said, pulling her up next to him. She wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug, shaking from the experience.

"Never again," she gulped. "I. Hate. Heights. So much." She pulled back, grinning to him. "Though, I must say, nice aim there, sweetie." The Doctor gave a foxy grin in response. He then turned his attention to the Empress, glaring darkly to the spider-humanoid. Wanda did the same, her eyes darkening as she stared the Empress down, knowing what was coming next with no feeling of regret of what would happen for the crimes committed today. Those who destroyed, who were guilty of such vile natures, would be punished. Would always be punished. And Wanda only felt pride in knowing the Doctor and her would always be the ones there to make absolutely certain justice would be severed.

"Empress of the Racnoss, I give you one last chance," he spoke with a voice filled with authority. "I can find you a planet. I can find you and your children a place in the universe to coexist. Take that offer and end this now."

"These men are so funny," hissed the Empress gleefully. Amused in the thought of the Doctor having the idea he could stop her.

"What's your answer?" the Doctor grounded out, keeping his gaze steady on the Empress.

"Oh, I'm afraid I have to decline," laughed the Empress.

The Doctor stared gravely at her, shaking his head solemnly. "Then what happens next is your own doing."

The Empress stopped laughing abruptly, glaring at him. "I'll show you what happens next. At arms!" The robotic henchmen around her aimed their weapons on her command, pointing the deadly guns straight at the two Time Lords. Just as the robots were about to fire, they suddenly shut off. Going limp, all were no useless to the Empress. Donna and the Empress stared at the Time Lord in disbelief as he pulled out the remote for controlling the robots.

The Empress dismissed this. "Roboforms are not necessary. My children may feast on Martian flesh."

"Oh, but I'm not from Mars," the Doctor said evenly.

The Racnoss stared at him skeptically. "Then where?"

"My home planet is far away and long since gone. But its name lives on." The Doctor stared the Empress down, his gaze darkening even more. "Gallifrey."

This made the Empress snarl and roar with rage upon the name of the planet. "They murdered the Racnoss!"

The Doctor remained calm and unflinching. Unremorseful for what was about to occur. "I warned you. You did this." He pulled out a few red ornaments from the deadly Christmas trees, holding them out in the air. Next to him, going unnoticed by those around, Wanda's eyes flashed a brief white light that seemed so dark in nature.

The Empress started to the weapons in hand with horrified eyes. "No! No! Don't!"

The Doctor threw the ornaments into the air, making them float around as he pulled out more from his pockets to toss them up as well. Steering them all with the remote in hand, he made the decorations zoom through the drainage tunnels Wanda noticed from before. The whole place shook as the decorations exploded, causing massive holes from the tunnels to pour water straight to the room and down into the pit. Fire erupted around from the other few ornaments exploding around the laboratory chemicals. The Empress screamed and cried in horror as fire and water whipped around her. The whole room began to fill up, and water from the Thames cascaded upon them all, drenching them. Both Time Lords stared on, unblinking at the sight. That is . . . until the cries from the Empress were finally heard clearly for Wanda over the chaos before them.

"Noooo! My children!" sobbed the Empress in absolute heartbreak. "Aaah! My children! My children!" The Racnoss continued to wail in despair as her millions of children were drowned in right front of her in the pit. Wanda shook as she continued to listen to the wails of the Empress. The heart wrenching sobs of a mother losing her children. The way the Empress stood there, quaking in horror, reaching out a long spider arm in desperation towards the pit, and then . . . Wanda heard the millions of cries gurgling in the water from the pit. Young cries of pain and . . . suffering . . . dying cries.

Wanda stumbled back from the side of the railing, leaning against a section of the stairs behind her as she stared on in horror at the sight. She felt as though someone punched her in the gut as the realization hit her. They were . . . they were children. Oh, god, they were children. Yes, bloodthirsty and ravenous children that would have killed all humans on Earth. But that was more on their mother's command than anything. Wanda shakily placed a hand over her mouth, feeling sick to her stomach as she realized earlier she had watched on with no remorse. No pity. Just as the Doctor was doing now, simply staring on with cold indifference. She had gone along with the deaths of these Racnoss because . . . quite frankly, she had become so used to the deaths. So used to having to make the hard decisions when it came to saving the lives of millions of others. And this . . . this had to be done. But still . . . they were just children. She felt ready to sob along with the Empress to the loss of the children's lives.

 _He was only a child! And you killed him!_

Wanda gasped as her head pounded away in pain. An angry and vengeful voice ringing out like a distant memory in her mind. What was that?

"Doctor! You can stop now!" yelled Donna. Both Time Lords blinked out of their stupor. The Doctor glanced down at Donna, then looked back to the Empress. His eyes mixed with remorse and horror when finally seeing the wailing mother Racnoss. He shook slightly as he felt the stabbing in his hearts when he realized what he had done . . . again. He turned, seeing Wanda staring off in dismay at the sight. His hearts twisted even more, realizing what the dying children meant to her.

"Wanda, come on," he said, grabbing the Time Lady's arm and pulling her along. "Donna! You, too!"

The woman did not need to be told twice. They all ran up the stairway together, climbing up to the top quickly before the rising waters killed them all. They heard the Empress yell out for transport from her ship which hovered above London. They climbed up a ladder to the Thames Flood Barrier. They reached the top just as the armies' tanks began to fire their missiles at the Empress's ship in the sky. The loud explosions and crashes could be heard as the star-shaped ship was destroyed, along with the Empress herself. They stood on the flood barrier, soaking wet, and seeing the last remains of the ship leaving the sky. The Doctor and Donna began to laugh as they felt glee in surviving this night.

Wanda, however, remained silent as she stared around at the drained Thames. She wanted to be cheerful and happy in celebration with the others at the 'victory' of sorts. Happy to still being alive and saving the Earth. Even at the funny sight of the drained river around them. But all she could do was listen to the echo wails of the Empress in her mind. The sobs which seemed to match similar heartbroken cries in a resonant memory.

XxXxXxXx

Dang. :( Well, onto the next one I suppose. Hope you all enjoyed the second chapter of the day. Let me know if you did in a review, or especially let me know if there was anything I could have done better. I always, always need feedback to keep up with what all of you wish to see in the story.


	10. Ch 10: Doctor Smith

Hello again!

And here's number three. ;)

XxXxXxXx

Chapter 10: Doctor Smith

The TARDIS door hinge creaked as Donna walked out onto the quiet street of her neighborhood. All brick houses lined up together with Christmas lights and decorations all scatter around. The Doctor and Wanda followed in suit, having small smiles at the peaceful sight of the Christmas night. Uninterrupted by killer Racnoss, or flying spaceships. All was well. Donna let out a sigh of relief to the sight of her house, looking very pleased to be back home and safe.

"There we go. Told you she'd be all right—survive anything," the Doctor said to Donna, patting the TARDIS side affectionately.

The ginger woman had been commenting earlier how there was no possible way the ship could ever fly again after being submerged for so long under the drained waters of the Thames. But, of course, Donna did not yet know of the wonderful skills of the TARDIS. Wanda smiled and patted the ship as well, feeling at ease as the old girl sent soothing thoughts to her. Helping Wanda feel at peace after what happened. She glanced over, seeing how the Doctor seemed to be receiving a similar comfort from the ship as he smiled softly at the old girl.

"More than I've done," Donna commented, looking uncertain about her own survival. The Doctor turned and did a quick scan of her with the sonic screwdriver. Checking the readings, he gave her a grin.

"No, all the Huon particles have gone," he stated, putting away his sonic once more and placing his hands in his pockets. "No damage. You're fine."

"See? Promised you, didn't I?" Wanda added, smiling kindly at the woman. Donna nodded, but still stared solemnly at the Time Lords.

"Yeah, but apart from that . . . I missed my wedding, lost my job, and became a widow on the same day. Sort of," she said. She stared down sadly, thinking over the man who broke her heart. Even though he never loved her, she still loved him.

"We couldn't save him," the Doctor said quietly, sounding remorseful for Donna's loss. Wanda gave the woman a sympathetic look as well.

"He deserved it," Donna muttered, trying to get herself to hate the man who had tried to kill her and everyone else on the planet. But at the looks of the Time Lords, she knew her words were wrong. She let out a small, sad sigh. "No, he didn't." She briefly glanced over her shoulder towards her house. "Better get inside. They'll be worried."

"Best Christmas present they could have," commented the Doctor. They all looked at the window, seeing Wilf comfort Sylvia, knowing that the mother and grandfather must be worried sick about Donna. The Doctor rethought his comment. "Oh, no, I forgot, you hate Christmas."

"Yes, I do," Donna replied.

"Which I don't understand why, 'cause Christmas is amazing! Best holiday ever!" Wanda exclaimed merrily. "Nothing bad ever happens on Christmas. Well, I mean . . . except today, of course . . . and last Christmas . . . and then there was the Christmas of 1851 . . . and then again 1869 . . . and then—you know what, I'm starting to think Christmas with us is jinxed." The Doctor and Donna both laughed when seeing Wanda's pout at realizing how many Christmases were just filled with trouble for the two Time Lords. The Time Lady waved a finger at the Doctor in mock anger. "I blame you, Mister Troublemaker."

"Well, I should make up for the bad Christmases, then, shouldn't I?" the Doctor replied with a grin. He reached inside the TARDIS, pushing a button right by the doorway.

The light fixture on top of the blue box light up brightly and shot a quick bolt of energy into the night sky. The glowing bolt exploded high in the sky like a firework, letting down trails of lights for a few seconds. Then, it began to snow. Light white flakes gentle fell from the sky all around them, covering them gently like kisses. Donna laughed with amazement while Wanda giggled and spun around with her tongue out to catch some of the flakes.

"So, did that make this Christmas better?" the Doctor asked Wanda, giving her that sly, foxy grin of his. Wanda giggled, bouncing over to give him a warm hug.

"It sure did, Spaceman. Thank you," she whispered. She continued to hold onto his hand tenderly while facing Donna. The woman shook her head slowly at the two of them with small smile.

"Merry Christmas," she said kindly.

"And you," the Doctor replied, both he and Wanda returning the smile warmly. He gave a quick glance at Wanda, then gave a thoughtful look to Donna. "So . . . what will you do with yourself now?"

"Not getting married, for starters," Donna sighed. "And I'm not gonna temp anymore." She shrugged slightly. "I don't know. Travel, see a bit more of planet Earth, walk in the dust. Just . . . go out there and do something." She smiled brightly when thinking of how many of her own adventures she could have.

The Doctor rocked on his feet slightly, nodding to this. "Well, you could always . . . come with us." He smiled at the ginger woman.

Donna stared back with a small smile of her own. "No."

The Doctor blinked in shock. "What?"

"I can't. Sorry. I mean, everything we did today . . ." Her voice wavered on thinking what horrible experiences they had all gone through. "Do you both live your lives like that?"

The Doctor continued to stare at Donna with confusion. He glanced quickly at Wanda, feeling at a loss. Was Donna not . . . he could have sworn from the way Wanda acted around the woman . . . He turned his attention back to the ginger woman. "Um, not all the time."

Donna gave them both a knowing look. "I think you do." Glancing at the Time Lady slightly, she saw the conflicted and unsure expression on Wanda. This was a clear answer of how their lives truly played out. "And I couldn't."

The Doctor frowned, not liking the woman's rejection to his offer. "But you've seen it out there. It's beautiful."

"And it's terrible. That place was flooding and burning and they were dying and you both stood there like . . . I don't know . . . strangers. More you than Wanda, but still . . ." Donna trailed off for a moment, seeming to gather her words. "And then you made it snow. I mean, you scare me to death!"

The Doctor remained silent for a moment; feeling conflicted by everything she said. He let his face remain passive, not letting her seeing his emotions show. "Well, then." He meant to say more, but felt at a loss for words.

Wanda sighed, squeezing his hand and gave Donna a small nod. "I know, Donna. Believe me, I know. But . . . sometimes you can't have the good things in life without the bad to follow. And don't let the bad make you feel as though the good occurrences aren't worth it or are unimportant." She smiled, thinking of Eleven's words. This particular advice of his has helped her considerably through the years travelling. More than he would ever know or realize. She smiled at the woman. "Tell you what, though, if you ever change your mind, you know where to find us. Just look for trouble, and we'll be there." She winked at Donna, making the woman raise a brow and stare back with confusion.

"Well, we better be off, then," the Doctor spoke up, looking awkward by still being there and ready to go. He turned to the doors, nodding to Donna as a goodbye. Wanda smiled and walked up, hugging the woman.

"See you around, Donna. And remember, you are the most important woman in the universe. Don't ever forget that," she whispered gently. She pulled away, patting the woman's arm affectionately and smiling at the bewildered expression on Donna's face.

"Thanks," Donna said, deciding to smile in response. She looked over Wanda's shoulder to the Doctor. "Doctor, just promise me one thing, before you go." He raised a brow at her as she stared softly back. "Find someone."

"I already have someone. I've got Wanda," he responded, frowning slightly at Donna suggesting to find someone else.

"But . . . I think you both need someone," Donna replied, staring at the two Time Lords. "I think you need someone to help you stop him." She nodded to Wanda. She then nodded to the Doctor, speaking on. "Yeah, you've got Wanda. But I think there needs to be someone else there to help balance the two of you. And from the way it sounds, Wanda isn't always there for you, is she?" Staring at the ginger woman for a moment, the Doctor hummed in thought, seeing the truth behind these words. Wanda nodded, agreeing with the future companion.

"Thanks then, Donna. Good luck," the Doctor said after a hurried clearing of his throat. He stepped inside the TARDIS, ready to be off. Wanda gave the woman a quick kiss on the cheek.

"And just be magnificent. Not that you aren't already," Wanda said brightly. Donna smiled and nodded. Wanda waved to her and bounced inside the TARDIS just as the ship was taking off. The Doctor flipped around the controls as they travelled through the Vortex. Glances were sent to Wanda ever few seconds from him, seeming uncertain of something.

"You know, I could've sworn she was going to be our new companion from the way you were acting and treating her," he finally spoke up.

"Well . . . not yet, anyway," Wanda replied slyly, sending him a wink. "Spoilers for the future."

"Ah," he said, nodding lightly. He then frowned. "Wait . . . future companion? That's not likely, really. I mean, how often do we run into someone _twice_ on our travels?" He shook his head, seeming disbelieving to the idea of them ever meeting Donna Noble again. Wanda simply smiled and chuckled lightly. If only he knew. She bounced over to him, helping him steer the ship.

"So, where to now?" she asked brightly.

"Well, I was thinking a quick trip into the 76th century. There's an ice cream shop I've been craving. They have over a million different flavors, and I'm in the mood of bubbleberry and cream. I'd think you'd like it. Well, maybe not. It does tend to have a funny after taste that might remind you of glouten." He chuckled when seeing her face of disgust upon the mentioning of glouten. "You might like one of the dessert soufflé flavors, instead. They're rather good."

They remained silent for a moment after this, letting the TARDIS engine drown out the silence. The Doctor glanced over at Wanda, seeing the distant look in her eyes.

"It had to be done. There was no other way," he whispered, voice filled with remorse. Wanda sighed heavily.

"I know. Trust me, I know," she sighed, nodding solemnly. She looked up, smiling softly at him. "Time to keep moving forward, right?" He returned the smile, leaning over to hold her hand and give it a light squeeze.

"Yeah," he agreed. "That's us. Always moving forward. Never letting the bad weigh us down, no matter what the universe throws at us." Wanda smiled as he gave her a confident grin.

XxXxXxXx

Wanda sat by the window next to the Doctor's hospital bed, staring out intently as she observed the sky above. The dark clouds were rolling in, becoming more furious looking by the minute. A few stray lightning strikes sparked in the air, making distant rolling thunder.

"Storm's approaching," she commented lightly while shifting her gaze to the city around them. She noticed how the busy people on the sidewalks, rushing about in their lives, took the briefest moment of their time to gaze up curiously at the sky over the Royal Hope Hospital. All held a questioning expression, wondering how the clouds over the hospital could be so dark and stormy, when the rest of the city only had the normal bright, sunny day.

"Let's hope it isn't a bad one," the Doctor replied from his hospital bed. He shifted slightly, getting more comfortable on the cushions. He fiddled with the remote on the side absently, making the bed move up and down to distract himself from his ever growing boredom.

Wanda was having similar issues, wishing to run around and do something other than simply sitting in spot for so long. Especially since it had been almost two days now of nothing. They infiltrated the hospital just yesterday, with the Doctor pretending to be a patient called 'John Smith' and Wanda posing as his fiancée, Alice Rivers. When she had used this name, the Doctor had become curious by it.

"Why that name?" he had asked after the nurses placed him in a bed and left. Wanda had remained quiet for a few moments before answering.

"It's a name of an old, dear, friend," she had explained quietly.

Now, she played the part of Alice Rivers, the loving fiancée of John, who was very curious of the goings on of the hospital. She walked around, asking the nurses little questions, all of which led to what the Doctor was searching for. While the Doctor did similar, though was less able to explore the building and ask questions as he would have liked. One certain nurse, Marly, was an old woman with a lot of spunk who was dead set on keeping the Doctor in bed for rest. She was very determined about her job. Wanda could not help but giggle every time the Doctor pouted when the nurse pushed him back into bed with a scolding.

"So, you really think we're going to find a new companion here?" the Doctor asked again for the millionth time. Wanda sighed, scooting her chair over closer to him.

Through the months of them exploring around as a sort of break, he seemed to think his earlier wish as Nine might come true at last. That it would now simply just be her and him, no other companions needed. Sure, he did miss Rose terribly having lost a best mate. But at the same time, he had been unsettled by Donna's comment on how they needed someone to balance the two of them. He did not like the idea of needing anyone other than his Wanderer. Which did make Wanda feel touched on how much he really believed he only needed her in his life. But she knew the truth.

He needed a companion by his side for the times she could not be there. For times when she would freeze up or lose herself, just as what happened in the H.C. Clements laboratory. Or for other certain times when she was not there for him at all . . . such as in a certain memory of a certain little town called Mercy. Wanda sighed heavily, shaking her head slightly. Though, also, in many ways, she knew she needed a companion as well. Just as the companions had helped her through so much during her early days as First Wanda, they would always continue to be shining stars to her. This was why, through many years of travels, she was glad to think of each companion of the Doctor as her own sort of companion. Their companions. Their family. She could not help but smile fondly at this thought.

"As I've told you before, yes. We are going to meet a lovely companion," she replied happily, excited in seeing Martha again. It had been a long while since she had seen the doctor in training. "Just give a smile to the medical student who gives you a checkup." Wanda winked at him, giggling softly when he gave her a baffled look.

Shaking his head and chuckling, he gazed around curiously at the room around them, taking in the sight of the other occupied beds of other patients, all whom were actually sick. He tugged on the sleeves of his pinstriped pajamas. "So, anything new?"

Wanda shrugged slightly. "Plasma coils still as inactive as ever." She glanced back out of the window, seeing the darkening sky. "Though . . . that might change soon."

The Doctor hummed at this. "Well, I hope things get a move on. I really hate the slow path."

"Ha! You think you've got it bad?" Wanda was currently bouncing her leg rapidly, unable to fully sit still at all. "At least this body of yours is able to be calm. I can't keep my own settled at all. Stupid dang—that, and my damn tongue that _still_ doesn't let me taste things right." She yanked on the pink appendage grumpily. "I'm like a constantly bouncing child, stuck in a twenty-six-year-old body. And I. Am. Sssssooooo bored! Gah!" Wanda threw her hands up in the air briefly at her exclamation of frustration before promptly crossing her arms in a huff. The Doctor snorted and laughed at the Time Lady's disgruntled pout.

"Yeah, but you're adorable like that," he teased affectionately. He leaned over and gave an affectionate kiss on her cheek. Wanda beamed, giving him a loving kiss in return. They both pulled away from the kiss and straightened as the curtains around their small area were drawn back to reveal a group of medical students and their supervisor, Dr. Stoker, all looking in on the Doctor. Wanda's eyes brightened cheerfully as she saw Martha Jones standing there with the other students, gazing on curiously at the Doctor and her.

"Now then, Mr. Smith, Ms. Rivers, a very good morning to you," Stoker said politely. Both Time Lords nodded in greeting as the man came up beside the Doctor. "How are you today, Mr. Smith?"

"Oh, not so bad. Still a bit, you know, blah," the Doctor answered brightly, sticking out his tongue slightly on noting how he felt. Stoker looked to the students standing at the end of the bed.

"John Smith, admitted yesterday with severe abdominal pains," he explained to the medical students. Many of which were writing down attentive notes as the supervisor spoke. Stoker glanced over at Martha. "Jones, why don't you see what you can find? Amaze me." Martha nodded, walking over to the side of the bed next to the Doctor with her stethoscope in hand. Wanda scooted over so that the medical student may give the Doctor a quick check up. A stern gaze was given to each Time Lord from Martha.

"That wasn't very clever, running around outside, was it?" Martha said with a stern voice. The Doctor gave the girl a baffled look while Wanda could not help but smile and bounce slightly in her sit. Internally, she giggled delight when knowing what moment Martha was referring to.

"Sorry?" the Doctor asked. Martha moved the stethoscope around her neck, holding the end in hand to get ready to inspect him.

"On Chancellor Street this morning. You both came up to me, with you taking your tie off," she nodded to the Doctor, "and you kissing me on the cheek," Martha nodded to Wanda.

"Really?" the Doctor replied in bewilderment, glancing between Martha and Wanda. "What did we do that for?"

"I don't know. You just did," Martha responded, placing the earpieces of the stethoscope on.

The Doctor shook his head slightly. "Not us. I was here in bed, and Alice has been by my side all morning. Ask the nurses." Wanda gave an innocent nod.

Martha stared at the two with uncertainty, furrowing her brows. "Well, that's weird, 'cause it looked like you. Do either of you have a sibling?"

"Nope. Though, could've been people who look like us. We do have those kind of faces," Wanda replied, shrugging slightly while giving the girl a grin.

"As time passes and I grow ever more infirm and weary, Miss Jones," Stoker spoke up, interrupting the trio's conversation. He gave Martha a look of irritation, annoyed of the girl's wasting of his time. Martha blushed lightly, embarrassed by getting distracted from her work.

"Sorry," she mumbled as she began her checkup of the patient. Wanda watched as Martha moved the end piece to the Doctor's chest, searching to listen to his heart. But ever so slowly, the girl's eyes widened as she moved to the other side the Time Lord's chest, hearing the other heartbeat as well. The Doctor gave Martha a smile and a wink when she looked up at him in surprise.

"I weep for future generations," Stoker muttered with impatience to Martha's actions on moving the stethoscope around on the patient's chest. "Are you having trouble locating the heart, Miss Jones?" Martha moved away from the Doctor gradually with uncertainty in her eyes. But she shook her head slightly as she placed the stethoscope back around her neck, seeming to dismiss what she had discovered.

"Um, I don't know. Stomach cramps?" Martha suggested. Stoker shook his head, his eyes gazing on with annoyance to the medical student's lacking.

"That is a symptom, not a diagnosis," he stated curtly. He walked around to the end of the bed, going for the clipboard hanging on a railing of the bed. "And you rather failed basic techniques by not consulting first with the patient's chart." He grabbed said chart, only to let go quickly, allowing the clipboard to drop onto the bed after he received a rather nasty shock from the metal. All the medical students blinked curiously at this occurrence.

"That happened to me this morning," Martha remarked, frowning as she pondered the double encounter of such a strange occurrence.

"I had the same thing on the door handle," added in another male student. A few others nodded, giving brief remarks of similar happenings to them. The Doctor and Wanda both stared at the students curiously. The Time Lords glanced to each other, giving knowing looks and nods. A silent note sent between them.

"Well, that's only to be expected," Stoker said, dismissing everyone's remarks and curiosity to such shocks they all received. He picked back up the chart causally. "There's a thunderstorm moving in, and lightning is a form of static electricity, as was first proven by . . . anyone?" He looked around to the medical students to see if they knew the answer.

"Benjamin Franklin," both the Doctor and Wanda said together. Stoker gave a curt nod to the patient.

"Correct," he responded. The Doctor gave a silly smile as he reminisced.

"My mate Ben—that was a day and a half. I got rope burns off that kite, and then I got soaked. And then I got electrocuted," he said brightly to everyone. They all gave him blank stares in return. Stoker raised a high brow, staring at the patient as if he were insane.

"Moving on," Stoker said carefully. He walked away with the medical students following after. Both the Doctor and Wanda could hear Stoker telling a nurse quite clearly for the Time Lord to be checked into the psychiatric ward. This made the Doctor pout and Wanda giggle.

"You should really learn how to control your rambling," Wanda giggled lightly.

"Look who's talking," the Doctor scoffed.

"Yeah, and guess who I learned it from, Spaceman?" she teased, sticking out her tongue playfully in response.

XxXxXxXx

The Doctor attempted to investigate more around the hospital, but once again Marly had gotten ahold of him and placed him right back into bed. He huffed loudly and crossed his arms in frustration with a large pout to boot. Wanda could not help but laugh as he acted so much like Eleven in his behavior. During her laughter, she glanced out the window beside her, seeing the rain from the storm over the hospital beginning to rise up into the air. She immediately and abruptly stopped laughing, stiffening in her chair. The Doctor let his pout go to give her a curious stare with furrowed brows.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Get ready. It's going to get crazy in here," she told him hurriedly. As soon as she said this, the whole building rocked around violently and a blinding white light filled the air. Everyone in the hospital could be heard screaming in terror as they were all tossed around. Beds rolled about on the titled floor with people and equipment falling over everywhere. Wanda fell on top of the Doctor as his bed slammed right into her. She gripped onto him as the building continued to rock and tilt. She felt him wrap his arms protectively around her, holding on tightly as they rode out the furious shaking. Finally, everything settled down and the white light disappeared.

"You all right?" the Doctor asked Wanda.

"Yeah," she breathed out shakily. "Don't ever want to do that again, though." He gave her a light squeeze of a hug before they both stood up from the bed. Going over to the nearby window, they gazed out together to the scene outside. Barren and rocky landscape, covered in white dust with the planet Earth seen far off in the distance. Giving the surface the building now occupied some dim light. The Doctor blinked in astonishment while Wanda hummed in thought.

"Hold on . . . No, we can't have," the Doctor breathed out quietly.

"Yep, we did," Wanda said. "We've been transported to the Moon." He glanced quickly over to her.

"H20 scoops, right?" he wondered aloud. She nodded, confirming his thought. He slapped a hand on the window's ledge as people behind them began to scream in terror at the sight of the Moon outside the windows. "Agh! I should have seen this coming! I'm so thick sometimes."

"Only sometimes?" Wanda teased. They both glanced over their shoulders, listening to the entire hospital panicking around them. "We better get prepared."

"Right." The Doctor walked over, grabbing ahold of his area's curtain to draw it around. He paused to see the medical student from earlier, Martha, walk into the room briskly.

"All right, now, everyone, back to bed," she ordered the panicking room firmly with full authority in her voice. "We've got an emergency, but we'll sort it out. Don't worry." The Doctor watched her walk over to a far window with her fellow trainee, Julia Swales. He leaned close to Wanda while still keeping a sharp eye on the medical student.

"So, you say _she's_ our new companion, yeah?" he asked in a whisper.

"I don't know, is she?" Wanda replied lightly, giving him a knowing look and smile. He hummed thoughtfully, then hurriedly pulled the curtain around himself as he changed. Wanda continued to watch Martha as she and Julia discussed the situation.

"It's real," Martha said in amazement to the sight. "It's really real." She went to open a window. Julia swiftly grabbed her friend's hand.

"Don't," Julia cried, shaking in fright with tears streaming down her face. "We'll lose all the air."

"But they're not exactly airtight," Martha countered. "If the air was gonna get sucked out, it would have happened straightaway, but it didn't. So how come?"

"Very good point!" the Doctor spoke up loudly as he pulled away the curtains, gaining the two medical student's attention. He stood in front of the two, now wearing his blue-pinstripe suit and red trainers, staring at Martha curiously. "Brilliant in fact. What was your name?"

"Martha," answered the trainee doctor.

"And it was Jones, wasn't it?" he questioned. Martha gave a slight nod. Wanda watched as the Doctor hummed thoughtfully once more. "Well, then, Martha Jones, the question is, how are we still breathing?" He walked over to the window, studying the glass closely.

"We can't be," sobbed Julia.

"But, obviously, we are, so don't waste my time," the Doctor retorted smartly to the scared medical student. Julia gave another small sob, letting her fears get the best of her. Wanda sighed and walked over, patting the young woman gently on the shoulder.

"Hey, it's all right. And don't mind him, he's just rude," she whispered to Julia, trying to comfort the girl.

"Martha, what have we got? Is there a balcony on this floor or a veranda or . . ." the Doctor asked the girl next to him quickly.

"By the patients' lounge, yeah," Martha answered swiftly.

"Fancy going out?" The Doctor turned to her, giving her a careful gaze as if analyzing what her response would be.

Wanda rolled her eyes, knowing what he was doing. He was putting Martha to a 'test' of sorts. A little something he would always do with his future companions, though most of the time subconsciously without him realizing he was actually doing it. But in this instance, Wanda knew he was purposely doing so as if to judge Martha on how well of a companion she could really be. Basically, doing a comparison to Rose as if to convince himself Martha could not live up to the lost companion's legacy. Oh, how wrong he will be.

"Okay," Martha answered easily without a second thought about his suggestion.

"We might die," the Doctor said carefully, raising his brows high in the ease response from the trainee doctor.

"We might not," countered Martha, staring confidently at the Doctor.

The Time Lord's eyes sparked with interest as he grinned at the girl's response. "Good. Come on."

" _Eccellente!_ I'll lead the way, shall I?" Wanda exclaimed brightly. She bounced towards the exit of the area with the two following behind. Julia remained where she was, too frightened to do anything else at the current moment. Wanda moved swiftly through the hall, past the crowd of terrified and screaming people, making her over to the patient's lounge. Reaching the area, she opened the doors swiftly for the trio, letting them all be able to evaluate their situation more efficiently.

"Nice view. Think I might want to live here," Wanda commented lightly, beaming at the beautiful sight of the Earthlight, the Moon landscape, and the twinkling stars far off in the distance. The other two walked up beside the Time Lady, standing by the ledge of the lounge. All three of them stared at the breathtaking sight in awe.

"We've got air," Martha exhaled in relief. She frowned in thought, confused by this revelation. "How does that work?"

"Just be glad it does," the Doctor remarked. Wanda hopped onto the ledge, dangling her feet over the side and swinging them lightly with a giggle. The Doctor raised a brow at her actions, scoffing. "You sure are cheery."

"Well, it is a beautiful sight," Wanda remarked lightly. She gave Martha a bright grin. "Don't you think so, Martha?"

"Yeah, it is," agreed the medical student, standing right next to Wanda. Martha stared off, letting her awed expression slowly drop to be replaced with a solemn one. "I've got a party tonight. It's my brother's twenty-first. My mother's gonna be really . . . really . . ." Her voice wavered, looking greatly upset suddenly to the situation thrown upon them. Knowing the likely chances of any of them returning home . . . were slim. Both Time Lords stared at the girl in concern.

"You okay?" asked the Doctor.

"Yeah," Martha muttered in reply.

"Sure?" questioned Wanda, worried for the girl being upset and overwhelmed.

"Yeah," Martha repeated, clearing her throat lightly to rid herself of her wavering voice.

"Want to go back in?" the Doctor asked her, still gazing at the trainee doctor carefully for her reactions and responses. Martha shook her head quickly, starting to smile again.

"No way," she said with a smile. She stared off, taking in the astonishing sight before them once more. "I mean, we could die any minute, but all the same, like Miss Rivers said, . . . it's beautiful."

"Not as beautiful as you, my dear," Wanda giggled, giving Martha a wink. The medical student laughed, seeming to like how the blonde girl next to her was trying to ease their worries and fears. Martha could see it, really. Even though the blonde did act light and cheerful, bouncing and giggling away, there was still fear and worry in those emerald eyes all the same. It was as though it were the girl's way to not show her fears; to keep other people's spirits up as well. Martha wished she could be that like.

"So, what do you think happened?" Martha finally questioned to the two of them, wondering on other's ideas on the sudden and strange events at Royal Hope Hospital. The Doctor pondered this for a moment, glancing at the medical student with a curious gaze.

"What do you think?" he asked inquiringly. It was a few seconds of hesitation before Martha finally answered.

"Extraterrestrial. It's got to be," she told them, giving a small shrug. "I don't know. A few years ago, that would have sounded mad, but these days? That spaceship flying into Big Ben, Christmas, those Cybermen things." Martha let out a small breath, suddenly starting off distantly to the Earth before them. Her demeanour changing quickly to very solemn. "I had a cousin—Adeola. She worked at Canary Wharf. She never came home." She sucked in a shaking breath. Wanda stopped swinging her legs, starting empathetically at the girl. The Doctor gave a similar look.

"I'm sorry," both Wanda and the Doctor spoke together. Martha just sort of nodded, looking as though she were just as sorry and at a loss to the tragic end to her cousin. The Doctor shifted his gaze back to the Earth.

"We were there. In the battle," he spoke quietly. "It was . . ." He trailed off, unable to finish speaking as his throat and hearts clenched up in remembering the awful occurrence. Brief and wicked memories passed through his mind. Images of Alpha, staring him down with her cruel, glowing white eyes. He shivered slightly as an automatic reflex of fear.

Wanda stared at him in concern, noticing how his eyes wavering from a fearful memory. He seemed to be remembering something different than the battle itself. She frowned, wondering what could have happened that day to cause such a reaction from him. The same went for the injury he had received. It had healed, thankfully. But it had taken far longer to heal than it normally should for him. Healing up in at least a few days, when a natural wound for the Doctor would only take a few hours to disappear. She still pondered over what could have possibly caused such a strange burn on his skin.

"I promise you, Mr. Smith, Ms. Rivers, we will find a way out," Martha spoke up, snapping the Doctor out of his frightening recollection and Wanda out of her ponderings. The medical student stare on firmly, filled with determination to save everyone in the hospital. "If we can travel to the moon, then we can travel back. There's got to be a way." The Doctor pushed himself away from the ledge, starting to walk around the balcony to search for something particular.

"It's not 'Smith,'" he told Martha.

"And I'm not Alice Rivers," Wanda explained, turning around to hop back down from the concrete ledge. "Those aren't our real names." Martha blinked, looking uncertain by this statement from them.

"Then, who are you?" she asked.

"He's the Doctor and I'm the Wanderer," Wanda stated brightly, shaking Martha's hand very excitedly. "Just call me Wanda, though. And it is so great to finally meet you for the first time, Martha Jones. I mean, just brilliant. But, of course, it's always great whenever I met a companion for the first time. Well, not technically my first time, their first time meeting me, really. But then—."

"You're rambling again," the Doctor spoke up, bending down to pick up a stray rock from the ground. Perfect for throwing.

"Shush. I'm just a little excited," Wanda retorted, finally letting go of Martha's hand from the rapid shaking. The medical student sort of blinked in a daze from the hyper handshake and the very speedy talking.

"So, um, Wanda who?" Martha asked curiously. Wanda blinked for a second before throwing back her head and laughing loudly.

"Oh, I can't believe you said that!" Wanda giggled in delight. "I mean, most of the time it's always 'Doctor who?' No one ever really questions my name much. You're the first to do that. You really are a star, Martha." Wanda kissed the medical student really quick on the cheek as praise. "But, no, it's just Wanda." Martha blinked and rubbed at her cheek, unsure by the blonde girl. Maybe it was not only Mr. Smith who needed a visit to psychiatric ward.

"And before you ask, it's just 'the Doctor,'" said the Doctor. He tossed the rock up and down in his hand, getting ready to throw it. Martha stared at him curiously.

"How do you mean, just 'the Doctor'?" she asked.

"Like we said, just 'Wanda' and just 'the Doctor,'" Wanda explained. "Nothing more and nothing less."

They watched as the Doctor tossed the rock out over the balcony. It struck an invisible forcefield, making the air crackle with electric energy. Martha stared at the sight in amazement while the Doctor and Wanda stood next to her, gazing out to the invisible barrier with keen interest.

". . . Forcefield," the Doctor muttered. "That's what's keeping the air in."

"But if that's like a bubble sealing us in, that means this is the only air we've got," Martha noted, trying to get over the sudden discovery of the forecfield, and the bizarre people next to her. Slight horror sunk in once they all realized what the girl had pointed out. This was all the air they had. Air which was being depleted by the second with every breath.

"And when it runs out, we all suffocate," Wanda breathed out. "Everyone. All one thousand third-eight people, slowly dying from lack of oxygen." She sucked in a small breath, feeling guilty for breathing in such precious air that could be given to others in need. "Not a pleasant way to go."

"Why would anyone do that?" Martha questioned aloud, looking horrified by the very idea of that fate happening to anyone. Let alone over a thousand people.

Suddenly, loud engines were heard coming overhead of them. The hospital shivered as very huge, cylindrical ships flew over the building. Three of these ships hovered a distance away from the hospital and the forcefield. Landing with a loud and quaking 'thump' on the moon's surface. The ships opened up underneath and allowed out a marching army of black armoured Judoon. The aliens stomped their way over to the hospital, ready to infiltrate the building.

"Aliens," Martha breathed in disbelief to the sight. "That's aliens. Real, proper aliens."

"Judoon," the Doctor grounded out. He turned around quickly and hurriedly rushed away from the balcony and back into the hospital. Martha and Wanda ran after him, making sure to keep up. They heard people beginning to scream in terror throughout the building. All terrified of the newly arrival of the Judoon.

The trio swiftly arrived into the mezzanine level hanging over the hospital reception. They crouched behind a large potted plant, peeking through the leaves to watch the Judoon scan the scared humans below, cataloging all of them. All the people cowered in fear as the large armoured rhinocerid humanoids moved amongst them. Only one Judoon, the Captain, had his helmet off. Many people flinched when this Judoon came anywhere near them. Wanda saw how the Judoon captain had Oliver Morgenstern, a fellow trainee doctor of Martha's, lead the Judoon around the hospital as a forced escort of sorts.

"Oh, look down there, you got a little shop. I like a little shop," the Doctor spoke up in delight to the sight of the small shop with flowers, stuffed toys, and such. Wanda rolled her eyes in amusement to his reaction in seeing the shop.

"Oh, you and your—oh, look! They have a fountain! Yes! I love fountains!" she cheered brightly upon the sight of the small fountain in the corner of the lobby. Martha frowned at them both for becoming so distracted.

"Never mind that," she reprimanded them. Both Time Lords cleared their throats lightly and gave sheepish grins to Martha as an apology for becoming unfocused for a moment there. The trio continued to gaze onto the Judoon moving about the humans, watching as the Judoon scanned the people and then marked their hands once finished. Martha stared at the scene with uncertainty. "What are Judoon?"

"They're like police. Well, police for hire. They're more like interplanetary thugs," the Doctor explained as he continued to watch the Judoon's actions with guarded eyes.

"And they brought us to the moon?" Martha questioned, finding this whole situation bizarre. Mostly in her confusion of why exactly the Judoon would take the time to kidnap a whole hospital in the first place.

"Neutral territory," the Doctor explained to her. "According to galactic law, they've got no jurisdiction over the Earth, so they isolated it." Martha blinked, staring at him in disbelief. The Doctor glanced at her, seeing the bewildered expression. "That rain, lightning? That was them, using an H2O scoop."

"What are you on about, galactic law? Where'd you get that from?" Martha questioned in skepticism, having slight humour in her voice as she was really starting to think the two next to her were beyond mad. She glanced over, seeing the Doctor and Wanda moving around the corner, still crouching behind the wall-railing of the landing. She followed closely behind them, peeking over the edge of the glass railing to stare down. "If they're police, are we under arrest? Are we trespassing on the moon or something?"

"No, but I like that. Good thinking," the Doctor replied, giving Martha a small grin as she crouched back down next to him. He gave her a studying gaze, finding he was really liking this girl more and more by the minute. But . . . she was still no Rose. Looking away and back to the scene below, he frowned at the sight. "No, I wish it were that simple."

"Yeah, nothing's ever _that_ simple," Wanda muttered quietly next to him. He hummed, nodding in agreement.

"They're making a catalog," he noted of the scene before them. Mostly stating this to clear up any confusion Martha might still have about what was happening. But also stating this out loud for himself as well, making mental notes as to what exactly their situation was. "That means they're after something nonhuman, which is very bad news for me and Wanda."

"Why?" Martha breathed out in a question. Both the Doctor and Wanda stared at her, making the medical student blinked at them in even greater disbelief. No. They were kidding right? She gave an unease grin. "Oh, you're kidding me." The Doctor raised a brow while Wanda smirked playfully. Martha blinked once more. "Don't be ridiculous." Both continued to stare at her in a knowing way which made her even more flabbergasted. "Stop looking at me like that."

Wanda snorted lightly, "Oh, Martha, that's just the tip of the iceberg." She and the Doctor stood up and quickly went back the way they came.

Martha hurriedly followed behind, knowing she was in for one hell of a day with these two. She swore, by the end of this night, she was going to have the biggest headache.

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Man I love Martha. She's the best. Especially feel her for having to put up wit two crazy Time Lords. lol ;) So, once again, hope you all enjoyed! And once again, if I did anything wrong or if there's anything anyone wishes to mention, please leave your remarks in a review. It always brightens my day to be able to hear from each and every lovely reader out there. Even if it is to point out my faults.


	11. Ch 11: Platoon Upon the Moon

Why, hello. Fancy meeting you all here. ;)

Last, but not least, number four! Please, enjoy! :)

XxXxXxXx

Chapter 11: Platoon Upon the Moon

They raced up to another floor, trying to place as much distance between the Judoon and themselves. The Doctor did not want him or Wanda to be captured by the rhinocerid. Best stay far away from those thugs. He knew what the Judoon could be like. They had a policy of shoot first and ask questions later. Even if the Judoon were looking for a specific alien species, the Time Lords might not have a chance to even explain they were not the ones the Judoon were looking for. They might just be vaporized before the Judoon even take a second look at their scanners.

Eventually, the Doctor found an administration office with a computer within. The Doctor had Martha keep a look out for Judoon while he and Wanda check the computer. He knew the answer to their problem, or at least a clue, must be within the computer systems somewhere. But try as they might with their sonics in hand, neither Wanda nor the Doctor were able to unlock any hints from the computer. Martha hurriedly came back into the office, looking worried.

"They've reached the third floor," she told them. She came up beside them, peering down curiously to the tools in their hands. "What are those?"

"Sonic screwdrivers," the Doctor answered as he continued to try and hack into the system. Martha scoffed internally to the Doctor's answer, rolling her eyes.

"Well, if you're not going to answer me properly," she grumbled, knowing he was just making up words to distract her.

"No, really, it is," the Doctor replied, pulling back from the computer to look at Martha. "It's a screwdriver, and it's . . . sonic—look." He held up his blue-tipped tool for Martha to see. She chuckled in disbelief, shaking her head lightly. First they are aliens, and now they have screwdrivers that were 'sonic.' What else did the two have up their sleeves?

"What else have you two got, a laser spanner?" she joked sarcastically.

"I did, but it was stolen by Emily Pankhurst—cheeky woman," the Doctor replied causally. He growled under his breath at the computer while Martha blinked for a third time, completely flabbergasted by everything the Doctor said. The Time Lord slapped the computer in front of him harshly, making the device shake on the desk as he glared at it. "What's wrong with this computer?!"

"Don't blame the computer, sweetie," Wanda mumbled. She had given up on the computer a few moments ago, knowing it was useless. Now she simply glowered at the device along with the Doctor. "The Judoon locked it down the moment they arrived. They didn't want the alien fugitive trying anything with the computers." The Doctor huffed, rubbing at hand over his face, then through his hair in frustration, making said hair messy as he glared at the computer screen.

"Judoon platoon upon the moon," he muttered under his breath, feeling his frustration increasing by the minute. In the corner of his eye, he could see the wary expression of Martha's face. "'Cause we were just travelling past. I swear, we were just wandering. We weren't looking for trouble. Honestly, we weren't." He grumbled under his breath as he felt the need to ramble angrily in his irritation. All he wanted was a quick adventure with Wanda. Huge threats, Judoon, and the impeding pressure of a new companion had not been on his top list of things to do today.

"But, as usual, trouble always seems to find us," Wanda added in calmly. She felt slight annoyance to their situation as well. Though, this was mostly her wishing to just run around to fix the problem instead of merely sitting in an office. God this body was highly impatient. Letting out a breath, she smiled lightly at Martha, hoping to explain things to the confused girl. "We noticed the coils around the hospital. Well, I say noticed, but it was more of a friend of ours, Sarah Jane, called us up and told us about it. Said how she remembered seeing something like that in the past during her own travels with the Doctor. Anyway—no wait, when exactly would have Sarah Jane seen such a thing? I don't remember that from the show. Oh! Was it an adventure I missed? Can you tell me about that adventure, Doctor? I would love to—."

"Anyway. Point is," the Doctor interrupted her. He covered her mouth lightly, stopping her excited ramble as he continued to explain their appearance here to Martha. "These plasma coils have been building up for two days, so we decided to check in and check it out instead of Sarah. We thought something was going on _inside_. It turns out the plasma coils were the Judoon up above. Those right, thick—they are thugs I tell you. Ran into them a number of times. Each time I swear I wanted to give them a great big kick in the—." He let his hand drop from Wanda's mouth as he made a rude gesture in the air and continued to rant.

This time, Wanda placed her own hand over his mouth to keep the rather unclean words from continuing out of his mouth. "I think Martha gets it." She gave him a stern gaze, making him clear his throat after she dropped her hand.

"Right. Sorry. Got carried away there," he grumbled under his breath. Martha chuckled quietly under her breath, finding the two of them amusing. Must be a married couple or something.

"But what are they looking for?" she questioned the two of them.

"Not 'what.' 'Who,'" Wanda explained while the Doctor went on furiously typing away at the computer. "A person who looks like a normal human, but only as a cover of sorts."

"Like you two, apparently," Martha replied, still feeling highly skeptical of their earlier confession of being 'aliens.' Wanda grinned brightly.

"Like us," she said.

"But not us," the Doctor grumbled as he slapped the computer again. Martha nodded, seeming to think this over.

"Haven't they got a photo?" Martha asked curiously.

"Ah, might be a shape-changer," the Doctor muttered in response.

"Well, whatever, or whoever, they are, can't you just leave the Judoon to find it?" Martha questioned, thinking possibly that would be their easiest solution. Best leave the police to it. She almost hoped that the Judoon would find this 'alien' soon, and leave the rest of the hospital alone once finished. But the Doctor's next words gave her a sinking feeling, making her even more worried than before.

"If they declare the hospital guilty of habouring a fugitive, they'll sentence it to execution," the Doctor stated quickly. Martha blinked in shock.

"All of us?" she asked in disbelief.

"Oh, yes, but if we can find this thing first—oh!" The two females jumped at the Doctor's angry exclamation as he banged his hand against the computer severely. "Do you see? They're thick! Judoon are thick! They are so completely thick! They've wiped the records! Oh, that's clever." The Doctor grumbled and gritted his teeth some more as they saw the computer go red, showing them all the hospital's records had been wiped from the system.

"What are we looking for?" Martha asked quickly, wanting to help in anyway in getting the information the Doctor and Wanda needed. The Time Lord rubbed both hands through his hair, staring at the screen in exasperation.

"I don't know," he groaned in frustration at the situation they were up against. He really needed a nice holiday with Wanda after this. If they managed to survive, that was. "Say, any patient admitted in the past week with unusual symptoms." He suddenly grabbed the computer, flipping it around in his hands as he examined the back. "Maybe there's a backup." He started to sonic the back, hoping for anything on the information they might need. Giving a slight nod, Martha straightened with determination to help. She hurriedly left the room, telling them she would go see Mr. Stoker for help. Perhaps hoping the supervisor would know something.

The two Time Lords sat in silence as the Doctor continued to work on the computer. Wanda sat next to him, eyes sadly gazing to nothing as she suddenly remembered what had happened earlier. Something to which Martha would discover in a few short minutes.

"He's dead," she spoke quietly.

"Huh?" the Doctor asked absently, too focused on the task in front of him to really listen to Wanda.

"Mr. Stoker. He's dead," Wanda clarified. The Doctor stopped his work, blinking at Wanda in surprise to this news.

"The Judoon?" he questioned in disbelief.

"No. The alien lifeform they are searching for. She got to him first." Wanda moved her gaze to the Doctor, looking solemn. "She killed him the moment the Judoon landed. I'm so sorry. I'd forgotten all about it until now. If I had remembered, I could have stopped it, and perhaps even changed some things. But now . . . because I've forgotten, I have to let things happen as they will."

"That's all right. Can't remember everything now, can you?" The Doctor turned his attention back to the computer. If they cannot get any information from Mr. Stoker, they might be able to at least unlock the backup.

"I don't feel sad."

Wanda's words stopped him, making him blink at her in surprise and bewilderment. "What?"

"Mr. Stoker's dead. Another person has died on our travels. And . . . I don't really feel that sad. Not like I used to feel, anyway." Wanda turned her gaze away from him, staring off to nothing as her eyes wavered. "I remember I used to cry after every time someone died. Not right away, mind you. But still . . . I would feel this ache in my chest, and afterwards, when you and no one else were looking, I'd cry." She stared down at her hands in her lap, eyes filled with remorse. "I guess . . . I've just gotten used to it. All the death and such. I don't know if I like that or not."

The Doctor simply continued to stare at her, seeing the way she gazed with uncertainty and unease at her lap. He knew she was still remembering the incident back at H.C. Clements. Even though it had been months ago, it still tore her up when letting all those Racnoss children die. Yes, she knew it was something that had to be done. But still, Wanda held her ever strong conflictions for keeping all children, of all kinds, safe.

"We don't always feel sad every time," the Doctor said softly. He reached forward and grasped one of her hands gently. Wanda let out a sigh, looking back at the Doctor and smiling.

"I know," she said quietly. "I'm just worried and afraid that . . ." She paused, thinking over her words. Then she shook her head, seeming to dismiss her train of thought. "Never mind. I need to stop being such a downer." She smiled softly. "At least this means I'm not as much as a weakling as I had been during my First self."

The Doctor frowned. "Oh, now, don't say that. Young Wanda was strong in her own way."

"No, sorry, I didn't mean that to be callous to Young me. I just meant that I've grown stronger over the years in some ways." She smiled and patted his hands. "Not as fearful of things and such. Like corrupting time. Used to be terrified of that one. That, and of you as well."

"What?" The Doctor blinked, completely stunned by this one as an icy chill washed over him.

"No, wait! That came out wrong." Wanda hurriedly gripped his hands in return, giving them a reassuring squeeze. "I meant I used to be constantly worried and scared of ruining our moments together. Of spoiling our friendship, especially whenever Young me used to always make Nine so angry. Though, I still find myself nervous around him. Just because I truly want to make the best impression. But, eh, I guess I might have messed up on first impressions with that punch of mine." She chuckled lightly, giving the current Doctor a wry grin.

Chuckling lightly, the Doctor gave a small foxy grin in return as he seemed relieved in some ways. "Actually, I think that punch made the best first impression. It made me learn to shut my yap when I see that eye twitch." He tapped the edge of her left eye fondly, making her giggle. With a small smile, he pondered over this own thoughts of small fears. "You know, actually, I'm rather nervous around First Wanda myself."

Wanda blinked, furrowing her brows in slight disbelief and bewilderment. The Doctor was nervous of _her_? "Really?"

The Doctor nodded, smiling in a fond manner. "Really. I'm about the same as you. Worried I'm going to mess up and make a prat out of myself like I did as my Ninth self." His smiled dropped as he slowly grew a regretful expression. "I really wanted to make it up to you after all of that. Especially to Young Wanda, since she's not around as much and all." He stared down at their clasped hands for a moment, before giving a small chuckle as he reminisced fondly. "It's not only that, though. I've always felt so flustered, awkward, and constantly embarrassing myself when I'm around you. Any incarnation of you. N-not that's a bad thing, of course. You're truly the only person who has ever made me feel that way. In fact, I think I haven't felt so flustered around someone in my life." He gave her a bright foxy grin, wiggling his brows slightly.

Wanda giggled in delight. "You know what? I have to say the same thing about you."

He perked up greatly. "Really?"

"Really." She leaned forward, giving him a chaste kiss. She let out a small squeak when he suddenly grabbed her, placing her in his lap. Giggling way, Wanda kicked her legs out slightly as the Doctor worked on getting the backup from the computer with one hand and held a comforting arm around her middle, very lightly giving her pecks on the cheek in delight as he continued his work. They both let out a small cheer when the computer screen lit up with different files, showing them the backup was still there with the information they needed.

"Now, just need to get Martha," the Doctor said. He let Wanda hop off his lap before hurriedly standing up and rushing out of the room. Wanda followed quickly after him down the hall, noticing how he had a bounce in his step as he went along. As did she. Though, new her always seemed to have a bounce in her steps nowadays. Spotting Martha running towards them from down the hall, Wanda sped up her pace.

"I've restored the backup," the Doctor told the new companion cheerfully when Martha ran up closer to them.

"I found her," Martha breathed out in a panic, her eyes wide in alarm. The Doctor blinked in confusion as Wanda came up next to them both.

"You did what?" he questioned the medical student in bewilderment. His question was answered when a black motorcycle jokey (a Slab) busted through an office door down the hall, storming its way down the hall towards them.

"Time to run!" Wanda exclaimed. She grabbed both the Doctor and Martha's hands, and took off down the hall away from the chasing Slab.

They went as fast as they could down the hall. Rushing past all the patients who sat or wandered around within the hospital halls, and jumping over broken objects which had been tossed around during the earlier quake of the building. All the while, the Slab continued to chase after the trio, getting ever so closer to them as they went. Wanda pulled the two along towards the flight of stairs, ready to head to another floor. The Doctor ran ahead of the two, trying to see which floor they should run to. Once they reached the fourth landing, the Doctor came to a quick halt as he saw a group of marching Judoon heading up towards them. He swiftly grabbed both Wanda and Martha, steering them off to the fourth floor's hallway.

Rushing through different doors, Wanda glanced over her shoulder, seeing the Slab right on their tails. Hurriedly looking to the front, she spotted the radiology ward up ahead.

"There!" she pointed in the direction.

"Got it," the Doctor nodded, knowing what Wanda was indicating to. It was perfect for getting rid of that Slab. They hurriedly ran into the room, and the Doctor sonicked the door closed right behind them. He backed away from the door as the Slab outside began to slam into it. They only had seconds before it would break in and kill them all. He hurriedly pushed both Martha and Wanda behind the radiation screen where the controls were for the X-ray machine.

"When I say 'now,' press the button," the Doctor instructed them hastily.

"But we don't know which one!" exclaimed Martha in a panic.

"Then find out!" the Doctor yelled, rushing off into the room to get the X-ray machine ready for the Slab. Martha speedily grabbed a nearby manual next to the controls, swiftly flipping through the papers in search for which button to push. Wanda gave a pat on the girl's shoulder, gaining her attention.

"Martha, relax. It's the big yellow button. It's always the big yellow button," Wanda said, giving the girl a reassuring grin.

"I thought it was always the big red button?" Martha asked, worried that the blonde girl next to her might be wrong that the big yellow button in front of them was not the correct one, leading to the Doctor's plans failing and the Slab killing them all. She also felt panicked over the increasingly loud slams and splintering noises coming from the door, telling her they only had seconds before the Slab came in.

"Red, yellow: same thing," Wanda shrugged. Martha scoffed, unbelieving to the blonde girl's complete ease with the situation at hand. What sort of life did her and the Doctor live exactly? Was running around and fighting against danger a normal thing for the two of them?

Both girls jumped when the door of the room came crashing in. The Slab had finally broken down the obstacle, now ready to finish its task. They whipped their heads over, seeing the Slab marching its way to the Doctor. The Time Lord had the X-ray pointed at the leather creature with his sonic jabbed into the machine. He gritted his teeth as he braced himself for the upcoming radiation.

"Now!" he shouted to the two girls behind the radiation screen. Together, Martha and Wanda slammed on the large, yellow button on the controls. They shut their eyes tightly as a blinding flash of white light lit up the room. A loud buzzing noise pulsed through their ears as the machine shot deadly rays at the Slab. Finally, the white light and noise vanished when the button was released. The girls opened their eyes once more, seeing how the Slab rocked on its feet stiffly. It finally fell forward like a plank, hitting the ground face first. Martha stared at the sight in awe while Wanda let out a sigh of relief. For a minute there, she had been worried that it had not been the big yellow button. The Doctor let go of the X-ray machine, staring down carefully at the Slab.

"What did you do?" Martha asked the Doctor.

"Increased the radiation by five thousand percent," he explained to her. "Killed him dead." Martha stiffened, suddenly worried for the man's safety outside of the radiation screen.

"But isn't that gonna kill you?" she questioned in concern. She knew her and Wanda would be safe from the radiation behind the screen. But the man outside would be poisoned and most likely die from such intense radiation. The Doctor gave a small foxy grin to the two of them.

"Nah, it's only roentgen radiation. We used to play with roentgen bricks in the nursery," he said. He nodded for the two of them to go ahead and come out from behind the screen. "It's safe for you to come out. I've absorbed it all." Martha stared at him warily, still not believing for the area to be safe. Nor for him to be perfectly fine as he was acting to be. However, she relaxed somewhat in seeing how Wanda merrily strolled out from behind the control area, bouncing slightly in her steps as she walked over to the Doctor. Martha followed after her, watching curiously as the Doctor started to roll his shoulders, snort slightly, and seemed to be concentrating on something.

"All I need to do is expel it," the Doctor muttered as he continued to roll his shoulders. He then proceeded to hop lightly on his feet. "Mm, if I concentrate—ah. Shift the radiation out of my body and into one spot." He then started on hop only on one foot, shaking his left foot out. "It's in my left shoe. Here we go, here we go. Easy does it." He began to kick his foot out, hoping over to the waste bin. "Out, out! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Itches, itches, itches, itches, oh! Ah, hold on." He hurriedly took off his red, left shoe and sock, slamming it into the waste bin and closing the lid. He beamed at them afterwards. "Done."

Martha blinked, giving him a highly flabbergasted and dumbfounded expression. On the edge of believing he was the most brilliant man she had ever met, or the most mental. Beside her, Wanda kept giggling like mad, entertained greatly by the Doctor's small performance there. She always had loved this part in the show with him.

"You're completely mad," Martha stated after a bit, shaking her head in amazement at the grinning mad man. The Doctor frowned, glancing down at his one barefoot and one shoe covered one.

"You're right. I look daft in one shoe," he replied. He hurriedly bent down, taking off the other shoe and sock, and throwing it into the waste bin as well. He grinned, finding it funny on how much Wanda giggled and at the way Martha was giving him a look of complete disbelief. "Barefoot on the moon." He wiggled his toes slightly and clipped his teeth together.

"Oh! Me, too!" Wanda exclaimed brightly. She hopped over next to him, hurriedly taking off her own shoes and tossed them into the bin with his. "There. Now we match." The two Time Lords grin away at each other, wiggling their toes together as well. Martha slowly shook her head, starting to feel that headache coming along. She decided to turn her attention away from the mad couple and onto the leather biker creature dead on the floor.

"So, what is that thing, and where's it from—the planet of Zovirax?" the medical student questioned the two of them.

"Nope. It's a Slab," Wanda began to explain while the Doctor was busy pulling out his sonic screwdriver from the X-ray machine. "It's a slave drone, made completely out of leather. I mean literally. Whole thing, nothing but leather and dressed to look like a biker."

"Someone has got one hell of a fetish," the Doctor muttered while he yanked out his sonic. He pouted at the sight of his tool. It was completely burnt out. Melted and charred black from the over taxing in upgrading the X-ray.

"It was that woman, Miss Finnegan. It was working for her, just like a servant," Martha stated, explaining as to who exactly was behind all of this. Exactly who the Judoon must be really after.

"My sonic screwdriver," the Doctor whined, not paying attention Martha kneeling next to the Slab whatsoever.

"She was one of the patients, but—," Martha tried to gain back the Doctor's attention.

"Burnt out my sonic screwdriver," the Doctor continued to complain, interrupting the speaking girl. He could repair it, if he had the time. But why bother when the TARDIS supplied him with new tools whenever he needed them? Still, he was rather attached and fond of each sonic screwdriver he ever owned. Wanda patted him arm lightly in sympathy when he showed her the burnt sonic and gave a big pout.

"She had this straw, like some sort of vampire," Martha spoke up firmly, growing annoyed with the Doctor ignoring her.

"Hmm, not a nice way to go, being sucked through a straw," Wanda muttered, wincing at such a way to die. To have one's blood drain, and through a straw no less, just gave Wanda the creeps. "Well, you see, she's a—."

"I love my sonic screwdriver," the Doctor whined again, interrupting Wanda this time. Both girls huffed and gave him looks of irritation.

"Doctor," Martha barked.

"Spaceman," Wanda snapped. The Doctor blinked, realizing he should probably shut it before the two girls began to hit him in their frustration. He hurriedly tossed the sonic over his shoulder, off to a far corner of the room. It banged against the wall, coming to a rest on the cold floor to remain forgotten.

"Sorry," the Doctor apologized in embarrassment to get side tracked.

"Anyway. Miss Finnegan is the alien," Martha explained, glad to finally have the Doctor's full attention. "She was drinking Mr. Stoker's blood."

"Funny time to take a snack. You'd think she'd be hiding," the Doctor mumbled, frowning in thought. His eyes lit up in realization and his mind began to race as it dawn on him what the fugitive alien was doing. "Unless—no. Yes, that's it! Wait a minute. Yes! Shape-changer! Internal shape-changer. She wasn't drinking blood. She was assimilating it."

"Yep," Wanda said, popping the 'p' slightly at the end while she bounced on the balls of her feet. "She's a Plasmavore."

"Plasmavore?" Martha asked, staring curiously at the two Time Lords.

"They're a humanoid race that, well, drink blood to survive. They're mostly known for the murders they commit in finding unique blood sources," the Doctor explained rapidly. He rubbed a hand at the back of his head, frowning in thought. "Wonder what she did to get the Judoon after her."

"She killed a child princess from Padrivole Regency Nine," Wanda told him.

"Yeah, that would do it," the Doctor muttered. He shook his head slightly, going into a ramble explanation. Mostly for Martha, who still seemed greatly confused. "Anyway. If she assimilates Mr. Stoker's blood, mimic the biology, she'll register as human. We've got to find her and show the Judoon." He rushed around the two, running for the door. "Come on!"

"Wait, Doctor!" Wanda called out to him. But he had already run out of the room. She sighed, and grabbed Martha's hand again. "Come on, we better catch up with him." The two girls swiftly rushed out of the room, spotting the Doctor run around a corner up ahead.

They hurriedly ran up the stairs, seeing how the Doctor was in too much of a hurry to slow down for them. Finally, they caught up with him next to a water cooler. They noticed how he seemed to stand by the edge of the cooler, listening intently for something.

"Doctor, we're already too late for—," Wanda began to explained about Florence being cataloged by the Judoon. But she was silenced with a quick hand over her mouth by the Doctor.

"Shh," he hissed at her, brows furrowing as he listened. Both Martha and Wanda stiffened slightly as they heard something as well. Someone was swiftly marching their way towards them, with the sound of squeaking leather as well. The Doctor pulled both over into a door way. "Get down."

They crouched by the door, hovering in the edge of the shadows of the hall. The Doctor held a protective arm around Wanda and close to him, and the Time Lady held an arm out in front of him and Martha. Both acting protectively for the other if anything dared come after them. The trio held in their breath as the marching steps came closer. A Slab briskly walked by their hiding spot, continuing on down the hall in a swift pace, on a mission to find and kill as its master had ordered. The Doctor waited until the Slab was far from sight before speaking up quietly.

"That's the thing about Slabs—they always travel in pairs," he whispered to the two girls. Martha glanced at the two Time Lords.

"As you two do, apparently," she said in a hushed tone. Eyeing them, she began to ponder over them, wondering if her earlier thoughts of them being married might be correct. "Are you two together, or something?"

"Yeah," the Doctor mumbled, frowning as his mind mulled over the situation at hand. Not entirely paying attention to Martha's questioning. The Time Lady next to him was doing the same, with her mind racing and jumping around in thinking of not only this situation, but more to come later down the road. Martha frowned, realizing that neither on was entirely paying her mind.

"So, I'm guessing you're both are married, then?" she questioned. She smirked lightly as she knew this question would get their attention.

"Yeah—wait a minute, what?" the Doctor said. He blinked, pulling himself out of his mind and directed his gaze at the medical student. He felt surprised in hearing this question pop up from someone once again. First Donna, then a few others during the recent travels he and Wanda have been doing. Why was everyone consistently asking the same question lately? "Married? We're—we're not married. Why does everyone think we're married?" He scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Humans. We're stuck on the Moon, running out of air, with Judoon and a bloodsucking criminal. You're asking personal questions?"

Wanda smiled lightly, bumping her hip against the Doctor lightly. "Well, we are total strangers. What better time to get to know each other?" She snickered as the Doctor shot her a look that said, 'not helping.' She could not help but tease him though. Especially since they were in fact husband and wife. Though in the Doctor's future, of course. Absently, and discreetly, she pressed the ring attached to her TARDIS key necklace against her chest. The ring to which was safely hidden from sight under her purple tunic from any prying Time Lord eyes. Best for any past Doctors not to see the ring and suddenly question why she had a wedding ring in the first place. Plus, just as Eleven had said, it was the perfect place to keep their love close to their hearts and to not lose the ring.

"Oh, just—just come on," the Doctor muttered, holding Wanda's hand as he stood up and went around the corner. Martha rolled her eyes slightly.

"Yeah, well, I'm still not convinced you're both aliens," she muttered under her breath, getting up along with the other two.

Suddenly, the Doctor halted with Wanda bumping into him from behind. A group of Judoon stood right in front of the Time Lord, one holding up a scanner in his face. The scanner beeped and squeaked as the Doctor's eyes went wide with the blue light shining in his face. Martha and Wanda both stood stiffly behind him as the scanner quickly finished its catalog of the Doctor.

"Nonhuman," the Judoon scanning the Doctor said gruffly. Martha's head whipped at the Doctor in shock.

"Oh, my god, you really are," she said in disbelief. The Doctor spun on the spot and grabbed Martha's hand in his free one.

"And again," he said hurriedly as the trio took off down the hall. They skidded around the corner just as the Judoon began to shoot at them. They ducked, the shots just barely missing them. They could hear the quick footsteps of the Judoon heading right for them as the trio ran into a stairwell. Hurriedly, they ran up the flight of stairs, trying to place as much distance between themselves and the Judoon.

Eventually, they made it to a different floor. The Doctor rushed them both through an office, locking the door behind them as he directed them through to the hallway. They swiftly walked down the way, seeing how many patients, nurses, medical students, and other doctors were slumped against the walls. All looking weak and weary as the oxygen within the building was growing more and more thin by the minute. Many could be seen already struggling to breathe. Some of the more elderly and young were breathing with oxygen tanks given to them by the doctors, medical students, and nurses. However, the tanks could only last so long. Soon, there would be no air left, leaving everyone within the hospital dead. Wanda gazed around at the people in worry, hoping that she and the other two would be able to stop this from happening in time.

"They've done this floor. Come on. The Judoon are logical and just a little bit thick. They won't go back to check a floor they've checked already. If we're lucky," the Doctor said as he briskly continued down the hall, trying not to focus on the weak people around them. He was more or less simply relieved that there were no more Judoon on the floor to threaten the trio or the people around them. Wanda followed after the Doctor as swiftly as she could while weaving around the slumped people.

Martha tagged right along, only to stop short when she saw her friend Julia holding up an oxygen mask for a weak woman. She could see how much Julia herself was having short breaths, growing weak by the lack of oxygen in the building. Swiftly walking over to her fellow medical student, Martha crouched next to her friend. The Doctor and Wanda stopped short and walked back over to the two medical students when realizing their new companion had halted next to her friend.

"How much oxygen is there?" Martha asked Julia.

"Not enough for all these people," Julia answered gravely. She sucked in a small, shaky breath. "We're going to run out." Both Time Lords stared at the humans in concern.

"How are you feeling? You all right?" the Doctor asked Martha. He knew all this running around would not help the situation in the losing air. Especially for Martha being human and all. He and Wanda would be fine with their respiratory bypass system. Even if both Time Lords were feeling slightly light-headed from the thin air around them, they could easily hold their breath if needed. But Martha must be feeling the effects of exhaustion and lack of air. However, the medical student merely grinned at him.

"I'm running on adrenaline," she replied, assuring him that she was fine. The Time Lords grinned in return.

"Welcome to our world," Wanda chuckled.

"What about the Judoon?" Martha asked them curiously. She almost hoped that the lack of air would slow down the Judoon in some way or another. But her hope was crushed when the Doctor spoke.

"Nah, great big lung reserves. It won't slow them down," the Doctor answered, knowing what the girl had been hoping for. He glanced around, trying to see where this Mr. Stoker's office was. He needed to see if this Miss Finnegan was still around. They might just get lucky and be able to capture her for the Judoon. "Where's Mr. Stoker's office?"

Martha nodded in the direction of the office, standing up to lead the Time Lords in the direction. When they drew closer to the doorway of the office, the Doctor held out a hand at Martha and Wanda, making sure they stayed behind him as he walked cautiously into the office. Peeking into the room, they saw how Miss Finnegan was nowhere in sight, with only the deceased Mr. Stoker occupying the room. Martha let out an aggravated breath.

"She's gone. She _was_ here," she said. The trio came around the desk, staring carefully at the body of Mr. Stoker. They could see the body was completely and deathly pale, with the eyes staring lifeless up at the ceiling. The Doctor crouched down next to the man, checking him over for the mark on the side of the neck. The location of where the Plasmavore had drained him.

"Drained him dry. Every last drop," the Doctor mumbled when spotting the opening in the man's neck. He sat back on his hunches, glancing over at Wanda. "You were right—she's a Plasmavore." Wanda nodded, looking back over to the doorway.

"We better get going. We need to find out what she's up to now," she said quickly. Both she and the Doctor hurriedly started towards the door, ready to find the Plasmavore and save the hospital. But both halted when Martha called out to them. They turned and saw how she had crouched down next to the deceased Mr. Stoker, gently closing his eyes in respect.

As each Time Lord witnessed this kind act, they both felt separate emotions running through them. The Doctor: feeling saddened in remembering how much the action reminded him of the lost companion and best mate Rose. Wanda: feeling and remembering similar. However, she also felt a strange twist in her hearts, realizing she had not even taken the time to think upon the poor man's death. She had merely brushed it away in an absent thought, as the Doctor seemed to do as well.

Staring at the remorseful Martha, Wanda's eyes softened. It was like staring at her younger self. First Wanda had always taken time to crouch next to those who had fallen, giving her last respects to them. Now . . . how long has it been since Wanda has done that? She could not remember really. It was something that had sort of slipped away over time. Yes, she still worried in keeping people alive. But it had become something to which once they were dead . . . she simply stopped thinking upon them. Focus on the ones one can save, not the ones that had fallen is something which the Doctor would always say. Heck, even Martha herself had said something similar once to Wanda long ago. Still . . . it did not mean that the ones who had fallen should be simply cast aside so quickly.

Walking over to the medical student, Wanda crouched down next to Martha, gently placing a hand on the departed Mr. Stoker, and a soft hand on Martha's as well.

"Be at peace now," Wanda whispered ever so quietly. She smiled softly, patting both Mr. Stoker's shoulder and Martha's. With wavering eyes, Wanda continued to stare in remorse at the lost man. "Thank you, Martha." Martha blinked, not sure of what the blonde girl meant by this, or why she was acting so strangely.

"What for?" Martha asked. Wanda turned her head to the companion, still holding her soft smile.

"For reminding me to be human," she replied. Martha blinked once more, unsure how to response to this. Staring into those emerald eyes, she saw how otherworldly they appeared to be. As though Wanda was some other creature, old in some ways and young in others. Then Martha had to remind herself that Wanda and the Doctor were, in fact, not human. Though Martha had to wonder, in the end, did both Wanda and the Doctor try to be human?

Wanda stood up quickly, pulling up Martha with her. "Come on. We don't have much time left." She pulled the girl along back over to where the Doctor stood. She gazed up at him, seeing how he seemed to have a forlorn and remorseful gaze. As though he were seeing something woeful beginning to develop. Wanda held out her hand to him, smiling in assurance. He blinked out of his stupor, his gaze slowly growing in warmth as he seemed to see some sort of hope out of his cheerless vision. Grabbing Wanda's hand, he gave it a squeeze as he entwined their fingers and walked briskly with her and Martha out of the office.

"Right. Now all we have to do is find Miss Finnegan," Wanda stated when they stepped out into the hallway.

"So, if I was a wanted Plasmavore surrounded by police, what would I do?" the Doctor muttered. He frowned, gazing around the hall to think of where. Spotting it right away, he saw the sign pointing in the direction of where the hospital's MRI was. The Doctor's eyes lit up in realization and dread. "Oh. She's as clever as me. Almost." Wanda hummed and nodded in agreement.

The trio jumped slightly and let go of each other's hands when the doors at the end of the hallway burst open violently. People within the hall began to panic, screaming in fear of the Judoon storming down the way. On the other side of the hallway, the trio's eyes widened as they heard the Judoon ordering the execution of the Doctor once they found him. Wanda hurriedly spun and faced both the Doctor and Martha.

"Quick, Doctor, kiss Martha!" she ordered quickly. The other two blinked in shock and disbelief.

"What?!" both the Doctor and Martha exclaimed. Wanda bounced anxiously on her feet as the Judoon drew closer.

"Look, we need to buy ourselves sometime to be able to stop Miss Finnegan," she explained rapidly. "And to do so, we need DNA exchange with a human, working best through salvia near the face, so that way the Judoon will be confused when they try to catalog Martha. This way they will try to take their time to do a more thorough examination, allowing us to be able to stop Miss Finnegan from killing everyone on this hospital and on the half side of the Earth. Now just hurry up and kiss!"

"I'm—I'm not kissing anyone right now," the Doctor replied, finding the very idea both embarrassing and discomforting. Yes, it was a good idea and it would help. But . . . but he was not going to kiss some random girl that he just met, and who was not his Wanderer.

"Doctor, don't argue right now. We don't have time for that," Wanda said hurriedly and with an anxious tone. "Look, I'm sure Martha will be fine with a simple kiss. Right, Mar—hmph!" Wanda stiffened greatly and blinked rapidly in surprise and shock as someone suddenly grabbed her and thrust their lips against hers. The Doctor standing beside them let his jaw drop in dumbfounded way.

Martha pulled away from the forceful and abrupt kiss she had given Wanda. She eyed both Time Lord sternly as she spoke, "Now, hurry up and save everyone. I'll keep the Judoon distracted." The Doctor blinked a couple of times in astonishment while Wanda's merely stood there in a daze.

"You—You j-just . . . Now listen here, you don't just go kissing people!" the Doctor scolded the girl, snapping out of his stupor as he felt possessiveness overcome him in his Wanderer being forcefully kissed by some stranger.

"Well, I wasn't just gonna sit here all day while you two decided on which one of you was going to kiss me," Martha retorted, starting to march down towards the Judoon through the screaming crowd. She glanced over her shoulder, giving the Doctor a slight eye roll. "Besides, I'd rather it be her than some mental alien." With that said, she marched determinedly towards the oncoming Judoon.

"She . . . that—that . . . Can you believe her?" the Doctor muttered. He glanced over at Wanda, seeing how the Time Lady still held a stunned expression.

"Uuuuuhhhhhh," was all she replied.

The Doctor huffed; feeling even more irritated by what happened. He hurriedly grabbed the still stunned Wanda's hand, dragging her quickly down the hall towards the MRI. Wanda blinked and shook her head slightly, snapping herself out of the stunned stupor she had been in. Martha's actions had been quite the shocker on her system. Glancing over at the Doctor, she snickered slightly as she saw him fuming, muttering in irritation under his breath.

"You know, Doctor, you might want to watch out," Wanda joked lightly. "Martha Jones just might end up stealing me away, for she is one _hell_ of a kisser." She burst into a giggling fit at the look of stuttering shock on the Doctor's face. Rolling his eyes, the Doctor merely pressed them onward, ready to hurry up and end this day already.

They reached the MRI room, halting in front of the doors. Flashing lights came from within the room and a loud buzzing could be heard as well. The Doctor's mind raced as it formulated a plan. In the end, he knew there was only one way to stop the Plasmavore. He swallowed heavily, knowing this was not going to be pleasant. In the corner of his eye, he saw how Wanda seemed to suddenly grow very determined about something as she stared at him.

"I know what you're thinking, and the answer is 'no,'" the Doctor said firmly.

"But I can do it instead. Just let her drain my blood. It'll be just like draining blood from you," Wanda responded, determined not to let the Doctor come into harm's way. The very thought of watching him 'die' today, letting him lie on the floor just in a death state after the Plasmavore was done sucking out all of his blood, shook her to the core. She knew it was needed for him to do it, but her new self was very, very protective of the Doctor. But of course, he was her Theta after all. Her husband. Of course she should protect him no matter what.

But as she was thinking this, the Doctor was feeling similar in protecting her. He firmly placed his hands on her shoulders, staring steadily and strictly at her. "The answer is 'no.' And that's final." He glanced briefly into the small window of the doors, seeing the electricity spark within the room. "Look, just keep quiet and let me handle this."

The Doctor pushed the doors open, walking into the room. Wanda followed close behind him, knowing she was not going to like this. Not one bit. They both looked over to see the MRI scanner sparking with dangerous electricity. The whole thing seeming to be highly unstable and ready to go. Looking over to the corner of the room, they could see the old Miss Finnegan behind the room's screen, working on the controls of the MRI. She seemed to be preparing the machine to do something dreadful, and the Doctor and Wanda knew what exactly that was. The Doctor walked more into the room, giving a wide eyed and frightful expression as he began to speak. Wanda remained standing by the door, keeping silence as the Doctor had asked. Though, she found this quite difficult as she wanted to rant (or ramble) angrily at the elderly Miss Finnegan.

"Have you seen? There are these _things_!" the Doctor exclaimed, gaining the Plasmavore's attention. Miss Finnegan turned around in surprise, frowning at the sight of him. The Doctor kept the same expression, playing the perfect part of a frightened and terrified human as he waved his hand towards the door. "These great big space rhino things, I mean, rhinos from space! And we're on the moon! Great big space rhinos with guns on the moon!"

Miss Finnegan rolled her eyes, turning back around to continue her work as the Doctor went on rambling. "And I only came in for my bunions—look." He hoped on one foot, showing the other bare one to the elderly woman. "All fixed now, perfectly good treatment. The nurses were lovely. I said to my wife—I said, I'd recommend this place to anyone, but then we end up on the moon! And . . . did I mention the rhinos?" Miss Finnegan finally turned around to face him fully, walking up towards him with clear irritation write across her face.

"Hold him," she barked out in an order. A Slab, which seemed to come out of nowhere within the room, stormed up behind the Doctor and grabbed his arms tightly. Wanda gasped as the Doctor stared in alarm at the Miss Finnegan.

"Please, just let him go!" Wanda cried, rushing towards the Slab to yank it away from the Doctor. Orders or not, she will not simply sit back and quietly watch the Plasmavore drain the Doctor's blood away. Miss Finnegan turned her sharp eyes towards the young woman, surprise to see her there. She had not noticed the blonde woman's presence at all, being that the blonde was so quiet and small.

"Hold her as well," the Plasmavore ordered her Slab. The Slab reached out with a free hand, grabbing onto Wanda roughly as she had tried to yank it away from the Doctor. Now it had a tight hold on both Time Lords. The Doctor stared wide eyed, looking alarmed by the situation. It was mostly for the ruse he was playing, but partly he felt alarmed by Wanda suddenly being drawn into the mix. He had been hoping she would listen to him, remaining quiet in the dark corner for safety. But now with her there in the open, he feared the Plasmavore might just drink the Time Lady's blood instead.

"W-what are you doing? Let go of us," the Doctor said hurriedly, making sure he sounded frightened. Miss Finnegan ignored him, turning to the MRI and examining it carefully, as though double checking to make certain it was doing exactly what she intended it for. The Doctor stared around his shoulder at her. "You—you can have whatever want from us. Or just me, really. Please, at least let go of my wife."

"Oh, I don't think so. You've both seen too much," Miss Finnegan replied lightly. She grinned wickedly as she stared at the scanner in front of her. "Besides, I might just need a snack later."

"Look, please, Miss, we really shouldn't stay here and play with the hospital's equipment since it really isn't ours or anything, and it could be dangerous," Wanda spoke up rapidly, sounding in the same frightened tone as the Doctor. "We really should be trying to hide from those—those awful rhinos, 'cause I swear I saw them _kill_ someone! And besides that, I don't think that the machine should really be buzzing and making light like that."

"My wife's right. That—that big, um, machine thing," the Doctor stuttered out.

"It's an MRI, sweetie," Wanda spoke gently, sounding much like a wife would.

"Right, that," the Doctor nodded. "I really don't think it's supposed to be making that noise. Isn't it?"

"You wouldn't understand," Miss Finnegan spoke dismissively, believing the two to be nothing more than completely brainless humans.

"But it's a—a magnetic resonance imagining thing? MRI, like my wife said?" the Doctor continued to question, trying to find out what exactly the Plasmavore did to the machine. "Like a—a ginormous sort of a magnet? I did Magnetics GCSE. Well, I failed, but all the same." Miss Finnegan glanced over her shoulder curiously at him before keeping her attention focused on the electrified scanner once more.

"The magnetic setting now increased to fifty thousand tesla," she told them, sounding proud of her work. The Doctor furrowed his brows, not liking the sound of that one bit.

"Ooh, that's a bit strong, isn't it?" the Doctor commented.

"It'll send out a magnetic pulse that'll fry the brain stems of every living thing within two-hundred fifty-thousand miles," Miss Finnegan said easily, still sounding just as proud of her work. She even gave another wicked grin as she turned to face the two Time Lords. "Except for me, safe in this room." She walked past them still being held roughly by the Slab, going over to work on the machine's controls some more.

The Doctor's eyes lit up slightly in alarm. "But, um—hold on, hold on. I did—I did Geography GCSE. Passed that one. Doesn't that distance include the Earth?"

Miss Finnegan looked causally over her shoulder. "Only the side facing the Moon. The other half will survive. Call it my little gift." Both Wanda and the Doctor glanced at each other as the elderly woman turned her attention back to the controls, each shocked that the woman would be so callous as to kill so many.

"Wait, no—wait, why the bloody hell would you do that?" Wanda demanded to know. "I mean, isn't that just a bit extreme here? How could you just go and kill everyone who are innocent and kind and—and think of all those children!"

"Well, with everyone dead, the Judoon ships will be mine to make my escape," Miss Finnegan said with a grin. "Why should I care if a few simple humans get in the way."

"No, that's weird. You're talking like you're some sort of an alien," the Doctor spoke up, wanting to talk before Wanda burst out into an angry rant as it looked like she was ready to do. He could see her eye twitch and her face growing bright red like she always got when she was boiling with her temper.

"Quite so," Miss Finnegan confirmed, giving him a smile.

"No!" the Doctor said in disbelief and shock.

"Oh, yes." Miss Finnegan smiled and nodded.

The Doctor continued to give her a completely dumbfounded expression. "You're joshing me."

"I am not."

"Can you believe that, Alice? We're talking to an alien? In a hospital?" The Doctor grinned at Wanda, trying to silently tell her to cool off. Wanda huffed slightly, then gave an excited grin.

"Oh, _eccellente_ ," Wanda said brightly. "It's not every day you can say you've met an alien. Wonder if she wants to phone home as well?"

"What, has this place got an E.T. Department?" the Doctor added in, trying to sound like he was joking along with Wanda.

"It's the perfect hiding place—blood banks downstairs for a midnight feast and all this equipment ready to arm myself with, should the police come looking," Miss Finnegan told them, walking over to stand in front of the couple.

"So, those rhinos, they're looking for _you_ ," the Doctor said in an astonished tone.

"Yes," the older woman said slyly. She held up her hand for them to see the black 'X' on the back of her hand, showing them that the Judoon had already scanned and cataloged her. "But I'm . . . hidden."

"Oh, right." The Doctor nodded. "Maybe that's why they're increasing their scans."

Miss Finnegan, who had been walking back over to the scanner, turned sharply to face them again. "They're doing what?"

"The rhinos were told by their chief to increase their scans to, um . . . setting two, I think? Something about since they can't find signs of nonhuman, they'll have to check over everyone again," Wanda said to the Plasmavore. Miss Finnegan bared her teeth slightly, clearly irritated and angered by this news.

"Then I must assimilate again," she grounded out through her teeth. Both the Doctor and Wanda blinked in pretend confusion.

"What does that mean?" the Doctor asked her.

"I must appear to be human," Miss Finnegan said, walking swiftly over to the controls as she hurried to get her straw.

"Well, you're welcome to come home with us," the Doctor said lightly, giving a nervous grin. "We'd be honoured to have an alien guest in our home, wouldn't dear? We can have cake." Wanda nodded absently, keeping her eyes trained on the woman in front of them as she dug through her bag. Miss Finnegan held up her straw, giving them a wicked grin.

"Why should I have cake? I've got my little straw," she replied casually.

"Oh, that's nice. Milkshake?" the Doctor responded, giving the straw a wary stare as the Plasmavore walked up closer to him. "Uh, I like banana."

Miss Finnegan gave a small hum in amusement. "You're quite the funny man. And yet, I think, laughing on purpose at the darkness. I think it's time you found some peace. Steady him." The Slab did as it was told, making the Doctor lower so that Miss Finnegan had better access to his neck. All the while the Slab still kept a tight on Wanda as she struggled in its grasp, growing angry as Miss Finnegan got ready to drink from her Theta.

"Stop it! Please, just leave him alone!" Wanda yelled, trying to make it so she sounded fearful instead of angry. "Look, if you need someone to snack on, then just have me instead. I'm sure that I am much tastier than my husband and—and wouldn't it be better if you 'assimilated' a female instead of a male?"

"Oh, it really doesn't matter," Miss Finnegan remarked cheekily. "If fact, I'd prefer the males over females, for they are much tastier." She gave Wanda a dark grin. "Besides, I think I'm doing you a favor. I'm making you an early widow." She jabbed the straw into the Doctor's neck, making him wince at the sharp pain.

The Plasmavore then proceeded to drain him dry, consuming all of his blood greedily. Wanda gritted her teeth and looked away, not being able to stand the sight of the Doctor slowly turning pale and dying. She shook as she only wanted to slam herself into the damn Plasmavore and, being an elderly woman or not, knock her lights out. But Wanda kept her cool, knowing this was part of the plan and the Doctor would be angry with her if she messed everything up. Not only this, but she knew that once the Plasmavore let go of the Doctor and the Judoon arrived with Martha to kill the fugitive, then Wanda would be able to resuscitate the Doctor and bring him back to life.

But the danger became even more apparent when the pinging warning of the Doctor's death (or of her own, for she never quite figured that one out) went off in her mind; telling her that the Doctor was very close to his death now as his hearts slowed down from the lack of blood being pumped through his system. And as his hearts slowed down, missing a few of their beats, Wanda's second heart stuttered. Her eyes went wide as she remembered what would happen to her as well if the Doctor ever died. Her hearts and body would slowly cease function, making her die along with him as her life was connected to his. She gasped, realizing that she might not be able to stay alive long enough to save him.

"No, please, stop it! You're killing him!" Wanda screamed in terror as she turned her head towards the two again. She saw how the Doctor give her a light wink, as if to try and reassure her over the fact that he was deathly pale now and slowly dying.

Before she could act or do anything else, she felt her second heart give out as the Doctor's own hearts stop. She stared at her husband in alarm as his brown eyes stared blankly back at her, lifeless.

"No!" she cried, feeling tears run down her face. She fell weakly to her knees in devastation and the Doctor fell back hard on the ground as the Slab let go of them both when the doors burst open and a flood of Judoon and one Martha Jones came into the room.

Wanda crawled over to the Doctor as she felt her other heart stuttering and trying to cease its function. Her body, becoming increasingly weak not only from the lacking oxygen but from her dying body as well. She shakenly ran her hands along her husband's face, feeling how cold his was from the lack of blood and life. Full of determination and resolve, she firmly began her work to bring him back to life. She did not even care to pay attention to what else was going on within the room. Did not even pay mind to the Judoon discovering the real fugitive alien they had been after along with Martha's help. Nor did she remotely care of them killing the Plasmavore off and the MRI scanner in the corner getting ready to kill everyone. All she focused on was breathing deeply onto the Doctor's mouth, giving air to his lungs, then promptly pushing roughly on his chest over both hearts to start them up once more.

"Come on, Doctor. Come on. You're not leaving me, do you hear?" Wanda muttered in desperation. She panted, out of breath as she stared down at his face, watching as he jerked slightly as she pumped on his chest. Martha hurriedly kneeled down beside the girl after the Judoon had left when finishing their work on killing the guilty Plasmavore and her Slab, looking at the Doctor in panic. The medical student glanced up at the unstable scanner in the corner, seeing how it was becoming increasingly deadly.

"Wanda, the Judoon left and that things going to explode. What do we do?" the girl asked the Time Lady hurriedly, sounding just as out of breath as the alien next to her.

"Un-plug t-the . . . red cord. Al-always . . . r-red cord," Wanda panted. Martha nodded, jumping up and running over to the controls to do as such. Wanda gritted her teeth, pumping viciously at the Doctor's chest over his hearts. "P-please . . . please don't leave me. Not. Ever. S-s-ttay . . . with me, please." She panted, sucking in one last deep breath as she felt her last heart stutter and stop. Leaning down, she breathed all her own air into the Doctor's lungs. She slumped over, letting out one last word. "Theta."

Wanda fell sideways onto the cold, hospital floor, vaguely hearing the MRI turn off and the Doctor gasping and coughing for air as his hearts started up once more. She smiled on the ground, not even caring that her own hearts began to beat strongly. All she cared was that she had done it. She had brought the Doctor back to life. The Doctor sat up, coughing and hacking as he tried getting whatever oxygen there was left into his lungs. He looked up as he heard someone fall to the ground, seeing that Martha had passed out with unplugged red cords held tightly in her hands. Beside him, he heard Wanda coughing and gasping as well as she too tried to breathe again.

Neither Time Lord had enough air in their lungs to speak as they both helped each other up. The Doctor walked up, stooping down to pick up an unconscious Martha and hold her in his arms, feeling proud of the human as he knew she had stopped the machine. Wanda held him steady as they walked out of the room, going back to the halls. They saw how people all around them were now unconscious as well, all lying slumped within the halls. They continued on, going into the very same room which the Doctor had been hospitalize and stared out the large windows when seeing the Judoon ships leaving the Moon's surface.

"Come on, come on, come on. Come on, please," the Doctor managed to mutter under his breath as he watched the ships leaving. He could only hope now that the Judoon would have the decency enough to send the hospital and humans back. Then, as the rain began to hit the window outside the hospital, both Time Lords gave the brightest smiles in victory.

"It's raining," Wanda breathed. "Oh, how much I love the rain." She giggled and smiled as she leaned up against the Doctor. The thunder crashed with the white light filling up the hospital once again as they were all saved.

XxXxXxXx

Martha gasped as she sat up in the hospital bed. Blinking in confusion and weariness, she slowly looked around her, deeply wishing to see two people there with her. She almost expected to see them sitting beside the bed and grinning at her. However, all she saw was the broken up room and people walking happily down the hallway of the Royal Hope Hospital. No Doctor or Wanderer in sight. Martha shook her head, hurriedly jumping off the bed and running past the stumbling patients within the building. Jogging down as quickly as she could (being that she was still weak from oxygen starvation), she ran down to the ground floor of the building. Going outside, she saw many police, paramedics, and new reporters all gathered around. All in fearful fright as to what had just occurred only minutes ago with the hospital's return.

And still, there was no Doctor or Wanderer.

Martha felt greatly deflated as she only wished to have at least seen the strange aliens one last time before they left. But it appeared that they were now long gone. Or . . . at least, she thought they were.

Movement caught her eye over by the hospital's garden. She looked over, smiling when she saw the two aliens walking through the flowers and trees, going towards a strange blue box parked under one large tree. She waved lightly as she saw both smiling and waving to her as a goodbye. Then, both walked into the blue box. She thought it strange, them going into an old police box. How would they both fit in there? Then, a police car drove by front of her vision and the box was gone once the car had passed. Just like that. Both the blue box and the extraordinary couple, were gone.

Martha felt her heart plummet as she slowly lowered her waving hand. Her smile dropped and she could only stare at the direction in wonder as she dearly wished to have had a proper goodbye. But maybe, just maybe, it was meant to be this way. The Doctor and the Wanderer. Two travellers who came to where they were needed, and left once the day was saved. Constantly on the move. Constantly on the job to save the world and the people around them. Martha smiled sadly, only wishing she could have seen them one last time. Maybe even have a proper journey with them without impending doom and death.

"Yo! Martha! Are you seriously telling me that I leave for two bleepin' minutes and _this_ happens?!"

Martha jumped in surprise at the call of a familiar American accent. Turning around, she beamed as she saw the messy brown hair and foxy grin of her young friend.

"Oh, Aleena, you wouldn't believe what happened," Martha said in excitement, rushing over to teenaged girl to tell her the full story of the amazing adventure she had with the Doctor and the Wanderer.

XxXxXxXx

Whelp, seems like a lot of interesting things happened in this chapter. Wonder where the Doctor and Wanda will go to next. ;) So, hate to be a repeat, but please let me know what you all think of the chapter, or chapters, in a review. I'm really, really excited to see what you all thought of the chapters. :D Hope to see you all again in the future! Take care everyone! :)


	12. Ch 12: Mending the Relationship

Hello, once again, readers!

So, it's been quite a while, hasn't it? I'm so sorry for my long absences as of late. I had planned on updating a few months ago, but as you all know I have been fighting cancer lately. And that fight had a decline a while back. I had to go into a second treatment plan, as the first stopped workly as well as it should have, and with far too severe side effects to the doctor's liking. I actually left the States for a while to start some new treatments in Europe that I am very fortunate to be able to receive because of family benefits. I thank the universe to have this availability, for I know countless others are not as lucky in receiving such options and treatments. I am truly grateful to my family and others for all their help. Though, I'm not going to lie; I did kind of go into a depression seclusion after leaving the States, because, well, it's just been hard pushing through it all. Started avoiding everything and everyone, and just wanted to focus on my treatments and simply get better before focusing on anything else. But I just want to assure you all that I'm doing much better now! :) I arrived back in the States, and I'm pushing myself to be more active with people, with motivational encouragement from my family and best friend. Plus, I really missed you all on this site. I really hope to see everyone again that I've come to know and love. 3

I really hope that everyone isn't too angry with me for being gone so long. :( If any of you are, I don't blame you. I'm so sorry for being absent for such a long period of time without any updates. I hope that you all can forgive me.

So, enough rambles from me. Don't wanna be a brag now. ;) On with the chapter! Enjoy!

XxXxXxXx

 **Warning:** **Mature themes and discussions.**

Chapter 12: Mending the Relationship

The Doctor bounced up the controls of the TARDIS and sent them off immediately, wanting to hurry onto the next adventure.

"So, where to next?" he asked brightly, beaming at Wanda. His smiled dropped somewhat as he saw the very agitated Time Lady, seeing how she hand her hands on her hips, tapping her foot rapidly on the grated floor and her left eye twitching. He gulped quietly. "Um . . . Did you want to get ice cream instead?" Wanda huffed and stormed right up to him, giving him a sharp punch in the arm.

"You scared the living daylights out of me!" she yelled at him. He pouted and rubbed at his arm.

"Well, didn't intend on that," he mumbled. Wanda scoffed, placing her hands on her hips once more and tapped her foot rapidly and angrily on the floor as she glared crossly at him.

"'Didn't intend on that'? Or really?" she sassed. "How about the fact that you had practically thrown yourself at that Plasmavore, letting her kill you in the process. I had to revive you because you had _died_. And you just act like it's no big deal, asking me if I want ice cream!" She grumbled darkly under her breath as she paced around and waved her hands about as she spoke. The Doctor watched her, listening to her ramble at a rapid pace. Only briefly did he hear words like 'idiot,' 'stupid Time Lord,' and 'rude and not ginger.'

"Look, it was the only thing we could do," the Doctor argued. "Besides, you've done worse in the past, and I'm sure in the future as well."

"Yeah, and you'd have every right to be cross with me, too! 'Cause it would mean that I'm a bloody moron and deserve to be scolded!" Wanda stomped her foot, looking at him crossly. But at the same time, the Doctor could see how torn up she really was by what had occurred in the hospital. "You gave me a damn heart attack with that stunt you pulled."

The Doctor frowned and tapped his fingers on the console, feeling a little irked that she would be so angry with him. It was like the day the Reapers had killed him all over again when Second Wanda had been cross with him. "Well . . . it wasn't like you were the one who died there."

"Don't remind me!" Wanda made a noise of frustration and threw her hands in the air. "And if I had been the one to die, you'd be yelling at me right about now. Yet I can't be a little bit cross with you? I mean, yes, you had to do it. Yes, it was the only way to stop the Plasmavore and the Judoon. Yes, it saved the humans. Yes, you're alive and perfectly fine now. But bloody hell, I'm still very, very cross with you right now! It's going to take a lot of custard creams to calm me down and make me happy. Yes, I like custard creams, because it's the only bloody treat that this damn tongue of mine actually likes. And you expect me _not_ to be angry with you because—no wait, why the hell are you laughing?!"

The Doctor had thrown back his head, laughing heartedly as he watched her fume. Her face all red and her eye twitching, the way she threw her hands around, it just made him find her all the more loveable. Especially since he understood completely how she felt about the scare she had gone through in almost losing him, and knowing that it was still some of her temper left over in being furious with Miss Finnegan. He gave her an understanding, yet still cheeky, grin. "Because of how adorable you look."

"Adorable?! I am not adorable!" She stomped her foot, looking even more adorable with her pout. Wanda huffed when the Doctor laughed even more. She suddenly smirked in a coy manner as she thought of a way to get back at him. Plus, to get him to go back for Martha like they should be doing at the moment.

The Doctor continued chuckling for a moment longer before he abruptly stopped when someone pushed him back into the captain's chair. He blinked in shock as he saw Wanda grinning slyly at him, sitting right in his lap. His lower body felt pressure as the Time Lady suddenly straddled him, pushing herself right up against him with her arms draped across his shoulders. He gulped, feeling his hearts sped up rapidly as she leaned closer to him, barely ghosting her lips over his.

"You know, I think you should do something to make it up to me," she whispered coyly. She absently ran her fingers through his hair, smirking as she saw a red tint form on his face. She knew she was probably pushing her luck since this was a younger Doctor who was still not fully into their relationship together. And truthfully, she was not completely cross or angry with him. However, she really wanted to tease him and to get him not to make such brash decisions in the future.

The Doctor swallowed heavily, trying to hold himself back as his fingers itched to grabbed her hips and hold her forcefully to him. Wanting nothing more than to kiss her breathlessly, wiping any traces of the lips of Martha Jones from hers. The very same desire he had while they had been running to stop Miss Finnegan. He had almost thrown the Time Lady up against the wall in a snog when she playfully teased him about Martha stealing her away. But at the time, he managed to keep his mind focused and under control. Now, however . . .

"So, what do you say, Spaceman?" Wanda asked him huskily. "Want to make it up to me?" She pecked his lips just so, teasing him with the feathery touch, grinning as she felt him lean forward to follow her when she pulled away. The Doctor blinked hazily as his mind seemed to go on the fritz. All he could think about was her and him doing something very passionately that might just be what she was after to begin with. His fingers twitched as he reached up to grab her hips keenly. He pushed her down onto him, groaning when feeling her hips roll against his lap in a sensual manner.

"What—what do you have in mind, exactly?" he questioned breathlessly, his voice sounding almost high pitched as she leaned forward and kissed his neck lovingly. He felt shocked as she abruptly pulled away with a beaming smile, suddenly changing from an enticing mood to a child-like, excited one.

"Let's bring Martha along with us!" she exclaimed brightly. She bounced up from his lap, going over to the console to begin sending them back.

The Doctor blinked, in a stupor on the chair from the rapid change in moods from the Time Lady. "Y-yeah, sure, sounds—no, wait a minute, what?" He snapped himself out of his daze, staring at Wanda in shock. He hurriedly jumped up from the chair, grabbing Wanda's hand to stop her from sending the TARDIS back to where they had come from. "What do you mean bring Martha along?"

"Well, she is our future companion, silly." Wanda quickly flipped a lever, making the TARDIS rock in flight. "You didn't think we could just leave her behind like that, did you?"

"She isn't—now wait a minute, I thought she was just a companion for the day. Not for our future."

Wanda rolled her eyes at him. "Oh, come on. You were so putting her through the 'companion test' to see if she would be ready for time and space. And I'd say she passed with flying colours, don't you?"

The Doctor rubbed a hand absently through his hair, thinking about the medical student in question. "Yeah, she was brilliant. But—but that doesn't mean I want her on board with us." He pulled a lever, halting the TARIDS's progress in materializing back in London. "Look, she's great and all, but . . . I'd rather it just be us for now on. No more companions. Especially after Rose." He leaned against the console in a slump and placed his hands in his pockets, staring solemnly at the ceiling.

Silence lay between them for a moment as Wanda stared with remorse at him. She slowly walked up closer to him, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Hey. I know how hard it is in moving on from a lost companion. Especially from Rose."

"No, you don't. You haven't been there yet." The Doctor tightened his hands within his pockets, feeling painful memories of that day. Especially in remembering just how torn up future Wanda had been when losing Rose.

"No, you're right about that. Though, I do know what will happen . . . and no matter how much it pains me, I also know that there is nothing I can do to stop it less I wish to ruin her future." Wanda paused, trying to think of the right words. "But . . . I don't think Rose would want us to remain alone. She would want us to have someone like her here for us. A friend, who can help guide us just as much as Rose has."

The Doctor gave a sullen expression. "She's not Rose."

"Of course she isn't Rose. She's Martha Jones. Completely different name and person." Wanda bumped her hip lightly against him, giving him a cheery smile.

The Doctor was not amused, frowning at her while shaking his head. "You know what I meant. She's not going to replace Rose."

The Time Lady patted his arm softly. "Of course she isn't. No one can replace Rose. Just as no one can replace Sarah-Jane, or Steven, or Jamie, or Tegan, or Ace, or any other companion of your travels. Each one holds their own special and unique place in your life. Each one, a shining star in their own way." Pausing to smile fondly in thought, Wanda stared up at the TARDIS ceiling. "But just because no one can replace them, does not mean a new one can't step forward to help you move onto the next adventure. For each one holds an important role in the travelling life of the madman with a box." She turned her gaze back to him, smiling brightly all the while.

The Doctor blinked in bewilderment. "Who's the madman with a box?"

Wanda rolled her eyes playfully. "You, idiot."

Scoffing under his breath, the Doctor shook his head. "I am not a madman with a box."

"You _so_ are." She giggled as she bumped her hip into him once more.

He hummed as he pretended to think this over, then grinned in agreement. "Well . . . maybe. Just a little." They both chuckled brightly at this.

Wanda sighed after a moment, smiling softly at the Doctor as he stared in uncertainty to the thought of a new companion. "Donna's right. You need someone in your life. We both do. Someone there . . . to help remind us to be human when we need to be. And Martha Jones is the perfect doctor for that."

"Why her?"

Wanda paused in thought. "Well, she's brilliant, level-headed and quick to help, keeps you in line when you need it." The Time Lady's eyes grew sad as she went over certain memories of her past. Or, more accurately, Alice Rivers' past. "And when you really need a friend, she's right there by your side."

The Doctor remained silent for a moment, pondering over her words. He glanced at her, wondering what other reasons she might want a companion around for them. "You had mentioned you were afraid and worried of something. What is it you're concerned about?"

Wanda did not answer him for a few moments. Simply remaining quiet as a regretful expression formed on her face. "I'm afraid that . . . I'm going to lose the human side of me. That I'll lose who I was from my world after so long in dealing with aliens and death and destruction and everything else we have to go through on a daily basis. I know I have changed since being First Wanda. I'm much different than who I used to be. Which isn't exactly a bad thing, but . . . I still don't want to lose my compassion for others."

Staring at her for a moment, the Doctor thought her words over carefully. "You're afraid you're going to lose your humanity?"

She shrugged slightly, not really meeting his gaze. "Something like that."

"And you think having a companion will help you in keeping it?"

"Sort of, yeah." She shuffled her feet slightly, pinching her thumb behind her back as she felt uncomfortable in discussing this. But she knew it was something she needed to tell the Doctor, to get him to understand on how she felt on certain things about herself. "I mean, it's not that I want them around just for that. I love them all and will always want them there with me for they are my family. But . . .," sighing, she shifted on her feet and stared up at the Doctor in an anxious manner, ". . . I'm worried what I'll become if I don't have someone there to guide me."

"I'm here for you," the Doctor countered, frowning in confusion as to why she did not count on him for something such as that. Wanda smiled kindly, nodding.

"Yes, you are. But . . . I think it's more than that. I think I need sort of the constant human companionship around me to set an example and remind me to whom I was," she replied. She twisted her thumb around even more as she thought over certain events to which her actions frightened her. "I . . . I frighten myself sometimes. I know that there's something inside of me . . . something wrong with me. I feel it acting up every once and a while . . . ready to hurt people. And then recently . . . I'd said some things to this awful woman, told her some things that . . . made me question myself afterwards. I mean, she had just made me so angry and enraged with what terrible and dreadful things she had committed against my family and you, and when I was left alone with her . . . I almost couldn't hold myself back from . . ." She sucked in a deep breath, shivering in dread as she remembered what exactly she had wanted to do to Kovarian.

The Doctor pulled a hand out of one of his pockets, gently rubbing her shoulder. Wanda smiled at him in gratitude, seeming to try and keep herself cheery and not let herself get into a guilt-ridden funk as Second Wanda used to do. "I just . . . want my family there with me, to sort of keep myself in check and make sure that I won't hurt anyone."

"You would never hurt anyone," the Doctor said firmly, rubbing soothing circles on her shoulder. Wanda hummed, staring at the hand on her. The hand that had been injured from the battle at Canary Wharf.

"Maybe not on purpose," she said quietly. Sighing, she looked at him and smiled brightly, trying to make certain not to be a hindrance and cause even more emotional turmoil for anyone. "Enough of me worrying over nothing. So, what do you say? Wanna go pick up Martha?" She beamed eagerly, giving the Doctor a cute beseeching expression with her hands clasped together like a child. The Doctor rubbed a hand through his hair as he let out a puff of air. There was no way now that he could 'no' to that expression, and, really, he had found that he had never been able to say 'no' to his Wanderer to begin with. And what she had said . . . in many ways . . . it was what he thought of himself, too. He needed compassion around, that humanity . . . to keep him on track of being a Doctor.

Holding a sad smile very briefly, he stared off to nothing, contemplating his own thoughts on his losing side of companionship. Maybe Donna was right. Maybe . . . they both needed someone there. They needed that ever growing family to keep both Time Lords on track and in balance. Glancing at Wanda again, the Doctor stare into her emerald eyes, seeing the loss of innocence there. What Queen Victoria had said long ago towards him, what the Queen had said to those young hazel eyes of First Wanda so long ago . . . those words from the Queen rang through him sharply now. Making him realize just how right the elderly woman had been back then. He looked away from current Wanda once more, rubbing a hand tiredly through his hair as images of First Wanda, innocent in her youth, went through his mind. The images help grounded him in his decision.

"Oh, all right. But only for one trip," he finally said as he flipped a lever on the console, sending the TARDIS off once again. Wanda beamed, happy that he had finally agreed. Yes, he had said only 'one' trip, but she knew in the end this would change.

"Great! Let's go!" she exclaimed excitedly. She bounced down to the door, ready to run out as soon as they landed.

"Hang on, don't you think we should get some shoes on first?" the Doctor spoke up, laughing lightly at her over excitement. He pointed down to his feet when she turned back around to face him, wiggling his toes to show that they were both still barefoot.

Wanda pouted cutely. "Aw, do I have to?"

Rolling his eyes slightly, the Doctor shook his head in amusement. "Shoes first. Then we can get Martha."

"Fine." Wanda gave a pretend sigh of exasperation, but giggled all the same afterwards.

Once they both had a new pair of shoes on, the Doctor managed to get them back to London during the night of where Martha would be intending a party. The TARDIS's time rotor halted, indicating that they had arrived. The Doctor held up a finger for Wanda to wait a moment as he jogged down the corridor. A moment later, he bounded back into the room with a brand-new sonic screwdriver in hand, flipping it around in excited delight.

"Ha! _Molto bene_!" he exclaimed happily as Wanda giggled in delight at his joy. Each Time Lord placed back on their overcoats and bounced outside the TARDIS hand-in-hand. The night air of the city surrounded them as they walked down the alleyway. Wanda breathed in deeply, smiling as she enjoyed the once familiar night air and the sounds of the city. A few election posters for Saxon were even hanging on the brick walls. The very same posters that she had seen so long ago as her First self.

She smiled in remembrance and nostalgia, finding it odd on how things were starting to come full circle for her and the Doctor. She wondered if one day, perhaps some very long ways for her now, but still, one day she might just stop her leaping through time and finally manage to settle down with the Doctor permanently. Hmm. Funny. She could not even imagine it. It had become so normal for her to transport randomly through time and space that thinking on not doing such seemed bizarre to her. Though either jumping through time, or living normally through her life, as long as she was with her Theta and time travelling family she knew she was at peace and at home. She was happy. Wanda smiled fondly, lacing her fingers with the Doctor's as they came to the end of the alleyway.

They heard loud music coming from a Traven. A birthday banner and balloons could be seen hanging underneath the Traven's sign. A clear showing of a celebration going on within. However, not everyone seemed joyous in this celebration. The Time Lords watched as Martha's parents argued loudly in the street, seeming to be in an argument over the father bringing his lover to the party. As well as some other things that were said as the lover of Martha's father made fun of the young trainee doctor for her story of going to the Moon. Then Trish and Leo, Martha's siblings, join the argument. Only Martha seemed withdrawn and disgruntled from the family's spat.

"Hmm. I think someone could use a holiday away from the family," Wanda muttered. The Doctor agreed with a nod. They watched as the family stormed in different directions down the street, leaving Martha all alone on the sidewalk outside the Market Traven. The girl sighed heavily, seeming unable to think of what to do next as she held her red jacket tightly in her hand. Then her eyes lit up as she spotted the Time Lords down by the alleyway entrance. Each smiled lightly, going around the corner of the way and heading back to the TARDIS. Both knowing the girl would follow.

Sure enough, as they stood waiting by the TARDIS, Martha came around the corner of the alleyway and smiled brightly at the sight of them. She even gave them a fond smile of sorts as they both leaned against the ship's doors, grinning slyly at her.

"I went to the Moon today," she said to them, as though she were still trying to wrap her mind around the events that had taken place that morning.

"A bit more peaceful than down here," the Doctor joked. Though he was being sincere in understanding what turmoil the girl must be going through with such a dysfunctional family.

"Quieter, too, I'd say," Wanda added, chuckling lightly under her breath. Martha walked closer to the two.

"You two never even told me who you are," she said to them, seeming ready and willing for some real answers for once.

"The Doctor," answered the Time Lord.

"And the Wanderer," replied the Time Lady. Both gave wiry grins. Martha shook her head slightly in amusement to their strange names, but knew that they were not lying to her.

"But what sort of species? It's not every day I get to ask that," she questioned, finding herself dying to know all the answers to the buzzing questions building up inside her. There was so much she wanted to know about them. So much she wanted to explore and understand in the growing new universe that was beginning to expand for Earth.

"We're Time Lords," the Doctor answered. "But if you want to go by gender and get all technical, I'm a Time Lord and Wanda is a Time Lady." Martha laughed slightly.

"Right! Not pompous at all, then," she said sarcastically. Both Time Lords smirked, agreeing lightly with the girl.

"I just thought, since you helped us out today and I've got a brand-new sonic screwdriver which needs road-testing, you might fancy a trip," the Doctor said casually to the girl. Martha smirked, crossing her arms as she leaned on one leg and raised a brow at him.

"In other words, she made you come back for me," Martha replied, indicating her head to a chuckling Wanda. The Doctor scoffed, rolling his eyes as he thought of Rose giving similar remarks in the past. It was two females against him all over again. Martha snickered under her breath before looking curiously at them. "So, is this trip into space?"

"Well," the Doctor replied as if that would be obvious. Martha shook her head in disappointment.

"I can't. I've got exams," she told them. "I've got things to do. I've got to go into first thing and pay the rent. I've got my family going mad."

"We don't just travel through space. We travel through _time_ , as well," Wanda said, giving the girl a bright smile.

"If that helps," the Doctor added in. Martha rolled her eyes. Right, okay. Being aliens and travelling through space was one thing, but _time travel_? They had to be joshing her.

"Get out of here," she scoffed.

"We can," the Doctor remarked easily.

"Come on, now, that is going too far," Martha said sternly, not liking that they were trying to have a laugh with her. As each Time Lord glanced at each other, the Doctor shrugged as Wanda gave a raised brow. Martha watched them curiously as they seemed to communicate silently. She wondered if Time Lords sort of had their own language, or if that was just something the couple did themselves.

"Fine, then we'll prove it," the Doctor finally said as they turned their attention back to the girl. With a grin, the two turned around and walked right back into the TARDIS. The door closed behind them, and the Doctor immediately sent them off. "So . . . about a few minutes in the morning? Say . . . during the time Martha was heading for work?"

"Sounds good to me," Wanda said brightly. She held onto the railing as the ship rocked and settle for a landing. They hurriedly bounced back out the door, squinting as the bright mid-morning sunlight hit their eyes. The Doctor grabbed Wanda's hand and quickly steered her through the masses of people on the busy sidewalks of the city. Within the throngs of people, they spotted her. Martha was talking on her mobile, smiling and scoffing to whoever was babbling on the other line. The Doctor let go of Wanda's hand, briskly stepping into Martha's path as she hung up her mobile.

"Like so," the Doctor said smugly to the girl. He easily took of his tie, holding up for the bewildered medical student to see. "You see?" He smiled coolly as he walked around her and marched on. Martha blinked at his direction in confusion as Wanda then walked up to her, gaining the companion's attention.

"Having a brilliant day, girlie," Wanda said kindly, giving a baffled Martha a friendly kiss on the cheek. The blonde girl beamed excitedly. "And remember, you're a star, my dear." With that said and done, Wanda bounced down the sidewalk brightly as Martha stood blinking behind her.

Wanda caught up with the Doctor and entwined their fingers together happily as they strolled back to the TARDIS. Once back down the street and going into their ship, the Doctor sent them right back to where they had left Martha, right back to the same night and alleyway as before. They saw how Martha had backed up in startled awe against a nearby barrel as they stepped out into the night when the ship had materialized again. The Doctor waved his tie lightly at her then placed it back on as the girl's jaw dropped.

"Told you," he said offhandedly. Martha shook her head in disbelief.

"No, but . . . that was this morning," she said in awe, completely astonished. "But—did you? Oh, my god. You can travel in time!" She frowned after a sudden thought. "But hold on—if you could see me this morning, why didn't you tell me not to go in to work?"

"Crossing into established events is strictly forbidden," the Doctor said firmly.

"That, and it would have had everyone on the hospital, including us, dead without you there," Wanda explained. "You know. The little consequences of time travel and such." Martha shook her head, just smiling in delight.

"And that's your spaceship?" she questioned them.

"It's called the TARDIS—," the Doctor began to answer.

"—Time And Relative Dimension In Space," Wanda finished proudly as the girl walked up to run her hand on the side of the blue box. Martha frowned as she felt the wooden grains underneath her hands.

"Your spaceship's made of wood," she spoke up, sounding disappointed and unimpressed. She gazed at the blue box's small frame as well. "There's not much room. We'd be a bit intimate." The Doctor pushed the door of the TARDIS open for the girl to see the inside of the ship. The girl stepped into the ship for a second, before stepping back out with wide eyes of awestruck as she hurriedly examined the outside of the ship. The Doctor and Wanda waited inside the doorway of the ship while the girl got over the initial shock of the 'bigger on the inside' ship. As soon as Martha walked back into the ship, the Doctor closed the door behind her and bounded up to the console as he threw his overcoat onto a nearby collar pillar.

"All right, then, let's get going," the Doctor said briskly as he prepared the TARDIS to take them off.

"Um . . . Doctor, we might need to explain one more thing to Martha before we do anything else," Wanda spoke up, gaining the other two's attention. The Doctor looked at the Time Lady in great disappointment while Martha only stared in shock as the white light began to form around the blonde girl. Wanda smiled in apology as her vision began to fill up with the white light, making it to where she could barely see the two within the control room. "Break it to her slowly, will you? Oh, and Martha, don't let him pick on you too much. He can be awfully rude at times."

With a small flash of light, Wanda was gone. Martha thought she had seen it all today. Ship bigger on the inside included. But now . . . she was starting to think she had only seen the beginning of it. Slowly turning back around to the Doctor, she saw how he stood closer to the doors with her, having his hands in his pockets as he stared sadly at the spot where his lover had been.

"Did—did she just . . . ," Martha stuttered, trying to get an explanation as to where the blonde had gone off to.

"Yeah, she does that," the Doctor mumbled offhandedly with a shrug. He straightened up, giving the girl a stern gaze. "So, before I explain on what just happened, we're going to need to set a few ground rules when it comes to Wanda." Martha raised a brow at him.

"Let me guess, rule number one is no kissing, right?" she joked, snickering with great amusement as she saw his brow twitch in irritation.

XxXxXxXx

The Doctor slowly walked up the hill, letting the cold rain drizzle upon him and soak his clothes. The entire time he kept his head down in shame, feeling overwhelming emotions course through him. Emotions that were still a mixture of John's as he trudged through the mud, grass ends sticking to his trainers. He huffed out a breath, watching the wisps of fog whip around into the chilly air of autumn. Silence rang loudly around him as he slowly came to a halt, keeping his eyes fixed on the messy ground. Cold rain slowly leaking down his face, matching the chilled pit he felt deep inside of him. The rain ran down his cheeks acting as unshed tears to which he kept locked away. The old trees beside him creaked in the light wind, quietly breaking the silence for him as they seemed to moan in pain. A pain that he felt matched his aching hearts. Raising his eyes up, he felt dread in having to face the Time Lady who waited for him on the hilltop by the TARDIS.

His hearts dropped when seeing only Martha standing by the ship. No Wanda with short raven hair, wearing Alice River's dress, in sight. He had wanted Second Wanda there with him . . . wanted to talk with her, and possibly try to mend what happened to her. But at the same time, he felt relieved that she had wandered off again. Having to face her, after everything he had done to her . . . he did not think he could handle it at the moment. He will admit it now; he was being a coward in wishing to hide away and simply allow himself to wallow in self-loathing, self-detestation, and self-disgust. That, and . . . he hated the fact that no matter how much he tried shaking this feeling off, he still held John's emotions for Joan. Something which the Doctor himself never wished to feel, especially when he already had someone dear within his life. Someone who he cared more for than some other simple human woman.

Glancing over his shoulder, he looked back at the Cartwright cottage that stood lonely in the distance. He had been in there only moments ago talking with Joan, trying to give the woman a proper goodbye. He felt bad for what she had been through as well. He never wanted her to go through such pain, either. But in her being there, John fell in love with her instead of who he was meant to be with, which led to him breaking Alice and his Wanderer's hearts. And the Doctor would never forgive John or himself for that. The Doctor gritted his teeth together harshly as he turned his head back around and continued on up the hill. Refusing to look back for even a second longer as he only wished to hurry up and leave this forsaken place.

As he came closer to the TARDIS and Martha, he saw how the companion slowly crossed her arms and gave him a hard gaze. Her expression clearly showing the anger and ire she held for him at the moment. She looked ready to snap at him as he stopped a few feet in front of her, but the girl seemed to hold herself back as she stared him down.

"So, how was she?" she asked coolly.

"Fine. Fine," the Doctor mumbled, stuffing his hands deeper into his pockets as he felt uneasy with the burning gaze Martha was sending him. She eyed him evenly for a moment, seeming to check for something.

"Did you ask her to come with us?" she asked in a hard tone. At the Doctor's hesitant response, Martha's hands tightened slightly as she narrowed her eyes. "You did, didn't you?"

"I just felt bad for her," the Doctor muttered under his breath. He had not meant to ask Joan to come along on their travels. It just sort of slipped out when he saw she was about to cry during their talk. A bit of John within him still wanted so desperately to have her there with him. But as soon as he had asked her, he regretted it immediately. And he knew this regret and the apprehension he felt must have shown for Joan simply refused with a strict tone. She had even said in a scolding manner, 'That's not even remotely fair. Neither to me nor your own lover. What would you even see me as when you already have someone in _your_ life?' In the end, he did not say anything more. He simply nodded, and stayed only to hear the rest of what she had to say to him before leaving.

The Doctor's head whipped to the side as Martha slapped him hard across the face. He did not react. Instead, he remained standing there solemnly as Martha glared at him and jabbed a finger in his direction.

"That's for inviting her along, and for everything else you've done," she barked at him. She then promptly huffed and stormed into the TARDIS, slamming the door behind her. The Doctor stood there in silence once more, only hearing the the sound of pitter-patter of the rain around him. He let out a long and weary breath, knowing this might not be the last time he be slapped for the mistakes he made on this day.

His ears perked up slightly as he heard footsteps coming up behind him. Dread went through him once more as he was afraid it might be Joan coming to him, perhaps having changed her mind about travelling with the group. How should he let her down gently in telling her she must remain behind? But he felt relief when turning around to only see Tim Latimer standing there cautiously, as if not sure whether he should be talking with the Time Lord.

"Tim Timothy Tim! What can I do for you?" the Doctor said lightly, plastering a smile on his face so the boy would not suspect anything wrong. Or at least, not anything more wrong than what has already happened to the group.

"I just wanted to say goodbye," Tim replied. He looked over the Doctor's shoulder, as if looking for someone. "Where's Miss Rivers—I mean, um, the Wanderer?"

"You can just call her Wanda. She likes her nickname better," the Doctor stated. He rubbed at his ear as a nervous tick, feeling sorry that Wanda could not be here to give the boy a proper goodbye. "She's gone, though. Wandered away again, I'm afraid."

"Oh," was all Tim said. The Doctor waited patiently as he knew that there was more Tim wished to say. Tim sucked in a small breath. "Well, I also wanted to say thank you, because I've seen the future, and I now know what must be done." The boy stared at him for a moment, seeming uncertain for the future to come. "It's coming, isn't it? The biggest war ever."

"Yeah," the Doctor said quietly, feeling sorry for what him and all other boys of many different nations must do in the coming months. "But, you know, you don't really have to fight. Could always go find someplace safe, if you really wanted to."

"No. I think I have to go. I'm needed there, to help others," Tim responded determinedly. The Doctor smiled proudly at the boy.

"Tim, I'd be honoured if you'd take this," he said to the boy. He pulled out his fob watch from his pocket. He handed it over to the boy, feeling actually rather glad to be rid of it. It caused far too much trouble already. Tim held it in his hand, staring curiously at the old watch.

"I can't hear anything," he wondered aloud.

"No. It's just a watch now," the Doctor explained. "But keep it with you for good luck." Tim thumbed the Gallifreyan engravings on the silver metal, staring absently at the clockwork device in thought.

"Actually, Doctor, could I have Miss . . . could I have Alice's watch instead?" Tim asked him. He glanced up at the Doctor, seeing the reluctant gaze of the Time Lord. He saw how in the other pocket where the Doctor still kept his hand in shifted and seemed to tighten somewhat. As if the man gripped firmly onto something within.

"Sorry. It's wandered off with Wanda," the Doctor stated, sounding firm in his words. Tim gave a slight nod, knowing the man was lying.

"It's all right. I get it. You want to keep a piece of her with you, too," he said quietly. The Doctor did not say anything in response, only continued to stare evenly at the boy. Tim turned to leave, but then faced the Time Lord once more with a resolute expression. "No offence, Doctor, but Alice Rivers was a better person and teacher. She was something much more than John Smith could have ever been. Just as I think the Wanderer is to you."

The Doctor stared at him, remaining solemn. "I know." He gripped the other fob watch with his pocket a little tighter, letting the metal bite into his skin as a reminder of who had truly been lost to them that night. "Goodbye, Tim." He turned and went inside the TARDIS, gladly ready to leave the small village of Farringham behind forever.

As the Doctor was sending the TARDIS through the Time Vortex, a white light flashed in the corner of his eye. He kept his gaze firmly on the time rotor, watching it move up and down with resolve not to turn around and see the new arrival. It felt like the time after their first kiss in the medical bay and her arriving in the scooter room of the TARDIS afterwards. He felt too much unease and pusillanimous to wish to face her again after his actions he had committed against her. Afraid of what she would think of him, say to him.

"Oh! Hey," Third Wanda said brightly behind him. Wanda waved, beaming away as she was happy to be with another Ten. Man, it really did seem like she was stuck with Ten quite often now. She wondered when she would get back to Eleven again. Not that she did not mind being with Ten, or anything. But she just really wanted to be with a Doctor who did not mind kissing her, or cuddling with her, or mind when she hugged him frequently, or would happily admit to them being married, or—no wait, she was getting sidetracked again. She needed to focus on the current Doctor for it seemed like something was wrong. Shaking her head lightly to make herself focus, she walked up beside the Doctor curiously.

"Hey, is everything all right? You seem tense," she commented as she jumped up to sit on the edge of the console beside him. Watching the way, he stood there by the console, she noticed how stiff the Doctor's posture was. Only robotically moving his hands around as if to occupy his attention and not even give her a second glance. It was as if he refused to even acknowledge her there.

"Nothing. I'm fine," he said rigidly. He kept his hands busy, hoping to distract himself in becoming overcome with emotions while she was there with him. Damn these human hormones. They will still be giving him trouble for quite some time before his body could get rid of the lingering human biological chemicals.

"Uh-huh. If you're fine, then I'm a monkey's uncle," Wanda replied, rolling her eyes at the completely obvious lie. She frowned for a moment. "No wait—is that the saying? 'Monkey's uncle'? Did I get that right? And better yet why is there a monkey and why would I be the uncle?" She shook her head rapidly, trying to get her mind back to the discussion at hand. "Anyway, so, what's really wrong, then?"

"Once again—nothing's wrong," the Doctor stated. One of his hands gripped a knob on the console tightly, swallowing heavily as he was not sure what he was feeling at the moment. So many emotions ran through him. Anger, sadness, resentment, anguish, and so many others that he simply wanted to break down into nothingness from how overwhelmed he felt. It almost felt like being his Ninth self right after the Time War all over again.

Wanda stared at him cautiously, feeling nervous as to why he was acting in such a way. Had something happened? Had she done something wrong? She frowned, trying to think of what point in time this might be for him. What lay in his hand caught her eye. She glanced down, seeing the fob watch within the Doctor's tight grasp. He held it tautly, thumbing the metal vaguely as if wishing for someone to appear from it and comfort him in some way. Or perhaps, even for someone to tell him what to do with himself. At any case, she knew instantly what point in time she had arrived to and what had happened to him.

"Oh. Oh, Theta," she whispered softly. She instantly jumped down from the console and gave him a strong hug. He continued to face towards the controls, so she ended up hugging him from behind. But all the same, she wrapped her arms around him to comfort, gently rubbing his arms soothingly. She felt him begin to tremble under her touch, almost as if he were ready to cry. Closing her eyes tightly, she knew how much he would be fighting the urge to give into his sadness. The Doctor never liked people to see him cry, no matter which incarnation he was. So whenever he did finally give into his emotions, to start breaking down, then she knew it was bad. And this day was very bad.

"Hey, it's okay," she said soothingly as he started to shake in her arms. She hushed him gently, hoping to ease him before any tears were shed. She would give anything to ease his pain. Just as he had always helped mend her own past heartaches. Gently and slowly, she pulled his clenching hands around from the controls and turned him around to face her. She cupped the side of his face, seeing the storm brewing inside his brown irises.

The Doctor sucked in a shaking breath, surprised to feel wetness where Wanda wiped at his cheeks. Funny . . . he did know when he started to cry. And still, he remained rigid and refused to give into his urges to hold her close to him. At the moment, he was not sure whether he wanted the comfort or not. Then again, as if he truly deserved to be comforted.

"Come on," Wanda said quietly. She reached down, grabbing the Doctor's limp hand firmly, and steered him towards the corridor from the control room. She saw the look on his face and the turmoil within his eyes. He was beginning to place the blame on himself, to feel self-hatred. She knew she had to quickly get his spirits back up, to ease his worries and aching hearts before he went into a depressive state that would eventually lead him to hide away from the universe has he once done in the past. Just like he used to do as his Ninth self. In the same way he had helped her after being Alice and so many other times of her own guilt, she would do the same for him.

Leading him down the way, she stopped in front of a very comforting and familiar wooden door. Smiling lightly, she pushed the door open and walked into her room. Well, really, it was _their_ room, but she was not sure if by this point the Doctor counted it as their room or not. Or maybe he already did? Shaking her head lightly, she made herself focus on the task at hand. Grabbing ahold of him by the arms, she turned him around to have his back facing the bed. Then, she began to help his overcoat off of him.

The Doctor blinked, unsure of what exactly she was doing. He stood there silently, wondering why she felt the need to help him slip off his coat. He watched as she tossed it aside, then began to unbutton his suit jacket as well. He swallowed, feeling his hearts sped up as she flung this clothing item next to his coat and began to loosen his tie. She slapped his hands away when he tried to stop her hands, confused by what exactly she was planning on doing. With the tie gone, she pushed him back to sit on the edge of their bed, making the lilac covers ruffle under his weight. Wanda then got down on her knees, pulling up each foot and took off his chucks. Socks included.

Smiling proudly, she then pulled off her own overcoat and shoes, throwing them over to land in a nearby chair next to sofa where the Doctor's items had been tossed to. She then hopped on the bed and pulled the Doctor up with her towards the pillows. Pushing him back to lay down, she pulled the cover up around them both and snuggled right down into the bed.

"Oops, I forgot. Um, can you turn the lights off for us please, Sexy?" Wanda called out to the TARDIS. There was a hum in response, then the lights were clicked off in the room. The stars then appeared overhead, giving them a comforting and gentle atmosphere of twinkling lights. Wanda smiled happily. "Thanks!" Another gentle hum was given, indicating that the TARDIS was happy to help. Wanda snuggled up under the blankets and next to the Doctor, giving a happy clap. "Okay, so, who's going first?"

The Doctor stared at her for a moment, completely unsure of what exactly she was up to. Was she seriously suggesting a game of star gazing at a time like this? Did she not realize what he had recently done to her? Why was she not screaming and hating him for what he had done, for what he knew he deserved to be punished with?

"Oh! I see a Ferris Wheel of cotton candy," Wanda pointed out to the star shape that she saw. She giggled and grinned at the Doctor, hoping that maybe having a game of star gazing might help ease them both into a conversation on what happened. She knew how much the game relaxed the Doctor, helping him ease off some of his worries and anxieties. But seeing how he simply stared at her in sorrow and dejection, her grin and delighted expression slipped. "Sorry, is that not funny? I realize now that it probably isn't the best one I've ever spotted. I'm just really in the mood for sweets at the moment, so cotton candy just popped into my mind."

She laughed in embarrassment, lightly tugging on her hair as she blushed. Maybe playing a game was not the best thing for them right now. She thought perhaps a light game might ease them into discussing how they felt and such other topics. Should she think of another way to bring the Doctor joy?

"Why?" he suddenly asked her. Wanda blinked, feeling confused as to what he meant.

"Um . . . I just really have a sweet tooth," Wanda replied casually.

"No, I mean . . . why aren't you angry with me?" the Doctor clarified. "You should be screaming at me in a rage after everything I've done to you. After me . . . falling in love with another and . . . hurting you so much."

Wanda rolled over on her side to face the Doctor better. "Well, for one, you've got to remember it's been a very long time for me since this point in time. So, I've had quite a while to get over it. Two: even right after I was never angry with you, I understand that you were human . . . that John was human, and as we both know humans tend to do stupid things. Three: it wasn't John's fault for loving another, not that it was exactly a bad thing in the first place. You can't help who you love. Four: I'm not much one to shout. No wait, I guess I am in this current incarnation but only if you really deserve it. Well, then again . . . Nope, nope. Sorry, lost my train of thought. Um . . ." She frowned, hating how much her mind jumped around and away from the comforting words she wished to give him.

She shook her head in frustration. "Then, five: I love you, so that's that, I'm not going to automatically hate you and not want to just jump the gun and start screaming without us talking things through first. If you want me to scream later, sure. But for now, let's chat."

The Doctor stared at her for moment, stunned by how rapidly she went through her words. It had been so long since he had been with Third Wanda that he had forgotten how swiftly she went through her thoughts and words. Though, he was also stunned by how forgiving of him she truly seemed to be. Then again, she did say it had been a long while since this current point in time for her.

"How can you forgive me, just like that?" the Doctor asked her quietly.

"'Cause I love you," Wanda replied resolutely, giving him a bright grin. He turned his head away, staring at the stars sadly as his mind ran through the events from Farringham.

"It should have been Alice," he said suddenly. Wanda glanced quickly over to him in surprise, seeing how sadly and distantly he stared at the stars on the ceiling. The way he held his hands clasped together over his stomach in such a desolate way, it made her greatly worried for him.

"What?" she questioned him carefully.

The Doctor's hands threaded together tightened as he continued to watch the twinkling stars. "It should have been Alice who John loved. Not Joan."

Wanda sat up somewhat on the bed, leaning slightly over him with a disproving frown. "Now, don't say that. John loved Joan, and Joan deserved John's love. Don't say what they had had been unimportant." She grasped his clasped hands gently, but he pulled out of her comforting hold.

"It still should have been Alice. And John was an idiot for not realizing it." The Doctor sat up in bed, leaning back against the headboard. He stared at Wanda, watching how she sat up as well. Reaching a hand forward, he tucked a stray strand of ash-blonde hair behind her ear, then gently stroked her cheek. "It should have been Alice."

"But it wasn't." Wanda gripped the hand on her cheek firmly. "John didn't love Alice, he loved Joan. And there was nothing that could have been done to change it. There was nothing that either Alice or I wanted to change. John was happy. So, we both were as well, even if it did hurt us in the end."

"But _I_ wasn't happy." He cupped her face with both hands now. Two shaking hands as he stared at her in remorse. "I wanted so badly to be with you. It hurt so much watching John fall in love with that human. And knowing, seeing, how much it broke your hearts . . . how much it broke Alice's heart . . . it broke mine as well. I just . . . I couldn't stand it." He let out a small, heartbroken sound, leaning his forehead against Wanda's as tears started to leak down his face.

"Oh, Theta." She wrapped her arms around him, holding him close to comfort as he let out a shaking breath.

"Damn human hormones." He shook his head, trying to rid himself of this overwhelmed feeling. "Seems like John doesn't want to go away just yet."

Wanda rubbed his shoulders soothingly. "I know how it feels. I was a mess right after being Alice, too. And really, it's okay to cry."

The Doctor rubbed at her back, letting her know how much he appreciated her words and her comfort. "You know, it's strange. I know I only wanted to be with you. But in some bizarre way, so did John."

Wanda shook her head. "John loved Joan and not Alice. You and I both know this. He didn't want anything to do with Alice other than possibly be friends."

"No, I didn't mean Alice." The Doctor tightened his hold around her, letting his hearts beat rapidly in feeling her so close to him. Something which he had missed so much in the past two months. "John wanted to be with you, Wanderer. He dreamed of you so much, he almost craved to be with you. I even think that you suddenly showed up in his life—this incarnation of you that is—and if he was given the chance, he would have left with you in a heartbeat. Which . . . actually now that I think about it, makes me angry with him."

Wanda pulled away from his hold to stare at him curiously. "Why's that?"

"Because I think he only loved what he dreamt of you, and did not truly love you for _who_ you are. Only for _what_ you are."

Wanda hummed for a second. "Well . . . maybe that was the little part of you within him that still wanted to be with me? Or maybe he was just had a thing for aliens." She chuckled a little at her own bleak joke. But she stopped when seeing the still desolate gaze of the Doctor.

Shaking his head, the Doctor let out a solemn breath. "Why couldn't he have just loved Alice? It really should have been her. She was . . . well, she was you, really. Always there for John, by his side, a helping hand whenever he needed it, someone who loved him unconditionally. He was too much of a bloody idiot not to see what was right in front of him. Blinded by Joan, which I don't even see what exactly he saw in her."

"Oi! Joan was wonderful! Don't you go being rude to her now." Wanda smacked him in the arm, not liking the Doctor constantly wanting to dismiss Joan as someone unimportant.

"But it's true!" The Doctor stood up from the bed, beginning to pace. He rubbed his hands furiously over his face and through his hair. "I mean, how could have John not seen it! Alice was there—she was you—and he completely did not even . . ." He sighed in frustration, slumping back down on the bed. "He didn't even see the real you. He was completely blind and a dimwitted baboon."

"'Dimwitted baboon'?" He grunted next to her, not saying anything more. Wanda let out a small sigh. She leaned against his back from behind and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. Resting her cheek against his as that they faced the same way together, she hummed in thought once more. "Hmm . . . I guess, we're blind when it comes to love. And in the end, there is no controlling on who exactly we fall for."

Silence followed this, leaving them both sitting there quietly on the bed as they thought over their conversation. As well as contemplating their current thoughts and emotions for the other. The Doctor slowly reached up, grabbing onto one of her hands that was loosely holding him.

"Why do you love me?" he asked quietly. Wanda frowned, unsure by what he was trying to imply. She then scoffed slightly under her breath.

"Well, that's a silly question," she responded.

"What's so silly about it?" asked the Doctor.

She shrugged lightly. "Because that's like asking why I breathe or blink. I just . . . it's something I can't help but do. I love you because I just do. There's no changing it. There's no stopping it. I will always love you, just like my hearts must always beat to stay alive."

The Time Lord within her arms let out a heavy breath, almost sounding weary. "You shouldn't love me."

Wanda felt his shoulders slump, falling into a dejected demeanour. This only made her frown. "Oh? And why's that?"

"Because you always seem to see me in this . . . brilliant light. That I'm some wonderful man who can do no wrong. But I'm not. I'm not this wonderful man. I've done terrible things, Wanderer. And sometimes I still do. When you're not around . . . I become this terrible man who I hate more than anything. A man who doesn't ever deserve love, or kindness, or even friendship. He deserves nothing more than loneliness."

Sitting there for a moment in the silent room, Wanda slowly moved away from him. She then surprised him by grabbing ahold of his arm, dragging him back more onto the bed. He blinked in shock as he was suddenly laid down on the bed, staring up at Wanda hovering over him with a sincere expression.

"Theta . . . we all have the side of ourselves whom we don't necessarily like. The side of us who we don't wish to be, a side we hide from the world and pretend doesn't exist," she spoke softly as she hovered over him, thumbing so tenderly at the side of his face. "But . . . we all have to except this is a part of who we are. We have to learn to not hate this side of ourselves. To even show this other side guidance into become something more. Then, in the end, we can move on together forward into the future. And besides . . . I love this other side of you just as much as I love you. For I see him as a friend who I must always be there to help him on his feet, brush him off, and walk him in the right direction once more."

He stared at her for a moment, trying to digest these words and how heartfelt Wanda spoke them to him. Reaching up, he caressed the side of her face. "How do you see me, Wanderer?"

She felt confusion for a moment for what exactly he meant by that. Thinking it over carefully, she gathered her words. Some which she knew she had said to others in the past about the Doctor. But now, she knew he needed to hear them from her. "Hmm . . . well . . . it's hard to explain. It's like . . . I see you as this star, which is always changing in colors. Unable to decide in which direction it wants to travel. Unable to choose how it wants the world to see it as. Either to be this brilliant guiding light. Or maybe even be the support to another much larger star. But in the end, you are a star nonetheless, who only wishes to be amongst all the other stars in this vast universe. To be a part of something much grander than any can imagine." She smiled brightly at the end of this, giving him a loving gaze.

A warm smile slowly crept on his face as he thumbed her cheek. "Heh. You know . . . I see the same in you." Entwining his fingers through her hair, he pulled her down and captured her lips.

Wanda made a sound of delight, threading her fingers through his hair as well. The Doctor's hands moved away from her hair, trailing down her back as he pulled her close to him. Their lips smacked lightly as they moved together. Both shivered when they began to invade each other's mouths. The Time Lord bond sparked up greatly, causing their hearts to speed up even more from elation. Gasping, Wanda moved her hands to grip the Doctor's back as he suddenly rolled them over. Not once removing his lips from hers in their heated kiss. His shirt under her hands wrinkled as she gripped it tightly, feeling her desire spike as he pushed himself against her, fitting himself right between her legs. Her mind was becoming a jumbled mess as she felt overwhelmed by what was happening. But to her, in that moment, everything felt . . . perfect. Her whole body was filled with warmth from the love she felt from him. And she could have never asked for a more blissful moment between them.

She has been desiring the Doctor for so long, as she knew he had been as well. Would they finally take their relationship a step further? This was a Doctor who was still not married to her, but . . . what if this was the point in time meant for them? Dear lord, she really wanted it to be at the moment, for she felt on fire in the way he ran his hands down her sides, then way he began to creep his fingers ever so slowly under her tunic. Touching her skin like that . . . she had never done something such as this with the Doctor. Seventy-two years wasted in her opinion. They should have done this ages ago. And she knew, this was only just the beginning for them. She tilted her head back as the Doctor pulled away and began to kiss under her chin and down her neck.

"Joan," he suddenly groaned. Both stiffened greatly with the Doctor's hands freezing in their movement. He abruptly jerked away from her, leaving Wanda laying there and blinking in shock. She sat up, seeing how he stared at her, horrified by what had slipped out of him. "I—I—I . . ." He swiftly turned and went towards the door, feeling ready to run from his mistakes and guilt. Wanda gritted her teeth, storming up from the bed and over to him. She grabbed his arm tightly, yanking him away from the doorway as he began to exit.

"Oh, no, you don't. You're staying right here," she ordered, pushing him back to the bed.

"Wanda, no. This isn't something you can just forgive of me. That was completely wrong of me and—," the Doctor began to argue firmly, wanting nothing more than to leave her and be alone. Just as he knew he should be. To be alone in his regrets. But he halted in his words as Wanda grabbed him by the front of his dress shirt and yanked him in for a hard kiss. She pushed against his chest roughly, making him bounce back onto the bed. He felt surprised as she had her hands on her hips and held a strict expression.

"You think I didn't mess up and call you John after I was Alice?" she retorted. "I did quite often when I was with Eleven, running around, yelling out for John when I was in a panic instead of saying 'Doctor.' But Eleven, future you, would always smile and tell me it was okay, even when I too wanted to go sulk in my guilt for saying that. He knew that it was that fresh bit of Alice still within me that wanted her life back with John. The same goes for you in having John want Joan. So don't go trying to punish yourself just over a little mess up. There's not going to be some clichéd 'let's-hide-in-our-misery-and-not-talk-to-each-other' thing between us. We are going to talk it out and grow up about it."

She huffed and stomped over to her side of the bed, throwing the covers over herself as she snuggled into the bed. She gave him a sharp look, indicating she wanted him to do the same. Slowly and unsurely, he pulled the covers over himself as well, feeling as though he still wanted to go somewhere else at the moment, that he did not deserve to be with her and gain any sort of comfort. Wanda quickly gave him a hard kiss on his forehead and then rolled over.

"We'll talk in the morning after we've both calmed down," she said firmly. "You're upset, I'm upset, and I know Martha is somewhere within the TARDIS just as troubled as we are. Tomorrow, we are all going to sit down and talk, or at least get over this damn incident all together. For now, I'm bloody tired and want to sleep."

"Wanda—," the Doctor tried to protest.

"Sleep!" she barked, tensing up under the covers as she yanked them over herself. He blinked, wondering if maybe the name that had slipped out had affected her more than she would have liked to admit. He even thought he heard her muttering under her breath 'damn Time Lord leaving me frustrated,' or something along those lines. Staring up at the stars on the ceiling, he lay there waiting for her to fall asleep, knowing that as soon as she fell into slumber that he would leave to be off on his own. It was best, for he did not wish to hurt her any more than he already had. He had done enough damage to her.

But at Wanda's next words, his eyes widened in fear. "And I swear if I wake up tomorrow and you're not in this bedroom with me, I'm making you eat every soufflé I bake."

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I hope the more intamate scenes between Wanda and the Doctor were not too much for anyone. I worried that it might be, but I've had a few other authors from this site (some friends of mine) go over it with me and they said that it was fine for rated Teen. For that's about as Mature as I'll ever get with Wanda and the Doctor. But if the majority of you guys believes otherwise, then please don't hesitate to give me a review and tell me how you feel about it. I'll be more than glad to change the rating so that way everyone will be more than comfortable. Sorry, just nervous. It's been so long since I've made a new update that I'm afraid I'm losing my touch and that the story won't be any good. Please, please let me know. I really apperciate every word you lovely readers send me. :)

Again, sadly, I won't be able to reply to the reviews from last time. Simply because there were so many over such a long expanse of time that I'm afraid I lost track of many and I'm afraid that I might miss replying to someone who had responded to the last chapters. I'm deeply sorry about that. :( I wish I could have responded to each and every one of you. I promise, without a doubt, I will next time! Cross my hearts! ;) So, in sort of a summary response, thank you all for sending your love and thoughts my way. Thank you for each and every one of you sending new messages in making certain that I would return and was all right. Even if I could not response, just know that I did indeed see all your loving messages and it warmed my heart and raised my spirits every time I saw a familiar face. :) I love each and every one of you. 3 Take care everyone!

~Tinker~


	13. Ch 13: Stranded in 1969

Hello, readers!

What's this? An update so soon? lol Why, yes it is! I had time, and I was so excited to be back that I spent my leziure day away working on editing this new chapter for everyone as a surprise present for you all. Hope you like it. :)

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Chapter 13: Stranded in 1969

A few days went on with tension on the TARDIS. The Doctor held back constantly in everything, not wishing to be around anyone as he only wanted to isolate himself. A way to punishment himself, by Wanda's guesses. Especially as he always seemed to want to avoid her in shame. Every time she would enter the room where he was, he would suddenly find excuses to leave and go tinker on something within the TARDIS. Then Martha was still feeling spiteful against the Doctor for what had happened, and wished to only be around Wanda. Every time the companion saw the Time Lord, she would grit her teeth and not even look at him. Wanda finally got fed up with the two of them. She ended up dragging both into the study room, and then pushing them into the arm chairs while she sat on the ground by the fireplace.

Eventually, she managed to get both of them to stop being idiots and talk. Martha ranted for some time, blowing off steam. But soon, the companion had cooled down and became less hostile with the Doctor. Then, each girl sat and listened to what he had to say, telling them on how badly he felt by what occurred. Not only to Wanda, but to Martha as well. His regrets and guilt weighing heavily on him like a cold and heavy stone. By the end of him talking, each girl hugged him as he became so sorrowful. But Wanda knew, that after they had this moment together like a family, that both Martha and the Doctor felt much better for each of them acted cheerful again.

Currently, Wanda blinked away the white spots from her vision as she had arrived to an open sidewalk on a bright, sunny day. She had just been ready to go off to visit Tim Latimer in the future during a Veteran ceremony. Something to which they had all agreed it was something they needed to do together before anything else. She huffed in frustration, feeling as though she never caught a break from her wandering. Could it not have waited until after she made certain that everything was back to normal for the Doctor and Martha?

Sighing, she felt great disappointment run through her. She wanted to see Tim again so badly and be there with him once more. Though, it might have been strange for him in seeing her new face instead of her Second incarnation. As well as her not really being Alice, the one who Tim was truly close to. But it still did not mean that Wanda did not feel compelled to see the student once again, feeling an internal want coming from Alice herself. Shaking her head lightly, Wanda decided to move on down the sidewalk, wanting to focus on something other than a depressing past.

The sidewalk was not so empty. She saw a few people walking around down the way, and a few others were strolling along across the street. She noticed as she seemed to be in a shopping area, with little shops all around, and a few cafes here and there. Sniffing the air, she could tell she was in 1969. Plus, the clothes that the people were wearing gave it away as well. Ah, the hippie style. She really did love bellbottoms. Grinning slightly to herself, she gazed around, trying to think of where exactly she was in 1969. By the looks of things, it must be London. Hmm. She was not quite sure at what point in time this would be for the Doctor. Did she arrive somewhere the Doctor had just left? That happened more often lately with her always going places the Time Lord had visited, then ran off again. She would then have to wait around until she would wander again to the next point in time with him.

Her steps slowed down until she came to a complete stop on the walkway. The quiet and calm day settled around her as she stared at the distant café, with many tables sitting outside with different costumers at said tables enjoying the day. Emerald eyes lighting up in bright excitement, she beamed as she saw Captain Jack Harkness sitting outside the café. In his usual World War II trench coat while sipping coffee and reading a newspaper. She hurriedly jogged forward, completely giddy in seeing an old time friend again. It had been ages since seeing Jack last time when the Earth had been stolen. In fact, she hardly ever had a chance to see Jack during her First and Second incarnations. So she was really excited in seeing him again.

"Smexy!" she shouted, waving her hand happily as she got closer to the immortal man. Jack, who had been in the middle of sipping his coffee, sputtered on his drink. He blinked in shock and disbelief, staring at her as if he could not believe what he was seeing. Then the brightest smile appeared on his face.

"Tink!" he cried, standing up quickly as Wanda jogged up to his table. He laughed in delight, pulling her into a very strong hug and even spun her around. He then held her arm an arm length away from him, holding onto her shoulders as he seemed to take her in. "Wow. It's been so long since I've seen you I forgot how . . ." He paused, seeming to think on the right thing to say.

"Forgotten how gorgeous I am?" Wanda joked, giggling in delight as she remembered Jack calling her First self that so long ago.

"Nah, I was going to say 'tiny,'" Jacked teased her, giving a sly grin. Wanda scoffed and hit him in the arm, making him laugh even more. Giving her another strong hug, he smiled in content. "It's so good to see you again, Wanda."

"It's good to see you, too, Jack," she replied, giving him an equally strong and warm hug. She felt bad in knowing this was a point in time for Jack living the slow path on Earth.

After Nine had left Satellite Five with Rose, leaving the Captain behind, then the man had transported himself away from the year 200,100 A. D. to 1869 A.D., living over a hundred years away from the Doctor and the rest of the time travelling family. Alone. Wanda always did feel terrible that the man had been left behind in such a way, living through so much on his own. But at the same time, if it did not happen, then much of Jack's life would be empty. Simply travelling around time and space was not the life meant for Jack. He was meant for so much more, even if he did not realize it himself. With Torchwood, what he did with the World Wars, and even more in the future with the Face of Boe, Captain Jack Harkness was going to change the universe. And Wanda could not be any more proud of him. Still . . . it did not mean that she was completely okay with leaving him behind in the first place.

"Sorry. I'm so sorry that we had left you behind," Wanda said as soon as they had pulled away from their hug. She stared at him in remorse. "I truly wish that things could have been different."

"Nah, don't worry about it, Tink. It wasn't even really your fault. The Doctor was the one who left me behind," Jack responded, dismissing her guilt. He even gave her a comforting and reassuring smile. Then, he began looking over her shoulder curiously. "Speaking of which, is old big ears here with you? Maybe even Rose?"

Wanda shook her head. "No, sorry, just me. I wandered here just a moment ago. The Doctor is probably off doing something else at the moment."

"Ah, well, then," he smiled in a flirtatious manner, waving a hand to the other seat by the small table he had been sitting at, "care to join me on a date?"

Wanda giggled, sitting down at the table. "Why I'd love to." Jack sat down across from her, scooting up to the table. She folded her hands together on the table, staring at him in interest. "So . . . how has life been treating you, Jack?"

"Could be better," he admitted, shrugging slightly. "But it could be worse, too."

Wanda gave him a look of sympathy. "Sorry. I know how rough life has been for you after Satellite Five." She winced slightly as she realized life was much more than simply 'rough' for the immortal man. "Sorry . . . rough isn't exactly the best term to use there. I know things have been more horrid than that."

Jack shrugged once more. "Like I said, could have been worse. I've had people in my life who've helped make things better." He smiled fondly for a moment, before shaking his head. "But we can always talk about that later. Now, that you're here, I'm guessing this means I get to travel with you and the Doctor again?" At Wanda's sad gaze, Jack only gave a dejected smile. "Yeah, I figured as much."

Wanda reached forward and grasped his hands in comfort. "I'm sorry, but you still have a while before you will find the Doctor. There's still so much more you're meant to do here." Giving his hands a light squeeze, she smiled sadly. "Besides, even if I wanted to—which I do—I wouldn't be able to take you with me when I wander. At least . . . I don't think I could. I never really tried bringing someone along with me when I jump through time. Hmm . . . I wonder if I could try that. That would come in handy if I could and then maybe I could save a few people or even bring others on adventures with me. But then that might not work out so well because taking people out of their proper time would be bad and—."

"Ah, I missed the rambling," Jack laughed, grinning in delight as Wanda shook her head to snap herself out of her wandering thoughts and moved her hands away from his.

"Anyway, point is, you're stuck here for now. But don't worry, you only have a few more decades to go until we meet again," she explained, giving him a reassuring smile.

"Oh, well, not that long, then," Jack joked, laughing lightly along with Wanda. "It's fine, though. I've sort of known that I'm meant to meet up with the Doctor again in 2008. At least, the right Doctor of my own time."

Wanda raised a brow in curiosity to these words. "Oh? And how did you know that 2008 is the right date?"

"Ran into this girl in Cardiff who was psychic. Told me it would be a century before I see the Doctor." He smiled brightly. "But she said I would meet you sooner, and look at us now." He waved his hands out merrily, seeming excited by being there with the Time Lady. He rested his hands back on the table as both he and Wanda laughed in delight.

Wanda then stared at him curiously. "Yes, but if I remember correctly, the psychic from Cardiff only said 'a century.' She never specified the date that you would meet the Doctor."

"Ah, well, I have another source of information that lets me know of the future." Jack drummed his fingers on the table top, seeming suddenly wary of discussing the topic.

Raising a brow, Wanda's curiosity spiked even higher still. "Oh? What source would this be?"

"Uhh . . . would it be all right if I just said 'spoilers'?" He gave a grin, seeming hopeful that she would not ask into it anymore.

Wanda rolled her eyes, figuring it might be some woman or man that he was dating or something. "Fine. Fine. I get it. You don't want to discuss all your partners that you like to collect." She snickered as a red tint grew on his face. She never thought she see the day when Jack would blush.

"No, no, it's not like that. It's just . . . uh . . ." He seemed at a loss on what to say, as if wondering how he should put his words without drawing to much suspicion from Wanda. The Time Lady even raised both brows, wondering why exactly he seemed so flustered or unsure on what to say. "She's sort of a niece to me."

"A niece?"

"Not technically. More like an adopted niece. She just likes to call me 'Uncle Jack.' She's actually the main reason I'm here in London. She's going through some things and really needed someone there for her."

Wanda nodded slightly in understanding. "I was wondering why you weren't in Cardiff." She frowned in thought. "But how does this 'niece' of yours give you information of the future?"

Just as Jack was about to answer this, still looking uncertain by how exactly he would explain everything, a mobile phone started to go off. Wanda blinked in surprise as Jack hurriedly pulled out the ringing device from his coat. She stared around hesitantly at the other café guests, hoping they did not notice the clearly 'not-with-the-times' technology that Jack held in his hand. But none seemed to really pay the ringing mobile any mind.

"Jack, what exactly are you doing with a mobile phone in the 60s?" Wanda questioned him after he shut off the device. "It's not exactly 'modern' technology now is it?"

"Sorry, sorry, I forgot to put it on silent," Jack muttered as he stuffed the mobile away. "Trust me; I won't let it get into the wrong hands or anything. I know how you and the Doctor are about messing up time and everything."

"No, that's not the issue. I trust you on that. I'm not as strict as the Doctor on that kind of stuff," Wanda replied, waving away any of his worries that she might take the mobile away from him since it was futuristic technology. "I'm just more wondering how you obtained a mobile phone from the 21st century to the 20th century. How the heck did you manage that? Did you already have it before you left Satellite Five?"

"No, it's sort of a gift from the niece I was telling you about," he explained. "We needed a way to contact each other when she was in town, and being a whiz at technology, she was able to hook up our phones so we don't need cellular connections or anything. A lot like what the Doctor did with Rose's phone."

"Oh?" Brows raised high, she stared at him in interest. She felt bewildered for a moment in thinking how this 'niece' of Jack's could have possibly gotten them both mobiles. Then, it hit her. "Oh! Is she a Time Agent like you were?"

Jack drummed his fingers on the table slightly. "Something like that, yeah. She doesn't stick around much. Jumping around at random, she likes to wander a bit."

"Heh, sounds like me." Wanda grinned, leaning forward in eagerness to learn about someone new. If they were someone dear and close to Jack, then she would love to get to know them. "Can I meet her any time soon?"

Looking unsure on how to answer this, Jack began to open his mouth to reply when Wanda's own mobile went off in her pocket. She raised a brow in surprise, blinking in bewilderment. Pulling it out, she made sure to keep it from any wandering sight of the people around her and Jack.

"Looks like we're both rather popular today," Wanda laughed as she placed the mobile to her ear. "Hello?" She listened to the other person on the end for a moment, finding it humourous to hear a rather disgruntled and irritated Martha. "Oh? What did the Doctor do _this_ time?" A few seconds pause to let Martha rant. "He did what? . . . An angel? Oh, you mean the Weeping Angels? . . . Yeah, that was rather idiotic of him." There was noise on the other side of the line. "Oi, don't yank Martha's mobile away from her, Doctor." Jack raised a brow as Wanda rolled her eyes.

"Don't try to play it off. You were careless, admit it," Wanda continued to speak. She sighed and rested her chin in her palm as the Doctor rambled on a million questions. "No, I'm not with the TARDIS. No, I'm not in back where you just came from. Yes, I'm in London, and yes, I'm in 1969. And judging by the noises in the background, I'm probably not that far away from you." She paused for a moment to let the Doctor ramble again. "Oh, I'd say . . . about a month? Yeah . . . yeah, that's what the possibilities show. A month." There was loud groaning and whining coming from the other end that made Wanda frown. "Now, don't go whining. It's not _that_ bad to take the slow path. It's only for a month, you can live. I feel worse for Martha and I having to put up with your whining if you're gonna keep that up." She gave a sympathetic look as if she were staring at the dejected Doctor. "Look, I know, I understand how you feel. Don't worry; it really won't be that bad. Martha and I will be there for you, and you have Sally's instructions. We'll get Sexy back, I promise. . . Cross my hearts." She smiled as there was a warm reply. "Love you, too, sweetie. See you in a bit."

She sighed as she hung up her mobile, placing it back into her overcoat pocket. She stared sadly at Jack, feeling bad that she would have to leave so suddenly when they had just met again. Truly she did not wish to leave him so abruptly. She felt bad enough that he had to spend such a long time a part from the Doctor, the TARDIS, Rose, and herself. For he was a part of their time travelling family and he deserved to be with them. But . . . some things just could not be changed, no matter how much Wanda wished they could.

"I'm so sorry. I'd hate to just leave you like this again, but I have to go. The Doctor and Martha need me," Wanda said dejectedly.

"It's all right. I need to get going anyway," Jack replied, giving her a reassuring smile that things truly were okay for him, and that he understood they departed circumstances. "I know my niece is going to get impatient if I don't call her back." They stood up, each giving the other a strong and heartfelt hug. After a moment, Jack pulled away with a small frown. "'Martha'? Is that a new companion? What ever happened to Rose?"

Wanda's face fell as she thought of Rose, but she quickly regained her composure as she did not want Jack to think anything truly awful had happened. "She's fine, just not with us anymore. I'd explain more, but . . . you'll get your answer to that sometime in the future." She gave a quick kiss on his cheek, wanting to hurry and leave before she would have to go into details on what happened to Rose. Or, in Wanda's case, what _would_ happen. She bounced away from the café, waving back and smiling at the Captain. "See you later, Smexy! Make sure to take care of yourself! And take care of that niece of yours, too!"

"I will! And you stay safe, Tinkerbell!" Jack called out to her. Wanda threw her head back and laughed at the nickname he called her. She beamed one last time at him, waving happily, then turned around and took off to go find the Doctor and Martha.

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Wanda leaned over the counter, sitting on a stool right up against it with her chin resting on the table top. She drummed her fingers lightly on the gray surface, feeling her whole body twitch in her extreme boredom. She even felt like screaming 'bored!' in her frustration. When she had thought the slow path would be no big deal, she had been _so_ wrong. In the past, both First and Second incarnations had been _completely_ fine with taking the ordinary, slow path in life. But this her . . . heck no! She felt like pulling her hair in anticipation in finding the TARDIS again. And she was not the only one. The Doctor was just as frustrated and anxious as she was in getting out of 1969, London. Heck, if it was not for Martha, Wanda's job, and helping the Doctor fix up his 'Timey-Wimey Detector,' then Wanda knew she would have gone mad during the first week of their stay.

"Just one week left. One week," she muttered under her breath.

Of course, the first week had not been the greatest. They had to live out in a park for a few days while searching around for a place that would take them without first payments for living. They had finally managed to find a nice flat for them to live in, but only because of the Doctor's psychic paper that had given them the right credentials. Then, Martha and Wanda got jobs the day after. They had gotten the Doctor a job too, but . . . well . . . after the incident with the hens, they all decided it was best of the Time Lord stayed home and just work on tinkering and inventing. The companion went to work at a department store, while Wanda joined up with a bakery. Though it had taken Wanda a few tries in finding a job. Not that it had not been easy finding one, it was just the Doctor was too damn picky. A job at a bar: too shady and dangerous. Working at a library: far, far too many statues around for his liking. Working as a temp: he feared it might be a repeat of what happened to Donna. Then having a job at the local market: seemed too untrustworthy to him. It was not until Martha and Wanda literally slapped him that he finally agreed to let Wanda work at the bakery downtown.

But now the second week had gone by so slowly and only seemed to drag on. Wanda was not sure how the other past hers could have got by. It was impossible to even think on how she managed to live normally back in her old world. Things were just so . . . boring and dull! At least she had a decent job that kept her busy. That . . . and her relationship with the Doctor has been becoming . . . quite interesting lately.

"Closing time!" called out her manager, Wendy. Wanda beamed, hopping over the counter and flipping the sign to show the store closed. She threw her arms in the air as if cheering in victory. Behind her, Wendy chuckled in amusement. "I think someone is anxious to get back home."

"Maybe just a little," Wanda admitted. She smiled at her manager, glad to have such a lovely woman as a boss.

Wendy was an older woman, at least in her late forties, with brown hair held in big curls, and she was always seen wearing brightly coloured hippie clothes. As the woman liked to call it, she wanted to dress 'with the times.' Wanda had to admit, the woman was very interesting with her laid-back attitude and peaceful outlook on life. Plus, the woman had been immediately interested in hiring Wanda for an extra helping hand. Something about Wanda having 'the perfect positive energy and vibes' as Wendy liked to put it. That, and Wanda had the funny feeling that Wendy really loved having someone else around whose name begins with a 'w.'

"So, has he popped the question yet?" Wendy asked casually as they were packing up the different pastries and baked goods that had not been sold that day. Wanda was currently crouched down by the lower shelf of the glass case holding the muffins. She giggled and shook her head.

"Well . . . you could say he already has. But he just doesn't realize it yet," she replied, laughing when Wendy gave her a confused expression.

"Oh? Does he talk in his sleep?" the woman asked curiously as Wanda handed over a tray of pastries from the display shelf.

"Sometimes. He likes to talk about calculous equations and bananas while he sleeps. That, or he likes to discuss the quantum matrix of the Orphumbar System with himself." Wanda laughed even more as Wendy only looked more bewildered.

The woman chuckled, simply shaking her head in giving up on asking what exactly the blonde girl meant. "Oh, dear, the things you say sometimes. I swear you're from another world with the way you talk." Pulling out a small box, Wendy handed over a variety of goods for Wanda. "There you go, hon. A few sweets to share with your friend and that Doctor of yours."

"Thanks, Wendy. You're the best." Wanda gave the woman a quick peck on the cheek and bounced over to the door. "Anything else you need before I head out?"

Wendy waved happily at Wanda. "Nope. I've got things covered. I just have to close up shop. See you in the morning, bright and early."

"Yep. Night!" Wanda bounced out of the shop, glancing over to the nearby streetlight to see the Doctor leaning against the pole. He smiled warmly, holding out a hand for her to run to grab ahold of. To which she did eagerly, entwining their fingers together as soon as she reached him.

As always, six o'clock, right on the dot, the Doctor would show up to walk her home. He never missed the chance and was never late. Not once. It had been one of many things of which the Doctor had been doing for her lately. There was also cooking for both her and Martha, then shopping for them, and a few others things. One time he had even shown up to the bakery to give her flowers and a small lunch. To which Wendy and the other girls within the shop had gushed and all went 'aw' upon the sight of Wanda kissing the Doctor lovingly on the cheek in thanks. Wanda knew it was his way in trying to make up for what happened between John and Alice. As well as perhaps even wanting to move their relationship even further into something they have yet discovered or even thought upon.

She blushed heavily as they strolled down the sidewalk heading back to their flat, thinking about the many, many incidences that has been happening between her and the Doctor lately. And always it seems to happen at random. Sometimes, they would be sitting beside one another at the kitchen table of their flat, working on his Timey-Wimey device, when suddenly he would turn her head towards him and give her a searing kiss. Then other times, she would spot him doing some small task, making her sort of go into a daze and thinking he was foxy. And the next thing she knew, they would both be pressed up against the wall, snogging. Or on the sofa, with her on top of him, kissing him, his neck, and everywhere else that she felt confident enough to touch. They never really intended to get into these moments together, but they just somehow . . . found themselves drawn into the more intense affections. Almost as though neither one of them could really help falling into the loving gestures and embraces, as if they could no longer stand the simple love they have grown accustomed to. For each other them, it felt like such a breath of fresh air and relief to be able to kiss and touch without feeling any sort of guilt. Finally, each of them could simply love and find happiness within their wibbly-wobbly lives.

Wanda was not sure whether to feel embarrassed by all their overly zealous actions, or to feel elated by their relationship seeming to take another step further than she had ever anticipated. Of course, she knew there was also a tension seeming to build up between them. Not in the bad sense by any means. But more of they were both tense in wanting . . . more. As if both of them were uncertain on where to step next on this road they had built together. However, she also knew it was them being afraid to go too far because of what had happened to them within the past and what might happen in the future. As well as since they all lived within such a small flat, neither one of them wanted to disturb Martha with any of their . . . 'activities.' Not that the companion had not already walked in on them snogging before . . . which had happened multiple times. And each time Wanda felt so awkward for both the Doctor and her, and for poor Martha getting a shock. Perhaps they should make up it up to the companion for putting up with them both.

"What are you thinking of?" the Doctor asked, snapping Wanda out of her thoughts.

"Nothing," she replied, trying to sound casual, though the blush on her face said otherwise. The Doctor raised a light brow.

"Oh? And what's so good about nothing that has you blushing?" he questioned. Wanda smirked playfully, giving him a sly expression.

"I don't know. Would you like to find out when we get back to the flat? Or how about right here and now?" she returned coyly. She burst out in a fit of giggles at the Doctor's reddening face and stuttering. Oh, he was so adorable and cute at times in his reactions to her flirting with him. She bumped her hip against him lightly in affection, letting him know she was simply teasing him again. "So, how did filming with Martha go today?"

The Doctor cleared his throat as he focused his mind on the change of subject. It would not do either one of them any good in grabbing ahold of her and giving her a good snog in the middle of the sidewalk. "Good, good. I think we followed the transcripts decent enough. I just hope Sally will be able to act in time before the Angels get her."

"Don't worry her and Larry will be fine."

"Yeah, right . . . No, wait, hold on, who's Larry?" He stared at her in confusion as she giggled.

"He's a friend of Sally's. He helps her through most of it."

"Ah. Right, then." The Doctor hummed as they continued down the walkway, getting closer to the complex of where they lived. "So," he began, dragging out the 'so,' "Martha and I finished the video, made sure to make a few copies, and returned the camera to old Mrs. Brasher."

Wanda's eyes lit up happily in hearing about one of their neighbors. Mrs. Brasher was the sweetest woman, always giving them great stories to listen to and different dishes to have for dinner. And she was the one to lend them a video camera her grandson had given her for Christmas. Something to which the woman found strange to own in the first place. But her grandson was rich and figured something expensive was good enough for a gift instead of actually spending time together for the holiday. A shame really. But still, Wanda was glad they at least were able to keep the elderly woman company.

"How is she?" Wanda asked brightly. "Did she enjoy the crepes from last night?"

"Oh, she loved them," the Doctor told her, smiling away. "Anyway, so, gave her the camera back—which then she asked me to fix her sink, but turn into a whole day of tinkering around her house—got bored—and now, we are waiting for Billy Shipton to arrive. Been on the lookout with my Timey-Wimey Detector. Nothing yet, so far. Been mostly trying not to run into hens again." They both cringed at that thought. "I am never working with hens again. They are vicious. Kept pecking me on the head during that day."

"Well, maybe if someone hadn't blown them up, they wouldn't treat you horribly," Wanda replied, bumping him in the side with her elbow. "Next time, don't bring your inventions with you to work." The Doctor pouted at her.

"I said 'sorry,' didn't I?" he responded, sounding almost as if he were whining. After passing through the different streets, shops, and other complexes, they finally reached their temporary home. Walking up the many stairs, the Doctor pulled out the keys and both entered their flat. It was small, but comfortable, and was already furnished with a few things, such as a dining table, a sofa, a bed for the bedroom, a dresser for a few clothes, a refrigerator, and a stove to cook on. Really, they had gotten lucky in finding a decent place to stay. And they had great neighbors as well.

The Doctor walked over to the dining table, looking over a note taped on the table top. Wanda sat down her box of bake goods, leaning over to read the note with him. It was a quick message from Martha, telling them sorry for being out so late, but her job had called her in to work in stocking for a sale coming up. Telling them to go ahead and have dinner without her, and to just leave her some leftovers in the frig.

"Huh. Looks like Martha will be out for a while," the Doctor mumbled. Wanda hummed and nodded, feeling bad that the companion had to work so late. They would definitely have to make it up to her for putting up with her job and being away from their fun travels. Giving the Time Lady a side glance, the Doctor cleared his throat slightly. "So . . . since she's out . . . care do anything interesting together?"

"Oh?" she wondered. She looked at him, raising a sly brow as he seemed to give her a foxy grin. "What kind of interests to you have in mind?" He leaned forward, giving her his best coy expression while his eyes darkened in desire.

"Well . . . I was thinking that maybe we could—," the Doctor began to say, his tone husky, but was interrupted by Wanda giving a note of excitement. She hurried around him, grabbing a newspaper off of the counter when she saw the headline.

"Oh, look! There's a festival going on in the park downtown!" Wanda exclaimed in excitement. She flipped open the paper as the Doctor held a disappointed expression behind her. "There are all kinds of different little shops selling things. I wish Wendy knew about this. She could have gotten a great sale going with the other shops. Oh, well. I'll let her know about it for future references." She turned around, holding up the paper eagerly. "Can we go? Please?"

The Doctor rubbed a hand at the back of his head, frowning slightly. "I don't know. I just sort of wanted to stay inside and relax and maybe—."

"We could make it a date. Just the two of us. Nice outing of the night, a stroll through the park, with all those romantic lights hanging around. Maybe even have dinner together. What do you say?" Wanda wiggled her brows slightly, giving him her own wolfish grin.

She had him at the mention of 'date.'

XxXxXxXx

The night was wonderful. They had dinner together in a local café. Then the stands for the festival sold so many trinkets that both Time Lords just loved looking at. The Doctor even ran into a small stand owner who was big into astrology and astronomy. The two of them began rambling on and on about the two topics. Wanda was interested and listened in for a few minutes. But after a while, she grew bored and was anxious to look around at the other stands before they closed down for the night. She tapped her foot, trying to remain patient as the Doctor rambled on about something to do with horoscopes of different times. She was not really sure what exactly he was discussing. Truthfully, she was hardly listening as she grew more restless. But she did not wish to disturb the Doctor in his discussion. He seemed really to enjoy himself with talking to the stand owner. Wanda did not wish to ruin his fun.

Scooting away, she edged her way from the stand and started to move down to others. She was certain the Doctor would not mind if she walked around on her own. Sure, he had been a little more protective and worried than usual since they did not have their TARDIS with them. He mostly feared of some kind of second attack from the Weeping Angels. But he was just over thinking things in worrying something might happen. Everything was fine, she knew this. She would only be away for a little bit, then she would head back without the Time Lord ever noticing her absence.

She smiled as she strolled about, looking at different stands selling handmade jewelry and such other items. In the corner of her eye, she spotted a stand sitting in the corner of the park, isolated from the others. She could tell not many people seemed to go by this one. Then again, it was growing rather late in the evening, so there were not many people around as there had been before. She scooted over to the direction of the stand, staring at it curiously. There were large arrangements and varieties of flowers seen held by the stand. Some flowers placed around the outside of the green, wooden stand, while there were even more arranged on the table tops and hanging above of the little shop of sorts. A golden name was painted upon the table, held up by poles, and read ' _Wandering Flowers_.'

The name spiked Wanda's interests, finding it to be very unusual, but very interesting as well. Then another interest she spotted was the owner of this stand. It was a girl. A teenager by the looks of it. She could be seen sitting on a stool, slumped forward with her chin resting on the stand's table top. The girl had shoulder-length, messy brown hair that flopped over her face slightly and was wearing a green apron on over her white t-shirt. Wanda could tell the girl was wearing blue bellbottoms as well, and had on a pair of red chucks. Her eyes drooped in boredom and she tapped her fingers rapidly in front of her eyes on the green table linen of the stand. She even yawned as if finding the whole festival a completely tedious and lackluster event. With a curious brow raised, Wanda walked toward the girl. She wondered why someone who took the time to set up a stand appeared to be so bored by being there in the first place. Was it not the point to have fun and enjoy the festive night?

"Hello," Wanda said, smiling and waving lightly at the girl. Wanda glanced over at the flowers hanging above the stand, beaming as she saw they were sunflowers. Oh, her mother's favorite! "Nice flowers you've got here. There's just so many. How do you find the time to grow them all? Aren't these peonies? I thought they had a difficult time growing in this time of year? Oh, that's dahlias! They're even harder to grow! You must be one talented florist." Wanda looked up from her admiring of all the different and wonderful flowers on display. So many that would be completely impossible for any old florist. But this girl seemed to have them all in full bloom and in perfect health.

Wanda's smile dropped somewhat as she saw the girl's strange behavior. The girl blinked rapidly, her brown eyes wide and staring at Wanda in an awestruck manner of sorts, with her mouth open in shock. The teenager even sat there stiffly, frozen in pure amazement. Almost as if she was in disbelief at what she was seeing before her. Wanda glanced over her shoulder, wondering if the girl was staring at something behind her. But there was nothing more than the normal citizens strolling about and the festival lights hanging within the trees.

"Umm . . . are you all right there?" Wanda asked the girl, concerned that something were wrong. The girl jolted herself out of her daze, sitting up suddenly on her stool.

"W-what?" she stuttered out. But then abruptly her hands wheeled out as she tried to regain her balanced on her stool as it began to tilt backwards. It was too late, however, as she fell back with a clatter and thump as the stool fell over onto the ground.

"Oh my gosh, are you okay?" Wanda responded hurriedly to the little accident the girl had. Wanda leaned over the table top, hoping to check on the girl and make sure she was all right. But then Wanda jerked back as they both suddenly bumped their heads sharply together when the girl tried to stand quickly up. Each exclaimed 'ow!' and recoiled as they rubbed their sore heads.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I am such a flake," the girl apologized immediately. Wanda could see how the girl had a dark blush spreading around the freckles on her cheeks. But the Time Lady gave a reassuring grin, hoping not to cause the girl anymore embarrassment for the night.

"No worries. I'm okay as long as you are," she assured the girl. The teenager grinned lightly, but tugged on right her earlobe as if still unsure.

"Yeah, um, totally. I'm cool. Just the world's biggest clutz," she laughed nervously. One could clearly hear the American accent within her tone. However, there were also British inflections within some of the words she spoke. Almost as though she were raised within the States, but living here in London made her pick up the accent of the area.

"Oh, I hear you there. I'm always tripping on my own feet if I don't watch it." Wanda giggled, giving the girl a bright smile. She held out a hand. "Hi, I'm the Wanderer, but you can call me Wanda. Everyone else does. Plus, they usually don't really understand the first name anyway." She grinned, finding it humourous how the girl blinked even more in confusion and bewilderment.

"Oh? OH! Right. Names. Umm . . .," the girl responded, staring at Wanda's hand as if unsure whether she should truly shake with the blonde girl. "Jane . . . Smith. Jane Smith. Yep, that's me." The girl chuckled awkwardly, shaking Wanda's hand finally.

Wanda smiled, knowing the girl must still feel embarrassed by her little mishap. "Nice to meet you, Jane Smith."

"Ah, nice to meet you, too," Jane replied, giving an uncertain grin.

Wanda turned her attention to the flowers once again. "These really are lovely. You must have a great green thumb in being able to grow so many."

Jane stared at the flowers with the blonde girl, giving the plants a thoughtful gaze. "You could say that." She shrugged her shoulders slightly. "It took me a few years to get them just right, but I've learned the perfect way to make them now. They don't die right away on me like they used to when I make them grow. I think I can practically make any type of plant now. But of course, plants are easy. When it comes to making other things, well . . ." She suddenly trailed off in her quick words, seeming to think that perhaps she were saying too much as she looked flustered with her rambling words. "N-not that I 'make' the flowers of course. 'Cause," she laughed lightly, "that would be just silly. Creating flowers. Psh." She began tugging again on her earlobe, but hurriedly dropped her hand when she noticed she was doing this.

Wanda giggled, finding it amusing on how the girl seemed to ramble similarly to herself and the Doctor. "So, is this a family business or your own?"

"It's sort of my own business at the moment." Jane rubbed a hand through her messy hair as she seemed to ponder over things. "Flowers are just really something I do for kicks, but I recently had to get a job when I found myself sort of stuck here for a while."

"Oh? How did that happen?" Wanda leaned on the table top slightly, giving the girl her full attention to show she was interested in getting to know the teenager.

"I . . . I don't really want to be a drag on your evening. It's kind of a downer, really." Jane rubbed at the back of her head, not really meeting Wanda's gaze full on. "In fact, I should really close up shop soon. It's getting late."

"I'm all ears." Wanda gave the girl a reassuring grin. She was not sure why, but she felt compelled to listen to the girl's tale and to be there for her. As if knowing the girl truly needed someone to talk to and gain some sort of advice on her life. There was also something about the girl that truly made Wanda wish to know more about.

The teen seemed very uncertain about this, looking as if disclosing such personal information might be a bad thing. She even stared at Wanda's shoulder for a moment, as if in search for a clue on what to say, do, or even something else entirely. But finally, Jane slowly nodded as if seeming to think it might be okay for them to have a discussion. So, she pulled up her stool and sat down, leaning slightly forward as well.

"Well, you see, what happened was . . .," she sighed, "It's a really long story."

Wanda shrugged slightly. "I have time. Besides, I like long stories."

Jane scratched slightly at her temple as she hummed in thought. "I'm not really stuck here by accident or anything, it was on purpose. And really, if I wanted to go home, I could. But . . . there was a really bad scene between me and the old man."

Raising a brow, Wanda stared at the girl curiously. "Is that your dad?"

"Yeah, that's my dad." Jane crossed her arms, sighing heavily. "You see, my sort of family relations with him is still sort of new with me. I've never really known who my dad was until recently. 'Course, I mean, not that I really _didn't_ know who he was. I mean, I knew . . . but I didn't know and I've just never really _gotten_ to know him. Do you know what I mean?"

Wanda nodded slightly, trying to understand the girl's train of thoughts and story. "You've known his identity; you've just never had a real chance to actually meet him in person until now. Am I right?"

Jane nodded slightly. "Yeah, that's about right. Anyway, so we've been sort of getting to know each other, getting that father-daughter relationship we've never had a chance to have before. It's kind of hard with certain . . . circumstances that we go through, but we're managing for the most part. Or . . . I thought we were." She paused, tugging absently on her earlobe as she seemed uncertain on where to go with her tale. Though, there was also a guilty expression growing on her face. "We recently went on this trip together with a friend of ours. A trip that went bad real fast. I know none of us intended it to happen, but you know how life is. Craziness happened, tempers were high for all of us, some things were said and done, and . . ." She stared sadly down at some of the flowers in front of her. "I let my temper get the best of me and said some things I really did not mean to say. We both did, really. And I left before either one of us had a chance to cool off and really talk about it."

Wanda nodded in understanding as the girl grew quiet, staring distantly at the table top and absently having her fingers drag across the groves of the wood. "Tempers can really get the best of people sometimes. I know I have quite a temper myself that I have to learn to control. An old friend of mine also had one mighty temper. He used to always let his anger do the talking and would not even think about his words until they were already said."

"Yeah . . . that's me sometimes, too." Jane gave a wiry grin for a moment before her face fell again. "So . . . after everything was said and done between me and the old man, I sort of ran. That's me . . . always running. Running far away from any problems I'm too afraid to face. I'm so used to running forward . . . I don't know how to go back." She sighed and leaned forward to bang her head lightly on the table top, grumbling under her breath.

Wanda chuckled and shook her head. "So you came here running away from your dad?"

Jane sat up, running a hand through her hair. "Yes . . . No . . . Sort of. It's more like . . . I'm running from myself and . . . It's complicated." She sighed, leaning against the table again as she drummed her fingers lightly on the surface. "And now . . . I don't know how to go back."

"How long has it been since you've ran off after your fight?"

Jane let out a puff of air in thought. "I don't know. A month? Maybe two? I lose track of time."

Wanda leaned towards the girl, staring at her sternly. "Don't you think you've been running long enough? I'm sure your father is worried about you being away for so long."

"But that's what I'm afraid of." The girl looked up, holding an uncertain and unhappy expression. "What if, after what I said, he doesn't want me around anymore? I'm almost afraid he's never really wanted me around. That maybe he only tolerated me. And now, he'll hate me forever for what I said."

"He's your father. He could never hate you or not want you around." At the girl's dejected look, Wanda reached forward and gently patted her shoulder. "Look, we all make mistakes sometimes. We all say things we don't mean to when we're angry or hurt. From the sounds of it, he must have said things just a badly as you did. And I know that he's probably feeling just as bad about it as you are, and he might even be just as afraid and worried that you might hate him, too."

"But I don't hate him," Jane said quickly, suddenly looking worried that her father might truly believe something such as that. "I could never hate him. Sure, I can get angry and frustrated with him at times. But what kid and parent don't have a spat every once and a while?"

"Well, then, go tell your father that. As soon as you're done here today, go to him. Make sure to tell him how much he means to you, remind him that you're still family, his daughter, and that you will always love him. And throwing in an apology might help, too." Wanda winked lightly at the girl, smiling as Jane looked bewildered by this.

"B-but—."

Wanda pointed a stern finger at the teen as she saw Jane was about to protest against this. "No 'buts' about it, young lady. Go talk to your father."

Jane blinked for a moment, staring at Wanda as if seeing or hearing something she never thought she would experience before. Then she slowly grew a warm smile and gazed softly at the Time Lady. "Okay, I will."

Wanda gave the girl a pointed look. "Promise?"

Jane smiled, holding up her pinkie finger towards the blonde girl. Wanda wrapped her own pinkie finger around the girl's, and Jane gave their hands a light shake as if making a deal. "Promise."

Returning the warm smile and letting go of Jane's finger, Wanda felt happy to have been the one to give the girl some help in her troubles. "Great! Then after you get things settled with your father, you both should go on holiday together. Holidays are always nice."

Jane's smile brightened. "Oh, do you think he would like Paris? I love Paris."

"That sounds great! I've only been there a few times myself. But I always loved the art and the music."

"The gardens and the shops."

"The pastries," the two said together. They both giggled in delight, enjoying their shared love of sweets. After a moment of their laughter, Wanda held a curious and thoughtful gaze.

"So, what about your mother? Where was she during this disagreement between you and your father?" she questioned the girl out of curiosity. Jane's giggling and smiling suddenly faltered. She stared at Wanda with an unreadable expression, almost as if she truly was at a loss to say. Wanda's own gaze look at the girl in uncertainty, thinking maybe she had touched on a sore subject. "Sorry, do you not have a mum? I didn't mean to be rude in asking or to bring up a bad memory."

Jane shook her head slightly, continuing to give Wanda this almost searching gaze. She then opened her mouth to speak, to perhaps give Wanda some sort of answer. Even if it were a touchy subject to discuss on.

"There you are! I've been looking all over for you!"

Wanda turned quickly to see the Doctor walking up to the stand, with hands in his pockets and a small frown on his face. Behind her, Jane's mouth snapped shut quickly. She straightened on her stool, giving just as wide-eyed of an expression at the approaching Doctor as she had to Wanda beforehand. But the girl quickly lost this look as the Doctor drew closer to the stand and Wanda turned back around to face the teenager.

"Sorry, I was just chatting with Jane here. You were boring me to death back there with all that talk about astronomy and astrology," Wanda said to the Doctor. The Time Lord next to her frowned.

"But you love those subjects," he countered. "You ramble on about star gazing even more than I do. You would talk about it all the time if you could, Miss Blabbermouth." He grinned while poking her lightly in the arm.

"Yeah, but when you talk about them you make them boring, Mister Snoozefest," Wanda responded, snickering at the pout her husband gave her. Still as ever cute with that expression of his. No matter which incarnation gave the pout, he was always adorable to her. She grinned at the girl in front of them, seeing how Jane held this soft smile when seeing the two of them tease each other. "So, do you have it all figured out now?" Jane shook herself out of her slight stupor.

"Yeah. Yeah, I think I do now," she replied, giving Wanda smile of appreciation. "Thanks, for everything. It really helped."

"You're quite welcome," Wanda said, giving the girl a bright smile and expression. "And make sure to take him to Paris, and make him eat tons of pastries." They both giggled, grinning at each other in delight. Meanwhile, the Doctor was leaning slightly on the stand's table top, staring at Jane with deep curiosity.

"Hang on . . . I know you," he suddenly spoke up. Jane shifted in her seat in an uncertain manner, but kept a confused expression on.

"Sorry?" she asked.

"Yeah, I've seen you before," the Doctor said, waving a finger slightly at her. "Hold on . . . No, no, sorry, no, that wouldn't have been here." He hummed in thought, glancing upwards as he ran through his memories quickly. He then looked back at the girl. "Your name isn't Melody Pond, is it?" Wanda blinked in shock.

"'Melody Pond'? Where did you hear that name?" she questioned in astonishment. He was not supposed to know that name until much, much later in his life. Not until he knew of River Song's true identity. That, and not until Amy named her baby in the first place, on the day they had rescued the new mother from Demon's Run.

"There was this girl me, Rose, and Mickey sort of ran into while we were stuck in Pete's World," he explained quickly. "You remember Pete's World, yeah? I know you weren't there, but I also know that you know about it. Anyway, we ran into this girl called Melody. She helped us out along the way with the Cybermen. So, is your name Melody by any chance?" He turned his attention from Wanda back onto Jane. The teenaged girl blinked blankly, holding a very confused and baffled expression as she stared at the two of them.

"Umm . . . I really have no idea what you're going on about. Are you trying to fake me out or something?" Jane questioned, raising a high brow at him as if suspicious of what he was talking about. The Doctor simply shook his head.

"Never mind. Sorry. Must be a different name there, then," he said cheerfully, grinning at her. "Hello, I'm the Doctor. And I see you and my girl Wanda here have already met." He and Jane shook hands while Wanda scoffed loudly, looking at the Doctor as if she were either amused by what he said, could not believe he had called her such a thing, or perhaps even a little bit of both.

"Oi! Since when am I _your_ girl," she retorted lightly.

"Since the other night, on the sofa," the Doctor replied cheekily. He suddenly blinked, looking flabbergasted by what he had said. "Sorry, that—that just sort of slipped out." Wanda scoffed even louder, hitting him in the side.

"Cheeky you are!" she laughed, finding it amusing in seeing the red tint on his face. Jane could be seen snickering behind her hand, trying not to laugh loudly along with them. Wanda could still see the fond smile on the girl's face as she stared at them both. "Don't mind idiot here. He thinks he can say anything he likes and get away with it."

"No problem. I have an uncle who's like that, too," Jane replied, waving away their bantering as if it were no big deal or bother to her. "Anyway, I'm Jane Smith. It's nice to meet you, Doctor." The Doctor's brow arched high, staring at Jane in curiosity and gave the girl a studying gaze.

"'Jane Smith'?" he questioned carefully.

"Yep, that's right," Jane said, giving a light shrug. "I know, it's a boring human name. But that's what I get stuck with." Humming for a moment, the Doctor shook his head as if dismissing his questioning thoughts about the girl.

"So, what do we have here? Flowers?" the Doctor asked, changing the subject. He gazed at the flowers hanging above in interest, whipping out his glasses and putting them on to give the plants a more proper observation.

"Yep. Made by yours truly," Jane said, smiling proudly. The Time Lord hummed as he gave the flowers a close look, rubbing his fingers lightly on one of the flower's petals.

"Interesting. Not even a wrinkle or a wilt in them," he muttered under his breath.

"I love them," Wanda said brightly, giving one of the peonies a sniff. "I just wish you had some tiger lilies or tulips. Those are my favorites." Jane smiled brightly, looking eager to impress or please.

"Just a second," the girl said, ducking down under the linen where neither Time Lord could see her. They gave each other pondering looks as Jane seemed to be quickly doing something. They blinked in amazement when she suddenly popped up again, beaming brightly at them as she held out a bouquet of tiger lilies and purple tulips wrapped in lilac wrappings and a green bow tie. "Here you go. All wrapped up just for you. Free of charge. Think of it as a 'thank you' for giving me great advice." Wanda's face lit up as she was handed the flowers, bouncing in excited delight.

"Oh, these are amazing! Thank you!" she exclaimed happily. She quickly leaned forward, giving Jane a cheerful peck on the cheek. Jane's face grew the brightest and warmest smile yet after that gesture, looking as though she had experienced something she always wished to happen to her. She then threw her arms around Wanda in a strong hug.

"Nah, thank you. You're the grooviest," Jane said in happiness. She tightened her hug slightly, leaning in to speak directly into Wanda's ear and spoke next in a quiet voice. "Thanks again for everything . . . I hope I get to see you again someday soon."

"Me, too," Wanda whispered in replied, giving the girl an equally strong hug. "Take care of your father, sweetie. I know he probably just needs someone there for him." Patting the girl's back, she backed away and smiled softly, holding the flowers closely to her chest. "Be seeing you around, Jane Smith." Wanda gave a wink at the girl, finding it humourous as the girl stared at her in a blinking bafflement. The Time Lady then turned the Doctor, beaming away. "Ready to go, Spaceman?"

"Yep," he replied, placing his glasses back into his coat pocket and then grabbed her hand as they began to walk away. They stopped when Jane called to their attention once again.

"Hey, if you both like star gazing, you should totally give this pond a try," Jane called out to them. She grinned knowingly. "It's at the edge of the park, pretty secluded from everything else, and it's surrounded by trees, so it's dark enough to be able to see the stars. Give it a go." She sent them a wink, smiling and waving them on as they waved back in reply. Continuing on down the remotely vacant walkway, the Time Lords strolled hand-in-hand as they both thought over this new information of the pond. However, the Doctor was thinking over something else as well.

"You know . . . that's a very odd name to have—Jane Smith. Sort of sounds made up as an alias," he muttered in thought.

"Oh? Like yours, Mister John Smith?" Wanda teased. The Doctor only hummed in response.

"And those flowers . . .," he continued to ponder. He stopped short, suddenly realizing there was more to this girl that he wanted to know. "She said 'made.' She had 'made' those flowers. No one says 'made,' they say 'grown.' You know, I think I'd want another word with this 'Jane Smith.'" He turned around to walk back to the stand, but abruptly halted and stared at the spot where they had left the stand in astonishment. "She's gone."

"What?" Wanda questioned. She turned around to see for herself. To her great surprise, the Doctor was correct. The girl was gone. Vanished. Even the flowers were missing. All that was left was the empty stand. Only the linen and the stand's title remained. Both Time Lords blinked in disbelief.

"But . . . where did she go?" the Doctor questioned, his eyes wandering around the place as if looking to where the girl had run off to. Meanwhile, Wanda hummed quietly and gave the stand a thoughtful expression.

"I wonder . . .," she whispered.

"Come on, we need to check this out." The Doctor stepped forward, ready to investigate. But he halted as Wanda pulled him back.

"Nope. It's not something we need to look in to." She gripped his hand firmly as he began to protest, pulling him along towards where this pond would be. "Trust me on this, Doctor, let's just leave it alone."

"But—."

"No 'buts,' mister. Let's just get to the pond and star gaze. We haven't had a chance to do that in a while, and something tells me we should really get to that pond."

XxXxXxXx

Hmm. Mighty interesting, if I do say so myself. ;) I hope everyone enjoyed the new chapter! Please let me know your thoughts, theories, feelings, dislikes, troubles, in a review. As always, I love seeing what each lovely reader has to offer and criticisms to give me. :)

Reviewers:

 **Authora97** : Thank you! I'm so very glad you enjoyed it! :) Hope you found the new chapter just as interesting. Take care!

 **AquaBluey** : Oh, yes. Definitely rude and not ginger. lol ;) I'm glad you liked the throwback part with Ten. I know many requested Wanda return to that moment to give Ten/John some closure. Which I have always had planned since the beginning. ;) Beware the souffle for sure. lol So glad you liked it! Hope you liked the very recent new chapter. :) Oh, I'm always fine. I just hope you're doing well. :) Thank you for all the support! Until next time!

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 **grapejuice101** : Yay! So glad you enjoyed it! :D I'm so glad to be back, too! And to see all your lovely faces as well. :) Thank you for all your support! It truly means the world to me. Hope you enjoyed the new update. :)

 **bored411** : lol I think they will be the death of everyone at this rate. :D So glad to be back and that you enjoyed it! Thank you for all your support! I dearly hope that things continue to go well for you also! Hope you enjoyed the new talks between her and the Doctor. ;)

 **Shinonome Sakuya** : Woot! So happy you liked it! :D I really wanted to write through the Doctor's perspective, for I find many don't wish to be on his take when it comes to the after effects of being John Smith. Most seem to simply want to glance over the whole thing, which I really did not wish to do. Since it was such a big impact on their relationship, it just had to be brought up and not glossed over as many do. I'm so glad you liked what happened there. :) Thank you for all your support! Hope you enjoyed the new chapter. :)

 **iluvcow1234** : Hello! I'm so glad that you enjoyed the new chapter so much. :) Hope you liked this one as well. ;) Also so happy that I did well in making the relationship between the Doctor and Wanda so believable. That's the one thing I always stress about. Believability. Always worried that I don't do a good enough job in capturing that with this universe and story. But glad to hear that I do some things right! :) Looking forward to see you more! Take care!

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 **Jaxrond** : Thank you so much for your love and support. I'm mostly just always over worry about things. Always afraid of making people angry and such. Glad that's not the case here. :) I'm hoping to a continuing upswing as well! Fingers crossed! So glad you enjoyed the last chapter. It's always good to get a nice dose of fluff. lol ;) I will never give up on this story! Not unless something truly awful prevents me from doing so. Which, I pray never happens of course. Take care and I hope to see you again soon! :D

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Thank you all once again for the love and support! It is still so great to be back and seeing all your lovely faces. :) Hope to see you all real soon again!

~Tinker~


	14. Ch 14: The Next Step Together

Hello, everyone! Guess who's back! :D

I hope everyone has been doing okay! I am so, so sorry for being gone for so long. I took much longer than I had orginally planned when going away. I realize now I should have made up an author's note before I left the States again. See, treatments here in the U.S. were no longer working whatsoever, and the doctors realized that the cancer was much worse than they had originally thought. But I'm so blessed to have wonderful family members overseas who were willing to take me in to get more treatments in Europe. Unfortunately, they lived without internet, so I was not able to keep up with the story or you lovely readers updated. I'm so sorry for that. I truly feel horrible. I understand if many of you decide to leave the story. Though I will miss you all if you do so.

But I have great news! The cancer has stopped, and doctors think that there will be no more growth! So, I've always been away taking some time to recover from all of this. So, another reason why it took so long. But I'm back and ready to start up the story! :D

I really hope everyone enjoys the newest chapter!

 **Warning** : Adult themes and mentions.

XxXxXxXx

Chapter 14: The Next Step Together

Wanda breathed in and let out a happy breath as they finally reached the secluded area of which the teenager had directed them to. She grinned and gaze around the peaceful place in delight, seeing it was just as Jane had said. It was far away from everyone else within the park, very private with all the clustered trees of the area. The pond itself was lined with flowers around its banks edges on one side, while the other bank was bare. There was a small dock leading out towards the centre of the pond. Though the wooden planks on the dock appeared to be rather on the old side, with some holes within the wood and were discoloured in age. Glancing upwards, she saw that there was indeed a great view of the stars overhead. Not as nice as their room within the TARDIS, but still nice for star gazing.

"I still think we need to go find that girl again," the Doctor spoke up behind her, sounding almost as if he were grumbling in disappointment in not being able to investigate something mysterious that had occurred.

"Oh, shush you," Wanda replied, keeping her eyes up towards the stars as she observed them. "Not everything is a mystery that needs to be solved. Just let the girl be. Besides . . . I think we might run into her again someday." The Doctor looked away from the pond and stared at her in interest.

"How do you figure that?" he questioned. Wanda shrugged, holding a small knowing smile on her face.

"Just a hunch," she responded. Shifted slightly, she began to crouch down, ready to lay back upon the grass to relax and star gaze.

"Wait a minute," the Doctor said, halting her from getting on the ground. Hurriedly he shrugged off his overcoat, laying it down neatly on the ground for them both as a blanket to lie on. "Okay, go ahead." He sat down himself scooting back to lie down and gaze upwards.

Wanda did the same, placing down her bouquet of flowers next to them and lying right up against him as they both stared at the stars twinkling above. She felt him shift, pulling up his arm and then wrapping it around her shoulders. She scooted closer, laying her head in the crook of his arm. Both sighed in content as they stared up to the night sky, simply enjoying the quiet moment between them. Each of them felt so at peace. More at peace with the universe than they ever had been. Especially when being so close to the other, wrapped together in their loving embrace of sorts. In that moment for them . . . it was perfect.

"Theta," Wanda spoke up after some time had passed.

"Hmm?" he hummed out in question.

"I love you," she said, smiling softly as she tilted her head slightly to look at him. He moved his own to gaze down at her, giving a similar soft smile.

"I love you, too, Wanderer," he whispered. Leaning forward, they both brushed their lips against each other's, giving a loving kiss. Pulling away, the Doctor wrapped his arms around Wanda and gave another content sigh. "You know, I find it funny how willing you are in saying that now in this current regeneration, but in your Second, you'd hardly even hold my hand. Well . . . except for a few times. And well, there was that one time in that department store. That was a surprising day that I learned _you_ have kink for Stetsons." He chuckled as Wanda scoffed and hit him lightly on the chest.

"It's not a 'kink.' I just . . . find you attractive in a Stetson is all." She blushed as she thought over the certain moment he was talking about. The time she had practically thrown him against the store's wall in the back and snogged him passionately. Still a moment she swore her hormones had gotten the better of her.

"Uh-huh. Sure, whatever you say." He snickered as Wanda hit him once more.

Wanda snuggled against him, smiling as she rubbed her hand lightly over his chest. "It's strange to me, too. I can't even remember why I had been so against loving you in the past. It might have been because I was scared of having that sort of bond with someone. Or it might have also been because I've never experienced any sort of romantic relationships in the first place."

The Doctor blinked, surprised by this statement. "What? Never? Not even a quick boyfriend or anything?"

"Nope." She smiled and patted his chest lightly. "You're my first and only. First kiss, first love, and first . . . well, anything else first really." Clearing her throat slightly, she blushed as she shifted next to him. "In fact, when I first arrived to this universe, Eleven gave me one hell of a surprise when we met. Which I'm still beating myself over the head for being completely naïve and stupid in not realizing the clear and obvious signs of you and I being together. I am a complete moron when it comes to the obvious."

"Yeah." The Doctor nodded in agreement, but quickly cleared his throat when seeing the look Wanda shot at him. "Sorry. That was rude, wasn't it?"

She smiled affectionately, poking him in the side. "Yes. But then again, I rather like the rudeness." She winked, chuckling as the Doctor gave a silly grin.

"So, what exactly did future me do when we first met? I hope nothing too bad since it would have been innocent, Young Wanda."

"Nope. Not telling, it's spoilers."

The Doctor grinned slyly as he saw the blush darken on her face. It must have been really something for her to still be embarrassed by a moment that happened so long ago for her. "Oh? Now I really want to know. What happened? Come on, give me a sneak peek? Even a little one?"

Wanda shook her head quickly, not meeting his gaze in her embarrassment in remembering how clearly in denial and naïve she had been in the past. "Nope. Nope. Not ever gonna tell you. You'll just have to wait until it happens." She glanced at him, seeing how he wiggled his brows, looking extremely cheeky as he also waved his fingers at her. She narrowed her eyes, knowing what he was implying to do. They had found out recently that this new body of hers was very ticklish in certain areas. So, the Doctor has been using this weakness against her on different occasions. "You wouldn't dare."

He gave her his famous raised brow as he grinned. "Ooh, I would."

Suddenly, he launched at her, tickling her along her sides, right above her hips. She squealed, kicking out her legs as she began to laugh uncontrollably from the sensation. The Doctor laughed as well as he watched her wiggle on the ground, trying to get out of his grasp.

"S-stop it!" Wanda giggled, trying to get out of his grasp

"Not until you tell me," the Doctor said, moving his fingers fast so she could barely catch her breath from laughing so hard. Abruptly, he found himself on his back, staring up to Wanda hovering over him.

"For that, mister, you're in big trouble," she teased. She flicked him on the nose then hurriedly jumped away from him, skipping down to the dock of the pond. The Doctor sat up quickly, staring at the old, wooden dock with uncertainty as Wanda bounced down it.

"Wanda, I don't really think you should be on that," he called out in concern. He stood up, walking over to the edge of the dock by the shore, watching how Wanda bounced at the other end by the water. She was standing right over the middle of the pond now.

"Oh? You gonna come make me get off of it?" Wanda continued to spring lightly on her feet on the dock. They both could hear the wood creak and moan under her weight. But while the Doctor shook his head in not liking the Time Lady being unconcerned with being on such an instable surface, Wanda only grinned in amusement as she bounced lightly on the balls of her feet.

He stepped lightly onto the dock, holding out a hand to her. "Come on, you should really get off. It's chilly out and getting wet would just make things colder for you."

"You gotta come and get me, Spaceman." Wanda winked, backing up to the very edge of the dock, with the back of her heels sticking out over the water.

Huffing slightly, the Doctor treaded forward, making sure to step lightly over the planks with holes or cracks. He only had a two suits to wear, and one of them was currently in the wash. If this one got wet, then he would have to be in only his pants until both were cleaned. It would be rather embarrassing running around the flat with no clothes on, especially in front of Martha. But as he reached towards Wanda, he knew he should have realized what the Time Lady was up to. It only just dawned on him when he saw that sly grin and her eyes lighting up in mischief.

"Oh, no, you wouldn't," he said, backing up slightly from her. It was too late, however, he was already far too off from the shore and right in the middle of the pond now for him to make an escape. And so, she gave a grin as she grabbed him, using her weight to throw him off balance, and made them both fall back into the water.

It was cold. That was for sure. The Doctor blinked underwater as he saw bubbles coming from Wanda with her laughing. He rolled his eyes, pulling them both back up to the surface. He shook out his hair once they reached air and floated there in the middle of the pond. Wanda kept giggling, splashing him lightly.

"Got you," she laughed. The Doctor splashed her in return.

"Congratulations. You've got us both wet and cold, and now I'll be naked for the rest of the night as I wait for my suits to dry," he responded.

"I don't think I'd mind that," Wanda countered, giving him a coy look.

The Doctor laughed. "Now who's being cheeky."

Wanda splashed him again, sticking out her tongue teasingly. "Well, it's been ages since we've been swimming together. I'd thought we should have a nice dip in this lovely pond."

"Oh, sure. Lovely. But you'd know what be even more fun?" He grinned widely, grabbing her and holding her up above the water slightly.

She kicked out her legs as he held her up, having an amused tone in her voice as she spoke. "Put me down!"

"As you wish."

The Doctor tossed her right into the water, laughing as he watched her sputter when she came back up to the surface. He splashed her, then hurriedly swam back to shore as she chased after him. They were both in a fit of laughter as they waded back onto dry land, completely soaked through their clothes and dripping with the cold water. Even though it was not exactly pleasant to be chilled and cover in pond water, just being together in such a way felt completely perfect for them both. They fell back onto the Doctor's overcoat, still laughing for no real reason. They both just felt so happy and giddy that they could not contain their joy. Eventually, their fit of amusement subsided as they both sighed in content and stared up to the stars hanging above them.

"We should go swimming more often," Wanda said after a moment, staring at the twinkling lights overhead in peace. The Doctor turned his head towards her, smiling softly.

"Yeah, we should," he agreed. He watched as Wanda shivered slightly as the wind picked up around them.

"Brr. You were right. Being wet does not help with the chill," she mumbled, rubbing at her hands and arms to warm them up.

The Doctor scooted over, wrapping an arm around her. "Here. I'll keep you warm."

Wanda snuggled right into him, smiling brightly. "Thanks." She looked up as he gazed warmly at her.

Gently, he tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. They stared at each other for a moment, unblinking, holding their breathes as they felt the same a tug go through them. The very same sensation as they had been experiencing for the past few weeks in being stranded here. The same feeling in being unsure on whether they should take the next step down the road they were heading. Unsure on where exactly they were meant to go. But in the end, at the same time, they both finally took that step.

The Doctor leaned forward and captured her lips in a heated kiss. Wanda treaded her hands through his hair and he wrapped his arms around her waist in the same way his lips held hers. Each invaded the others mouth and they shivered as their Time Lord bond sparked up greatly, sending a flaring warmth through them. There was light smacking as the Doctor rolled on top of her, pinning her to the ground as he ran his hands up and down her sides. She shivered, finding the sensation both pleasuring and ticklish. Her own hands worked hurriedly on opening his suit jacket, then moving to unbutton his dress shirt and pull at his tie. Trembling even more as she felt his hands skim over the skin of her belly.

"Wait, wait, wait," the Doctor breathed, pulling away with a smack with their kiss as he hurriedly stopped her hands on his shirt. She stared up at him in confusion as she saw the sudden uneasy expression.

"What's wrong?" she asked. He hesitated for a moment, seeming unsure how to explain what was on his mind.

"We can't . . . we shouldn't . . .," he tried to speak, swallowing heavily. "I don't think we should do this."

Wanda stared at him, trying to see what exactly he was so hesitant. "Why shouldn't we?" She cupped the side of his face gently. "We've been together through so much. And . . . I want to . . . so badly."

The Doctor shook his head. "But you've never . . . I've been the only one you've been with. You really don't know anything or anyone else. There's probably someone out there, somewhere, who's much better suited for you than I ever could be. And—and don't you think we might be rushing it?"

Wanda scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Theta, we've been together, for you, for three years now. And for me, it's been seventy-two years. Seventy-five if you just want to count starting from the very beginning, but seventy-two in being in a relationship. I think that counts as plenty of time for us both."

"But don't you think . . . this might not be the best time. Or even place. And . . . Wanda I haven't . . . It's been so long for me. Centuries since the last time I've been . . . intimate. I'm not sure if I should, because in the end, things might not last of us. People who want to get close to me . . . it tends to not end well for either of us. Especially for them. I always have to watch them leave, while I have to move on. That's why I haven't bothered at all. I mean, why bother when it just all leads to nothing?"

Still seeing how uneasy the Doctor seemed to feel, she softly kissed his cheek, then pulled forward his hand to kiss his wrist tenderly in reassurance. "I've been with you for all these years, you think I don't know that? I've been by your side, knowing there's always a chance things might go wrong at any second. But that's why I don't want to hesitate or wait any longer. 'Cause you never know when it might be our last chance together. Our last time to swim together." She smiled lightly at her own joke. Her smiled slipped when she realized that sounded rather callous of her. What if the Doctor was not ready? It might still be too soon for him. "Sorry. I didn't mean to push. If you don't want to, then that's fine. I'll wait for as long as you wish. I'm okay with just continuing simple love if that's what you want. Whatever makes you happy, Theta, I'll do it."

"No, no, that's not it." He leaned forward, giving her a brief kiss. "I want to . . . I've been holding back for so long now . . . I don't think I can hold on any longer if we don't move forward." He sighed heavily, leaning his forehead on her shoulder.

She wrapped her arms around him, holding him close and gently rubbing circles on his back. "Then . . . what's stopping us?"

The Doctor only shook his head, hoping to make Wanda realize what path they were heading down. Once the door was opened, there was no turning back for either of them. "Wanda . . . once we cross this line, there's no turning around. There's no going back. Especially when it comes to being a Time Lord. It's something far more, and it can never be taken back. It will last forever for us."

"I know. Why else do you think I've waited?"

"Well . . . I mean, you and future me haven't already . . . have you?"

She chuckled, shaking her head. "No."

The Doctor pulled back to stared at her in shock, blinking in astonishment. "No? Not even once?"

"Nope. Only a few snogs here and there. Nothing more." She kissed him slowly, pulling away to stare deeply into his eyes. "I told you I've waited. Been too scared in the past to cross that line. But not anymore."

It took a few seconds for this information to sink in and for the Doctor to process it. "Seventy-two years. . . That is one hell of a wait. No wonder you're so zealous in this body."

Wanda giggled, kissing his nose. "Well . . . I wanted to wait until the right time for us both." Growing a serious and determined expression, she grabbed his hand from her stomach, pulling it to her chest. He gulped as he felt her hearts pounding away, seeing the steady gaze she held. With another hand, she touched the side of his face. "Theta . . . please . . . make me yours."

Without a second thought more, he leaned down to claim her lips once again.

XxXxXxXx

Wanda sat at the dining table of their flat, sipping causally on her tea. Often, whenever she placed her tea down, she would grow this dreamy smile and begin to hum a pleasant tune. She would even giggle quietly under her breath and her cheeks would almost glow pink as she dazed off to nothing in particular.

Martha, who was sitting across from her, glanced up from reading the paper, raising a brow at the practically glowing Time Lady. The companion had been noticing how the two Time Lords seem to have this radiance about them when strolling about the flat or anywhere else for that matter. This has been happening since a few nights ago. She had noticed something had changed between them when she had woken up the next morning from working late in stocking. At first, she found it funny how they both had to hang up their wet clothes from falling into a pond during some kind of festival. Then she picked up on how each would give these very affectionate looks and passing touches to each other. And the biggest difference was seeing the constant bounce in the Doctor's steps, and the way Wanda would have this relaxed demeanour about her, even more absent-minded than usual. It made Martha constantly wonder what happened to make the Time Lords so giddy. But then, things were made clear to her when she came home last night.

She smirked at the Time Lady slightly, snickering under her breath. Wanda snapped out of her daze as she heard Martha chuckling.

"What?" Wanda asked the girl.

"Nothing. Nothing," Martha replied, shaking her head. She picked up her own cuppa, taking a sip. Settling down the cup, she smirked at the blonde girl as Wanda was drinking her own. "So . . . did you two have fun last night? 'Cause it sure sounded like it." She laughed loudly as Wanda chocked and sputtered on her drink.

"W-what?! You—you heard us?" Wanda asked in alarm.

"Well . . . kind of hard not to at the way you two were going." Martha took a sip of her drink, chuckling as Wanda slapped a hand over her face and was blushing like mad.

"Oh, my gosh, I am _so_ sorry. We didn't mean . . . we thought you'd be out later than that. I swear, I'll make sure we won't go swimming around you anymore."

Martha waved a hand in dismissal of Wanda's embarrassment or worries. "It's fine, really. I've had flatmates before that were _way_ worse than the two of you. Trust me." She paused in confusion as she had been about to take a sip of her tea. "Wait, 'swimming'? Is that some kind of code between the two of you or something?"

Wanda slumped down her seat, looking even more flustered now. "Sort of." Her blush darkened as Martha burst out in laughter. "It's just something like an inside joke between us. Plus it might come in handy if we come across a version of each other who hasn't gone 'swimming' yet, so . . . well, you know." She took a quick sip of her tea, not meeting Martha's gaze directly.

Martha snorted, shaking her head. "You don't have to go and get all flustered about it. It's normal for lovers to do these sorts of things."

"I know. It's just . . . I'm still new and getting used to this advancement in our relationship. And it's not exactly something I want to bluntly discuss with others."

"But are you two finally happy together?"

Wanda leaned forward slightly, smiling fondly in thought. "Yeah." She grinned at the medical student in front of her. "Really, _really_ happy."

Martha grinned as well. "Good. You two needed to finally move on and be happy. It's actually about time. I've been getting tired of putting up with the two of you always just waiting for the other to make the first move. I was half tempted to just lock you both in the bedroom and not let either of you out until—."

"Martha," Wanda scoffed, shaking her at the girl.

"Well, it's true," Martha laughed. "I could have cut the tension with a knife at the rate you two were going."

The Time Lady snorted lightly, agreeing with the girl. "Yeah, it's true." They both sort of laughed and continued to sip on their drinks.

"So where is the Doctor anyway?" Martha looked over her shoulder towards the door of the flat where the Time Lord had left earlier. She thought it was kind of late for him to be out. It was raining as well. It was strange that he would leave so suddenly on such a dark and cold night.

"He went to test his Timey-Wimey Detector some more," Wanda explained. "I think he's getting anxious for Billy to show up. Especially with all the false alarms he's been getting from the device." Martha hummed and nodded, understanding the Doctor's frustration. She had been feeling similarly anxious to hurry up and get out of 1969. God, did she miss being in the TARDIS. Just as much as the Time Lords did.

Both girls jumped slightly as the flat door suddenly burst open, letting in a quick moving Doctor. He grinned brightly, holding up the detector that was dinging loudly.

"I think we've got him!" he exclaimed cheerfully. "Come on! _Allons-y_!" He reached forward, quickly grabbing Wanda's arm and pulling her along. Martha hurriedly followed behind them. The Doctor held out his device in front of him as they all briskly jogged down the stairs and away from the flat. "I want to hurry up and give Billy the tapes as soon as possible. The quicker we get the TARDIS back, the better."

"Right. So then you and Wanda can go 'swimming' all you'd like," Martha teased. The Doctor flattered in his steps, looking either confused by this statement, or flustered by it if Martha meant something specifically.

"What?" he questioned.

"Oh, you know, last night. I heard plenty of swimming going on," Martha continued to tease. Wanda face palmed as the Doctor blinked, going bright red.

"What?!" he exclaimed. Wanda sighed and shook her head, grabbing both of their hands.

"Come on you two. We need to shift it if we're gonna reach Billy in time," she mumbled, pulling them along. "And Martha, really, wait to tease us about this later after we've gotten the TARDIS back. Because at the rate you're going, we're gonna be stuck in 1969 for another month if you keep getting the Doctor in a tizzy."

XxXxXxXx

Oh, I hope the chapter was good for everyone! :) Please let me know what you all thought in a review. Or, truthfully, I would really just like to hear from everyone in a message. I've missed you all so much while I was away. Honestly, I thought of all you guys and each time something scary happened in this crazy world of ours, I prayed that each one of you was safe. Please take care everyone and hope to see you all again soon!

P.S. I promise next time to start up my review responses once again. I also promise to being working on keeping to a schedule on chapter postings. So far I'm thinking every Monday around this time, but I can't promise anything at the moment with me trying to get my life back together.

Take care!

~Tinker~


	15. Ch 15: Cravings

Welcome readers to another new chapter! :)

It made my day seeing many old readers once again. As well as so excitement for all new readers, too! :D Thank you all for your wonderful words of encouragement! Review responses are back! So if any of you wish to recieve replies, please look for your names at the end of the chapter. I'm always more than happy to answer and reply to anything you wish to say. So be free to constantly message me for future replies. :) Now, without further delay, please enjoy the newest chapter!

XxXxXxXx

Chapter 15: Cravings

They had just rounded the corner and saw Billy leaning on a wall down the alleyway when the warmth and white light surrounded Wanda. She trailed behind, letting the Doctor and Martha go towards the disoriented man. He was going to get a shock enough in finding out what the Angels had done to him. Best not scare Billy with her suddenly disappearing in a white light. She closed her eyes as the white light consumed her vision, making it impossible to see anything. Then, as she felt herself jump away and appear somewhere new, she let out a startled scream and fell on her knees as the world around her rocked violently.

Wanda stared up in shock to see she had arrived to TARDIS control room. And it was in chaos. There were sparks flying everywhere with fires starting all around the room. The coral pillars came crashing down, barely missing her as they crumbled onto the grated flooring. She rolled over out of the way just in time, in fact, when the one pillar had tumbled over onto the console. The whole placed groaned and creaked as the TARDIS tried to remain stabilized. But it was no good as something seemed to simply destroy the room to bits and wreak havoc. It was not until the golden light which had been filling the room dimmed that Wanda finally noticed the source of the bursting and destructive energy.

It was the Doctor. A newly regenerated Eleven to be specific. She watched as he stumbled a little on his feet as the TARDIS rocked about in flight, still sparking and falling apart like before. A sharp pang went through Wanda as she saw the disorientated Eleven wobble about, blinking rapidly to clear his vision. The Doctor . . . he had regenerated. It was another moment where he had changed faces . . . and she had not been there for him. She had not been there for Nine when he changed to Ten. And now it had happened again. Ten, the one incarnation who so desperately did not wish to leave, had been all alone when he had gone. He did not even have a companion with him to help him through the change like Rose had done for Nine. Ten, who she had been with only moments ago, was now gone forever. Wanda sucked in a deep breath and let her woe and guilt leave her, keeping her mind focus on the new incarnation who needed her now. She smiled brightly, letting her giddy nature pick up in excitement in seeing Eleven again. Oh, how she had missed him. Far too long had they been apart. But now, she was here alongside him and they could have another adventure together.

"Legs!" Eleven suddenly exclaimed. Wanda watched and giggled as he looked down and grabbed onto one of his legs, hoping a small bit to keep his balance as he admired his new legs. "I've still got legs! Good." He gave the one leg a kiss, letting it go as he examined the rest of himself. "Arms, hands! Ooh, fingers! Lots of fingers! Ears, yes. Eyes, too. Nose. I've had worse. Chin. Blimey! Wanda was never kidding!" He tapped at his chin, noticing how large it was.

He then began tugging on his hair, eyes going wide in feeling how much longer it was than his last body's. "Hair. I'm a girl!" Wanda snorted as the Doctor's voice went high-pitched for a moment. He then started to pat at his neck to check for his Adam's apple. "No! No! I'm not a girl. No."

"Well, if you were a girl, that might just complicate things a bit," Wanda spoke up, gaining the Doctor's attention. She stood up on unsteady legs, holding onto the side of the console to keep her balance. "Then again, it might also make things become really interesting." She gave him a sly wink. The Doctor blinked blankly at her for a moment before the biggest, boyish grin appeared on his face.

"Wanda!" He bounced over the best he could to her, stumbling right into her as the ship around them rocked. She blinked in surprise as he suddenly pushed himself flush against her and kissed her hard. He continued to kiss her repeatedly; pulling away and then pushing forward again with very quick and light pecks as he spoke. "Lips! Lips, still got lips. Great lips! No, wait!" He pulled back to grab some of his dark hair and examine it. His face gave a disgruntled expression. "And still not ginger."

"You'll get there one of these days, sweetie," Wanda replied, patting his arm lightly in sympathy. He grinned brightly.

"One of these days, yes!" he agreed. He kissed her heatedly again, making them both lose focus on the chaos around them as they only felt joy for their intimate embrace. The Doctor suddenly pulled away with a smack, making Wanda stiffen at the serious and grave expression he was directing at her. "And I will _never_ let it happen. Do you hear me? _Never_." He held her possessively against him, giving her a domineering expression that made her shiver slightly. "You are staying with me forever."

"T-Theta?" she questioned carefully, not sure what to think of his sudden change. It was something that did not exactly fit Eleven, being dominant and possessive. Why was he acting in such a way? Blinking rapidly, the Doctor looked her up and down, realizing that her clothes did not match the Wanda who had just been with him. In fact, he noticed how Wanda standing in from of him was wearing multi-coloured dress shirt and light green trousers that he knew for certain resembled the 60s style of fashion. Great choice of clothing for her, really. He loved the 60s.

"Oh? Oh! Sorry! Wrong Wanda. My mistake, just forget I'd said anything." He gave a sheepish smile.

They both let out a startled sound as they fell back onto the grated flooring when the TARDIS rocked violently to the side. Each Time Lord blinked in bewilderment as they suddenly realized what was still happening around them.

"Crashing! I forgot, we're crashing!" Wanda yelled over the noise exploding TARDIS.

"Ha-ha!" the Doctor laughed, bouncing around the console to begin settling the ship the crash landing. Wanda began to help him, going over next to him to see the scanner freaking out in beeping sounds and spinning symbols. The Doctor only whooped, enjoying the great excitement in a TARDIS going crazy. It had been years since a crash landing! It was exciting to experience another one again! It will give him a great challenge in his new body!

"Why are you laughing?!" Wanda exclaimed in disbelief, watching him bounce around the console once more.

"It's been years since I've done this! Isn't this exciting?!" the Doctor said brightly, beaming away. Wanda merely rolled her eyes.

"You crazed moron," she grumbled, shaking her head in a fond and loving manner. Oh yes, she truly did miss Eleven. And she loved him even more for being so insane. It was just perfect! She beamed, bouncing over to give him a peck on his check and held onto a lever with him as the TARDIS continued to spin out of control.

" _Geronimo_!" the Doctor exclaimed in cheer.

" _Eccellente!_ " Wanda cheered right along with him.

Their cheering did not last long as things grew far too out of control. The whole ship was turning upside-down, spinning them around and around within the control room. Things continued to spark and explode within the room, making the place barely recognizable by the damage. And the noise the TARDIS was making sounded as though the old girl were in pain. At one point, Wanda was holding onto the railing around the console, practically hanging with her feet pointing towards the ceiling because the gravity within the ship was on the fritz. While the Doctor was outside of the doors themselves, holding onto the edge of the doorway with his sonic screwdriver clamped in his teeth and the city of London whizzing by underneath him.

"Hang on, Theta! I think if I can reach the stabilizer, I might be able to—," Wanda began to call out to the Time Lord, but was halted in her statement when the ship tilted harshly, sending her flying down the corridor from the control room. She banged severely against the walls along the way down, until suddenly she was flung right into an open doorway.

The door slammed shut as soon as she fell into the room. She blinked in a daze as she realized she had landed right into a bed. Her own bed, as a matter of fact. She did not get much time to process how she had managed to end up in her own room when she was tossed right off the bed. Screaming, she was thrown around the room in the erratic course of the ship, along with everything else in the room. Eventually, though, everything finally halted and came to a stop when the ship thudded loudly and shuttered on impact.

Remaining on the floor in a daze, Wanda blinked to clear her vision as she stared at the ceiling above her. Different music sheets floated down around her as things finally settled and grew quiet. Sitting up, she blinked again, trying to steady herself as the room tilted and spun slightly around her. Shaking her head quickly, she cleared her vision. A mirror lay beside her, lying cracked on the ground for her to see her image in a scattered reflection. She could not help but giggle upon the sight of seeing her ash-blonde hair a mess around her head. Flattening her hair the best she could, she slowly stood up, looking around to see the Doctor's and her room in such a state. She barely recognized it. But then, her hearts broke upon the sight of something precious lying in pieces on the ground.

"Oh . . .," she breathed, falling back onto her knees beside her smashed violin. Shaking hands grasped it as she pulled it up from the ground. It fell apart even more, splintered to bits. A single tear landed on the instrument as Wanda's bottom lip quivered. Sniffling, she hurriedly rubbed at her eyes, trying to keep herself together. God she was being overemotional. It . . . it was just a daft old violin after all. It's not like she really had time to play it anymore anyway. It's not like she had not been planning on playing it for Eleven to celebrate him being born from the regeneration . . . or even for Amy and Rory's wedding. Wanda sniffled again, rubbing away her tears.

Her grip on the broken instrument tightened as someone suddenly knocked on the door. What? Knocked on the door? Who the heck could that be? She received her answer the moment she opened her door, seeing the Doctor hanging by a rope outside her doorway, soaking wet with the clothes on him ripped and singed in many places. Ten's old suit, no longer clean and pressed as he would always have it. No longer the Foxy Doctor's suit. Now it was the Raggedy Doctor's. Eleven, the Raggedy Doctor, grinned brightly at her.

"Ah! I see the gravity in your room is still working," he said merrily. He thought about this for a moment, tilting his head a little as he was staring at her sideways from the strange angle they had ended up at. "Mostly working. I thought I might find you in here. I knew the TARDIS would most likely send you to your room if you were in some sort of trouble. Or, quite possibly, you just got very lucky in landing in your room when falling through the corridor. I got lucky, too! I landed in the swimming pool." His grin brightened even more as he seemed so delighted in landing in the TARDIS pool.

Wanda smiled warmly, happy for his delight. "I'm just glad you're okay. Do you think the TARDIS will be all right, too?"

"Of course! It takes more than a little old regeneration backfire to mess with her," he responded. At the disgruntled hum echoing through the corridor, he gave a sheepish expression. "Of course, she'll have to redesign everything now. But who's counting technicalities?" He glanced down and his happy demeanour deflated upon the sight of the broken violin in the Time Lady's hands. He felt even worse when looking back up to see Wanda's eyes were still red from obvious tears. "Oh, Wanderer, I'm so sorry. I know how much that meant to you."

Wanda shrugged her shoulders, tossing the now useless instrument back into the room. "It's fine. It was just a daft old violin anyway."

"Yes, but it was _your_ daft old violin." He swung himself forward, giving her an awkward sideways kiss. "I'm sure once the TARDIS gets things settled again, she'll make you a new one."

She smiled, shaking her head. "We'll worry over a silly violin later. For now, let's go see where we've ended up."

"Good idea." The Doctor grinned once more, climbing up the rope as quickly as he could.

Wanda hopped out of the bedroom, catching the rope in a tight grip and following after him. She saw how the TARDIS doors were already open for them as they shimmied up the rope through the control room. Everything felt weird to her seeing the whole place sideways. It felt as about as strange and bizarre as the one time Eleven had taken her to the upside-down party in the future. Very fun, but very disorienting.

Staring at the rope in hand, she knew this must have been the grappling hook the Doctor had thrown out of the TARDIS doors. How he managed to throw the hooked rope all the way from the pool to the open doors, she had no idea. He must have one hell of an arm in his new body. She wondered what else he might—no wait, those were not appropriate thoughts. Nope. Or . . . were they? They were technically together now, both in marriage and in bonding, so . . .

"Can I have an apple? All I can think about, apples. I love apples. Maybe I'm having a craving. That's new. Never had cravings before," spoke the Doctor hanging above her.

Wanda blinked out of her wander thoughts. Gazing up to see the Doctor poking his head out of the TARDIS doorway, looking at someone, Wanda snorted and shook her head.

"Why don't you try introducing yourself first _before_ demanding for an apple?" Wanda called from underneath him, her voice echoing around the TARDIS as she spoke. "And can you please move it? I don't think I can hang on much longer."

"Sorry," the Doctor replied, pulling himself up the rest of the way onto the frame of the doorway. He leaned down towards Wanda, holding out a hand to her. She gladly grabbed it, gripping the hand tightly as he pulled her up next to him. "There you go, all fine. Right as rain." He smiled and patted her back as she leaned next to him. Wanda shook her head fondly.

"You. Are. An. Idiot," she said. The Doctor grinned and leaned closer towards her so that way their noses were touching.

"Yes, but I'm _your_ idiot," he said huskily. Wanda scoffed as he tried to kiss her lips hungrily and give her a snog, but she pushed him away.

"Not in front of a child, idiot," she scolded him. She turned her attention the little Amelia who stood in front of them. Wanda smiled warmly, finding it amusing and wonderful to be seeing the little girl. How strange was it in seeing someone she knew so well as a grown-up and was now seeing them as a child. Then, Wanda found herself giddy over seeing little Amelia in her red jumper, little white dressing gown, and red wellies. She was just so adorable!

"Are you both okay?" little Amelia asked them, her Scottish accent heavy with her words.

"Peachy!" Wanda exclaimed merrily as the Doctor leaned over a little ways to stare down into the TARDIS. "We're just sort of having vehicle troubles at the moment. Our ship got into a bit of a mess."

"Just had a fall," the Doctor added in. "All the way down there, right to the library for me. And Wanda here ended up in our room. Hell of a climb back up." Amelia frowned at him, looking him up and down in the way his clothes dripped in cold water.

"You're soaking wet," she pointed out to him.

"He fell in the pool," Wanda explained.

"He said he was in the library," Amelia countered, looking confused by their conflicting stories as to what happened to the man.

"So was the swimming pool," the Doctor told the little girl. Amelia rolled her eyes, looking frustrated with their rambling and explanations that went nowhere.

"Are you both policemen?" she asked them, wanting to hurry up to the real reason for them being there. She hoped that it was Santa Claus answering her wishes. The Doctor stared at the child in bewilderment.

"Why?" he asked her. "Did you call the policemen?"

"Actually, she was praying to Santa. Right, sweetie?" Wanda spoke up, grinning at little Amelia. The girl stared at the woman in amazement, suddenly seeming hopeful.

"Did he send you? Did you come about the crack in my wall?" she asked quickly, smiling happily in her situation finally being taken care of. That crack had been scaring her far too long. She would be glad once it was gone.

"Well . . . not exactly. But we are here to help," Wanda assured the girl that her problem will be solved . . . eventually. "We'll take care of that nasty crack for you." She beamed, joyful to see the great smile on Amelia's face. Wanda always loved bringing children joy. Especially those who were a part of her family. The Doctor's expression held great confusion, unsure as to what either of them was talking about.

"What cra—," he started to say, but could not speak anymore as horrible pain lashed through him. He let out a cry in agony, falling forward off the frame of the TARDIS and onto the ground as he withered in pain. Wanda gasped in alarm, hurriedly falling down next to him.

"Are you all right, sweetie?" she asked him in concern, helping him sit up off the ground. Amelia stared at him in concern as well as the Doctor leaned against the TARDIS underside, panting and wheezing. He gave them a reassuring smile.

"No, I'm fine, it's okay," he told them both. "This is all perfectly norm—." He was cut off in his words again as his body gave another painful spasm. He clutched at his stomach and opened his mouth, letting out wisps of golden regeneration energy. Wanda patted his shoulder, trying to comfort his pain in some way. She knew how painful the after-effects could be sometimes. Amelia, however, stared at him in amazement and wonder.

"Who are you?" she asked, staring back and forth between the two strangers. "Both of you?"

"I don't know yet," the Doctor replied, holding up his hands for them to see the golden glow around them. "I'm still cooking." He glanced up at the little girl. "Does it scare you?" Amelia frowned and shook her head.

"No, it just looks a bit weird," she said.

"No, no, no. The crack in your wall. Does it scare you?" the Doctor corrected what exactly he was asking the little girl. Amelia nodded her head, looking as though she were scared quite often by that particular occurrence.

"Yes," she told him. The Doctor smiled brightly, knowing this adventure with the little girl was going to be just as interesting as she herself was. He bounced up onto his feet, pulling up Wanda with him. Wrapping an arm around his Wanderer's middle, he beamed at the little girl while the Time Lady beside him smiled gently.

"Well, then, no time to lose," he said cheerfully. He pointed at himself. "I'm the Doctor. And this here is the Wanderer." He pointed at Wanda, who waved and bounced giddily at the little girl in front of them. "Do everything we tell you, don't ask stupid questions, and don't wander off." He suddenly let go of Wanda, spinning around to stride off in the opposite direction of the house.

"Wait, Doctor, watch out for that—," Wanda began to warn him. But it was too late for a warning as the Doctor ran smack into the tree and fell onto his back with a thump. The Time Lady let out a puff of air. ". . . tree." She walked over to him, crouching down to snicker at the blinking and dazed Doctor. "You all right down there?"

"Early days. Steering's a bit off," he grumbled. Shaking his head, he tried clearing his vision as he frowned at the snickering Time Lady above him. "Where did that tree come from? Did you put that there?"

"Oh yes, I made sure to jump back into the past, years before this, planted the tree, and made certain it would be in your path so you would walk right into it," Wanda said sarcastically. She stuck out her tongue at him as he gave a wiry grin.

"I wouldn't put it past you," he joked. Quickly and abruptly, he threaded his fingers through her hair around the back of her head, pulling her down to give her a searing kiss. When he pulled away, he kept his tone low as he breathed into her ear. "You know, apples aren't the only thing I'm craving." Wanda scoffed, hitting him on the arm as he chuckled.

"Perv," she mumbled under her breath. The Doctor only gave her a boyish grin in response.

Wanda had always found it funny how Ten would always flirt openly and be almost perverted with others, but when it came to being around her he would get all flustered and nervous. Then with Eleven, it was the opposite with him becoming confused around others when it came to flirting or any other sort of voluptuous topics or actions. Then when she was around him, he would suddenly snap around and be completely keen on being the biggest flirt or tease. It always amused her with this change from the two personalities. Especially when it was completely different from what she had seen on the telly back in her world.

Wanda helped the Doctor up, letting him lean on her as they followed Amelia to the girl's house. She had them wait in the doorway of her kitchen as she searched for an apple that the Doctor insisted upon. Wanda continued to let him lean against her, feeling his clothes soak her own as the water from him dripped on the floor. Finally, Amelia found an apple in a pantry, holding the red fruit in her hands as she brought it over to the man. She held it out to him, letting him grab it from her. The girl stared at them both curiously but kept most of her perplexed gaze on the Time Lord.

"If you're a doctor, why does your box say 'Police'?" she questioned him.

"It's sort of our way of letting others know we're here to help. Even if we're not exactly the police," Wanda explained to the girl as the Doctor took a loud crunching bite from the apple. She stood there unflinching while the Doctor suddenly spat out his bite and Amelia jumped back a step as the mushy bits of apple went flying at her. Wanda gave Amelia a side glance as she saw the girl give her a look of disgusted confusion. "And before you ask, Amelia: yes. Yes, he's always been this disgusting."

"'Disgusting'? Since when have I been disgusting?" the Doctor asked in disbelief, pouting like a child to being told he was crude. "I'm not disgusting. This is! What is that even?" He held out the apple as far away from him as he could, glaring at it as if it had done something horrible.

"It's an apple, Doctor. Just like you asked," Wanda disputed, placing her hands on her hips as she moved away from him. "And yes, you are disgusting. Like the rudeness, the grossness you have never goes away."

"Tell me when I've ever been disgusting," the Doctor countered.

"Oh, I don't know, how about the time on the Sycorax ship—another time you had just regenerated—when you had walked up and licked blood from their blood control plate. Seriously, who just walks up, sees blood, and thinks 'yeah, I'll go ahead and give that a lick'? I mean _really_."

The Doctor merely pouted once more, grumbling like a child under his breath. Wanda snickered lightly, shaking her head fondly. He sure was adorable when he pouted like that. Amelia, who had been observing their strange behavior and words, stared at the blonde girl curiously.

"You know my name. How do you know that?" she questioned Wanda. The Time Lady smiled brightly at the little girl.

"I sort of know things before they happen," Wanda explained. Amelia blinked, staring at Wanda in bewilderment as she tilted her head and frowned.

"What, like seeing the future?" the child questioned.

"Uh, no, not really that." Wanda scratched at her temple slightly. "I just know things in advance. Kind of like I've read the book before anyone else, but instead of it being a 'book' it's actually the world we live in. Get it?"

Amelia frowned even more, crossing her arms as if not liking the strange way the woman was trying to explain things. "You mean seeing the future. You're psychic."

"Well . . . no, it's not—hey! What are you doing?!" Wanda exclaimed when seeing stuff flying from the refrigerator as the Doctor dug through it. He pulled away from the frig with a yoghurt in hand, furrowing his brows at them as both females stared at him in disbelief in the mess he was making.

"You both were taking too long. I'm having cravings _now_ ," he retorted. He pulled back the wrapping of the yoghurt and downed the contents. He smiled brightly for a second as he savoured the flavour before spitting out in disgust. "I hate yoghurt. It's just stuff with bits in." He threw the container down and began to rummage through the frig once more.

This continued on for some time as the Doctor rampaged through the kitchen in search for the satisfaction for his cravings. He tried bacon. That was poison. Then beans. Those were evil. Moving onto bread and butter, that ended up being tossed outside angrily and hitting a stray cat. Carrots . . . Well, Wanda felt sorry for the poor vegetables after what the Doctor did to them. She finally sighed in exasperation when seeing how dismayed Amelia looked by the state of her kitchen.

"Oh, for Pete's sakes," Wanda muttered, marching over to the freezer to pull out a box of fish fingers. Then another container of custard from the frig. She pushed them into the Doctor's arms, patting him on the shoulder. "There. Try these." The Time Lord beamed, bouncing away to make the items. Wanda turned back to the freezer, pulling out a tub of ice cream. "Here you go, Amelia. Have at it. It's a reward for putting up with the idiot." The little girl smiled brightly, pulling out a spoon from a drawer to begin digging into the sweet treat. Wanda then went over to a pantry, opening the small door. "As for me: custard creams."

She bounced and smiled when seeing the package of her favourite treat. Skipping over to the small table in the kitchen to sit across from Amelia, Wanda dug into her delicious biscuits. The Doctor flopped down into a chair next to her a moment later, stuffing his face happily with fish fingers and custard. He had finally found what he had been craving. He frowned when seeing what Wanda was munching on, staring curiously at the custard creams.

"Custard creams? Why are you eating those?" he wondered aloud.

"Because they're my favourites," Wanda replied, smiling in content when taking a bite of one of the biscuits.

"Rubbish. Those are rubbish. I think jammie dodgers are much better," the Doctor countered.

"Now _those_ are rubbish. Custard creams are much tastier." Wanda gave another bite of her biscuit.

The Doctor shook his head, grinning slyly as he bit into a fish finger covered in custard. "Nope. Jammie dogers."

Wanda stuck out her tongue. "Nu-huh. Custard Creams."

"Jammie dogers."

"Custard Creams."

"Jammie dogers."

"Funny," Amelia spoke up, interrupting the two Time Lords. Both blinked at her, confused as to why she was staring at them in amusement. They acted like the other children from her school.

"What is?" the Doctor asked.

"You two are," Amelia clarified, eating a spoon full of ice cream. The Doctor and Wanda both grinned happily.

"Good. Funny's good," the Doctor said.

"And being silly is even better," Wanda added. Each adult gave the other a sly grin before turning their attention back to the girl in front of them, growing serious. "So, Amelia Pond—."

"Oh. That's a brilliant name," the Doctor interrupted her, smiling brightly at the little girl. "'Amelia Pond,' like a name in a fairy tale. Are we in Scotland, Amelia?" Amelia gave an exasperated sigh.

"No," she grumbled. "Had to move to England. It's rubbish."

"So what about your mum and dad, then?" the Doctor pressed on to more questions. "Are they upstairs? Thought we'd have woken them by now." Amelia stared blankly at her ice cream for a second before shaking her head sadly.

"I don't have a mum and dad. Just an aunt," she told him. Both adults gave small nods and empathetic smiles.

"I don't even have an aunt," the Doctor said, trying to lighten the mood of the girl slightly.

"You're lucky." Amelia smiled lightly.

"I had an aunt once," Wanda spoke up thoughtfully, staring upwards in contemplation as she remembered her family from her world. She frowned slightly as she tried recalling her aunt, but all she could truly call to mind was her aunt's occupation. "She was an investigative journalist, I think." She shook herself out of her memories, smiling back at Amelia. "Anyway, so, your aunt's out I'm guessing?"

"Not that you wouldn't know already," Amelia said, giving a grin to the blonde woman. "You being able to see the future and all."

"I told you, I can't 'see' the future. I just 'know' the future," Wanda replied, munching on another custard cream. She paused in her eating as she thought her words over. "Well, I mean . . . I sometimes can _see_ into the future. But that's a whole other story."

"I still say you're psychic," Amelia replied, taking another spoon full of her ice cream. The Doctor stared thoughtfully at the two of them for a second before looking curiously at the little girl.

"So your aunt left you here all alone?" he questioned her.

"I'm not scared," Amelia retorted, looking as she said this to adults quite often. The Doctor grinned brightly.

"'Course you're not. You're not scared of anything!" he responded. "Box falls out of the sky, strangers fall out of the box, strangers dig through your kitchen and eat your food," he took another bite of a fish finger covered in custard, holding a studying gaze on the child, "and look at you, just sitting there." Amelia gave him a baffled expression, unsure of where he was going with this. The Doctor and Wanda both stared at her with serious looks on their faces. "So you know what I think?"

"What?" Amelia questioned, shaking her head in confusion as to what he was leading to.

"Must be a hell of a scary crack in your wall," both Time Lords said together. Each of them gave a side glance at the other, then turned their full attention on Amelia. Meanwhile, Amelia gulped, looking as though their words could be no closer to the truth.

Hesitantly and cautiously, after a moment of persuasion on the Doctor and Wanda's part, the girl led them upstairs to her bedroom. Of course, not before grabbing another apple from the kitchen's pantry. Wanda smiled as she saw the girl carving a face into the fruit with a small knife. It was so adorable how determined Amelia seemed to be in either impressing them or making things better for them. Even by making apples more pleasing for the Doctor.

When they walked into the upstairs bedroom, Wanda looked at everything curiously. The room was small and cozy, with a child's bed, a multi-coloured quilt laying on it, toys scattered around, small cute laps on different end tables, and a large doll's house sitting in the corner. The most obvious thing out of place was the large crack above the bed. It some ways, it seemed harmless and normal. In others . . . it felt . . . ominous. Wanda let out a thoughtful hum as the Doctor examined it, trailing his fingers along the crack.

"What are you thinking?" he asked quietly.

"I'm thinking that crack shouldn't be here," Wanda whispered when standing close behind him. He hummed in agreement.

"You're had some cowboys in here," the Doctor noted, glancing over at Amelia who remained by the doorway, seeming too nervous to step up closer to the crack. "Not actual cowboys—."

"Though that can happen," Wanda finished his thought. They both grinned at each briefly before looking back at the crack.

After a moment, Amelia walked over to the Doctor, handing him the apple once she had finished carving the face into it. Taking it gratefully, the Doctor stuffed the fruit into his trouser pocket and continued to examine the wall. He hummed in thought, tapping his fingers lightly over the surface.

"This wall is solid and the crack doesn't go all the way through it," he muttered. "So here's a thing, where's the draft coming from?" He pulled away, scanning the crack with his old sonic.

Wanda's eyes narrowed a bit as she stared closely at the crack, running her own fingers along the line. Very faint whisperings could be heard coming from it, along with a slim bit of light shining in her eyes. She was not sure if the other two were noticing the light or whispers. She wondered if perhaps it was Atraxi guard's message and the prison, or perhaps . . . something else. She wasn't exactly sure. She knew how the cracks were sometimes two parts of space and time meeting together, parts that were not meant to come together. Other times, it could be time energy that was dangerous and could erase people from existence like what happened to Rory within the Silurian city. She wondered, though, if maybe the cracks also held other secrets. She knew they could lead into pocket universes, such as with happened at Trenzalore with Gallifrey. Her fingers halted in tracing the crack as her mind briefly flash images of her memory and a possibility. Gallifrey . . .

Shaking her head, she focused her mind back onto the crack in front of her, feeling strange as the whisperings picked up, growing louder. Even the Doctor's rambling with Amelia behind her seemed to grow softer and mute compared to the whisperings. Wanda wobbled on her feet as the growing voices seemed to echo around her, surrounding her. She closed her eyes, trying to focus on the whispers. But the more she focus and concentrated on them, the more her mind ached. She began wincing from the growing headache. Her head began to pound from pain as the voices increased in strength. The barriers in her mind, blockages keeping unknown memories and secrets at bay, began to creak and crack. The one particular barrier, the one which she knew for certain that held something within, stirred, becoming restless and anxious. Wanda's hand pressed flat against the crack as she leaned towards the wall, trying to keep herself steady.

 _I'm sorry, Alpha . . . I don't think she wanted to live anymore._

 _What? No . . . no, don't say that . . . NO! TINA!_

"Wanda?"

She gasped, yanking her hand away from the crack and stumbling back from the wall. Hands held her by the arms, helping to steady her. She turned around abruptly, staring with wide eyes at the Doctor as he blinked in bewilderment at her.

"I remember," she breathed in a rush. The Doctor stiffened, looking alarmed by this.

"What?" he questioned immediately. Wanda blinked, finding her mind suddenly go blank. What . . . what happened? What were they doing? Were they not looking at the crack in the wall? Why were the Doctor and Amelia looking at her cautiously?

"Huh?" she wondered, staring at the Doctor in concern. Why did he seem suddenly so on edge, holding her upper arms tightly as he stared at her in fear? "Doctor, what's wrong? Are you okay?" He opened his mouth to say something, then quickly to seem to think otherwise, shutting it and shaking his head while holding a strained smile.

"Nothing. I'm just worried about this crack," he said in a reassurance. Wanda shrugged, turning back around to face the wall. The Doctor wrung his hands around nervously for a second as he stared at Wanda's back in uncertainty. He felt a tug on his shirt from behind, which made him startled a bit as he forgotten that little Amelia was still with them.

"Wait, aren't you going to ask her why she—?" Amelia began to ask him, frowning in confusion at Wanda. The Doctor hurriedly shushed the girl, crouching down to face her at an equal level.

"We don't talk about that," he said in a hushed tone, bopping her lightly on the nose. He stood back up, moving to be beside Wanda to stare at the crack with her. Amelia behind them glared at the Doctor, rubbing at her nose in irritation. She glanced up at Wanda who suddenly came to stand beside her to get out of the Doctor's way as he moved the small dresser in front of the wall out of the way as he talked quickly.

"The only way to close the breach is to open it all the way," he said rapidly. "The forces will invert, and it'll snap itself shut. Or . . ." He walked back over to stand beside both Amelia and Wanda, suddenly seeming uncertain by this plan he was about to do. Amelia stared at him, seeming uneased by his worried expression.

"What?" she asked. The Doctor grimaced slightly, appearing to be hesitant to respond to this question. But soon, he gave the little girl a serious and even stare.

"You know when grown-ups tell you everything's going to be fine, and you think they're probably lying to make you feel better?" he replied carefully.

"Yes," Amelia sighed, nodding in as if she was used to adults telling her this. Wanda patted the girl's shoulder, gaining Amelia's attention.

"Everything's going to be fine," Wanda said in assurance, smiling and winking at the girl. Both Time Lords grabbed onto one of the girl's hands, making all face the crack head-on. The Doctor lifted his screwdriver, pointing it at the wall. He glanced at Wanda briefly.

"I think it's best if we do this together," he said. Wanda nodded curtly.

"Right," she replied, pulling out her own sonic from her trouser pocket and aimed it at the wall as well.

Amelia watched as each adult aimed their strange tools at the crack, making the devices in their hands light up in blue and purple colours, buzzing in a weird high-pitched noise. She scooted around to stand slightly behind the Doctor as her fears grew when seeing the crack glow and slowly open. Once fully parted, they saw a dark hallway on the other side with cell doors.

"Prisoner Zero has escaped," barked a distant voice that echoed around the prison they were gazing at. Both the Doctor and Wanda moved a hair closer to the new appearance in the room, looking curiously in.

"Hello?" the Doctor called loudly after the voice rang out once more in their exclamation of Prisoner Zero. They all jumped back when an enormous eye with a blue iris suddenly appeared in front of the other side, staring searchingly at them. Amelia pressed behind the Doctor in fright.

"What's that?" she asked fearfully. Wanda moved slightly in front as to keep herself as a protective barrier for little Amelia, squeezing the girl's hand lightly in comfort.

"Don't worry, we won't let it hurt you," Wanda whispered to the girl. They all tensed when a blue electric light suddenly shot out and went straight to the Doctor, making him fall backwards onto the bed. Then the crack snapped shut with a lingering glow.

"There. You see, told you it would close. Good as new," the Doctor said quickly as he pulled out the psychic paper from his trouser pocket. He stared at the message that had appeared there in interest.

"What was that thing? Was that Prisoner Zero?" Amelia asked, refusing to move her eyes away from crack, too frightened that it might open again and let out that eye. Wanda rubbed a soothing hand on the girl's shoulder, making Amelia relax somewhat and feel less frightened.

"No, it was just a guard from the prison," the Time Lady said. She patted Amelia's shoulder. "Don't worry, he won't get through that way." Amelia nodded, feeling at ease with this knowledge.

"Whatever it was, it sent me a message. Psychic paper. Takes a lovely little message," the Doctor muttered, waving the paper in his hand when Amelia gazed curiously at it. He glanced back down to the glowing message. "'Prisoner Zero has escaped.' Why tell us?"

"Most likely to warn us," Wanda said, looking warily towards the hall outside the bedroom.

"Warn us about what?" the Doctor asked.

"About something that might have already came through before we got here," Wanda replied. She rolled her eyes when seeing the blank look on the Doctor. Jerking her head slightly towards the door and motioning with her eyes, it abruptly dawned on him. He made a slight 'o' in expression, then looked wary as well.

"But he couldn't have. We'd know," he countered.

"Would we?" Wanda gave him a pointed look, jerking her head once more towards the hallway. The Doctor blinked, then bolted out the room when realizing what she meant. Both females hurriedly followed after him, standing in front of him outside the bedroom and staring down another hallway that led to the stairs going back down. At the very end of the hall, they could see an ordinary door. Then, right next to it . . . The Doctor tilted his head to the side, then looked back at Wanda and Amelia, though keeping a side glance at the end of the hallway.

"It's difficult. Brand-new me, nothing works yet," he said quickly. "But there's something I'm missing in the corner of my eye." He slowly turned his head, finally seeing the extra door at the end of the hall. It was wrong, feeling off within the house. Especially in the way it appeared to just be jammed into the corner next to the other door. Wanda nodded when he looked back at her, telling him she could see it as well. Both Time Lords whipped their heads towards a window next to them when the Cloister Bell chimed loudly from the TARDIS outside.

"No, no, no, no, no, no!" the Doctor exclaimed, sprinting in a rush down the stairs towards the entrance of the house. Wanda and Amelia hurriedly ran after him, hastening outside into the backyard with him. They could hear the TARDIS bellow throughout the night air in warning as she smoked greatly while still laying on her back within the rumble of a shed that once stood in the yard.

"We've got to get back in there, Wanda," the Doctor said rapidly in a panic. "The engines are phasing. It's going to burn!" Wanda sped up her pace, getting to the TARDIS at the same time as him. She quickly helped him grab the grappling hook and begin to tie it around the TARDIS doors that way they could close them when jumping back into the ship.

"But . . . It's just a box!" Amelia panted from her sprint as she ran up next to them. "How can a box have engines?"

"It's not a box," the Doctor replied as he fixed up the rope.

"It's a time machine," Wanda explained. Amelia blinked in disbelief.

"What, a real one?" she questioned, greatly bewildered by how casual the two were about suddenly announcing of them owning a time machine. "You've got a real time machine?"

"Yep! Ain't she a beauty?" Wanda responded, patting the ship's side in admiration.

"Though not for much longer if we can't get her stabilized," the Doctor countered, directing a worried face towards the Time Lady. Wanda nodded quickly.

"Right, right," she said, hurrying to secure the rope around the doors. Yanking the rope tightly, she nodded to the Doctor, letting him know everything was set to go.

The Doctor clapped his hands together, ready to jump. "Five-minute hop into the future should do it."

Wanda nodded in agreement. "Should." She glanced at Amelia standing beside them, seeing the excited look on the child. Oh . . . Right. Wanda sucked in a small breath and puffed it back out, feeling saddened in knowing what would happen now.

"Can I come?" Amelia asked hopefully, smiling brightly at the pair.

"Not safe in here, not yet. Five minutes. Give us five minutes. We'll be right back," the Doctor said in a rush, hopping onto the frame of the TARDIS doorway. Amelia's smile fell as she stared in great disappointment. Like she had heard that one before.

"People always say that," she mumbled. The Doctor halted in jumping when hearing this, staring at little Amelia curiously. He noticed Wanda next to him holding a regretful expression, staring sadly at the girl. Seeing the Doctor looking at her, Wanda nodded her head towards the girl and gave him a look. He nodded in return. Hopping back down from the TARDIS and walking over to the child, he crouched in front of her and gave her a smile. Wanda came up beside him, giving the girl a small smile of her own.

"Are we people? Do we even look like people?" he said, indicating to both himself and Wanda next to him. "Trust us. I'm the Doctor and she's the Wanderer. We always come back. Promise." He gave one last grin before going back over to the TARDIS. He bounced up onto the frame again, gave one last glance at the girl, and then jumped down into the ship with a cry ' _Geronimo!_ ' as he fell down back into the pool. The two remaining females could even hear a distant splash coming from within the ship.

Wanda gave a heavy sigh, rubbing at the back of her head as she stared at the smoking ship. Glancing at Amelia, she slowly crouched down in front of the girl, holding a humourless expression. "Amelia, now I need you to listen to me. You listening?"

"Um . . . sure?" Amelia responded, though seemed uncertain by this sudden change in Wanda. The Time Lady sighed once more, appearing to be very regretful and sorry.

"I'm not going to sugar coat things for you just because you're young. I know you're a big girl and you can handle tough news, right?" she said, staring steadily at the girl. Amelia nodded, straightening up as if to show she could handle anything. Wanda smiled, feeling proud of little Amelia, knowing she would grow into a wonderful and brilliant woman in the future. "Good. Now, this is going to be really, _really_ hard to hear, and I'm sorry. I'm so, so, _so_ sorry, but . . . we're not coming back in five minutes."

Amelia's face dropped, looking devastated. "What? But he said—."

"I know what he said. He's wrong. We won't get back in five minutes for our time machine won't' be able to. She's not stable enough to make it back in that short amount of time."

"But he promised!" Amelia appeared to be greatly upset now, staring down sadly at the ground. "I should have known. Grown-ups always promise and never keep it."

Wanda gently reached forward and softly held the girl's chin, pulling up her head so their gazes would meet. "I know. Sometimes people make promises that they don't even realize they can't keep. For they really only make the promises in the first place to give comfort to others. Even if the promise is impossible to begin with." She smiled sadly as Amelia sighed. "I know, I'm just as disappointed as you are. I really did want us to come back in five minutes, but . . . some things were never meant to happen." Her smile brightened, giving Amelia a hopefully feeling at the way Wanda's face cheered up. "But I do have good news. We will be back for you in the future."

Amelia stared curiously at her. "When? How long will you both be away?"

Wanda hesitated for a moment, giving a nervous grin. "Twelve years." Amelia's face dropped once more, looking more or less completely shocked by this. Wanda nodded, letting her hand drop from the girl's chin. "I know, I know. It's a really, really, _really_ long bloody time from now. And I don't exactly know on which day we'll show up. Just that it'll be twelve years from now."

"Wanda! We need to go!" the Doctor suddenly called from within the TARDIS. Wanda looked over her shoulder.

"In a second!" she called back to him, turning her attention back to Amelia. "Look, I promise, with all my hearts, that we'll be back then. I know it's a long wait, but trust me, it will be worth the wait once we get back."

"How can I trust _your_ promise?" Amelia retorted, crossing her arms tightly as she stared in frustration at Wanda.

"Because I'm 'psychic,' remember? I know what promises to make," Wanda replied, giving the girl a light wink. Leaning forehead, she gave little Amelia a strong and warm hug, even giving the girl a kiss on the cheek in reassurance. She then patted Amelia's shoulder, standing back up to go over to the TARDIS. Turning back around to Amelia, she smiled brightly. "Just know that we're coming back. I'm dead set on keeping that promise for you no matter what."

"Why would you even bother coming back? What's so special about getting back to me if it's really going to take that long?" Amelia suddenly asked, wondering why exactly this woman seemed so determined to come back for little old her.

"Because I'm your Wanderer, too. And just like for the Doctor, I will always come wandering back to you, Amelia Pond. Remember that." Wanda hopped onto the TARDIS frame, grinning at the little girl as Amelia stared thoughtfully at her. "See you around, Amy." Giving a small salute to Amelia, who seemed surprised by the name she had been called, Wanda grabbed a tight hold on the end of the rope and jumped down into the TARDIS, through the corridors, and fell into the pool beside the Doctor. And with a tug on the rope, the TARDIS doors slammed shut and the ship was off.

XxXxXxXx

In the end, they had somehow managed to get the TARDIS stabled and upright again. Wanda was not really sure how the Doctor and she had achieved this, but she did not complain. Repeatedly, as they were trying to materialize back to Amelia, the TARDIS kept giving them problems. As the Doctor was busy working on not letting the ship burn up, Wanda concentrated on setting course to the right time of Amelia. Repeatedly the TARDIS kept slipping in coordinates, almost trying to arrive far later in the future than twelve years. But Wanda kept getting the ship back on track, trying to get to Amelia as soon and quick as possible. However, there was also the issue of her trying to reach Amelia in the five minute range as the Doctor had promised. But no matter how hard Wanda tried, the TARDIS simply refused to arrive any sooner than twelve years. Those years exactly. Wanda let out a frustrated sigh as she finally was able to get the TARDIS to set on the date and slowly materialize there.

"Hurry, Wanda!" the Doctor called as he ran outside hurriedly into the backyard of Amelia Pond. Wanda ran out as well, in a hurry to see the now grown-up Amelia and to get out of the dangerous smoke that had been filling within the TARDIS. She coughed as she exited, glancing up to see the Doctor had already run inside the house. She could even hear him yelling for Amelia and Prisoner Zero within the home.

Wanda sped up her pace, trying to get to both the Doctor and Amelia as soon as possible. Not wishing to delay any longer. Bounding up the stairs, Wanda turned the upper corner and halted. She blinked in surprise as she found the Doctor knocked out cold, lying on the ground at her feet. What? She did not remember this happening. Did Prisoner Zero reach him or something? Crouching down, she looked over him briefly, making sure that he was merely unconscious. A small gasp made her turn her attention away from the Doctor and towards who had been startled. Both females blinked in shock when their eyes met.

Wanda smiled brightly as she saw Amelia Pond, a now very mature and much older Amy, standing before her. The older girl, a young woman, was standing a few ways from the Doctor, wearing a strange getup of a policewoman. Her ginger hair was just as red as ever, and had been tied up and tucked within her helmet. Really, Wanda almost saw little Amelia standing there before her, but she shook her head slightly, clearing her mind to see the true Amelia Pond standing there. This was now Amy Pond, the companion and family member for the Doctor and Wanda's life.

"Amy! It's so good to see you again!" Wanda exclaimed merrily, standing up right to face Amy happily and in excitement to get to adventuring. Amy only blinked rapidly with wide eyes of astonishment, her mouth even slightly hanging open in shock. But her amazement slowly seemed to leave her as her mouth snapped shut and her eyes narrowed. The cricket bat, that Wanda just now noticed Amy was holding, was tightened in the young woman's grip.

"Oh, is that a cricket bat? Lovely! Makes me sort of wonder what you use it for," Wanda stated, staring at the bat in interest. "For playing cricket I suppose." She laughed lightly, grinning at the girl. She blinked, letting her grin fall as Amy raised the bat up in a strong grip. "Amy?" She blinked, glancing down at the Doctor by her feet, then back at the red head. It then dawned on her. "Oh . . . No, now, Amelia, let's think about this for a moment." She raised her hands in a gesture to surrender and try to keep the other girl calm. Amy only replied by raising the bat even higher. Wanda chuckled nervously. "Yeah . . . you're going to hit me, aren't you?"

"Yep," Amy said through gritted teeth.

WHACK!

XxXxXxXx

Oh, boy. Can't wait to see how this all plays out next. ;) I really hope everyone enjoyed the newest chapter! Let me know your thoughts in a review so that way I can make certain the story evolves into something even better if your input. :) It always helps me as a writer, to go and develop even more as a person, too.

Reviewers:

 **frosty600** : So glad to be back! And to be back to meet you! :D I'm so, so happy that you're enjoying the story so much. I really hope that the story continues to bring you joy throughout the rest of it. :) Things really are going to pick up speed for little Wanda and the Doctor here. ;) Can't wait to see what you think of the rest! Take care!

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 **N7SpaceHamster** : *tackles back* I'm so happy to be back and to see all lovely readers again! I wish I could give you all big hugs for being so amazing through all of this! :D Yes, I did indeed kick its butt. lol :) Oh yes, tone is most definitely a thing in people's words. You'd be surprised in just how much you can tell a big difference even in the simplest of words changes in a person's sentences. It most certainly does help. Writing really gives me joy, especially in seeing how happy it makes others. :) My health really is fine, though. No need to worry about little old me now. ;) Oh yes, this mysterious Jane. Guess we'll just have to wait to find out who she is later. ;) And yes, about time for those two, am I right? Aww thank you so much for all your beautiful words! It means so much to me that you've enjoyed the chapter! I'm always worried about the story conveying their love for one another, so I'm happy to know that it came out very touching and well. Oh yes, there are many hints of other companions having heard their 'swimming.' lol ;) Even in past chapters you'll find some of their teasings. But I love Martha the best for she really does not hold back haha. Thank you for your wonderful words! Hope to see you again soon! Until next time! :)

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Thank you all for such wondeful messages. It really made my day to be able to hear from each and every one of you. I'm just so happy to be back you have no idea. :D Really hope that each of your days are filled with sunshine and fezes. Until next time!

~Tinker~


	16. Ch 16: Amelia Grown Up

Welcome back readers! :D

It's that time again for another new chapter! I really hope everyone will enjoy! :)

XxXxXxXx

Chapter 16: Amelia Grown Up

 _We'll always be together . . . won't we, Shelly?_

 _Of course! Forever and ever!_

 _Promise?_

 _I promise that no matter what happens, I'll never leave you. Not ever, Alpha._

 _And you always keep your promises, right, Shelly? . . . Shelly? . . . S-shelly? . . . Shelly?!_

"I don't care if we were breaking and entering, you don't _ever_ hit my Wanderer with a cricket bat!"

Wanda jerked up with a sniff, blinking slowly to clear her vision. Everything stayed hazy for a second before clearing for her to see Amy standing strictly in front, glaring down heatedly. Turning her head to the side, Wanda saw the Doctor sitting next to her, holding a similarly heated gaze at the pretend policewoman. Sitting up a little more, the cuffs around her wrist showed her that both she and the Doctor were attached to an old radiator of the house. Right across from where little Amelia's bedroom had been. Wanda winced as her head throbbed along the side where she had been hit. Damn that hurt.

"God, Amy, did you really have to use a cricket bat?" she grumbled under her breath, rubbing at the tender spot on her head. The Doctor whipped his gaze over at Wanda, dropping his glare to look at the Time Lady in concern. He scooted over to her, checking over her head.

"Wanda, are you okay? Where does it hurt? Are you bleeding? Do you need bandages? Medicine? Anything?" the Doctor asked her rapidly.

"I'm fine. I'm fine, it just bloody hurts," Wanda mumbled, patting his arm to let him know she was truly okay. Then, it was her turn to look at him in concern. "Are you all right? She didn't get you too bad, did she?" The Doctor smiled brightly, leaning over to kiss her forehead.

"I'm just glad that you're fine," he responded merrily. "So, what are we up to h—?" He began to ask, but then Amy interrupted him.

"Can you two just shut up now?" Amy barked out in irritation. The Doctor shot a hard gaze at her, gritting his teeth as he was still angry by the policewoman hurting his Wanderer. No one hurt his Wanderer.

"What are you doing here? Where's Amelia?" he retorted, eyes shifting around the young woman as if wondering when the little girl from before would suddenly pop out and yell 'surprise!' at them. He really hoped she was all right. He knew they had arrived later than planned, but he was sure Amelia would understand in the end. She was an intelligent and tough girl. She knew how to deal with disappointments in life. Besides, they should not really be _that_ late in arrival. A few hours at the most.

"Amelia Pond?" the policewoman questioned, staring at him in interest.

"Yeah. Amelia. Little Scottish girl. Where is she?" the Doctor demanded to know. "I promised her five minutes, but the engines were phasing. I suppose we must have gone a bit far."

"Just a bit," Wanda grumbled next to him, still rubbing at her head. The Doctor glanced at her then stared back at the policewoman, suddenly growing an anxious expression, worried over the little girl they had just left.

"Has something happened to her?" he asked the ginger woman.

"Amelia Pond hasn't lived here in a long time," the policewoman stated curtly. Wanda glanced up at Amy, knowing this was both technically a lie and the truth. For Amy had not been 'Amelia' for a very long time now. But it was still a lie of sorts.

"How long?" the Doctor questioned, beginning to feel dread build up within him.

The policewoman stared him down with an even expression. "Six months."

The Doctor's eyes widened dramatically, looking alarmed by this news. He shook his head in disbelief. "No! No, no, no! We can't be six months late! I said five minutes. I promised."

The policewoman narrowed her eyes slightly, looking as if she wanted to retort angrily to this statement. But she turned around, stiffly walking away from them. The Doctor leaned forward and held an expression of panic, pulling on the cuffs which made Wanda's wrist bang sharply on the radiator. "What happened to her? What happened to Amelia Pond?"

"Sarge, it's me again. Hurry it up. These two know something about Amelia Pond," Amy said curtly into her fake radio attached to her uniform.

Wanda groaned, rolling her eyes. She really, really wanted to just get this over with. She had the biggest headache right now, her head was pounding away and the barriers within her mind were acting up worse than normal. Plus, on top of that, she felt highly irritated that Amy had hit them both over the head with a cricket bat. A bloody cricket bat! The Time Lady's eye twitched as she felt her temper rise. She let out a breath, trying to keep her cool.

"Look, Amy, just drop the act already," Wanda said. "And stop with the British accent as well. It really doesn't suit you." Amy whipped around, looking pointedly at Wanda as if to tell her to shut it. The Doctor glanced back and forth between the two girls, looking confused.

"What? Who's Amy?" he asked.

"She is," Wanda nodded at the ginger girl.

"Your name's Amy?" the Doctor questioned.

"Yeah. What of it?" Amy retorted, placing her names on her hips and stared heatedly at him again. The Doctor frowned and just shook his head quickly.

"Look, names aside, we just need to speak to whoever lives in this house right now," he said firmly, needing to hurry up in fixing the issue with Prisoner Zero and figure out where little Amelia had gone. He dearly hoped that the child was all right.

"You're talking to her," Wanda said, pointing at Amy. The red head shot her another look of irritation. Clearly Wanda stating the obvious was getting on the future companions nerves. Wanda merely stuck out her tongue. Good. The girl should be irritated. It was payback for using that cricket bat.

"You live here? But you're the police," the Doctor stated, frowning in confusion. Why did Wanda say the policewoman should 'drop the act'?

"Actually, she's a kiss-o-gram," Wanda said causally, smirking at Amy. The ginger gritted her teeth and rolled her eyes.

"Gee, thanks a lot," Amy retorted with her Scottish accent finally coming out. She yanked off her police helmet to let her hair fall around her shoulders. She tossed the costume helmet aside, holding her hands on her hips as she shot Wanda another look of annoyance. "Could you have at least let me pretend a bit longer? I wanted to mess with you both." The Doctor blinked rapidly when Amy waved a hand at him, completely dumbfounded now. What was going on?

"Nope, sorry, can't waste any time here," Wanda explained. She gave Amy an apologetic expression. "Sorry, I would have, 'cause seeing you act like the police is highly entertaining. Especially with the Doctor's flabbergasted state. But we really, really need to get a move on. We're on a tight schedule." She patted at her trouser pocket as the Doctor stuttered 'what?' next to her. But no matter how much she searched, Wanda could not find her sonic screwdriver. Uh-oh.

"She's a kiss-o-gram? You're a kiss-o-gram?" the Doctor asked Amy in bewilderment.

"Yeah, so? Got a problem with that?" Amy retorted, crossing her arms to glare at him.

The Doctor looked her up and down, frowning at the police costume. "Why are you dressed as a policewoman?"

Amy rolled her eyes. "It was either this or a French maid."

"Uh, guys, we have a problem," Wanda spoke up, gaining their attention. "I have _no_ idea where my sonic is." The Doctor frowned and patted at his own pocket, eyes going wide when he realized his was gone as well.

"Mine, too," he said. He yanked on the cuffs, frowning at them for a second before looking back at Amy. "Can you get us out of these, please?" Amy's face suddenly dropped and she grew a guilty expression.

"I can't . . . I lost the key," she admitted in embarrassment. The Doctor gave her an expression of disbelief.

"How could you have lost it?!" he asked in exasperation. He yanked on the cuffs harshly, but hurriedly halted when Wanda made a noise of pain when her wrist banged against the radiator once again. "Sorry." He rubbed at her wrist in apology.

"It's fine. It's just . . . I know where the sonics are," Wanda said carefully, slowly gazing down to the sixth door down the hallway. The Doctor and Amy looked down at the end of the hall as well, with the Time Lord staring at the extra door in uncertainty and Amy merely looking on blankly, being unable to see the extra doorway. Wanda shifted on the spot, knowing what Amy would have to do, and she did not like it one bit. "Our sonics must have both gone under the door somehow. Which I'm not sure why mine did since it was in my pocket at the time, not in my hand like yours, Doctor. Maybe he took it when Amy was cuffing you up and wasn't looking? I don't know, really."

"We're going to have to get them out somehow," the Doctor muttered. Amy turned towards them, frowning and furrowing her brows heavily.

"What are you two on about?" she asked.

"The sixth door at the end of the hallway," the Doctor stated, pointing at the door. Amy narrowed her eyes, gazing around the floor quickly and then looking back at him.

"There is no sixth room. There's only five," she stated curtly.

"No, there's six," Wanda said evenly. She gazed at Amy with a steady expression. "It's been there. It's always been there. You've just never been able to see it. But sometimes, on some nights, you can. You get confused by it, especially when you hear strange noises coming from it. You've just been merely been passing it off as a figment of your imagination. But it's there, always there."

"It's exactly where you don't want to look. Where you never want to look. The corner of your eye," the Doctor added in, keeping his tone and gaze firm. "Look behind you." Staring at them with uneasy, the ginger girl slowly turned her head to look towards the end of the hall. Her eyes widened in shock, stunned by the sight of the door jammed into the corner of the hallway. A door that had never been there before.

"That's . . . that is not possible," she breathed, backing up slightly in fear. "How's that possible?"

"There's a perception filter all around the door," the Doctor explained quickly. "Sensed it last time we were here. Should've seen it."

"But that's a whole room," Amy stated, sounding frightened by suddenly seeing something that had never been seen by her before. Something that really should have never been there. "That's a whole room I've never even noticed."

"The filter stops you noticing," the Doctor went on to explain. "Something came here a while ago to hide. It's still hiding."

"Well, like I said, Amy has noticed it in the past. She's just been ignoring it," Wanda said, pulling slightly at the cuff on her wrist. She glanced at Amy, then stared back at the cuff around her and the Doctor's wrists. There had to be some way to get them off without the use of the sonics or Amy having to place herself in danger by going into the room. But she stiffened when she heard Amy beginning to walk towards the new door.

"Stay away from that door!" the Doctor and Wanda yelled at the girl together. Amy ignored them, walking more steadily towards the door.

"You said something about your tools being in there, right?" she asked as she got closer to the door. "Someone needs to go get them."

"We'll figure that out later. Right now, just stay away from it! It's too dangerous," Wanda told the girl. But they both watched in disbelief as Amy reached for the doorknob.

"Do not touch that door!" the Doctor ordered her. Amy looked briefly over her shoulder at them, glaring in irritation. Then she huffed and promptly opened the door and stomped inside the room. The Doctor and Wanda both scoffed. "Why does no one ever listen to us? Do we just have faces that nobody listens to?"

"Probably," Wanda grumbled.

The Doctor turned to her quickly. "Do you have anything else on you? A bobby pin, perhaps? I could work with that."

"Sorry. These are just normal trousers. No pocket dimensions or anything." Wanda shrugged, embarrassed that she had not thought ahead to wear a pair that could hold more items for them to use. The Doctor patted her shoulder to let her know it was okay, he did not blame her for not having anything on her. In fact, really, he knew he should have planned ahead as well, for he really had nothing on him that might help their situation, either.

"Those things you were looking for . . . what do they look like?" Amy called out to them from the room.

"Sliver, blue at the end," the Doctor answered.

"Bronze and purple for mine," Wanda replied.

"Right. Found them. They're here," Amy told them, beginning to sound very nervous now. There was a long pause from her in the room before she spoke again. "Is it normal for them to jump up onto tables?" The Doctor's eyes widened while Wanda grew an anxious expression.

"Get out of there!" both Time Lords ordered her hurriedly. "Get out!" Both pulled as far as they could on the cuffs, wishing to get to the girl and pull her out themselves.

"Amy, please, just get out! You have the sonics, now get out!" Wanda pleaded to the girl as the Doctor tried fiddling with the cuffs to unlock them.

"There's nothing here, but . . .," Amy spoke with a wavering voice.

"Don't try to see it," the Doctor commanded urgently. "If it knows you've seen it, it will kill you. Don't look at it."

They tensed as they heard Amy gasp, followed by a loud growl and a scream. Amy ran back out of the room in fright, slamming the door behind her. She rushed over to the Time Lords, handing them back their screwdrivers. Wanda began wiping off the slime from her screwdriver as the Doctor tried getting his own to work on locking the sixth door. The tool kept buzzing weakly, flattering as it was clearly damaged from the stress it had been put under during this adventure. Fortunately, Wanda's still seemed to work fine as she managed to unlock the cuffs from both her own wrist and the Doctor's. They both stood up quickly as a bright light was seen coming from under the doorway. Then, the trio jumped when the door was kicked down roughly, thrown to the ground in the hallway.

They stared in bewilderment to what came out of the room. It was a bald man, wearing a jean work outfit and had a tool belt on. He held a tight grip on a chain dog leash, with a large dog attached at the end. Both man and dog seemed to glare at them in an aggressive manner. Amy blinked dumbly.

"But it's just . . .," she trailed off, unable to understand what exactly she was seeing.

"No, it isn't," the Doctor said steadily, keeping a firm eye on the creature in front of them. "Look at the faces." They watched as the dog held a blank face while the man snarled and barked like the dog would have been.

"What?" Amy scoffed. "I'm sorry, but what?" The Doctor smirked slightly.

"It's all one creature. One creature disguised as two," he explained. He stared the creature down as it looked robotically around the area. "Cleve old mutli-form. A bit of a rush job, though. Got the voice a bit muddled, did you?" The man and dog's head whipped back to stare aggressively at the Doctor as he continued to gaze back curiously. "Mind you, where did you get the pattern from? You'd need a psychic link, a live feed. How did you fix that?"

The man standing before them only growled and snarled loudly, stepping towards them with its mouth opening to show them all large, sharp fangs. Amy backed up in fright as Wanda hurriedly stepped around and stood in front of the girl, making certain she herself was in the main sight of the creature in case it decided to go after the ginger girl.

"Stay, boy!" the Doctor barked in a strict order, making the creature slowly close its mouth as the Time Lord stared it down. "We're safe. Want to know why? Ginger here sent for backup."

"I didn't send for backup!" Amy exclaimed in aggravation and fright. The Time Lady in front of Amy rolled her eyes, gazing over her shoulder at the red head.

"He knows that. He was making a clever lie," Wanda stated, making Amy wince in embarrassment at her mistake. The Doctor shot the kiss-o-gram girl a sharp look before gazing back strictly at the creature in front of them.

"Okay, yeah, no backup," he said rapidly. "And that's why we're safe. Alone, we're not a threat to you. If we had backup, then you'd have to kill us." They all suddenly stiffened when a booming voice rang loudly outside the house, echoing throughout the sky.

"Attention Prisoner Zero. The human residence is surrounded," bellowed the voice. The same guard's voice as they had heard behind the crack in Amelia's wall from before. The voice continued to repeat itself as Prisoner Zero in front of them gazed around robotically again before marching off to look outside from another room.

"What's that?" Amy asked them as the voice went on bellowing out.

"That'd be the backup," Wanda mumbled under her breath. The Doctor cleared his throat slightly, realizing this day was really not starting out well for him.

"Okay, one more time," he went on again to try to turn the situation around somehow. But he was stopped short when Wanda pressed a finger to his lips.

"No. Doctor, really, stop while you're ahead. You're only gonna dig yourself a deeper hole at the rate you're going," she stated, shaking her head in exasperation. Really, this day was not going well for him at all. She hurriedly grabbed his hand and Amy's, pulling them in swift motion towards the stairs. "Let's just get a move on, shall we?"

Neither beside her argued on that as they all ran together down the stairs. As they ran, they heard the guard's voice from the sky change its message, telling Prisoner Zero that if it did not vacate the human residence, then the place would be incinerated. To which Wanda rolled her eyes in aggravation and huffed out a breath. Well, that was just peachy.

"What's going on? Tell me!" Amy demanded in question when they finally managed to get outside and ran over to the still smoking TARDIS. The Doctor, turning around and took a breath to begin speaking.

"An alien convict is hiding in your spare room disguised as a man and a dog, and some other aliens are about to incinerate your house," he explained rapidly in one breath. He gave her a side glance. "Any questions?" Amy blinked for a second before furrowing her brows.

"Yes," she stated.

"Me, too," the Doctor muttered as he tried getting the TARDIS doors open. But the old girl simply refused, remaining firmly shut as she was in the middle of repairs, too dangerous to allow anyone inside during this point in time. Wanda patted the Doctor's arm when he spat out a rant of frustration.

"She needs to rebuild, sweetie. She won't get any better from that crash if we keep making her fly around in this state," she said, give his arm another quick pat. "Besides, we can handle this on our own. Just let Sexy get some much needed rest." She heard a thankful hum coming from the ship, letting Wanda know that the old girl really appreciated that. The Time Lady smiled brightly, nodding her head lightly towards the ship before turning abruptly towards Amy. "So . . . about that shed."

Amy blinked in confusion, asking, "What?"

"That shed," the Doctor suddenly spoke, running over to the shed in the yard, looking it over hurriedly as they all heard the man and dog both barking angrily at them from the upstairs window. "We destroyed that shed last time we were here, smashed it to pieces." Amy rolled her eyes, running over to grab at his arm and try dragging him off.

"So there's a new one. Let's go," she replied in frustration as to why exactly the Doctor would suddenly want to discuss this right _now_ of all times. Wanda walked over beside the two.

"Liar," she stated, giving the red head a pointed look. "That shed is not anywhere near new."

"She's right. It's got old," the Doctor responded. He tapped at the side of it. "It's ten years old at least." Leaning forward, he gave it a sniff and a lick, running the chemistry and age of the wood within his mind quickly. "Twelve years. We're not six months late, we're twelve years late." He turned, looking suspiciously at the red head standing next to Wanda, seeing how the ginger girl now had wide eyes of shock.

"He's coming," Amy tried weakly to change the subject. The Doctor only stepped towards her, narrowing his eyes.

"You said six months," he stated, sounding both irritated and angry. "Why did you say six months?"

"Because you said five minutes," Wanda said casually, gaining the Time Lords attention. She shrugged her shoulders and tilted her head towards Amy next to her. "Meet Amelia Pond. They grow up quick, don't they?" The Doctor's eyes widened, staring at both Wanda and Amy in shock, alarm, and disbelief with his mouth hanging open.

"What?" he gasped.

Amy only rolled her eyes in response, grabbing both the Doctor's and Wanda's hands, dragging them off. The Time Lord merely continued to stutter 'what?' as they ran along with Amy. They rushed away from the house and down a road, trying to place as much distance between them and Prisoner Zero as possible. Eventually, when they reached a good distance away from Amy's house, the Doctor halted them to look at the red head in demand for answers.

"You're Amelia," he stated, still trying to process this information that the ginger girl in front of him had truly been the little Scottish girl they had seen only minutes ago. He looked her up and down, wondering how this could have gone so wrong. They were only supposed to be five minutes late, not twelve bloody years. Standing in front of him, Amy glared in annoyance.

"You're late," she snapped, turning to stomp down the road towards the main centre of her village. The Doctor and Wanda hurriedly paced to keep up with her.

"Amelia Pond. You're the little girl," the Doctor said, still trying to see if this were some kind of joke. It just had to be. But his hopes in seeing the little Scottish girl were slowly crushed as he began to see the signs of this being the little girl in front of them, all grown up. It made him greatly disappointed in himself in not being able to keep his promises. Why was he never able to keep the promises he made?

"I'm Amelia, and you're late," Amelia retorted as she marched on.

"Actually, we're right on time," Wanda spoke up, gaining their attention. She stared up thoughtfully as if she were checking something in her mind. "We've arrived exactly twelve years, three months—."

"Eight days," Amy muttered, keeping her gaze firmly on the ground as her angry expression softened. Wanda looked at the girl in shock, then smile warmly, feeling touched.

"You've kept count," she whispered, reaching forward and grasping the girl's hand gently.

"I've been waiting. What else was I supposed to do?" Amy glanced at her, then hurriedly looked away as if not wanting to show Wanda how truly happy she was in seeing the two of them again.

Wanda leaned forward brightly, giving the girl a merry kiss on the cheek as if knowing what was on Amy's mind. "I'm happy to see you, too. And we'll make this up to you, I promise."

"You promise?" Amy scoffed, rolling her eyes.

"Kept my last promise, didn't I?" Wanda countered, smiling brightly. Amy stopped short, staring at Wanda for a moment.

"Yeah, you did," she agreed.

Wanda gave the girl a sort of child-like look, appearing to be hopeful for forgiveness and acceptance. "Forgive us?"

Amy gave her a pointed look for a moment as if to pretend to still be angry and annoyed, but she ended up letting a smile slip out in the end. "Oh, all right. I forgive you." Wanda beamed and bounced happily, making Amy chuckle as the blonde girl linked their arms together merrily in excitement for being forgiven. But then Amy gave the still baffled Doctor standing behind them a sharp look. " _You_ , I'm still cross with."

"What? Why?" he asked, still feeling at a loss for this moment.

Amy only replied but turning her head back around sharply and marched on with Wanda by her side. Giving the Doctor a sympathetic look, Wanda merely shrugged her shoulders, at just as much of a loss as him in why Amy still seemed determined to be angry with him. She had been hopeful that in telling little Amelia about the time when they would be actually arriving, promising in return that they would be back one day, that perhaps Amy in the future would be a bit more forgiving. Though it seemed Amy still held high resentment against the Time Lord specifically for some reason. But on the other hand, when Wanda glanced at Amy, she saw an underlining smile just there on the red head's lips. Wanda snickered, wondering if perhaps this was Amy's way of teasing the Doctor.

The trio halted in their steps once getting to the centre of the village, stopping right next to an ice cream van. They could see the man selling the ice cream was messing with the speaker system, trying to get the Atraxi guard's message off of it as the deep voice continued to bellow out its warning in the incineration of the human residence. Amy's eyes went wide in fright and alarm as they began to notice the message being displayed across other devices as well. They could see people within the village standing around in confusion as they looked at their mobiles or music players, trying to get the repeating message off of their devices.

"What's happening?" Amy breathed in a panic, staring at the two next to her for answers.

Neither answered her as the Doctor and Wanda ran off, jumping over a nearby house's yard fence and going up to the door. They both ran into the house to see an elderly woman, Mrs. Angelo (grandmother of Jeff Angelo), was busy trying to get her telly to change channels. However, no matter how much she frustratingly tried, the channel remained the same of the Atraxi guard's large eye staring through the screen, repeating the same message over and over.

"Hello!" the Doctor and Wanda said brightly together once the elderly woman turned to them in notice of their presence.

"Sorry to burst in, we're doing a special on television faults in this area," the Doctor said brightly.

"As well as crimes," Wanda added in, smiling at Mrs. Angelo. The woman blinked in shock at the two of them, turning her attention away once Amy came running into the living room as well, panting next to the two Time Lords as she shot them a look of annoyance. Did they really have to go running off like that? They better not go making this a habit.

"I was just about to phone," Mrs. Angelo told them as the Doctor and Wanda hurriedly went over to the telly with Amy right behind them. "It's on every channel." The Doctor grabbed the remote from the woman, seeing for himself if this were true. He began banging on the device in hand as Mrs. Angelo turned her attention onto Amy behind her. "Hello, Amy, dear. Are you a policewoman now?"

"Well, sometimes," Amy told her, suddenly seeming very embarrassed as her face began to grow red.

"I thought you were a nurse," Mrs. Angelo stated, frowning in puzzlement. Amy shifted on the spot, wishing she were anywhere but here. Her current job was not something she really wanted to discuss with the elderly woman. Especially not in front of the two Time Lords whom she had idolized when she was little. Or . . . still did, really.

"I can be a nurse," Amy muttered. Wanda looked up, giggling and smirking cheekily at the girl.

"Or a nun. Or a French maid," she snickered. "You do love to dabble, don't you, Amy?" She sent the girl a cheeky wink, making Amy huff out in frustration and roll her eyes. Mrs. Angelo frowned for a moment longer before turning her attention to the two by the telly, staring at them in interest.

"Amy, who are your friends?" the woman asked the red head next to her. The Doctor frowned as he finally turned his eyes away from the telly.

"Why are you Amy now? Whatever happened to your other name?" he questioned curiously.

"I'm just Amy now, all right," Amy explained, shifting on her feet, feeling even more embarrassed.

"Amelia Pond. That was a great name," the Doctor argued, shaking his head in disproval of the girl changing her name. Amy's face darkened in colour, not meeting his, or especially Wanda's, eyes as she felt more discomfited.

"Amy's sort of a nickname I've picked up," she mumbled in explanation. "It's something someone once called me a long time ago." She glanced at Wanda and then hurriedly averted her eyes as she cleared her throat. Wanda beamed, bouncing over to the girl and linked their arms together.

"Aww, Amy. That's so sweet of you," she beamed. She pecked the girl on the cheek, feeling deeply gladdened to know that Amy had chosen her new nickname of sort because of what Wanda had let slip out during their first meeting. Amy blushed more, muttering 'shut up' her under breath as a small smile crept on her face. The Doctor smiled and turned around to face the telly again, knowing he would let the subject drop for Amy was not the only one who loved going by a nickname in the group. But then it dawned on him on wondering what exactly Amy did in this 'kiss-o-gram' job of hers. From the sounds of it, it sounded highly inappropriate for a girl her age.

"I know you, don't I?" Mrs. Angelo suddenly asked the Doctor, gaining his attention. "I've seen you somewhere before."

"Not me. Brand-new face. First time on," the Doctor replied merrily. He made sort of a silly face at the elderly woman, making her blink in bewilderment as he turned his attention back onto Amy, looking suddenly stern like a parent. "And what sort of job's a kiss-o-gram?" He saw Wanda rolling her eyes at him.

"Doctor, drop it. It's Amy's choice in what job she has, it's her life," Wanda said, giving him a stern look as to not tell off their current companion.

"Yes, but if I'm thinking correctly on what a kiss-o-gram is, then I don't approve," the Doctor argued sternly.

"Amy's a big girl. She should be allowed to choose what job she wants," Wanda disputed, giving him a determined expression, ready to defend Amy's decisions in her life. Amy grinned brightly, almost smirking at the Doctor as she linked arms strongly with Wanda and gave him pointed look.

"Yeah, Doctor. Let me choose what I want," Amy chortled. "The way you're acting, you're worse than my aunt." The Doctor shot her a glare of annoyance.

"I'm the Doctor, I'm worse than everybody's aunt," he retorted harshly. Blinking after he let this slip out, he felt embarrassed by this, especially when seeing both Wanda and Amy giggle in amusement at his words. He pointed strictly at them. "And that is not how I'm introducing myself." He turned around swiftly, clearing his throat quietly and gaining back his smile as he knew he should let the subject of Amelia's job drop for now.

"He's the crazy aunt of our family," Wanda whispered in Amy's ear as the Doctor began to fiddle with Mrs. Angelo's radio, checking to see if the Atraxi message was truly being broadcasted across all of Earth as he suspected. Amy gave Wanda a look of perplexity by this statement while the blonde merely giggled and winked. She let go of Amy's arm, bouncing over to the Doctor as she saw him opening a nearby window to gaze up at the sky.

"The answer is twenty minutes, by the way," she said, gaining his attention with a start. "We've got exactly," she gazed up at the ceiling as if seeing the time up there, "twenty minutes and five seconds before they—." She was cut off as the door shut in the front room, showing them Jeff Angelo coming into the house. The male stopped short with a laptop in hand when seeing them all there in the living room. The Doctor frowned, walking up to the man as he suddenly wished to check something.

"Yes, two poles, medium size, basic molten core," he rambled on, going up and down on his tiptoes to judge the difference in Jeff's and his height range. He pouted lightly in disappointment, realizing he had regenerated shorter. Damn! Short and not ginger. He suddenly gave a slight grin as the memory of Wanda saying that when she had regenerated into her Third incarnation, but then shook his head to snap himself out of it as he turned around to face the group of females. "Yeah, twenty minutes sounds about right."

"Well, it's nineteen minutes now," Wanda said, shaking her head in amusement, but also in exasperation. They seriously did not have time for the Doctor to compare his height with others. "Like I told the two of you before, we're really on a tight schedule today."

"Twenty minutes—," Amy began to ask.

"Nineteen minutes," Wanda corrected her. Amy rolled her eyes, letting out a huff of breath.

"Fine. Nineteen minutes to what?" she questioned the Doctor and Wanda. Jeff blinked in astonishment and confusion as the Doctor walked away to answer Amy's question.

"Are you the Doctor?" Jeff asked, interrupting the Doctor before he could speak. Mrs. Angelo's face brightened as she realized who the two were in her living room.

"He is, isn't he? He's the Doctor! The Raggedy Doctor," the elderly woman stated merrily, turning towards Wanda and Amy. "And she's the Wanderer! All those cartoons you did, when you were little. The Raggedy Doctor and your Wanderer!" Wanda beamed brightly as the Doctor could only stare in confusion.

"Yep, that's us! Right, Amy?" Wanda replied, grinning and bumping her hip lightly against a blushing Amy. The ginger girl only muttered and grumbled under her breath, averting her eyes in humiliation. Wanda grabbed both the girl's hand and the Doctor, pulling them along hurriedly. "It's fine, Amy, really. We both feel really touched that you really cared for us that much. Right, Doctor?" She gave him a pointed look. He blinked rapidly, trying to get over the surprise in finally knowing where exactly Wanda had gained the 'Raggedy Doctor' name she would sometimes call him. Did this mean that Amy was . . . ?

"Yeah, yeah. It's brilliant," the Doctor praised, grinning happily towards Amy. She only blushed more but held a small smile all the same. He bounced in step, beginning to be the one to lead the way as Wanda and Amy followed after him through the village. "So, we have nineteen minutes until the spaceship above the planet incinerates everything."

"Nineteen minutes, thirty seconds until the end of the world. Yep," Wanda said casual statement. Amy's eyes went wide, staring at the two in shock.

"What?!" she exclaimed in panic.

"Don't worry, Amy. We deal with this kind of thing on a daily basis," Wanda replied easily, grinning at the girl next to her. "No biggie."

"Oh, no big deal, then," Amy scoffed, looking at the two in disbelief. The Doctor began to stare around quickly, beginning to formulate on how exactly they would be able to stop said end of the world from occurring.

"What is this place? Where are we?" he asked Amy.

"Leadworth," Amy answered, wondering why exactly he needed to know that.

"Where's the rest of it?" the Doctor continued to ask, frowning in seeing such a small village around them. This could not be it, could it? Amy and Wanda both rolled their eyes.

"This is it," Amy said curtly.

"And there's nothing really here except a post office that's shut. Oh, and a duck pond," Wanda stated, coming to a halt when seeing the small pond that they had been walking past. It was small, with nicely trimmed hedges around it and a few flower bushes. "Oh, look, it really is a duck pond. It's so cute!"

"Why aren't there any ducks?" the Doctor questioned, frowning in disproval at the sight. Amy stared at the two in disbelief, scoffing even louder now.

"Can you two please focus!" she barked out. Both blinked, looking away from the duck pond and at her.

"Sorry," they said together. The Doctor suddenly gasped, clutching at his chest as he stumbled back. Wanda caught him, holding him up as he twitching and trembled in pain, his body having another spasm from regeneration aftereffects. The Time Lady looked over her Time Lord in concern, greatly worried about him.

"Are you okay, sweetie?" Wanda asked him in worriment, looking almost panicked in fear of him being hurt in anyway. "Is there anything I can do for you? Medicine? Ice pack? Maybe a banana? Bananas are good. Always bring one to a party. We could have a party; it would be nice to have a get-together and—no wait." She shook her head as she began to ramble on rapidly. "Sorry, sorry, no, we don't need that right now." The Doctor chuckled, leaning forward to give her forehead a quick kiss.

"Don't worry. It's just a bit too soon for me. I'm just not ready, not done yet," he told her, trying to assure her that he would be fine in the end. After everything was settled today, he knew he would just need a nice long nap and would be right as rain again. The world around them suddenly went dim and darker than usual, making the trio gaze up in shock at the sky. The whole thing appeared off, with a strange shimmer around the air. The sun itself seemed to go a strange tint of yellow and red.

"And there's the force field," Wanda muttered. "Peachy."

"The what?" Amy questioned, squinting her eyes as she tried seeing what was wrong with the sky. "What's happening? What's wrong with the sun?"

"Nothing," the Doctor stated. "You're looking at it through a force field. They've sealed off your upper atmosphere, now they're getting ready to boil the planet." Amy turned sharply to them, her eyes going the widest they have been all day, looking literally like they were ready to pop from the terror the girl was going through.

Wanda glanced over at Amy, seeing how the girl stared at everything in a panic, even noticing how the girl's breathing had sped up in fright. The beginning signs that she was going to have a mental breakdown. Amy had been doing well so far today, taking things in stride of her imaginary friends from her childhood suddenly appearing out of nowhere, and the sudden realization of an alien living inside her house for twelve years. But now it seemed things were becoming too much for her as she began to suddenly break down in thoughts and keeping herself steady. Wanda hurriedly dug through the Doctor's front pocket in his trousers, searching for something in particular. The Doctor jumped, surprised by this sudden intrusion and his hearts sped up greatly as he felt Wanda's hand brush against his inner thigh as she pulled out the apple.

"Here, before you freak out on us, Amy, take a look at this," Wanda stated, tossing the girl the apple. Amy caught it, slowly turning the fruit around. She gasped in shock when seeing the smiling face carved into it. Looking as fresh as the day she had done it all those years ago. Her eyes sharply stared back at the couple who both stood firmly by the duck pond, looking back at her in expectancy.

"This—this can't be real. This isn't real, is it?" Amy breathed, shaking her head in denial. "This is some kind of big wind-up. You both told me you had a time machine. But I . . . I thought . . . then I grew up, and—."

"Oh! You never want to do that," the Doctor said.

Amy stared at the two in uncertainty, not sure whether to run or stay put and stand her ground. "Who are you two? Really?"

"I'm the Wanderer," Wanda said gently, as if trying to ease the girl into believing them and not freaking out.

"And I'm the Doctor," the Doctor said evenly, not too worried about the girl's state of mind. "We're time travellers. Everything we told you twelve years ago is true. We're real. What's happening in the sky is real, and if we don't do something about it, if you don't keep it together, everything you've ever known is over."

Amy shook her head, trying to let go of the voice in her head screaming 'no!' and to run. But no matter how much she tried, her fears only seemed to keep her from truly believing them. Wanda moved away from the Doctor and walked up to Amy, gently cupping their hands together while giving the girl a reassuring smile.

"Hey, it's fine. I know you're a little scared right now," Wanda said softly.

"Little?" Amy laughed at this statement. "I'd call it more than a little."

"Yeah," Wanda nodded, giving a light shrug. "Okay, more than a little. But really, I know how it feels right now. I've been in your shoes a long time ago myself when I first met the Doctor and began travelling with him. I was just a blown away by the news of him being real and just as frightened. And it was also on a day where a force field was placed up into the sky and the world was threatened to be destroyed. I also had a voice in my head telling me that this all just had to be some kind of bizarre dream and that I was asleep in bed back home." Amy blinked in astonishment, knowing the blonde girl had gotten it spot on.

"Okay . . . so you know what I'm feeling and thinking. So, do you know what I should do now?" she asked the blonde girl. Wanda merely grew a large, warm smile.

"I don't know. That's for you to decide," she replied. "But you know what?"

"What?" Amy questioned.

Wanda's smile grew into a playful grin. "Things get a lot more fun and exciting if you just tell that annoying little voice to shove off. At least for nineteen minutes. Then, afterwards, you can lock the Doctor up to a car all you want." She gave the ginger girl a wink.

Amy blinked rapidly for a moment, then let out a laugh of pure bewilderment, shaking her head in disbelief. "You're really something, you know that?"

"I know. We both are really." Wanda giggled away. She snatched up the apple from the girl, knowing things were going to go fine now for the future companion. The Time Lady skipped past the Doctor while munching on the apple in delight. "Come on, Spaceman, Pond. We need to get a move on if we're gonna save the world." She skipped off going towards the centre of the village green as there were people had gathered around taking pictures and videos with their mobile phones of the sky above.

Amy walked over beside the Doctor, shaking her head in wonderment. "Is she always like this?"

"Yep! Isn't she just magnificent?" the Doctor replied brightly, hurrying after his Wanderer. Amy rolled her eyes, thinking she would not quite call it being 'magnificent.' More like being mental. But she was not going to argue with a couple of 'time travellers.' She still was not sure if she believed them, but at the current moment with the world being close to ending, she was not going to disagree either.

XxXxXxXx

I'm just loving all of this. XD I hope you are, too! Please drop by in a review and let me know on any thoughts or feelings you have about the story. I always love seeing from each and every one of you lovely readers. :) Also, getting any kind of feedback on how the story is going, the settings, the characters, or anything else greatly helps me in developing the story even better than before. I'm always striving to be better for you all. :)

Reviewers:

 **Whovaineverlark17** : Well, only a little overprotective I think. ;) I really hope you enjoyed the newest chapter! Thank you so much for leaving a wonderful review! Take care!

 **Ronin Kenshin** : Glad to be back! Thank you so much! I hope to see you again next time. :)

 **heroherondaletotherescue** : This is one of my favorite moments, too! :D I love this moment with the Doctor. Meeting a new Doctor and companion is always fun, but putting their first meeting together is just brilliant. Wanda remembering is always an interesting thing. I'm sure we'll find out in the future. ;) Until next time!

 **Momochan77** : lol I'm so happy you enjoyed the fun moments so much! :D I've always loved this moment with Eleven. He himself is always so funny and a blast. But this moment of his, in particular, is just amazing. :) Hope you enjoyed the new chapter! Take care!

 **bored411** : lol I loved that moment, too. Amy is just awesome in how she never holds back. :) So glad that you're happy! I'm trying to keep to a good schedule for now on. Hope I can keep up the good work. :) Sorry that your favorite moment wasn't in this chapter. I hope it was still an enjoyable read in the end. Please let me know what you thought about it. :) Hope to see you in the future! Until next time!

 **grapejuice101** : It's one of my favorites, too! I just love the moment the Doctor goes through Amelia's kitchen in a food craze lol ;) I really hope you enjoyed the newest episode. And we'll just have to wait and see what Prisoner Zero will do in the next chapter to come. ;) So glad to see you again!

 **XxXxSleepingAngelxXxX** : Hi! :D Aww thank you so, so much! It means the world to me in hearing how much you enjoy the story. I really hope it continues to be enjoyable. :) Have a wonderful day/night as well! Als, hope you enjoyed the new chapter! Take care!

 **All The Stories Are True 24601** : Thank you! :D I'm really glad you enjoy the different Wandas. I always worry I don't do her personalities good enough. Glad the story conveys her different incarnations well though. :) lol Truthfully, I've never had custard creams. But I enjoy custard generally and never liked Jammie Dodgers, so I always thought I'd custard creams more. :) Then again, Wanda choose in the end what she likes. ;) Thanks for the love! Sending love right back at you! XD Until next time!

 **ShadowOwl** : Woo! Timing! :D So happy that you caught the story at a good time. It's great having you around for the newest chapters! Yay for the re-read being awesome! :) I'm just so happy that you're finding so much joy in the story. I really did have a set plan when this story began. Have to have a timeline put together if things are going to stay less wibbly wobbly lol ;) Trust me though, it took a lot of work, research, thought, timeline charts, and such to make absolutely certain the story would flow as perfect as possible. I even waited a few years in making certain the story was down the right path and set before even posting it on the site. I was really nervous in posting it, afraid I wouldn't be able to make a story good enough. I'm still fearful that I've lost my touch over time in being absent for so long. I really hope that the story stays enjoyable for you. :) It really was about time, wasn't it? lol ;) Sadly the mystery of Alpha is still a ways off. But don't worry, we will find out by the end of this part of the story. I promise. Also, yes, indeed, spoilers for now. ;) Hope to see you again soon! Take care!

 **N7SpaceHamster** : So glad it was a nice way to end your week. :) Don't you worry, I will always love writing! Though, I have been having some writer's block issues lately. lol But don't worry, I'm pushing right on through it. :) Agreed, feedback is always the best. :D There might not be a whole lot of swimming references, just a few. But I hope you enjoy them still. :) I always love Wanda being throw into things like that. Makes the adventure have a great kick start to it. Nope, no chapter with the Master yet. But those will come, trust me. He does have some part to play, but . . . well that will just have to be spoilers for now. The Doctor's possessiveness can be a scary thing. Even unhealthy. Again, spoilers as to why he is this way. ;) Agreed, just too heartbreaking. I've actually never heard of those violins before. That's a great idea! Maybe I'll add something about those in the future. ;) Aww thank you! I always enjoy the story being more about change than just the same thing from the show. It's never fun when it just sticks to the same structure as we've become used to. Hope you enjoyed their interactions in this chapter, too. As well as the flashback. Indeed, you're correct. More and more are popping up. Just more mystery and spoilers ahead. Especially for Wanda's previous life. ;) There is also two of those names that are one in the same. But that's up to you to find out which ones are the same person. ;) Also, I think you might be forgetting the TARDIS as the other 'she.' As to Wanda forgetting, it's more of she tends to not think/remember about the little details in the Doctor's life. She remembers all the big events which affect him. But things like cricket bats just slip through the cracks. As well as the more she delves into the possibilities during the day, the more she forgets of what she saw on her show in her past life. Also, yes, things are hard to remember after seventy-five years. lol ;) Thank you so much for the amazing review! Hope to see you again soon, too! Enjoy your beautiful day/night! :D

 **Constance** : lol Glad you liked that moment. ;)

 **alexa-chan me** : Woo! So happy you liked it! :D lol I thought it was pretty funny, too. Only Amy would do something like that. ;) I really hope it will be a good ride and worth the wait for the mystery. Been nervous about people not liking the outcome. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that you'll enjoy the end of it all. :) Hope to see you again in the future! Until next time! Take care and have a brilliant day/night!

Thank you all once again for such beautiful words. Each of you deserves the best of lives and bright futures to come! Everyone one gets a cookie for being amazing. :D

~Tinker~


	17. Ch 17: Prisoner Zero

Hello everyone!

Nothing much to report here except I hope that everyone enjoys the new chapter! :) 3

XxXxXxXx

Chapter 17: Prisoner Zero

The trio walked past all the people who were taking pictures and videoing the sky. Amy could only raise a brow in perplexity at everyone's reaction to what was happening, while the Doctor scoffed and rolled his eyes. Typical humans. Yes, let's video tape the end of the world. That is the way to go out with a bang. His eyes darted over suddenly when his mind jumped to the most bizarre occurrence of the day. Something to which was completely out of place.

Suddenly, the Doctor gave himself a sharp slap on his head when he realized what he had been missing from earlier. He had seen it, but had gotten distracted when Wanda had been talking with Amy. It was a male nurse, in his early to mid-twenties, wearing light-blue scrubs and had on a plaid white and gray jacket. He stood a ways from the rest of the humans, facing away from the strange sight of the sky. Something to which a normal human would be interested in looking at. But instead, this male seemed to focus on getting a picture on something else entirely. And the Doctor knew what exactly.

Before the Time Lord could exclaim to the two companion girls beside him to get to the nurse, Wanda let out a loud squeal of delight, dropping her apple to run at full sprint towards the male nurse in scrubs.

"Rory, Rory, Rory!" she exclaimed rapidly in happiness. The male nurse stumbled as Wanda suddenly threw her arms around him from behind, practically leaping up and kicking her legs in the air as she hugged him and giggled. The Doctor was not fazed in the slightest by this behavior from the Time Lady, having become quite used to it from Third Wanda over the years. He merely walked around the bewildered Amy and grabbed the mobile from the stuttering nurse's hands.

"Uh . . . hello?" Rory said to the giggle blonde girl hugging him, craning his neck around his shoulder to look at her. "C-can I help you?" He glanced at the Doctor as well, wondering why exactly the man had taken his mobile.

"Sorry, sorry," Wanda said, jumping down from Rory's back and stood in front of him. "Got a little over excited there. I'm just happy to see you again." She beamed, bouncing lightly on her feet as Rory continued to blink at her.

"The sun's going out, and you're photographing a man and a dog. Why?" the Doctor questioned the nurse rapidly, handing back the male his mobile in his still open hand. The man with floppy hair and ragged clothing was looking at him in demand while the blonde girl continued to only smile happily. Rory saw Amy coming over to him in the corner of his eye, so he quickly turned to her for answers.

"Amy?" he questioned the ginger girl.

"Hi!" she exclaimed, plastering on a smile upon coming up to him. As though she was greatly on edge at the moment. Rory was not sure if it was from what seemed to be occurring in the sky, or possibly the two people standing in front of them. Smiling in uncertainty, Amy grabbed Rory's arm as she looked to the two Time Lords. "This is Rory, he's a friend."

"Boyfriend," Rory corrected her.

"Kind of boyfriend," Amy muttered, appearing to be embarrassed to state clearly that Rory and she were together. Rory's face dropped slightly in disappointment though did not look too shocked by this. Almost as if he was used to Amy dismissing them being together as a couple.

Wanda stared at the girl in curiosity, wondering why the girl seemed to wish to deny her being with the nurse. She did not remember that happening in the show. From what she recalled, Amy had been happy to have Rory as her boyfriend. But here, Wanda had noticed some things in the past in how much in denial Amy seemed to be about her and Rory's feelings towards each other. It was strange in how much different Amy seemed to treat the early relationship between herself and the nurse compared to the show in Wanda's world. What had changed in this universe to make their relationship different?

"Man and dog, why?" the Doctor continued to push for answers.

Rory's eyes slowly widened, blinking greatly now with his mouth slowly opening in shock as he hurriedly looked at the two standing in front of him. No . . . it was a trick, right? These two could not be _them_ , could they? But the two looked so much like them, they just had to be.

"Oh, my God, it's them," the nurse stated in disbelief and shock. Amy's eyes and smile twitched slightly as she felt another blush coming on. Why did everyone they ran into today had to go blabbing about her childhood imagination? It was embarrassing enough for Mrs. Angelo and Jeff to point it out, and now Rory too?

"Just answer his question, please," Amy said to the nurse, wishing to bypass another humiliating moment for her. Rory pointed a stunned finger at the two in front, not paying attention to the clearly embarrassed Amy next to him.

"It's them, though. He's the Doctor. The Raggedy Doctor," he gasped in amazement. "And she's the Wanderer. _Your_ Wanderer."

"Actually, she's my Wanderer," the Doctor stated, looking the nurse up and down with furrowed brows. That was the second time now someone said Wanda was Amy's Wanderer. Why was that?

"Really, just call me Wanda. It's a lot shorter to say," Wanda said, giving the nurse a wink as she found his shock highly amusing.

"It's them," Rory said weakly to Amy.

"Yeah, they came back," Amy muttered, wishing he would just drop it already.

"But they were a story," Rory tried getting her to discuss why exactly her imaginary friends were suddenly here and alive. "They were a game." Growing increasingly frustrated with the lack of focus on the questions he had been demanding answers for, the Doctor stormed up and grabbed the front of Rory's jacket, shaking the nurse slightly to get him to focus.

"Man and dog, why? Tell me now," the Doctor ordered. Rory blinked rapidly in shock not only from seeing the Raggedy Doctor up close and shaking him, but as well as from the demanding questions the man was asking him.

"Sorry," Rory said, taken aback by the Doctor's demanding behavior. He shook his head, trying to focus on what answer the Doctor would want. "Because he can't be there. Because he's—."

"In a hospital, in a coma," the Doctor said with the nurse. The nurse's eyes went even wider from shock, blinking in astonishment.

"Yeah," he nodded quickly. The Doctor grinned in triumph, knowing he had been right once again.

"Knew it. Mutli-form, you see?" he stated knowingly. He patted down the front of the nurse's scrubs and jacket after he let go. "Disguise itself as anything, but it needs a live feed. A psychic link with a living but dormant mind." He poked Rory in the head with another wide grin. Wanda scooted over to Rory, linking arms with him.

"And you were smart enough to catch on," she praised, speaking rapidly. "Those know-it-all doctors back at the town hospital were really not nice to you, especially that Dr. Ramsden. I can't believe she made you take time off for trying to do your job. I mean, _really_ is it too much to ask to simply believe a nurse when they point out mysterious things happening with the coma ward patients? She really should have looked at your mobile phone when you tried to hand it to her." She grinned as Rory blinked in astonishment from not only what the blonde girl was saying, but also from how rapidly she spoke.

"H-how did you know all that?" he questioned her.

"She's psychic," Amy stated, remembering from when she was little at what Wanda had told her.

"Actually, it's more like I just know things in advance. Remember Amy? I told you this once before," Wanda replied. "Knowing things in advance comes in real handy sometimes. It mostly helps coming from another universe that has this universe on as a television show." With this said both future companions blinked in shock and complete confusion.

"What?" both Amy and Rory questioned together.

The group sort of jumped; startled by the suddenly snarling and vicious barking that was directed at them. They all turned to see the same man and dog as before from Amy's house. The same Prisoner Zero as always. The creature seemed highly annoyed that the group was ignoring its presence at the moment. Giving a small knowing smile, the Doctor walked away from the group, having his hands in his pockets as he stood closer to Prisoner Zero, staring down the creature evenly.

"Prisoner Zero," he stated lightly, sounding at ease with the whole situation at hand. Rory, even more startled by this news, stepped forward a bit to stare at Amy for answers.

"What, there's a Prisoner Zero, too?" he asked.

"Yes," both Amy and Wanda said together. Rory glanced skeptically at Wanda, seeming to really be wary of both her and the Doctor.

"Okay, so . . . is this a part of your . . . other universe's show as well?" he asked carefully, seeming very skeptical by this information Wanda had told them.

"Yep," Wanda beamed at him, grinning merrily. The nurse glanced almost nervously over to his girlfriend, seeming to be completely uncertain about everything now. Not that he already had not been beforehand.

"So . . . are they the imaginary friends, or are we?" he asked Amy. The girl next to him merely rolled her eyes as Wanda giggled at Rory's question.

Suddenly, everyone gazed up at the sky when they heard a ship coming towards them from above. Gazing up, all humans were shocked to see a giant eyeball staring down at them, with silver crystalline structure of spires forming a circle around the eyeball for a flight system. A large mass of electricity could be seen holding the eyeball within the structure itself as it scanned the earth below. Really, to Wanda, it almost looked like a crystal inkblot. The Doctor held an even gaze on Prisoner Zero as the creature stared warily at the Time Lord. The Doctor discreetly pulled out his sonic screwdriver at the ready.

"See, that ship up there is scanning this area for non-terrestrial technology," the Doctor told Prisoner Zero. "And nothing says non-terrestrial like a sonic screwdriver." He held up the screwdriver with a knowing smirk, watching how Prisoner Zero gave him a confused expression. Well, as confused as he could with his human and dog disguise.

Lifting the sonic high in the air, the Doctor let it give off a screeching pulse. It made everyone's hairs sort of stand up on edge as the whine whistled through the air, making electronics suddenly go on the fritz. Even street lambs were not saved as the ultrasonic sound made them shatter in sparking lights. Car alarms went off all around them, sending different people into a panic as even a firetruck sounded off its sirens and began to drive itself down the street. Amy could not help but let out an amused laugh as she watched two firemen chasing after their vehicle. Wanda began to giggle along with the girl. Rory beside the two could only stare at everything in awe and disbelief. They saw as Prisoner Zero's expression went from confusion to worriment as the Atraxi began to move closer to their location. The eyeball scanning a wave of light across the way as it searched for the prisoner.

"I think someone's going to notice, don't you?" the Doctor said sarcastically. He kept on his boyish grin as Prisoner Zero began to bark at him in rage, snarling as it knew it would soon be caught.

Letting his hand tilt downward at a slight angle, the sonic suddenly made a telephone box become electrified and the glass doors blowing outwards in pieces. The group, even the Doctor, jumped by this, startled by the sudden small explosion. The Doctor winced and dropped the screwdriver as it zapped his hand from having its final meltdown. It lay charred and smoking in the grass at his feet, and all the Time Lord could do was stare at the tool in disbelief. That had been his favorite screwdriver!

"No, no, no, don't do that!" the Doctor cried, crouching down to look at his useless sonic screwdriver in utter dismay. Why was it all his favorite screwdrivers had to go up in smoke in the end? He glared at the tool as he picked it up from the ground, seeing the smoke still coming from it. He then promptly threw it back onto the grass in disgust, getting back up to see the Atraxi ship leaving. "Wanda, your sonic, quick!"

Wanda dug through her pocket to get out her own tool as fast as she could. But by the time she managed to get the screwdriver out into the open, the ship was already long gone. She let out a huff of frustration, wishing that she had remembered that the Doctor's sonic screwdriver was going to burn out like that. But of course, then again, the possibilities had shown her that what the Doctor had planned on doing would not have worked, and that the Atraxi ship would have actually ended up mistaking the Time Lord as Prisoner Zero instead. Maybe it was a good thing she did forget that was going to happen so that way she did not make the Doctor get captured by holding out her own sonic to be detected. And it would have also ruined a perfectly good chance for the Doctor to get to know Amy and Rory as good companions.

After the ship had left, Prisoner Zero had smirked at them and disappeared into a nearby drain, looking as though it had turned into dust to do so. The Doctor hurriedly began to formulate a plan, knowing that they only had seventeen minutes now until the end of the world. He had no screwdriver (of his own that is), no TARDIS, no anything. Well, no, he did have his Wanderer still with him. And really, in the end, as long as he had Wanda by his side, then he knew they could survive anything. He felt Wanda come up beside him with Rory and Amy not too far behind from the Time Lady. Muttering behind him, he could hear Amy demanding answers to Prisoner Zero and the Atraxi. The Doctor did not really pay attention to her as he allowed Wanda to be the one to explain what this all meant.

"Nurse boy, give me your phone," the Doctor demanded suddenly, thrusting out his hand for Rory beside him to hand over the mobile. Rory did not pay attention to the Doctor's demand as the nurse looked at his girlfriend for answers to all of this.

"How can they be real?" Rory questioned Amy. "They were never real?"

"Well, you and Amy were never real, either. But look at us all now," Wanda added into the conversation. She smiled lightly. "Not that I'm complaining about any of it. I find this all quite brilliant."

"Phone, now, give me!" the Doctor exclaimed in aggravation. He yanked the phone out of Rory's hands, fiddling with the device as he began to work on his plan. Rory just allowed this, still trying to wrap his boggled mind around the occurring events and the sudden appearance of Amy's imaginary friends.

"But you both were just a game," Rory said to Wanda, realizing that she was actually paying attention to him as the Doctor and Amy both rather seemed distracted at the moment. "Amy and I were kids. She made me dress up as him, and she dressed up as you."

"Oi! That's private," Amy barked in response when she heard this being said. Wanda giggled and pitched the ginger girl's cheek in delight.

"Aww, you're so cute when you blush," said the Time Lady. Amy smacked the hand away, muttering under her breath. Wanda went on speaking to the couple. "Well, don't worry, I used to dress up as you lot as well. It was quite fun, really. Shelly constantly wanted to look like Rose, which really matched her well since she already had blonde hair that fit perfectly."

"Did you dress up as me?" the Doctor asked suddenly. The blush on Wanda's face spoke a thousand words as she cleared her throat and averted her eyes. The Doctor grinned cheekily. "You did, didn't you? Which face did you dress up as?"

"Laptop!" Wanda exclaimed abruptly, turning her attention to Amy. "Jeff had a laptop. We could really use that right now."

"Right, laptop! The good-looking friend Jeff," the Doctor spoke rapidly. "He had a big laptop, big bag! Yes, we need his laptop." The Doctor patted Rory and Amy's shoulders brightly. "You two, get to the hospital, get everyone out of that ward. Clear the whole floor. Phone me when you're done." The Doctor grabbed Wanda's hand and began to drag her off towards the direction of Jeff's grandmother's home, but stopped short when the Time Lady pulled away from him. He turned, frowning in confusion as to why Wanda was not running along with him. "Wanda?"

"Actually, Doctor, I'm going to head to the hospital with them," Wanda said, pointing her thumb over her shoulder at Amy and Rory. "I think they're going to need as much help as they can get." The Doctor gave her a pout.

"But—," he began to complain.

"No 'buts,'" Wanda replied in a scolding manner. "You can handle all the techie stuff. Let us take care of the people." The Doctor frowned and shook his head, waving a hand in the direction he was going. Wanda responded by rolling her eyes, pointing in a firm direction to where Rory and Amy were still standing.

This turned into a small, silent argument between the two of them, each gesturing around. The Doctor tapped under his chin and flicked his ears, waving his hand in the direction of Jeff's gran's house. Wanda shook her head, patting her chest and pointed a finger at her head. She ended up stomping her foot as the Doctor seemed to be not agreeing with her in the slightest when he rolled his eyes and shook his head repeatedly in disagreement. Meanwhile, Rory and Amy stared at the two of them in bewilderment, blinking and feeling confused by the two Time Lords seemingly silent disagreement.

"Um . . . what are they doing exactly?" Rory asked his girlfriend.

"No idea," Amy grumbled, shaking her head in disproval at the two Time Lords lack of urgency. She also felt a bit peeved on how easily the two seemed to be communicating with each other, even without words. Crossing her arms, she tried ignoring the spike of jealousy going through her as she glared at the Doctor and Wanda. "Oi! Are you two finished yet?!"

"Sorry," the Doctor and Wanda apologized together, giving the girl sheepish grins.

"We were just discussing on whether or not Jeff is better looking than Rory. Which clearly Rory is much prettier hands down," Wanda said. She jabbed the Doctor in the side with her elbow as she saw him getting ready to retort against this statement. She pointed a stern finger at him. "Doctor, laptop. Now."

"Right, yes," the Doctor said, swiftly turning on the spot and running in the direction he needed to be. Wanda bounced in light and springy steps back over to Amy and Rory, grinning as she saw the baffled looks the two were giving her. Oh, how she just loved messing with them.

"So, to the hospital," Wanda stated brightly, linking her arms with the couple's as she steered them towards the direction they needed to go. "Come along, Ponds. We have a world to save."

"Um, actually, my last name is Williams," Rory said as he stumbled along beside Wanda, trying to keep up with her fast pace.

"Nah, you're a Pond. Trust me," Wanda replied, giving him a wink.

"But he's really not," Amy stated, blushing in embarrassment at the thought of Rory being a 'Pond' like her.

"I'm really not," Rory agreed with a nod. Wanda merely gave them both a knowing smile, patting them on the shoulders after letting go of their arms.

"No, no. You really are," she chortled, giving each of them a wink. She skipped on forward a ways from the perplexed couple, heading towards Rory's car that was parked by a shop, feeling excited for the adventures to come with the two Ponds. "Hurry up, Ponds! We've got sixteen minutes until everything goes boom!"

Rory and Amy merely gave each other a glance of disbelief over the blonde girl's behavior and words before swiftly taking off after her.

XxXxXxXx

They arrived at the hospital in the nick of time with Rory's car skidding into the parking lot and coming to a halt right outside the doors. After banging her head against the backside of the passenger seat, Wanda rubbed at her sore head with a pout. Seriously, Rory needed driving lessons. That was the second time now of riding in the back and clinging to the seat for dear life as the Roman drove. Stumbling out of the car from the back, Wanda spotted a whole group of people had already vacated the hospital. Either getting out in a panic from what was inside or simply coming out to watch the strange occurrence in the sky. Glancing away from the group of patients and nurses, she saw the two Ponds running at full speed into the building. She hastily made her way after them, knowing she needed to keep up to make certain they stayed safe. Prisoner Zero was already here, and it was not going to be fun dealing with the multi-form.

Ten minutes. That was how long they had now. Ten minutes and counting. Wanda knew by now the Doctor should be sending the virus via web to the conference call of all the intelligent minds of the world from Jeff's laptop, ensuring that the virus would set everything digital to zero, making certain the Atraxi ship to find Prisoner Zero, at the hospital, just in time to save the world. Wanda could not help but smile, feeling proud of her husband. Was he good or what?

Wanda managed to finally catch up with Amy and Rory. She skidded to a halt when seeing the panicked doctors, nurses, and patients standing around the halls, in a buzz as something clearly wrong must have happened before the trio arrived. Amy could be seen trying to contact the Doctor from her mobile while Rory hurriedly asked some of the doctors on what exactly was happening on the upper floor of the coma ward.

"Something's happened up there, we can't get through," Rory said to Amy and Wanda after he had finished talking with the doctors.

"Of course something's happened. Something's always happened or gone wrong on days like these," Wanda sighed in exasperation. She snatched the mobile from Amy's hand, earning a displeased exclamation from the ginger. "There's really no need to bother the Doctor. He's a little busy at the moment, so we just need to focus on doing our own part."

"Yeah, but how are we supposed to get in?" Amy retorted, placing her hands on her hips in frustration. Wanda gave the girl a pointed look, arching a brow.

"Well, it's not like you're dressed as a French maid," she interjected, waving a finger around to point at a decorated mirror hanging on the wall. The reflection of Amy blinked in shock when remembering what exactly she was wearing. Making a small expression of realization, Amy hurriedly pulled her hair up into a tight bun to appear more like a proper policewoman. Pushing Amy's mobile into Rory's hands, Wanda patted his hands cheerfully and bounced over to the doctors blocking the doorway to get to the upper ward.

"Excuse me, miss, but you can't go through here," one male doctor interjected, stepping in the way to keep Wanda from moving forward. He held out his hands as if to push her back. "No one is allowed up there until we can get things sorted."

"Yeah, well, I'm here to sort things out," said a stern Amy. The ginger girl and Rory came up beside Wanda. Amy stared the doctor down, holding a demeanour of authority. "Step aside, sir."

"But we can't just let you—," the man tried to argue.

"Either you step aside, or I place you under arrest for civil disobedience," Amy barked. "Now what will it be?" She raised a brow as if daring him to say another word. The male doctor gave a sheepish expression as he swiftly moved aside to let the trio through. They all sort of nodded at him as they pushed through the large double doors and made their way through the halls. As soon as the doors swung closed behind them, Wanda let out a pleased laugh.

"Oh, you are just too good," she praised Amy. Bouncing in step, Amy grinned at the blonde girl beside her.

"I know I am," Amy agreed cheekily. Both of them giggled in delight, then hurriedly ran down the halls to head to the coma ward.

Taking the lift up, they swiftly ran into the ward once they reached the floor, shocked when seeing the hall in a state of chaos. Different hospital beds, equipment, sheets, and other items lay scattered around the place, seeming as though everyone who had been on the floor beforehand had left in a panic. And when the trio came up to a split in the hall, a woman holding the hands of two children walked into their path. The mother seemed to hold an expression of fear and worriment as she stared pleadingly at them.

"Officer," said the woman. Amy, Rory, and Wanda halted in their steps.

"What happened?" Amy asked, keeping her question brisk. She stared at the small family in concern when seeing how fearful the little girls and mother seemed to be.

"There was a man. A man with a dog," the woman explained in a fearful tone. "I think Dr. Ramsden's dead. And the nurses." Amy pulled out her mobile from the upper pocket of her uniform, ready to call the Doctor and warn him about what was happening at the hospital. But Wanda's firm hand stopped her from doing so, even pushing the mobile phone down away from her ear. Amy stared at the Time Lady in confusion, surprised to see the dark glare directed at the woman and children.

"Yeah, they're dead 'cause you killed them," Wanda retorted, her voice coming out low through gritted teeth.

"What?" the woman responded in bafflement, blinking at Wanda. "I'm afraid I don't know what you mean."

"Oh, drop the act, Prisoner Zero. I know it's you," Wanda said, placing her hands on her hips as she stared the pretend mother down.

"Wanda, really, I don't think that she's—," Amy tried to say, but stopped short when the woman's voice rang out.

"Please, I don't know what you're talking about. I just saw a man and a dog, going mad and attacking everyone. We only just escaped by hiding in the ladies."

Rory and Amy's eyes both widened in shock when realizing the one speaking this was one of the little girl's standing beside the woman. However, instead of having a normal girl's voice, the child had her mother's. Wanda looked at the two Ponds beside her, pointing a finger at the three in front of them as if to say 'See? Now what did I tell you?'

"Oh, I'm getting it wrong again, aren't I?" said the woman, this time having the right voice. Her fearful nature disappeared in an instant as she stared at them with haunting eyes.

"Yep. You should really work on that," Wanda said satirically.

The woman and children glared at her, opening their mouths to show rows of sharp, pointed, needle-like fangs. Rory and Amy jumped back in alarm as Wanda merely rolled her eyes. But her relaxed demeanour changed quickly when the three baring figures rushed at the trio. Wanda ran behind the retreating Rory and Amy, going straight into the coma ward and helping the two barge the doors with a broom through the handles. The trio backed away as the doors were thumped and banged on in aggression as Prisoner Zero tried to get after them. Glancing around the room, they saw that they were trapped, only waiting now for Prisoner Zero to break down the door and kill them. Amy jumped by the sudden startling sound of her mobile going off. Before she had a chance to answer, Wanda snatched the phone away.

"Doctor, we're on the first floor, on the left, fourth window from the end," the Time Lady listed off rapidly. "If it's not too much of a bother, please hurry. Prisoner Zero is not a happy camper right now, and I think he would very much like to kill us."

"I'm on my way," the Doctor replied as loud as he could over the sirens blaring in the background of the call. "Just stay safe, Wanda."

"Will try," Wanda replied merrily. She snapped the mobile shut in reflexive fright as the doors at the end of the ward suddenly burst open. Prisoner Zero had managed to break the broom apart and was now glaring at the retreated trio. Placing herself in front of Rory and Amy, Wanda held out her arms as wide as she could and returned the glare. "You are not harming anyone else. Especially not my Ponds."

"And why do you care?" retorted Prisoner Zero, making the woman's facial features it copied twist into a sinister smile. "You're nothing more than an imaginary friend made up by a little Scottish girl." She and the two children stepped into the ward, stalking ever so slowly towards them, as if taunting them in their inability to escape the coming death. Prisoner Zero's eyes trained on Amy as the ginger girl stared back fearfully.

"I watched you grow up, Amelia Pond," said the mutli-form in a sickening, silky voice. "Twelve years, and you never even knew I was there. Little Amelia Pond, waiting for her magic Doctor and Wanderer to return. Well, here's one of them." Prisoner Zero nodded at Wanda. "And look at her. Useless. She's not the grand hero you always imagined, is she? She's nothing more than pathetic. And that Doctor is nothing different. In fact, I think he might be even more useless than even she is. He's not even here to die with you. What a coward." The woman clicked her tongue, shaking her head as if disproving.

Wanda's face lit up bright red, her left eye twitched rapidly, and she held up a clenching fist, shaking it at Prisoner Zero as she took a step forward.

"You want your teeth knocked out?" she bit out angrily. Rory saw Wanda looking ready to pounce at the three in front of them and swiftly grabbed her by the arm, holding her back. It was more as an act of nurse's instinct, really. He was very used to patients being unorderly at times, so it was natural for him to react and keep them from harming others or themselves. But mostly themselves, really. Though, in some sense, he also felt that he should not let Amy's imaginary friend do something rather dumb and go punch a killer alien.

Wanda opened her mouth to continue yelling at Prisoner Zero, feeling nothing but anger from the remarks the multi-form at made at her husband, when the mobile in her hand began to ring again. Huffing, she flipped the phone open and pressed it to her ear.

"Duck!" was all the Doctor exclaimed from the other end.

Wanda did not even bother to ask what he meant as she grabbed both Amy and Rory and yanked them down to the ground. They heard a firetruck's siren blaring outside, the noise sounding as though it were zooming at full speed towards the hospital. The window behind them smashed to pieces as a ladder shot through, bouncing right over them from where they had ducked to the floor. The trio glanced over their shoulders as they heard someone swiftly climbing up the ladder towards them. Jumping down to land right next to them, the Doctor gave them all a cheerful smile as he patted Amy and Rory's backs.

"Right! Hello! Am I late?" he asked brightly.

"Nope. I'd say you're right on time, sweetie. And with three minutes to go. That's a record for you, really," Wanda responded as only Amy and Rory could do was stare at the Time Lord in complete bafflement. Smiling at the two, Wanda could not help but feel amused by the couple's complete and utter astonishment from what was happening. Though she knew that one day, once the two Ponds became accustomed to the Doctor's antics, they would be completely unfazed by such things.

Helping her off from the floor, the Doctor held onto Wanda's hand as both she and him walked closer Prisoner Zero. Each Time Lord kept their gaze steady on the multi-form. The Doctor held a confident smirk, while Wanda continued to look peeved from the earlier comment that Prisoner Zero had made. She had half a mind to simply stomp forward and give the prisoner a good punch, but kept her mind focused on keeping her temper down and allowing the Doctor to do the talking.

"Take the disguise off," the Doctor said to the prisoner. "They'll find you in a heartbeat. Nobody dies." Prisoner Zero gritted its teeth together, staring back darkly at the Doctor.

"The Atraxi will kill me this time," stated the multi-form. "If I am to die, let there be fire." The Doctor let out a chuckle, but no amusement could be heard in his voice when he spoke again.

"Okay. You came to this world by opening a crack in space and time," the Doctor stated. "Do it again. Just leave."

"I did not open the crack," Prisoner Zero told him.

The Doctor frowned, training his eye at the creature in a searching manner. "Somebody did."

Prisoner Zero's disguised face slowly grew a wicked grin. "The cracks in the skin of the universe, don't you know where they came from?" At the Doctor's blank stare, the prisoner's grin grew even wider still. "You don't, do you?" The woman's voice changed to a little girl's, mocking the Time Lord. "The Doctor in the TARDIS doesn't know. Doesn't know, doesn't know!" The woman's voice then slid back into place as Prisoner Zero seemed pleased in knowing something the Time Lord did not, having an upper hand of sorts. "The universe is cracked. The Pandorica will open. Silence will fall."

Wanda shifted on her feet, growing uncomfortable as a quick possibility flashed through her mind of what was to come. Right, that day. She wondered when that day would be coming up for her soon. It must be by now. Not exactly a day she was looking forward to, but at least it was not on her top dreadful-days-to-come list. Compared to others, Pandorica was nothing. A loud clicking sounded off in the room, making Wanda glance up to a large clock on the upper wall of the ward to see it had flipped to all zeros. The Doctor smirked in victory at the sight.

"And we're off! Look at that," he remarked, sounding very smug at the moment. At the blank and confused expression of Prisoner Zero, the Doctor's smirk widened and pointed for the multi-form to look behind. "Look at that!" Turning its three heads, Prisoner Zero, as well as the others in the room, saw the clock marking zero.

"Yeah, I know, just a clock, whatever," the Doctor stated as if saying what was on Prisoner Zero and the two humans' minds. "But you know what's happening right now? In one little bedroom, my team are working. Jeff and the world. And do you know what they're doing? They're spreading the word all over the world, quantum fast. The word is out. And do you know what that word is?" Prisoner Zero turned its head back around, seeming lost as to what the Doctor was talking about, as well as slightly frightened to what the Time Lord had done. The Doctor only continued to hold his victorious smirk. "The word is 'zero.'"

"And right now, high up in the Earth's atmosphere, the Atraxi ships are monitoring and listening to all Earth communication systems," Wanda stated brightly, bouncing on the balls of her feet as she grinned at Prisoner Zero. "And oh, I'd say, right about now, they're taking notice of all the sudden references to 'zero.' They're even beginning to track down where the source of this 'zero' is coming from. Which, I'd say, the source might even be—."

"—right here," the Doctor finished. He flipped out Rory's mobile from his pocket, holding up the device for Prisoner Zero to see.

The Doctor gave a sly smirk and Wanda grin cheekily as they both saw the shocked expression of the multi-form. A bright light suddenly lit up the room from the windows, shining a white glare right into their eyes. The Doctor beamed, proud that his plan had pulled through and worked in the end. Like all his plans naturally did, of course. Army and Rory walked over to the nearest window, gazing out to see the large Atraxi ship hovering outside. Prisoner Zero's expression remained as calm as possible, trying not to let the group see the clear fear that was beginning to build up within its eyes.

"The Atraxi are limited," the multi-form said coolly, smirking when knowing that the Doctor could have not possibly planned everything. "While I'm in this form, they'll still be unable to detect me. They've tracked the phone, not me."

"Yeah," the Doctor responded, waving the mobile at the creature, "but this is the good bit. I mean, this is my favourtie bit."

"Mine, too," Wanda agreed slyly, winking at the Doctor. He gave a cheeky, boyish grin, returning the wink before directing his eyes back on Prisoner Zero, waving the mobile again.

"Do you know what this phone is full of? Pictures of you," the Doctor remarked. "Every form you've learned to take, right here. Ooh. And being uploaded," he scrolled with his finger across the screen of the mobile, sending the file of pictures to the alien ship, "about now. And the final score is no TARDIS, no screwdriver, two minutes to spare." He gave his most triumphant and cheeky smile yet, throwing out his arms as if to brag about his success. "Who the man?"

"You the man!" Wanda cheered, giggling and clapping her hands in delight. Both Time Lords grinned brightly at each other, then their delighted expressions slowly fell as they saw the displeased expression of Prisoner Zero, and Rory and Amy looked at them both as if they were mad. Wanda cleared her throat in embarrassment, feeling awkward. "Right. Um. Probably not the best thing to say."

"Yes, fine, I'm never saying that again," the Doctor grumbled, feeling disgruntled by how much he had just humiliated himself.

"Then I shall take a new form," Prisoner Zero suddenly said, gaining everyone's attention as it held a discerning smile.

Before they knew it, Prisoner Zero's disguise of the mother and two daughters began to glow a golden colour, changing form. The Time Lords heard someone falling to the ground behind them and swiftly turned to see Amy unconscious on the floor. Rory fell to his knees beside his girlfriend, grabbing onto her hand as he stared at her in a panic. Wanda and the Doctor hurriedly ran over to kneel beside the fallen girl. The Doctor tried calling to Amy, patting at her cheeks, trying to wake her up. Wanda gripped Amy's other hand, holding it tightly.

"Amy? Come on, girlie. I know you're still with us," she pleaded to the girl to wake up. Jerking her head up to glare at Prisoner Zero, she saw the multi-form had taken the form of the Doctor. The Time Lord himself stared at the creature in bewilderment at the sight, confused on who exactly he was seeing stand before them.

"Well, that's rubbish. Who's that supposed to be?" he asked Rory and Wanda. Rolling her eyes, Wanda shook her head in amusement.

"That's you, sweetie," she explained. "It's your new face."

"Oh," the Doctor responded dumbly, giving a pout as he took in the form of him standing across the way. Did he really have to regenerate with a child's face? Were people going to tease him now for it? Of course, this might be payback for him always teasing Third Wanda for the same reasons. The universe really did know how to have a laugh at times. Standing up, the Doctor glared at Prisoner Zero as he saw the other him only holding an even and calm expression.

"Why me? You're linked with her. Why are you copying me?" the Doctor questioned rapidly, walking over to Prisoner Zero. His mind racing in trying to think of a way to save the unconscious Amy from the multi-form's grasp. The creature had established a link with her for over twelve years. That might be a challenge in trying to break it.

"I'm not," came the voice of Amelia Pond. Little, Scottish Amelia, wearing her red jumper and wellies, walked around the copied image of the Doctor, holding a cunning leer. "Poor Amelia. Still such a child inside. Dreaming of a magic Doctor and her wandering Wanderer she knows will return to save her. What a disappointment you've been."

Looking away from the prisoner, Wanda tried to remain focused on Amy lying beside her as she felt her temper flaring up again. Damn that multi-form.

"Look, Amy, I know you can hear me," Wanda whispered into the girl's ear. She cupped Amy's face, trying to focus her own mind with the girl's. "Focus on my voice. Only my voice. Let everything else just melt away." Glancing up, she saw her own image sudden appear beside little Amelia pond, holding onto the free hand of the disguise Prisoner Zero. The expression on little Amelia's face looked confused as Prisoner Zero could not understand why it suddenly created the image of the Time Lady. The Doctor looked back at Wanda, surprised on what had occurred. He then smiled as he realized what Wanda was doing.

Wanda focused her mind back to Amy's. "Good, girl. Now, I want you to really concentrate. There's an image there, just at the back of your mind. A memory. A very recent memory, in fact. Big and ugly, looking like an eel with needle teeth. That's Prisoner Zero. And that's what you must remember and let us see. Let everyone see." Lifting her eyes up away from Amy's resting face; Wanda smirked as she saw Prisoner Zero's eyes widened in shock.

"No, no, no!" screamed the multi-form as it began to change once more. Soon, the golden light faded, leaving behind only the strange creature that seemed to hang from the ceiling. Eel-like indeed, they could see the transparent skin it had and the beady yellow eyes that glared hatefully at them all.

"Well done, Prisoner Zero. You've just created a perfect impersonation of yourself," the Doctor mocked as he smirked at the creature. The multi-form hissed and growled in rage at him as a blinding light surrounded the thrashing creature. The Atraxi ship outside had finally caught their prisoner. Soon, after the Atraxi had announced their capture of the creature, Prisoner Zero gave up on fighting against the inevitable death awaiting it. Instead, it stared at the Doctor in pure hatred.

"Silence, Doctor. Silence will fall," snarled the creature as one last retort. Soon, it vanished from sight as the Atraxi beamed the prisoner back into their ships. A gush of wind blew through the ward as the ship's lights disappeared and they could hear the departure of the spacecraft. The Doctor frowned, trying to think of what the creature meant, but gave his head a small shake as he knew he could always worry about that later. Looking briefly out the window to see the ship had indeed left the Earth and the sky had gone back to normal, the Doctor pulled out Rory's mobile from his trouser pocket, beginning to dial a number very quickly. Wanda, however, kept her attention on Amy as she patted the girl's cheek, slowly waking her up.

"The sun, it's back to normal, right?" Rory asked, trying to understand exactly what just happened. His head just simply refused to wrap its mind around understanding the events that had occurred.

"Yep. And with just forty-five seconds to go. That was cutting it a little close there," Wanda replied, helping a very disoriented Amy sit up from the floor. Rory shook his head to clear his mind and instead concentrated on making certain his girlfriend was all right in the end. In the corner, the trio heard an angry Doctor yell into the mobile as he seemed to be in a heated argument with someone. A second later, the Doctor ended the call and tossed Rory back his mobile phone.

"Sorry about the bill," the Doctor said before turning on the spot and marching out from the ward.

"Um, what did he just do?" Rory asked, holding up his mobile at Wanda in question.

"Called the Atraxi back," Wanda replied with easy. "They need a good scolding after the stunt they just pulled. I mean, really, blowing up a planet just to get a prisoner back? How thick could you get?" Amy and Rory blinked in shock as Wanda stood up and began going after the Doctor.

"He's bringing them back? Did—did he just save the world from aliens, and then bring all the aliens back again?" Rory questioned in disbelief. Wanda looked at the Ponds from over her shoulder, grinning.

"Yep. We do that a lot," she told them. She turned her head back around, skipping down the hallway. "Don't worry, you get used to it!" She smiled brightly as she heard the couple scrambling back up onto their feet and took off to catch up with her. The three of them ran swiftly down the hall, trying to meet up with the Doctor again. But Wanda suddenly halted the two right outside the doctor's locker room as she remembered what was going to happen next.

"Wait, you two, stay out here," Wanda commanded them, pushing them back a step from the room.

"But the Doctor's in there," Amy interjected, trying to step around the short Time Lady. "I want to know what exactly he's planning now."

"Why is he in there, anyway?" Rory questioned, frowning as if he was not sure whether to be distrusting of this strange Doctor being inside his co-workers' locker room.

"Getting changed. Now, back," Wanda remained firm in her order. Pushing them both back, she backed away and pointed a stern finger. "No peeking." Amy huffed in frustration, giving Wanda an angered expression and crossed arms while Rory simply looked confused. Smirking slightly, Wanda turned around and went inside the locker room, gaining a sly grin at the sight of the Doctor taking his raggedy shirt off and now working on his trousers and shoes. A pile of random assortment of clothes were at his feet, ready to be tried on.

"Looking good there, Spaceman," Wanda remarked, leaning against a locker as she looked him up and down. The Doctor turned, blinking in surprise as he just realized she was there. But his surprise quickly vanished, replaced by a coy smile.

"Like what you see?" he questioned, giving a little twirl.

Wanda nodded in approval. "Very." She tilted her head in thought. "Though, this isn't the first time I've seen you naked."

"Oh, yes, I know." The Doctor wiggled his brows as he jumped into a new part of trousers, noticing happily that a pair of braces were attached to them.

"No, no, I don't mean your last body. I've seen the new one in the nude on multiple occasions." Shaking her head, she stared up towards the ceiling as she recalled all those highly embarrassing moments. "All to which I still blush about. They were all very awkward situations. You will have the hardest time keeping your clothes on, I swear."

"Well, maybe that's a good thing." The Doctor clapped his hands together, giving an eager grin.

Wanda snorted, shaking her head. "Idiot."

"And I'm your idiot. Now, which one?" He held up two different dress shirts, sort of bouncing them up and down.

Wanda hummed for a bit then pointed towards the sort of cream coloured shirt. "That one."

The Doctor threw the other black shirt over his shoulder and shrugged on the one Wanda had pointed to. Buttoning it up, he swiftly grabbed an assortment of ties from a nearby locker, throwing them around his neck and picking up a pair of black, lace-up boots. As he was putting on his new shoes, he noticed Wanda searching rapidly through many lockers for something.

"Looking for anything in particular?" he asked lightly.

"I thought it would be . . .," she began to say but trailed off in disappointment, even having a pout. But when she opened the last locker in the small, skinny room, she beamed. "Ha! There you are you beauty!" She yanked out a blazer, holding it in the crook of her arms. "Okay, we better go ahead and head to the roof. They should be arriving now."

"Right!" The Doctor bounced up from the locker room bench and together they made their way back out where a frustrated Amy and bewildered Rory were waiting for them. The two tried demanding answers as the Time Lord sped up in their pace and made their way up to the roof.

"So this was a good idea, was it?" Amy asked the moment they stepped up onto the roof. All gazed up to the large Atraxi ship that stared down at them just above the roof. "They were leaving."

"Leaving is good," the Doctor stated.

"But never going back is even better," Wanda added in for him. The Doctor walked up as close as possible to the ship, eyeing it up and down. Rory and Amy, too nervous to get any closer, remained a few steps behind. Wanda stood as close as she could next to the Doctor, trying not to get in the way, but wishing to be there for him.

"Come on, then!" the Doctor shouted at the Atraxi. "The Doctor will see you now." The gigantic eyeball flew out of the crystalline structure and hovered right in front of the Time Lord. It looked back and forth for a moment, then did a quick scan of the Doctor.

"You are not of this world," it concluded.

"No, but I've put a lot of work into it," the Doctor replied, placing on the braces onto his shoulders. He began fiddling with the ties hanging around his neck, wondering which one would be best. "I don't know. What do you think?" He held up the different ties, looking to Wanda for her opinion. With a shake of her head, the Doctor threw the ties over his shoulder, letting Rory catch them.

"Is this world important?" the Atraxi asked the Doctor.

"Important?" the Doctor responded, giving the eyeball a look of utter disbelief and agitation for even questioning the importance of this world. "What's that mean, 'important'? Six billion people live here. Is that important? Here's a better question. Is this world a threat to the Atraxi? Well, come on. You're monitoring the whole planet. Is this world a threat?" The eyeball sent out a projection of the Earth in front of the Doctor, then, staying in circular form, began running a series of videos and images, showing them the history of the Earth that the aliens had gathered.

"No," the alien finally concluded.

"Are the peoples of this world guilty of any crime by the laws of the Atraxi?" the Doctor continued to question the alien.

Another series of images and video ran through its projection before it came to another conclusion. "No."

"Okay." The Doctor nodded, beginning to stare the eyeball down as he allowed his anger to show in his disgust of how the aliens had been so willing to destroy an innocent planet. He began placing on a tie, adjusting it just nice and snug around his neck. "One more. Just one. Is this world protected?"

The images of the projection changed, showing them all the many, many enemies that had come here to Earth: the Cybermen, the Daleks, the Sycorax, and so many others. Others who had all tried the same thing as the Atraxi had almost done themselves. All which had failed miserably. And after the Doctor pointed this out to the Atraxi, of all the failures of the others who dare threat this world, the Time Lord held the most confident, most buoyant smile of them all when the images of himself, of his many faces, began to run through the Atraxi projection. Wanda tossed him the tweed blazer, grinning as she saw him shrug it on and gave a quick adjustment of his red bow tie. Bow ties were _so_ cool. Standing tall and stature full of power and might, the Doctor walked right through the Atraxi projection, holding a steady gaze as he stood eye level with the eyeball.

"Hello. I'm the Doctor," he said, grinning with all the confidence of the world. "Basically . . . Run." The eyeball's pupil seemed to widen in fear for a second before it zoomed back up into its crystalline circular spiral and flew off with a large gust of wind, fleeing the planet as fast as it could.

Wanda cheered, jumping up and down as she could not contain her excitement any longer. Oh, this had always been her most favourite moment of Eleven from the show. It was just too perfect watching it in real life. No matter how many years she lived in this universe, there was sometimes she could not get over being able to see her old show coming to life right before her very eyes. Throwing her arms around the Doctor, they both laughed as the Time Lord spun his Time Lady around. Both of them were just too giddy from succeeding in the day. Amy began laughing as well, unable to not let herself be joyful with the two. Rory simply shook his head, feeling glad that the day was finally over and done with.

Both Time Lord jumped away from each other, wincing when each of them felt something very hot. Wanda pulled up her TARDIS necklace, along with all the other sorted collectables that hung around her neck, staring at the key of the ship and seeing how it glowed. The Doctor pulled his own from where it had appeared within the tweed blazer. Grinning brightly, he bounced away and ran away from the roof, ready to head back to the calling TARDIS. Amy and Rory did not notice at first, still gazing up to the sky at where the Atraxi had left. But soon, Amy looked around, shocked in the beginning to see that the Doctor had left them before growing a frustrated expression. She expected Wanda to be gone as well but was surprised to the blonde girl standing right next to her.

"Does he do this all the time?" Amy questioned in a grumble.

"Oh yes, almost always," Wanda replied, giving a small shrug. "But don't worry, that'll just be something else you'll get used to."

"Is—is this going to become a recurring thing?" Rory asked, seeming hesitant for Wanda's answer. He just knew it was not going to be to his liking.

"Yep," Wanda replied, popping the 'p' at the end.

"Great," Rory groaned, shaking his head as he turned and went through the door of the roof, heading back into the hospital. Amy crossed her eyes, staring the Time Lady down in a hard gaze.

"Okay, when are you two coming back next time?" she demanded in question.

Wanda gave a sheepish smile. "Um . . . two years."

"Two years?!"

"Really sorry. But the TARDIS, our ship, it's still on the fritz. The Doctor will have to make a quick trip to the moon to settle it in and it won't be able to make it back any sooner than two years."

Amy threw her hands up into the air in disbelief. "Can't you two ever just pick a decent time?"

"Nope." Wanda gave the girl an apologetic smile, leaning up to give a quick peck Amy's cheek. "I really am sorry about all of this. About the years in between and such. But don't worry, I promise things will get better."

Amy sighed in exasperation. "Fine, whatever. Just promise me not to bring a whole army of aliens with you next time, okay?"

"I make no promises on that one." Giving the girl a wink and a warm hug, Wanda swiftly ran away from the roof and bounced down the stairs back down into the hospital. She passed by Rory, giving him a hug and peck on the cheek as well. "See you around, Pond!"

"It's Williams!" Rory called out to her as she ran down the hall.

"Won't be for much longer!" Wanda replied, sending him a wink as she dashed down the stairs.

XxXxXxXx

The Doctor had actually waited for Wanda outside of the hospital, and together they 'borrowed' another vehicle that took them back to where the TARDIS was, inside Amy's backyard. Both Time Lords stood outside of the ship, admiring the new exterior appearance Sexy had chosen for herself. Looking new and improved, with an even deeper shade of that unique TARDIS blue; the only thing both the Doctor and Wand could think to remark was 'magnificent.'

"Oh, you're as gorgeous as ever, Sexy," Wanda complimented, running a hand along the wooden frame. She smiled when she heard a pleased hum in response from the TARDIS.

"Okay. What have you got for us this time?" the Doctor said, excited to see what sort of interior that TARDIS had done. The Doctor went to use his key for open up the ship, but Wanda stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.

"Wait, can I do it?" Wanda asked in a hopeful voice, looking at him with big bright emerald eyes that just seemed too adorable to the Doctor to ever resist saying 'no' to. He smiled warmly and nodded, taking a step back.

Wanda walked over to him, taking one of the Doctor's hands as she sucked in a breath, lifting her other hand to give a sharp snap with her fingers. The TARDIS doors swap open as a welcome home to her two Time Lords. Wanda and the Doctor both smiled in bright and keen giddiness, stepping into the ship. A warm glow seemed to radiate from everywhere within the control room. Gone with the grunge and here with the new edgy look of glass flooring around the console, stairs leading around all different directions, and all the controls on the console seemed to gleam and shine. Wanda had seen this TARDIS design over a hundred times and it never seemed to lose its majesty to her eyes. She watched as the Doctor bounced up and sent the TARDIS off, knowing that he was doing so to make adjustments to the new replacement engines of the ship.

"So, now that we've settled that," the Doctor said, turning in a flourish and clapping his hands together with an eager grin. "How do you say we go back and pick up Amy again? I'd say she deserves a holiday. Maybe a nice long one to make up for those whole twelve years." He turned around, beginning to send the TARDIS back where they had come from, then suddenly frowned in thought. "By the way, you could have just told me we would have been twelve years late. A warning would have been nice."

"I wanted to tell you before we left little Amelia there that night, but the possibilities showed that you would have tried changing time and that wouldn't have been good," Wanda explained, hopping up to the console to stand beside him. "We were meant to be late then just like we're meant to be now."

"Late? What do you mean, late?" he questioned, turning to grab at the new scanner of the TARDIS console and furrowing his brows in confusion as he knew he was sending them right back to the same date and year. But he noticed on the screen how the time kept jumping around, not seeming to be able to focus on the specific time he wanted to go. He gave the scanner a sharp smack as if trying to get it to work and stay on course.

"We're going to arrive two years later no matter what you do, sweetie," Wanda told him calmly.

"What? No! I don't want to that to Amy _again_!" he exclaimed in disbelief.

Wanda gave a shrug, grabbing the scanner and giving it a look over as well. "Sorry, but it's already done." She pushed the screen away, turning around to lean against the console as she stared at the doors. "Besides, it is meant to happen. A fixed point in time. Nothing we can do since it's meant to be a part of Amy and Rory's timeline." In the corner of her eye, she noticed how the Doctor winced when she mentioned 'fix point in time.' She wondered why he had this reaction, but thought that perhaps it was because of what had occurred on Mars recently for him.

The Time Lord shook his head, trying to clear his mind of those haunting words and pouted instead on knowing how disappointed Amy must be with him. Wanda, knowing what he was thinking, began to rub soothing circles on his back.

"Hey, don't you start blaming yourself now. It's not something you could have helped," she spoke gently. "And don't worry, I already warned Amy ahead of time, so she knows that we were going to be late."

"Oh? Well, as long as she knows about it," the Doctor responded, letting a smile back on his face as he did not feel so bad now. A sudden thought leaped into his mind, making him slowly gain a sly smirk. Stopping the TARDIS from returning to Earth just yet, he turned to Wanda. "So, since we're going to be late anyway, we might as well enjoy ourselves."

"What do you mean?" Wanda asked, furrowing her brows as she became confused on why the Doctor would suddenly stop the TARDIS and give her such a hungry stare.

"Well, new TARDIS." He waved a hand around to the room. "New outfit." He gave a quick adjustment to his bow tie. "New face." He tapped his cheeks lightly. The smirk on his face grew even wider. Wanda gasped as he swiftly pulled her flush up against him, lowering his voice to sound husky. "Would you like to find out what else is new?" He winked suggestively, chuckling in the back of his throat as Wanda scoff and hit him lightly on the arm.

"Perv!" she exclaimed, laughing slightly. "You are such a perv in this new body."

"Only for you." The Doctor leaned forward, giving her a searing kiss. Blinking in shock when Wanda suddenly pushed him away, he felt panic for a moment as he realized he forgot to ask her if they had gone swimming yet. He had assumed that, by the way she had been acting, they had already done so. That, and her clothes from the 60s era also suggested his thoughts had been correct. However, had he been wrong in assuming? But his worriment vanished the instant he saw the coy expression and the way her emerald eyes darkened with desired anticipation.

"Race you," she purred into his ear. He blinked, unsure of what she meant by this, but stumbled back when she suddenly ran away from his arms. She bounced as ways down the corridor, turning to give him an eager grin before spinning around and running away. Realizing what she was doing, the Doctor smiled cheekily before adjusting his bow tie one last time and taking off after her.

XxXxXxXx

Welp, that's the end of that. I hope everyone enjoyed the conclusion to Amy and Rory's 'first' meeting of the Doctor and Wanda. :) Please let me know any thoughts, ideas, criticisms, or advice in a review. Every bit helps me become a better and better writer, making the best story for everyone's enjoyment and happiness. 3 :D

Reviewers:

 **bored411** : Glad you liked the chapter. :) It is nice that Amy and Wanda got on steady feet at first. Maybe warning Amy in advanced helped? Just hope things continue to be good. ;) Hope you enjoyed the new chapter and to see you again real soon! :D

 **XxXxSleepingAngelxXxX** : Yay! I'm so happy that the chapter was a great read for you! :D I'm super excited to see what you thought of the new chapter. ;) I really hope your day/night is filled with joy. Please take care!

 **Guest(a)** : Thank you so much! I'm just so overjoyed to hear that you enjoyed it. :) Don't worry, River will be coming up rather soon. ;)

 **alwaystherereading** : XD I'm so happy to be back and to be here with you again! Don't worry, I have the worst memory and a re-read is always helps boost the brain. ;) I'm really glad you liked that part. I just think Amy getting a heads up would have helped her so much more, and I think it did as we've seen in the other chapters. :) I really hope that you enjoyed Rory's moment in this chapter. He's always been my favorite companion, so seeing him and Wanda hang is always a blast. :D Thank you so much 3 It's a joy being back and to see you and all other readers once again. :) Oh, I will always love writing and working with this story. Don't you worry. ;) Hope to see you again soon! Until next time!

 **heroherodaletotherescue** : Woo! I'm just so overjoyed that you liked it so much! :D See you again next time! Take care!

 **All The Stories Are True 24601** : No, sadly never. The stores located here where I live barely have anything from other countries. Mostly, they sell foods from Asia. Small towns equals less unique things I suppose. But I do know that there are some stores in bigger cities that sell foods from all over, so maybe I'll give it a try and let you know. ;) Happy to hear that you enjoyed the chapter. :) Also, I love that word. Wandafully XD Until next time!

 **Ronin Kenshin** : Yay! It's my favorite episode, too! :D

 **CJ/OddBall** : So happy to see you again as well! :) Oh, don't worry, I always see every lovely review any readers gives the story. And I love every single one of them. ;) Sorry to say, though I absolutely love the idea of doing a oneshot story of this, it just wouldn't work out. With the Time Lord bond of theirs, Wanda would, unfortunately, know instantly that Twelve was the Doctor. So, the unfortunate thing about being a Time Lord is no hiding amongst each other. At least, not without using some sort of block like the Master did as Saxon. There are other reasons why Wanda may never meet Twelve, but those are spoilers for now. Sorry. :( I wish I could make a tribute to Twelve such as that. Perhaps I'll think of something later. Something special just for you. ;) Hope to see you again in the future! Thank you so much for your wonderful ideas and for leaving such a lovely review. I loved hearing from you again. 3

 **ajwehri** : Woo! So excited that you enjoyed the last chapter so much! As well as Amy and Wanda's interactions. :D Hope you enjoyed this chapter with Rory! I know I did. ;) Until next time!

 **Jesuslovesmarina** : Oh, yes, it certainly was a big change for Amy. lol ;) But most certainly a good change, I think. :) Yep! Wanda forgot about it, too. lol :D So happy that you liked the chapter! Wanda and her spoilers, ah, it's just magical. Especially when she and River are together. lol ;) It's just so fun dropping hints. And I know after the story is all done and complete, you'll definitely see many hints that have been dropped in the past for Wanda and her own future. That is, if you wish to re-read the past stories. I can always tell you all the hints if you did not wish to re-read after the story is done. :) Hope you're having a beautiful day. Take care!

 **FREYA ASTRID NOVA** : Yay! It's so great that you enjoyed the last chapter so much! :D Yeah, lol, Third Wanda has a bad habit of doing that. ;) Truthfully, I've always seen Eleven as the space version of the mad hatter. So Third Wanda is the space woman hatter, I suppose? haha But yes, Third Wanda is indeed very loopy. And you'll definitely see more of it. ;) I'm very glad the chapter came out well. I was worried many might not like it. But I'm happy to see that you enjoyed it so much. :) Hope you liked the new chapter just as much. Until next time!

 **Momochan77** : She makes me smile, too. :) So glad you liked the interactions from last chapter. I really, really hope you liked this one just as much. :D

 **Rhiannon** : Hey! I'm happy to be back, too! Especially to see all you lovely readers once more. :D I'm doing great! I hope you are as well! 3 That's great! Oh yes, timelines definitely help. I actually created the timeline for Wanda way before I even started writing. I mapped and planned everything out for our dear Wanderer, so that everything falls together perfectly for her and the story. Well, at least, I hope it's perfect in the end. Or at least, enjoyable. I know nothing is perfect, but for at least a good story all together is all I can hope for. :) How's your timeline for her go? I'd love to see it. :D Hope you're having a wonderful day. Take care!

 **QuirkyKim** : Sadly, not in this story, no. :( But perhaps in the next? We'll just have to wait and see. ;)

 **X-Lisa-Anne-X** : Hello, and welcome to the story! So glad to have you here. :) I saw your other reviews on the other parts of the story. Thank you so much for them. 3 I'm just so happy that you've enjoyed the story so far. I hope the enjoyment continues through the rest of the story. :)

Thank you all once again for all the reviews. Custard creams, jammie dodgers, and other biscuits for everyone! Also, don't forget your bananas. Always bring you bananas to a party. ;)

~Tinker~


	18. Ch 18: Amy Onboard

Hi! Welcome back my lovely readers! :D

I hope everyone has been having a wondeful day/night! Enjoy the new chapter! :)

XxXxXxXx

Chapter 18: Amy Onboard

Amelia Pond was sleeping soundly in her bed. Not once did she wake up for the rather loud whooshing nose from outside. Nor did she stir from the creak of her door being pushed open. What did slowly wake her was a light tickling on her nose. Scrunching her face, she tried batting away whatever was trying to tickle her, but it remained persistent in raising her from her slumber. She blinked slowly as she tried clearing her vision to see what exactly was trying to get her awake. What she saw was the beaming and very close face of the Wanderer. Amy let out a startled scream, leaping away from the blonde girl. Wanda burst out in laughter, clutching at her stomach from the funny reaction of the ginger.

"That wasn't funny!" Amy exclaimed angrily, throwing a pillow at the blonde girl. She noticed how the Time Lady was now wearing different clothing than the last time she had seen her. Wearing a blue tunic, brown capris, and white Mary Janes, it made Amy shake her head at the strange fashion choice.

"Nah, you're right. It was hilarious," Wanda chortled, ducking as Amy threw another pillow at her once more.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Amy demanded in question.

"Picking you up of course," Wanda replied easily, grinning. "I promised you two years, didn't I?"

Amy blinked dumbly for a moment. "What?" Her eyes travelled to the calendar on her wall, then widened when realizing what night it was. All the x's on the past dates and the one large circle around today made her remember what she had been anticipating. Then her annoyance spiked up once more. "And you decided the best way to announce your arrival was by giving me a heart attack?"

"Oh, well, um . . . I just wanted to give you a laugh." Wanda gave a sheepish smile, then bounced up from the bed. She remembered how much River had made her laugh by doing the same thing over the years. Wanda assumed that Amy might like to be woken up the same way. Perhaps not everyone appreciated that sort of wakeup call. "So, you ready for the next adventure? The Doctor's waiting outside for us."

"He's here? Now?" Amy looked like a mixture of alarmed, embarrassed, and elated in hearing the Doctor was back. Not that she did not appreciate Wanda being here again, it was just, well . . . it was the Doctor.

"Yep, he's waiting by the TARDIS in the backyard." Wanda pointed to the window for Amy to look if she wished to.

Instantly, Amy was by the window, gazing down to see the gleaming TARDIS, as blue as ever, lighting up the night. Stepping away from the window, Amy seemed to hurriedly adjust her nightie as if ready to look presentable for the Doctor when she saw him. She had been thinking a lot about the Doctor and the Wanderer since they had left two years. Especially the Doctor. He had been popping up in her mind even more often than usual lately. For certain reasons that were actually supposed to occur tomorrow. Amy's face flushed as she still felt uncertain and embarrassed in thinking what she would be doing in the morning tomorrow. The rustling of clothing was heard, making Amy turn around to see Wanda messing with the wedding dress hanging on the cupboard.

"Lovely wedding dress. I bet this will look amazing on you," Wanda commented, ignoring the shocked noise Amy had made and how the ginger girl had pushed her away from the dress.

"It's not a wedding dress. It's just—a costume for my kissogram job," Amy said hastily, trying to bypass discussing the upcoming event at all costs.

"There's no reason to be embarrassed, Amy. You're just getting married," Wanda replied, bouncing to sit on the bed. She smiled brightly at the girl, understanding just how anxious she must be feeling. Wanda knew exactly how unnerving the idea of marrying, tying one's life to another, could be. But once the wedding starts to actually take place, all the nerves and anxiety just rush out the window as one realizes just how perfect the person they were marrying truly was.

"How did you . . . Right, future knowledge. Nevermind," Amy shook her head, forgetting about trying to figure out how exactly Wanda always seemed to know everything that had or would happen.

"Rory's a lucky guy," Wanda said merrily, swinging her legs as she grinned at Amy from the bed. "And you're a lucky woman." She winked at the ginger, giggling as Amy made a stuttered noise.

"Look, can we just . . . keep this to ourselves, yeah?" Amy walked over to the window again, gazing out nervously as if afraid the Doctor had heard the sudden announcement of her upcoming wedding. "I don't want the Doctor knowing about this."

Wanda opened her mouth for a second before closing it, bewildered by this statement. She raised a skeptical brow at the ginger girl. "Why?"

Amy appeared flustered, shifting from one foot to the other. "No reason."

Wanda furrowed her brows, bewildered as to why Amy wanted to keep something so important a secret. And why exactly keep it a secret from the Doctor? From the show back from Wanda's old universe, she remembered that Amy had originally did not get around to telling the Doctor until after the incident with the Angels at the crash of _Byzantium_. Or more like she just forgot to mention it, really. But since Wanda pointed it out, why would Amy still wish not to tell the Doctor? Shrugging, Wanda simply figured that Amy merely was too nervous to discuss the wedding with anyone at the moment. Especially the Doctor, since he did have the tendency to overreact at certain surprising news.

"All right then," Wanda said, hopping up from the bed. "Go ahead and get dressed. Unless you'd rather stay in your nightie, then that's fine, too. We'll meet you outside the TARDIS."

Amy gave the Time Lady an irritated look, scoffing as she crossed her arms. "What makes you think I'll go with you two? It's been fourteen years now. Why would I want to come after all this time?"

"Because you've still been marking the days in waiting for us to return." Wanda pointed at the calendar, having seen that right away since entering the room. Of course, the calendar had not been the only thing she had taken notice of. She also spotted the many drawings, dolls, and toys that Amy had made of the Doctor and the Time Lady herself. Wanda could not help but let a small smile appear on her face, feeling touched that Amy had created all of that and kept it all through the many years of waiting.

Amy winced, embarrassed that Wanda had seen the calendar. "So? That doesn't mean anything."

"Come on, Amy. I know you want to go." Wanda bounced up to the girl, smiling in expectancy. "You've wanted to go since you were a little girl."

"I grew up," retorted Amy.

"As we said before, 'You never want to do that,'" Wanda countered. Seeing how Amy still appeared to be irritated and firm in staying, Wanda gave the biggest pout, having cute eyes as she clasped her hands together in a pleading manner. "Please come with us? We really would love to have you onboard. Please?"

Amy's resolve faltered as the cute child-like look the blonde girl was giving her made it extremely hard to still feel angry. But she wanted to remain firm. "Why exactly do you two want me to come along?"

"'Cause we know what it's like to be out of place in the world." Wanda gave the girl a soft smile, gazing kindly. "You were thrown into so much so fast in your life. Taken from a home you've always known and loved into a very strange place that really didn't seem to want you living there. We've both been there, too. Still are, technically. Plus, we just really like you. You're amazing, Amelia Pond." She finished her sentence with a grin, hoping that this would convince the ginger girl to come along.

Amy let out a long breath, seeming to think it over. Finally, she decided. Though, truthfully, it was not a hard decision to make. If the Doctor was involved, then count her in. "Fine. But make sure to get me back here in the morning."

Wanda gave the girl a salute, nodding. "Yes, ma'am." Turning on the spot, Wanda bounded down the stairs and came outside to see the Doctor looking eager while standing by the TARDIS.

"So? Is she coming?" he asked in expectancy.

"Yep!" Wanda cheered. Both grinned and did a little excited jump. They held hands and faced the house as they waited for Amelia to come out to meet them. The Doctor rocked on his feet, letting out a small puff of breath. He gave a sideways glance at Wanda, adverting his eye quickly when he saw her turn to him. "Is something wrong, sweetie? You seem a little . . . tense."

"Nothing, dear. I'm fine. All is . . . good," he replied, nodding as though he were trying to assure himself of how 'fine' things were. When seeing Wanda's raised brow, he let out another huff. "Oh, all right, I did some . . . checking while you were inside talking to her."

"You were looking into that crack on her wall," Wanda said, nodding while the Doctor hummed thoughtfully.

"It's still there. Not visible, no. But still . . . just there within the fabric of time and space. A small wear in the universe. But why? Why here and why her?"

"Well, why did you think I wanted her on board? Besides her being amazing, the brilliant Pond she is. There's a lot we have to do to help her out." Wanda shrugged lightly. "And there's a lot she has to help us with, too. Just another family member joining us on the TARDIS."

The Doctor gave a big, eager smile. "Hmm, yes. And how exciting for someone new to explore with."

Wanda laughed, turning to face him. "I thought you've always said you prefer to travel just with me, hmm?" She rocked on her feet and poked him lightly in the arm, teasing him.

Turning to her, he shrugged. "What can I say, I've changed quite a bit. Besides, don't want you getting bored of just little old me being around all the time."

Wanda smiled, leaning up to lay her arms on his shoulders, pressing closer to him. "Oh, I'd never get bored of you, Spaceman."

The Doctor smirked playfully, pulling her closer by curling his arms around her thin waist. "Never ever?"

"Never ever." Each of them hummed in joy as they shared a tender kiss. Pressing their foreheads together, they chuckled lightly as they smiled at the other, relishing in the warmth they shared. They turned around to face the house when they heard someone coming. They watched as Amy came out into the garden in a plaid shirt, jeans, and brown boots. She kept her arms crossed, staring at the Doctor coolly.

"I decided to go with you. And you have to promise to get me back here in the morning," she stated curtly.

"It's a time machine. We can get you back for five minutes ago," the Doctor replied, looking at her thoughtfully as he wondered why she demanded this. "Why, what's tomorrow?"

"Nothing. Just stuff," Amy explained edgily, seeming nervous to discuss it. Wanda glanced between the two, wishing she could tell the Doctor, but knowing she could not since she had promised the new companion.

The Doctor nodded, seeming to take that as a fair answer. With a snap of his fingers, the TARDIS door then opened up for the newcomer, allowing Amy to hesitantly go inside. Both Time Lords held their own internal amusement when seeing how awestruck the girl appeared to be of the vast size of the TARDIS, turning in circles to stare at everything. Eventually, Amy got over the shock of the 'bigger on the inside' ship, watching the Doctor and Wanda spring up the stairs to the console and beginning to fiddle with the controls. Amy crossed her arms, staring carefully at them as if to study them as she walked up to the console as well.

"You know, I never believed you about the whole," Amy waved a hand around to gesture at the room, "big, blue box thing. Not even about the time machine. I was even starting to think that you were just a madman with a box." She nodded her head at the Doctor, making this statement to address him directly. The Doctor walked up closer to the girl, giving her a serious gaze.

"Amy Pond, there's something you'd better understand about me, 'cause it's important, and one day your life may depend on it," he said in an even tone. Amy stared at him, sucking in a breath as she feared of what he might say. But then the Doctor lost his serious demeanour as he gained a large grin. "I am definitely a madman with a box." Spinning around, he threw both hands out as if to point at Wanda in glee. "And this is my madwoman with a box." Wanda laughed in delight as the Doctor hopped up to her and gave her a loving kiss on her forehead.

Amy's eyes widened for a second before narrowing slightly. She felt a spike of jealousy wash over her as she saw the way the two of them held hands, their fingers intertwining, as they started fiddling with the controls on the console again. It had never really been something she had paid attention to in the past. As a child, the affection they shared had went right over her head, and two years ago with Prisoner Zero she had not noticed at all since she had been so overwhelmed with everything that had happened that day. But now, she really started to take notice of just how . . . close the two of them seemed to be. And really, she found herself not liking it at all.

"So, all of time and space, everything that ever happened or ever will, where do you want to start?" the Doctor asked Amy eagerly, giving her a boyish grin. Amy merely shrugged.

"I don't know. Everything?" she replied. She walked up closer to the console, letting her strange jealous streak slid away as her excitement built up, even beginning to smile eagerly as well. The Doctor nodded, grabbing onto a lever, letting his own excitement take over and kept a merry hand held with Wanda's as she bounced on the balls of her feet next to him.

"Goodbye, Leadworth," the Doctor said.

"Hello, everything!" Wanda exclaimed. And with a flip of the lever, they were off through the Time Vortex onto the next adventure with their new companion.

XxXxXxXx

Of course, the questioning began immediately, as any new companion eventually does. Amy began rambling on and on with questions, one being on whether or not the TARDIS was an actual spaceship or not. She really did not seem to believe neither the Doctor nor Wanda on the whole 'it's a ship through time _and_ space' thing. So, to prove it, the Doctor halted the TARDIS in her journey through the Vortex and opened up the doors to show Amy the vast majesty of space outside. And still, she scoffed and did not believe them, saying how the space seen outside of the ship could always be just a projection or a magic trick of some kind. The Doctor returned the scoff, telling her, if she would like, he could prove fully that it was no mere fake picture or magic trick. She said to prove it, and it ended up with both the Doctor and Wanda holding onto the girl's ankles, letting the companion float safely just outside of the ship to experience the no gravity and full view of space. Amy could not stop the awestruck smile from forming on her face, and the Doctor and Wanda laughed merrily as they enjoyed seeing the awed expression of the companion.

They brought her back into the ship a moment later, laughing as she finally admitted to believing them.

"Told you it was a spaceship," the Doctor said, clapping a hand on the ginger girl's back. Amy laughed, shaking her head.

"That was really something," she commented on the experience of floating in space. "Do you both do that often?"

"Not really, no," the Doctor replied, humming in thought. He then grinned, turning to Wanda. "Would you like a go?"

"No, no. I think I'll pass," Wanda said, holding out her hands as a way to gesture her nervousness and uneasy in even thinking about going outside those doors while in space.

"Come on, it'll be fun," the Doctor said, smiling in encouragement as he grabbed Wanda's hand, pulling her closer to the doorway.

"Doctor, you got me to finally be okay with being _near_ the doors. Why do you think I'll want to be hanging outside the doors?" Wanda countered, trying to continue in backing away from the doors.

Rubbing a gentle thumb over her hand, in a way that Wanda almost felt soothed by, the Doctor walked up closer to her and smiled in reassurance. "I know you still have a fear of heights. But trust me; I think this will help in getting rid of your fears."

"You're afraid of heights?" Amy jump in to question, holding a puzzled expression as she stared curiously at Wanda. "How can you be afraid of space if you're scared of heights? It's space. There isn't any real heights, is there?"

"Yes, I know," Wanda sighed, feeling silly that her irrational fear had been brought up into questioning. "I'm just . . . I don't like it, okay?"

"Well, why don't you try it?" Amy suggested. A sly smile appeared on her face as she bumped her elbow lightly into Wanda. "Come on, live a little."

"No thanks," Wanda said, rejecting the very idea. There was no way would she ever allow herself be hung outside in space for 'fun.' She had barely wanted for Amy to do the same thing earlier, but both the companion and the Doctor had been persistent. In the end, Wanda had only agreed when she decided that both the Doctor and she keep a hold onto Amy in allowing her to do such a dangerous thing. Shaking her head, the Time Lady pointed out the doorway, trying to change the subject and avoid both of them making her hang out the TARDIS.

"So, are we going to find out what that is?" Wanda asked, directing the attention of the Doctor and Amy to look out of the doorway.

The three of them crouched down when suddenly seeing the massive spaceship flying below the drifting TARDIS. It was truly a sight to see, with large skyscrapers that just jutted out of the ship and into space. Making the ship look more like a floating city than anything else. Or, perhaps more like a small country as there was an outer metal edge that was oddly shaped around the skyscrapers. The Union Flag had even been painted on the metal edge for decoration. Recalling the details in her mind, Wanda knew that this more accurate for the sight they were seeing, knowing that the spaceship was actually the _Starship UK_ that held the entire population of the United Kingdom.

"Now, that's interesting," the Doctor remarked, staring down at the sight with high interest. He hurriedly stood up, going over to the console as his mind began racing in recalling what the sight meant. His mouth went on a ramble, thinking aloud really, as he started to fiddle with the controls. "29th century. Solar flares roast the Earth, and the entire human race packs its bags and moves out till the weather improves. Whole nations . . . migrating to the stars."

The rambling continue as the Doctor pressed a button on the console to close the TARDIS doors. Amy and Wanda were almost scooted right out of the ship, but luckily the Time Lady acted fast enough to pull back the companion before they were thrust outside of the old girl. Amy sucked in a frightened breath as Wanda patted her on the shoulder.

"And now you see why I'm nervous around those doors," she muttered to Amy, turning to walk over to where the Doctor stood.

Wanda absently listened to the Doctor continue on in his rambling, explaining everything about the spaceship outside and where it came from to Amy. Soon, the Time Lady let her mind wander as she pondered over what would come of the adventure ahead. Not only this new one right outside, but also others that she knew must be coming up soon. So many wonderful and too many horrible, the future seemed to almost weigh on her as she thought over the different possibilities.

Funny enough, her abilities did not seem to bother her as much as they used to in the past. When she had been younger, terrible headaches seemed to follow even when she would glance forward into the Doctor's timeline. She would still get headaches, of course. But they did not seem to have as strong of an impact against her. Though, she did still have her limit of only four peaks into the future per day. For still she would become faint and grow close to a seizure. Thankfully, she had only experienced a breakdown like that during the one time after the Reaper incident. But she had come close on quite a few occasions over the decades. And on all of those times, the Doctor would, of course, scold her greatly in allowing herself to become so exhausted from her abilities of insight. Still, she had to wonder why her headaches seemed to be lessened. Was it because she had grown used to the after effects of her abilities over the years? That would be the most logical conclusion she could think of at the moment.

Wanda attention was directed away from her thoughts when the Doctor began to explain to Amy about 'being observers only' when it came to visiting planets and such. No getting involved whatsoever was the number one rule. Wanda laughed internally. Yeah, right. And she was the snow queen of Pittsburgh. No wait—that made no sense. But still, it was ridiculous for the Doctor to say that. Really, she knew it was just Eleven trying to cut himself away from getting into such big trouble like he last did in his Tenth incarnation. Especially after the whole . . . Mars trouble. But still . . .

The scanner on the TARDIS flickered into life, making Wanda look away from the Doctor and Amy. It showed the image of a little girl, wearing a red jumper over a dress with a messenger school bag hanging off one shoulder, and sitting all alone in the middle of a crowded area. It was clear from the video showing that she was greatly upset, tears running down her face as she cried. Wanda felt her hearts clench, feeling torn at the sight of the crying child.

"So we're like a wildlife documentary?" Amy asked the Doctor as she tried to under what exactly it was that both he and Wanda did in their spaceship, time machine, whatever they wanted to call it. "'Cause if they see a wounded little cub or something, they can't just save it, they've got to keep filming and let it die." She then noticed the image of the little girl on the scanner. Her heart went out to the child in seeing the distraught nature of the little girl. "That's got to be hard. I don't think I could do that. Don't you find that hard? Being all, like, detached and cold?"

"Well . . .," the Doctor trailed off, not knowing on how to answer that. Truthfully, when he noticed the scanner showing him the crying little girl, he wanted nothing more than to run out there and comfort the child. However, he knew this would prompt them getting involved with the world, most likely falling into something dangerous along the way. And he had promised himself in regeneration that he would no longer place himself or Wanda in grave danger as they had been in the past. There was simply too much at stake now for them to keep jumping dangerously into the mix of things. Yes, it was better to play things safer now with certain plans on the way for them. Better to keep Wanda and their future safe and protected.

"Um . . . Doctor?" Amy spoke up, making him shake his head to clear his thoughts. She pointed to the screen in front of them. "What's Wanda doing?"

They both stared in surprise when seeing the Time Lady on the screen as well, crouching down next to the little girl and smiling kindly at the child. They could tell that she seemed to be trying to comfort the child. The small girl appeared startled by an adult suddenly taking an interest in her, getting up quickly to leave Wanda behind. Then, turning to the screen as if knowing they were watching, Wanda pointed sternly for them to get into the spaceship the TARDIS had arrived in with her. Promptly, after making this gesture, she turned and went after the little girl. The warmest smile grew on the Doctor's face, his hearts speeding up in their joyful beat as he only felt love for his Wanderer.

"That's Wanda for you. She can never simply stand by when seeing a child cry," the Doctor remarked fondly. He turned with a flourish and bounded out of the TARDIS. Amy looked back and forth between the scanner and the doors before hurriedly following after him.

After finding herself amazed with the futuristic surroundings and sightings of the ship's marketplace they had stepped into, Amy tried to keep up in listening to the rapid talking of the Doctor. He seemed to go on and on, constantly changing the subject between what was wrong with the society around them, then something about shadows, listing off all the things on the ship, observing a glass of water on the floor, and then rambling right back on with something being wrong with the place. Amy could barely keep up with him. He was like a mile a minute. Eventually, they finally spotted Wanda sitting on a red bench, with her arms crossed and pouting. The Doctor hopped over the back of the bench, sitting beside the blonde and wrapping an arm around her shoulder. Amy came around the other side of the Time Lady, taking a seat as well. Though, not without resentfully noticing how the Doctor seemed to be rubbing loving circles on Wanda's shoulder.

"So, what are we up to here?" the Doctor asked casually, trying to figure out what Wanda had been up to since they saw her on the scanner.

"She won't let me talk to her. She's just too scared," Wanda huffed, nodding to the little girl who sat on another red bench a ways from them. The trio saw how quietly the child was sobbing, appearing to be greatly heartbroken. "I just wanted to give her a hug." Wanda sank slightly down in her seat, greatly distraught in not being able to comfort someone who was crying. Especially a child.

"Oh, don't worry. I'm sure we can get her to open up to us soon enough," the Doctor assured Wanda, smiling while giving her a light squeeze around the shoulders as a hug in reassurance. Amy frowned, not understanding why exactly the two seemed so determined to speak with one simple child.

"One little girl crying. So?" she brought up in question, gesturing a hand at the child.

"Crying silently," the Doctor commented, giving the child across from them a concerned look. "I mean, children cry 'cause they want attention, 'cause they're hurt or afraid. When they cry silently, it's 'cause they just can't stop. Any parent knows that."

"Are you a parent?" Amy questioned, starting to wonder about both him and Wanda. She felt another spike of jealousy go through her and a bit of dread to match. She tried ignoring it, knowing she was being silly in allowing her old crush on the Doctor to pop up again. She had moved on with Rory, and no silly crush should get in the way of her marriage. But still . . . the old feelings were there.

"Yes," Wanda said, answering for the Doctor when seeing the high hesitation and wariness on the Doctor's face. She understood how he never wished to discuss his family from the past, and she knew that it would take some time before he would be willing to open up about his past to Amy. But to Wanda, it did not mean that he should not discuss his current daughter Jenny. She was a part of their family after all. "He has a daughter named Jenny who lives on another planet that was terraformed. She's sort of a leader there now. And she likes to consider me 'mum.'" Wanda smiled and snickered when seeing the beyond shock on Amy's face.

"Are you her mother?" Amy asked edgily, sounding a mixture of unease and irritated by this news.

"No, no. Adopted more like," Wanda explained. When seeing the companion's expression changed, Wanda began wondering why exactly Amy suddenly seemed so relieved by this.

"Right, so then you had a kid with someone else, then?" Amy asked the Doctor. She saw this strange relief on the Time Lord's face after Wanda explained about Jenny, almost as if he had been nervous that Wanda had said 'yes' about something else entirely.

"Nope. Just me," the Doctor replied. "Jenny was created using progenation: taking my DNA, a sample of diploid cells, splitting them into haploids, and recombining them in a different arrangement. Growing the offspring of choice through a quick process within a machine, spitting out a sort of 'child' of the donor of the sample of DNA."

"Basically, he's both the mum and the dad," Wanda clarified the Doctor's rapid explanation when seeing the blank stare of Amy.

"Okay, then," Amy said slowly, as if unsure what to think about that. "So, is that your only kid or—."

"Anyway," the Doctor said, raising his voice loud enough just to get the two girl's to focus on task at hand again, "hundreds of parents walking past this spot and not one of them's asking her what's wrong, which means they already know, and it's something they don't talk about. Secrets." He pointed out to the different passersby, all whom which walked right past the crying child, directing their eyes firmly away from her direction as they seemed determined to focus on anything else but her. "They're not helping her, so it's something they're afraid of. Shadows, whatever they're afraid of, it's nowhere to be seen, which means—."

"It's everywhere," Wanda finished for him, watching carefully as the little girl got up and left quickly.

"Exactly. Police state," the Doctor agreed, slapping a hand on his knee. Nodding her head slightly, Amy glanced up to see the little girl in the red jumper was gone.

"Where did she go?" she asked in shock, looking around to see where the child could have vanished to.

"She's heading to Deck two hundred-seven, Apple Sesame block, Dwelling fifty-four A," Wanda listed off calmly. "Her name is Mandy Tanner, age twelve, brilliant in class as she always receives the highest marks on her test." Blinking in bewilderment, Amy stared at Wanda in disbelief in hearing all of this information.

"How did you know all of that?" Amy questioned. "Did she drop a wallet or something?"

"Nope," Wanda said, popping the 'p' at the end. "Like I said before, I just know things. Sort of like I've got a telly in my head that likes to keep me informed about what will happen, has happened, and might happen." She had already gone into more detail with Amy about the other universe and the _Doctor Who_ show back on the TARDIS when the companion had been asking more and more questions. But, of course, the subject of the possibilities was never really brought up until later. Hopping up from the bench, Wanda grabbed Amy's hand and pulled her up.

"So, we need to go ask Mandy about the Smilers," Wanda said briskly.

"The what?" Amy asked.

"I'm guessing the Smilers are those, right?" the Doctor spoke up, standing up next to them. He pointed over to the glass booth holding in an android of sorts. It had sort of a porcelain face, which smiled creepily at everyone walking by. It wore large dark robes that made it look like a strange judge of the area. When truly, it was sort of a judge of justice within the ship, though, in Wanda's opinion, the justice the android ran was based on a very flawed system.

"What about them?" Amy questioned, not quite sure what made the creepy looking androids so special. "They're just things."

"Yes, but look. They're everywhere," Wanda pointed out, gesturing to all the many booths that surrounded the place. And this was only one section of the ship. There were countless more everywhere else.

"And they're clean," the Doctor added in. "Everything else here is all battered and filthy. Look at this place. But no one's laid a finger on those booths. Not a footprint within two feet of any of them. Look." Gazing around, the companion began to see what exactly the Time Lords were pointing out. It made the androids in the booths even more unsettling to look at. Wanda then began tugging on Amy's hand, in a hurry to get to Mandy and make certain that the little girl was all right.

"Come on, we need to catch up," Wanda persisted.

"What are we supposed to do?" Amy scoffed, not sure why exactly Wanda wanted her to come along to go to the child. She would much rather stick around with the Doctor and let Wanda do the caring child stuff.

"Two people are better than one in comforting someone," Wanda countered, pulling Amy's hand. The Time Lady then looked at the Doctor. "We'll meet you back here in an hour. Or well, I should say we'll try to meet you back here."

"Right, then, I'll see you both here later," the Doctor stated merrily, clapping his hands together as he already began to think rapidly on what he should do next.

"What are you going to do?" Amy asked the Doctor.

"What I always do. Stay out of trouble," the Doctor replied. Wanda snorted loudly, shaking her head as she chortled.

"Yeah, right, Mister Trouble Magnet," she chuckled. "I still say you smell of trouble every day."

"Okay, so I'll _try_ to stay out of trouble," the Doctor countered, turning to stroll off back through the marketplace.

"Oh, and sneak peek: You need to search _below_ for the truth of the ship," Wanda said loudly over the noise of the marketplace. The Doctor waved a hand over his shoulder, indicating that he had heard her.

Wanda steered Amy away, getting her to head off to a stairwell with her. They needed to catch up with Mandy if they wished to comfort the child in her seemingly lost friend, Timmy. Well, there was also getting the information about the ship, but Wanda was more or less focused on just giving the child cheer at the moment.

"So, when you say that you 'know' things, is it more than just already seeing your . . . 'show' for your old universe?" Amy began to question as they walked down to another deck on the ship.

"Yes," Wanda replied, "you could say that." They walked along with the crowd of the busy area, trying to figure out which direction they needed to go to next. While Wanda gazed around to for a sign pointing them to Deck two hundred-seven. "I actually do have the ability to look into time itself, in a way. Mostly just the ability to see the Doctor's timeline, and the effects that both he and people may have within his life. It's an ability I discovered to possess when I arrived here to this universe."

"So . . . it's more than just advanced knowledge then," Amy remarked carefully. Pointing a finger at a sign, they saw where they needed to move to next. As they both walked through the crowd, Amy continued her questioning. "Does the Doctor have . . . similar 'abilities.'"

"Somewhat, yes. It's more like I can see the whole web while the Doctor just sees the railroad that carries time," Wanda explained. "And he really can't 'see' into the future like I can. He just knows and sees all the details of history, what is meant to be and not to be and what will be."

Amy frowned, her brows creasing as she pondered over this. "So . . . can't you just tell us everything we need to know?"

"Sorry, but no. Wish I could, but it would just lead to disaster. I can only really give 'sneak peeks' of what is to come. Everything else is just spoilers."

"Spoilers?"

Wanda smiled lightly, giving a shrug. "It's a term I learned to use from my sister. It basically means 'sorry, I can't tell you or else the universe might blow up.' In which case, sometimes it does. Now there's a sneak peek for you." She tapped Amy on the nose, giggling at the annoyed expression the ginger girl threw at her.

Amy flicked Wanda's hand away from her face. "And who is this sister of yours?"

"You'll meet her in the future. Sometime soon, in fact." Wanda skipped forward, bouncing down more steps as they moved onward.

Amy made sure to keep up with the bouncing blonde, wishing to ask something else that had been dwelling in her mind. "What about, you know, you and the Doctor? Are you two . . . siblings or something?"

Wanda stopped short, looking at Amy in bewilderment. Where the heck did that assumption come from? True, they did act similar and had parallel ideals in life, like many siblings might have. But it almost seemed as if Amy knew that the two Time Lords were indeed not related and that she merely wished that they were not as close as they seemed to be.

"Um, no. No, we're not siblings," Wanda replied, shaking her head slowly. Then, she began to chuckle, realizing that Amy must be joking. "Oh, that was a joke, wasn't it? Human humour? Very funny, Amy." Moving onward again, behind her Amy frowned in disappointment and hurriedly sped up in pace.

"You say 'human' like you're not a human," Amy scoffed, finding it odd on how both the Doctor and Wanda would sometimes say things like that. The way they acted sometimes Amy swore they were . . . which they could not be . . . right? "You both aren't . . . alien, are you?" Amy stared at Wanda carefully as if studying what the blonde's response would be.

Wanda rolled her eyes. "Of course we are. What else would we be?"

Amy blinked, opening and closing her mouth slightly, feeling stunned. Snapping her mouth closed, she shook her head and stared in confusion at Wanda. "But you both look human."

Wanda chortled lightly under her breath, giving the ginger a small grin. "Yeah, and you look like a Time Lord." She patted merrily on the companion's shoulder when seeing the perplexed stare, knowing that sometimes it was just too hard to understand the thought of 'aliens.' "Look, not all other lifeforms have the typical 'alien' appearance as humans like to think. We're not all big-eyed and green. Many look just like humans, though there can be some differences here and there. Truthfully, I haven't always been a Time Lord."

Amy blinked. "Huh? What do you mean? What were you before?"

"I was human. Just like you."

Amy's jaw dropped a little ways, blinking in complete disbelief. "What?! You were human?" She frowned, suddenly getting a thought. "Can any human do that? Could I become a Time Lord if I wanted to?"

"No, no. It doesn't work that way. I'm just a freak of nature really." Wanda let out a small huff. "The one and only Wanderer who changed species. How more strange and freaky can you get?" She shook her head sadly, staring off to a wall up ahead. "At least I can be here to keep the Doctor company."

"Why do you say that? Aren't there more Time Lords around?" At Wanda's silent response, seeing the way the Time Lady held such a deep sorrow in her eyes, Amy knew the answer. Her gaze softened as she stared at Wanda. "What happened to the rest?"

"Gone. All of them," Wanda sighed heavily in remorse, staring off at nothing. Though she knew this was not exactly true, technically the Time Lords were not truly 'gone' during this point. Shaking her head, Wanda snapped out of her thoughts. "As for why they're gone, that's something you'll have to ask the Doctor. I'm not really the one who should be telling you this in the first place."

"So, then, what are you and the Doctor to each other?" Amy probed for answers, needing to know where exactly _she_ stood in the group. "Being the last of your kind and everything . . . are you two . . . married?" This last word came out tensely, making Amy realize just how much her old crush of the Doctor seemed to be affecting the way she spoke and acted around Wanda.

"Umm . . . well, our relationship is complicated. Let's just leave it at that."

Wanda felt that it was neither the time nor the place to be discussing such topics. Truthfully, she wanted to clarify everything right then and there to Amy, but the Smilers seemed to be watching their every move while walking from Deck to Deck. They would most likely be listening in as well. Wanda did not particularly want random strangers knowing this, for they might use it against the Doctor later if the situation came to that. Plus, it was hard judging at the current point in time if the Doctor considered her his 'wife.' She knew that sometime in the future (or would it be past?) that the Doctor knew of their upcoming marriage. She did not know when exactly he knew, therefore she had to keep it a secret from not only him but others as well. However, she could always clarify to Amy if the girl was truly confused about Wanda and the Doctor's relationship. However, before she could speak, Amy's next words made Wanda speechless.

"Do you think the Doctor would be open to being with someone else?" Amy wondered aloud. The companion's eyes widened as Wanda froze in her tracks, staring at the ginger in pure disbelief at what she had blurted out.

"W-what?" Wanda stuttered in question, suddenly feeling uneasy by Amy's questioning.

"I didn't mean that," Amy stated hastily, hoping to recover from her stupid mouth letting her thoughts slip out. She did not wish to ruin whatever sort of friendship that was building between her and Wanda. The blonde girl may start becoming suspicious and skeptical with having Amy around if her crush of the Doctor was revealed.

"What did you mean, then?" Wanda quizzed, feeling at a loss as to why exactly Amy seemed to be acting so weird and asking such strange questions. Wanda also felt a strange spike of defensiveness spark up within her as something told her things were not quite right between Amy and the Doctor. But before Wanda could delve into what exactly the new companion was trying to say or indicate, they were distracted when spotting Mandy up ahead from them.

Hurrying along, they raced to catch up with the child, needing to get things done for the day. Wanda pushed aside her worriment of Amy's strange question as she figured that perhaps the new companion was merely nervous by, well, everything. That was what usually happened with new companions in the beginning. So, Wanda focused her mind on the task at hand and let the subject drop away from her worried mind completely.

Reaching the lower levels of the spaceship, they came into an alleyway of sorts. Different pipes were steaming around them and the place appeared to be run down as trash laid here and there, the walls were covered in grime, and graffiti could be seen spray painted on a few places. Walking ahead, the two older girls halted in their steps when a younger girl's voice spoke up.

"You're following me," stated the voice of Mandy. Turning around, Wanda and Amy saw the young girl leaning against a large, graffiti-covered, barrel as she stared at the two adults in suspicion. "Saw you watching me at the marketplace."

"We just wanted to make sure you were all right," Wanda said, stepping up towards the child.

"I told you before, I don't need any help," Mandy spoke curtly, straightening herself up as if bracing herself for an argument from an adult. "Why don't you just leave me alone?"

"I want to help," Wanda told the girl evenly. "We both do." She waved to Amy. The companion waved lightly, having a small crooked smile on her face as if wondering what exactly Wanda wanted her to do or say.

"Please, just leave me alone," Mandy pleaded, not wishing to deal with strangers who might get her in trouble and sent away, the same that had happened to her best friend Timmy. She walked around the two, trying to keep moving forward to her home. Wanda and Amy followed after her.

"Mandy, please—," Wanda began to say. The little girl turned on the spot, looking fearful.

"How do you know my name?" she breathed in alarm. Wanda held a kind stare, trying to let the girl know that they were not here to harm her.

"We know about your friend Timmy. The one who didn't get good marks on his test," Wanda explained quietly, trying not to let the Smilers that were placed around hear them. "We know where he's at and would like to help you find him again."

"It's impossible. He's gone and I'll never see him again." Many sniffled, feeling a wave of sadness wash through her as she knew this was true.

Walking up quickly, Wanda hugged the child, wishing nothing more than to rid Mandy of her sadness. "Now, don't talk like that, sweetie. There's always hope." She crouched down, making herself eye level with the child as she kept gentle hands on Mandy's shoulders. "We'll find Timmy, safe and sound. I promise." She could tell that Mandy did not believe her, but Wanda knew that in the end, the child would be reunited with her best friend once more.

"What's that?" came the question from Amy, turning Wanda and Mandy's attention towards the large, red striped tent with a yellow caution gate surrounding the area next to them. White signs decorated the gated area with the words _Keep Out_ painted on. An even larger sign hung above the place reading _Magpie Electrical_. Wanda frowned, recognizing the name for a moment before shaking her head and focusing her attention back on the tented area.

"Don't know. Let's go check it out," Wanda said to Amy merrily, opening up the gated area to walk towards the tent. Amy followed along behind the Time Lady while Mandy stayed behind while staring at the two in alarm to their actions.

"You can't go in there," she told them, gripping onto her messenger school bag's strap tightly from nervousness of their behavior. "There's a hole in the road. We have to go around." Both Wanda and Amy turned, grinning cheekily.

"Don't mind us. We just can't resist a 'keep out' sign," Amy said, smiling when hearing Wanda giggle in delight to her response. Turning together, they crouched low to see the rather large, old lock on the ends of the tent, keeping any from trying to get in. Fortunately for them but unfortunately for the secrets of the ship, Wanda had her screwdriver with her. Flipping up her tool and giving it a kiss, the tool buzzed as it unlocked the tent for them.

"You know, you and the Doctor never did explain what those tools of yours does. What are they exactly?" Amy asked as she watched Wanda place the slender device back into a pocket.

"It's my sonic screwdriver," Wanda explained as she pulled the lock away from the tent.

"And that tells me . . . what exactly?" Amy responded, frowning as she crossed her arms.

"It's like a screwdriver . . . but sonic."

"Oh, well then, that explains everything," Amy said sarcastically, rolling her eyes in response.

Wanda scoffed, shaking her head. "Well, it is screwdriver that's been made sonic. Look, just think of it as a universal remote. Expect instead of changing the channels on the telly, it does about anything else that you want it to. Except wood. It doesn't do wood." Pushing back one of the flaps of the tent, they both peeked inside to see nothing but darkness. The older girl's stared warily inside as Mandy shifted anxiously on her feet behind them.

"So . . . any idea what's in there?" Amy whispered to Wanda, keeping her voice low so that Mandy would not hear.

"Nope," Wanda replied with a small pop at the end. "I can't really remember."

"But you can see into the future," Amy countered with a scoff.

"Doesn't mean I always look ahead for all the answers," Wanda interjected. "I like to be surprised every once and a while. It gets boring when you know everything." Amy shrugged, somewhat agreeing and understanding this. They crawled forward inside of the tent, ignoring Mandy's pleas for them to stop.

Once inside of the darkness of the small tent, Amy reached over to find an old torch for them to use. Winding it up, the light flicked on for them to finally make out what was inside the darkness. Their eyes slowly widening in shock, they could only stare in disbelief at the sight before them. It was a large tentacle of sorts rising up from the metal of the ship, waving slightly in the air as it seemed to almost stare at them. It had some kind of sharp stinger at the end, looking ready to strike at them.

"Ooh, now I remember," Wanda mumbled under her breath. "I remembered what was below, but not what was coming above. Right. Stupid me." She chuckled nervously under her breath as the tentacle leaned back to strike. Pushing Amy back out of the tent in a rush, Wanda leaped out of the way just as the stringer tried to strike at the companion and her. Rolling over towards another end of the tent, Wanda breathed out in a panic as the tentacle turned to strike at her again.

"Wait, please!" she cried out, holding up her hands as a gesture of peace. "I'm not here to harm you. I know what you are!" She rolled away again as the tentacle hit at the ground. She stood up, facing the incoming tentacle head on, hoping that the true creature it was connected to could hear her. It might not work, but she had to try. As the tentacle leaned back to strike again, Wanda rushed forward and placed a firm hand on it. "We're here to help the children!"

She felt it freeze under her touch, swaying slightly as it seemed uncertain by what was happening or what exactly Wanda was saying. It felt ready to continue its strike, though it was hesitant to do so now. She knew she needed to try and communicate with the star whale, the true secret of _Starship UK_ , and let the whale know what she, the Doctor, and Amy were here to do. Closing her eyes, Wanda concentrated to connect with the whale's mind. It was hard since technically the tendril she was touching was only on the whale's back, very far away from the mind itself. But it seemed that the whale helped her along as it reached out to her as well. She gasped once their minds connected, feeling an overwhelming sense of pain. She could hear its wailing cry of agony, feel its torment. It made her knees buckle as tears began to stream down her face. Then, its thoughts rang through her mind.

 _Please, tell them to stop. I only wish to help the children._ the whale spoke to her. Its deep voice rang old, wise, ancient. Like the stars themselves. But there was such misery in the voice as well. A deep pain that broke Wanda's hearts.

 _You can never stand to see children cry. To see them scared or in pain._ Wanda replied, quivering as the tears rolled down her cheeks. She breathed in shakily. _I understand that, I really do. I can never stand to see them cry, too._

 _We turn pain and misery into kindness._ the deep voice, the kindest voice she had ever heard, agreed. _To bring light to those who deserve a brighter future, who still have so much to live for in this life._ Wanda felt a caress of sorts across her mind as the whale tried to ease the pain they shared. She closed her eyes, feeling almost as though the star whale were trying to relieve her of some old and forgotten torment she had endured long ago. Something to which she knew must be locked away within her mind, a tightly locked memory buried away behind the barriers in her head. The secrets to herself which she might never fully understand or know.

 _You, who is the first and last of her kind, a child in her own way, understands what it means to protect the future. We care for the young, the innocent, for they are our futures. Wanderer, tell them I will not leave. I will always protect their children._ the whale said to her, gently removing the connection from them.

Opening her eyes, she saw how the tendril had actually gently laid on her shoulder, rubbing affectionately against her cheek. Petting it soothingly for a moment, Wanda backed away once the tentacle move from her shoulder.

"I promise the Doctor, Amy, and I will end your pain today. I swear," she whispered softly, barely a breath above the hissing noise of the steam outside the tent. The tendril sort of nodded as if showing her the star whale had heard and understood. Nodding in return, her steps were light as she made her way back over to the entrance of the tent, peeking out carefully to see who might be outside.

She knew by now the Winders (half human-half Smiler individuals) would be outside to capture her and Amy. They would send both of them to the voting booth, to vote on whether to forget about the star whale or protest. Protesting would be a no brainer to Wanda, as she felt nothing but disgust in what the humans in charge of the ship were doing to the creature below. However, she knew that Amy would choose the latter, as she feared the choice the Doctor would have to make might be too much for him and break his hearts in the process. Wanda understood why Amy felt the need to keep the Doctor away from the truth, and really, if it had been herself under a similar situation and did not know that things would turn out all right, she might be tempted to make the Doctor leave without knowing as well. Luckily, though, things turned out all right in the end for everyone.

When seeing no one standing outside of the tent, Wanda let out a breath of relief at first, then suddenly felt confused. Wait a minute . . . the Winders should be out there waiting for her as well. Even Mandy was gone. Why did they just take Amy away? Did they think that the tentacle inside the tent had killed her or something? How rude of them. They didn't even bother checking to see if she was dead? The nerve.

Letting out a huff, Wanda stomped out of the tent and marched away from the area. Great, now she needed to find out where the voting booths were, and she had no idea on where to start looking. That's just peachy. Oh, wait, there's her Second incarnation coming out in her again. That sass and sarcasm, it would just never go away would it? Shaking her head, Wanda began to feel worried for the taken Amy. She hoped the companion was doing all right. In the end, Wanda knew the girl would be fine, but it still did not mean that she would not worry about her friend.

Coming onto a different level of the ship where things were still empty and quiet of people, Wanda spotted the Doctor climbing up a set of stairs from the lower levels of the engine room. She could see him holding a device in his hand, staring intently at the screen as he seemed to be following something.

"Doctor!" she called out to him, waving a hand as she jogged towards him. Looking up in surprise, the Doctor smiled brightly upon the sight of his Wanderer.

"Wanda, you wouldn't believe what just happened," he said once she stood beside him. "Found the engine room and it's completely fake! It's only there for show. So, the real question now is how exactly is this ship moving through space when there are no engines?" He waved the device in his hand for her to see. "Was given this by some mysterious woman in a red cloak wearing a mask. Apparently, she's just as curious with the strange occurrence of this ship as we are." Grabbing her hand, he began walking off to continue following where the device in hand was guiding him. Then he abruptly stopped short when realizing someone was missing. "Where's Amy? Did something happen?"

"Yes and no. She's fine if that's what you're wondering," Wanda told him, giving his hand a squeeze. "If we keep following that tracking device, we'll find her."

"Ah. Perfect," the Doctor responded, giving a nod and continuing on in their walk. "So, what did the two of you find? Anything interesting?"

"We caught up with Mandy again. But didn't get really anywhere in talking with her. Kind of got distracted by this sort of 'root' tendril coming up into the ship," Wanda explained as they strolled along down the way. "These Winders took Amy away, but left me behind when they thought the tendril had killed me." She was jerked to a halt by the Doctor, forced to turn to face him as he stared at her in alarm.

"What? You had been close to dying?" He grabbed her by the arms, appearing frightened by this thought.

"No, no . . . Well, maybe. But I managed to get the tendril to calm down in the end." She meant to say the star whale, but she was not sure if that would count as a bad spoiler or not. She did not look into the possibilities to see what exactly she could or could not tell the Doctor in the beginning of their arrival here. Which really, in hindsight, she should have.

The Doctor's face became stern. "So, you just walked up to this dangerous thing and thought you could calm it down?" With Wanda's nod in response, the Doctor gritted his teeth together. "What were you thinking, Wanderer?"

"Um . . . I guess I was just going with it." She gave a sheepish grin, knowing that once again she did not really think things through. It really was not too bad, but still the star whale could have ignored her attempts to speak with it and kill her on the spot. She had just wanted to ease its mind and help it understand that its suffering would be over soon. But then again, she was an adult and the star whale did not like anyone except children. It could have easily killed her off without a thought.

"Heh, I guess I still have that brash streak in me," she chuckled weakly. "Sorry, didn't mean to make you worried or upset." The Doctor gave an exasperated sigh, shaking his head.

"I guess I should be used to it by now," he muttered. Leaning forward, he gave her a gentle kiss, thumbing softly at her cheek. "Just try to stay out of trouble, okay? Don't start becoming a magnet for danger like me, all right."

"Too late," she giggled, grinning cheekily.

Rolling his eyes and shaking his head, the Doctor moved them along by grabbing Wanda's hand once more as he knew they needed to get to Amy. Sure, that woman in the mask might have said she was safe, but it still did not mean that he felt anxious for a new companion's safety. It was never a good sign in the beginning to have a companion be thrown into danger. Though, then again, it had been becoming a habit with their first starting adventures.

"Theta, I just wanted to let you know now that Amy is going to make a choice that you might not agree with," Wanda began to speak quietly, squeezing his grasp hand lightly. "You should know, though, that she did it in the end because she thought she was protecting you. I understand why you'll be angry with her, but I can also understand why she made the choice she did. If I was in her shoes, I might have done the same as well."

"Oh? And what choice is that?" the Doctor asked, wondering where this had come from. What sort of mistake was Amy about to make?

"Keeping a dark secret hidden so the truth does not hurt the one we care for," Wanda whispered. She felt the Doctor's hand tightening around her hand, making her response by thumbing his skin gently. "I think you can understand that more than anyone."

"Yes . . . I suppose I can," the Doctor said in a soft tone.

They stayed silent for a moment, either one knowing what to say. Finally, Wanda was the one to speak up. "Is hiding the truth really helpful, though?" She glanced him from the corner of her eye, judging his reaction to her words. "Wouldn't it be better . . . just to tell someone the truth? I think . . . I would like to know."

"No. You don't. Trust me." The Doctor's tone came out hard, strict, unmoving to be persuaded by Wanda's soft words.

Wanda let out a small sigh. "Right. I'll just have to remember on my own, then." After a moment, she sucked in a breath as she felt warmth beginning to build up within her. "Okay, so, when you find Amy, make sure to tell her this from me: Remember the children, and it's okay to push that button. And for you: just know that the third option isn't always the best one."

"All right . . . Why exactly do you want me to tell Amy this?" He turned to look at her in question, but held a disappointed smile when seeing the white light beginning to build around Wanda. "Ah. I see."

"Sorry. It looks like I can't stick with you or Amy on this adventure. Oh, actually, you should probably explain the whole 'wandering' thing to Amy. We never really did get around to telling her." Giving him an apologetic smile, she leaned up to give him kiss.

The Doctor immediately held her close, thumbing at her cheek as they shared their chaste kiss. Pulling away, he rested his forehead against hers. "I'll see you around, then."

Wanda smiled warmly, caressing his cheek as well. "See you around, sweetie. I love you."

The Doctor grinned, feeling his hearts beat in delight, as they always did when hearing those words from his Wanderer. "I love you, too."

With that said, Wanda left in a flash of light.

XxXxXxXx

Well, I wonder where the next adventure will take place for everyone. Leave your thoughts and comments in a review and there just might be a sneak peek in the next chapter. ;)

Reviewers:

 **Jesuslovesmarina** : Hi! :) I'm just so overjoyed that you liked it! I thought you might like that part. I know I did lol ;) It really is a perfect line for him, especially as it does ask a good question. Who is the true imaginary friend here. ;) Hope you enjoyed the new chapter! Until next time!

 **XxXxSleepingAngelxXxX** : Hello! So good to see you again. :) No worries on repeating things, I do it all the time myself, too. I understand completely on the social anxiety and how hard it is. It took me years to even post the story up on this site because of my anxiety and social phobias. And I still get highly anxious every time I post a chapter or reply to reviews. Just know that I'm always here as support and never one to judge another. :) Thank you so much for your kind words. They mean the world to me. :) I really hope you enjoyed the new chapter! And to talk to you again real soon. Take care! :D Also, no worries on the login. Happens all the time. ;)

 **singingKatelyn** : lol Thank you! I'm so happy you enjoyed it. :D You're a wonderful person, too!

 **grapejuice101** : Thank you, as always. ;) I really hope you liked the new adventure Wanda went on. Any guesses as to where she might go next? ;) I always will! Thank you for so many years for support! You're the best! :D Until next time!

 **heroherondaletotherescue** : Oh no, I'm sorry to hear that you were having a bad day. :( I really hope that things have gotten better though! And I'm happy that the last chapter made things a little bit better for you. :) Here's to hoping this chapters comes to you on a much better day and just adds more awesomeness to your life. :D And if the chapter doesn't help, then I hope this response helps more. :)

 **bored411** : Eh, maybe just a little bit of tension. lol ;) Hope you liked how things went in this chapter!

 **Ronin Kenshin** : Why thank you. :)

 **All The Stories Are True 24601** : :D Thank you! Yes, actually. I used to live in the UK briefly during my childhood because of my family being in the military. Sadly, I don't remember much of it, and I didn't have much experience exploring the UK either with me being stuck at home with my mother at the time. Wish I could have spent more time there, but maybe again someday. :) Yep, I do currently live in the States. Do you live in the UK? I loved to know all about it, if you don't mind of course. :) Until next time! 3

 **Shinonome Sakuya** : Thank you for such a lovely review. :D I'm always so happy to hear from you and other readers. They truly are in the honeymoon stage at this point. That, or they're just very lovey-dovey with each other lol ;) Spoilers on when the Tenth Doctor finds out. As for the wedding ceremony, unfortunately, that was something that only happened for the Doctor and Wanda off-screen (which was actually between Eleven and Third Wanda). Something very short and quick that never had a chance to make it officially into the story. Maybe I can do a special chapter in a sort of outtake story for it someday, but at the moment I have no plans for it. But good news, we will be seeing when River meets Ten. :) I really hope you enjoyed the newest chapter. Take care!

 **Momochan77** : Aww I'm so glad! :D They make me smile, too. And also my favorite episode. Wanda really is great to Rory. Just as he's great to her. I think it's especially showing as Rory helped First Wanda in many small ways boost her own confidence, so later Wandas would definitely feel the need to help him just as much. :) Plus, Rory is the very first person she met from this universe. I think that might also be a factor of why Wanda feels a special connection to Rory. So glad you enjoy their moments together! Hope you enjoyed the newest chapter! Until next time!

 **NeoGnat** : Happy to be back! And so happy to see you again! :D Hope to see you again in the future!

 **Crystal-star-Tyler** : Trying to keep an update schedule. I'll at least update every other week or so. I'm just so excited to be back and to see all you lovely readers again. :) And I promise not to update every 5 months again ;)

 **Whovianeverlark17** : Thank you! I'm so happy you liked it. :) Ah yes, definitely spoilers lol ;)

 **N7SpaceHamster** : No worries on not reviewing. I'm just happy to see you whenever you have the time for I know how crazy life can be. :) It's always great to talk with you and to see all what you have to say. And I definitely love, love long reviews! Writer's block is always a horrible roadblock for me. But I am most certainly pushing through to make certain all the chapters are there and ready for you lovely readers. :) Oh yes, definitely more interesting in Wanda not remembering everything. For both her and us lol ;) As for the Master, he does have some parts to play. As for how significantly . . . well that's just spoilers for now. The Doctor does become mightly possessive of Wanda as things go on. As for why, still up in the air on that one. As well as for those promises. Glad you enjoy the interactions between Amy and Wanda. :) And Wanda's rambling personality. Also so happy you liked Wanda's interactions with Roy as well. Things were most certainly different from Wanda's show versus our own. So, there might be some surprises for both us and Wanda later down the road. Wanda most certainly wants to push more about her past, but being with the Doctor for so long she mostly has learned to just not push too much on certain things. Mostly because she doesn't want to upset the Doctor more than anything. I'm just so happy you loved so many things from the last chapter. :D And, I hate saying it, but Third Wanda is most definitely my favorite Wanda, too. lol ;) Sorry First and Second. I love you both, too! Just love Third a little more lol. Until next time! Take care and have a joyous day/night! :D

Once again, thank you so much to all reviewers and readers! Each one of you is just too beautiful!

~Tinker~


	19. Ch 19: The Adipose

Surprise!

I put together another chapter for you all. I was just too excited to wait any longer to post it. :D I hope no one minds. Enjoy!

XxXxXxXx

Chapter 19: The Adipose

The Doctor strolled along down an alleyway from his TARDIS, squinting his eyes from the early morning light that shone from just over the ridge of the buildings around him. Stuffing his hands into his brown-pinstriped trouser pockets, the building ahead, Adipose Industries, drew closer as the Doctor walked his brisk gate towards the set destination. After last night in having a failed attempt in tracking the anomaly with his handy detector device, and finding out more information from one of the users of Adipose capsules, Roger, the Doctor knew he needed to discover the secrets of Adipose Industries tonight.

Nothing seemed right about the place. A sudden 'easy' diet business that popped up out of nowhere? This had peaked his interest the moment he heard people in a coffee shop babbling on about the miracle diet pills. Apparently, the industry just came out of the blue, selling these magic pills that the humans seemed more than willing to buy. And the chemicals used within the Adipose capsules just screamed alien origin. He knew that he must investigate further into the company itself, break into it at night and see what other secrets the place might hold. Unfortunately, he would have to take the slow path in waiting. No jumping ahead in his TARDIS this time. Not only was he already tied in with the events of the time stream, but he had no idea what sort of security system the building might have installed. It might just pick up his TARDIS upon entry and put the place on high alert. No, it was best for him to sneak in and wait until night hours when the place was closed and empty.

He only wished though that he had someone around to keep him company. Mostly, he wanted Wanda here with him. He missed her. He never liked having her away from him for more than a day anymore. Being apart from her at any second just made his skin crawl, made him beyond on edge and twitchy. Especially after that long, long time they had spent away from each other during that . . . that damn year. That horrible, terrible year. The year that only he, Wanda, and a few others were cursed to remember. Oh how his dearly wished he could forget. How truly and most desperately he wanted to help Wanda forget . . . everything. To rid her of those god-awful memories. Those nightmares. Knowing of what she remembered . . . it broke his hearts every time he thought of it. And then knowing the truth to Alpha . . .

He slowed down in his steps, coming to a halt by a street corner as he stared up sorrowfully at the sky. All this time . . . if he had known the truth . . . Shaking his head, letting out a heavy sigh, he pressed onward, only focusing his mind on what he was meant to do currently. Dwelling on what had happened would only keep his mind distracted from what he needed to do to help here and now. There was nothing more he could do for Wanda. All he could try from now on was to attempt to ease her pain and sorrow in some way.

A flash of white light appeared right in front of him and a short blonde stumbled right into him. The Doctor reached out immediately, wrapping his arms around the young woman in an instinctive protection as her face practically pressed up right into his chest. His face lit up tremendously as Third Wanda blinked at him in surprise and returned his smile with a beaming face.

"Why, hello there!" she said merrily, giggling. "What are the odds of bumping into a stranger like you?"

"Oh, I'd say about fifty/fifty odds, really," the Doctor replied, giving his usual foxy grin. Leaning down, he gave the love of his life a tender kiss as she stood on her toes to meet him. Pulling away with a smack, they leaned their foreheads together as they grinned. "So, where have you been?"

"Been hanging around your future self for about two weeks," Wanda told Ten while running her fingers tenderly through his messy hair as she recalled the short-lived honeymoon with Eleven in the future.

After leaving _Starship UK_ , she had arrived to Eleven who had very recently been married to her. As soon as he asked if they had gone 'swimming,' he immediately suggested a honeymoon to a tropical/beach planet in the luxury system built by the Viofraltz. Once there, they had booked a two-week stay for them to relax and enjoy their new found marriage. She blushed as she remembered the many, many times they had gone off on a sort of 'adventure' of their own. But it was more than that. They had really just enjoyed each other's company more than anything. And every night, each one of them had tried to one-up the other in making surprises for the day or night they would spend together. At one point, it had actually become a competition of sorts between the two of them. The Doctor ended up winning, of course, as he had made a whole fireworks display sing her a symphony in her name and even lit up the hotel they stayed in purple for her favourtie colour. Of course, she did surprise him quite a few times, like once by making a whole dinner party a game with bow ties and fezes.

"Oh? Anything of interest happen?" the Doctor asked curiously as she grabbed his hand.

"Spoilers," she replied coyly, giving him a playful wink. She swung his hand lightly in her grasp as she looked around to where they were. "What are you up to? Anything exciting? It must be since you smell like trouble again."

"Well, I'm investigating this company that arrived into town recently," the Doctor began to explain as they walked towards Adipose Industries. "You see, they're called Adipose Industries and—." He was cut off suddenly, alarmed by the loud squeal that Wanda had let loose. He blinked in shock, worried that something had made her frightened. "What? What is it? Are you all right? Is it something really bad?"

"Bad? Bad?! Are you kidding?!" Wanda exclaimed, turning to face him with a face full of pure excitement and giddiness as she bounced on her feet lightly. "This is my most _favourite_ episode!" She let out a happy squeal, clapping her hands together in joy.

The Doctor blinked, letting a small frown appear on his face. "'Episode'? Wanda, you can't be seriously still treating this like your show after all these years."

"Seventy-five years or not, I can still fangirl over a few things. And this is one of those occasions." Snatching his hand again, she hurriedly pulled him along towards the building while still holding the most eager and brightest smile. "Come on! Time for the best adventure yet! It's going to be so amazing! I mean, not everything will be completely fine. Some bad things will happen . . . or better yet, have happened. But it still doesn't mean that I can't enjoy this day."

"Fine, fine." The Doctor gave a light laugh under his breath, finding Wanda's excitement contagious. Seeing Wanda laugh and be happy . . . it made him glad to know that she could still feel that joy in life. For now, that is. For future Wandas . . . he could only hope she would smile like this once more someday. But sometimes sorrow could just be too much for a person to learn to smile again.

Using the Doctor's sonic to break into the fire exit of the building, they snuck inside and carefully moved their way into the low levels of the building. Making certain the place around them was clear as they did not want anyone questioning their presence there or notice how two people were sneaking in to hide within a storage cupboard. As they walked closer to the cupboard, still seeing how the coast was clear, both the Doctor and Wanda held even stares as each seemed to be contemplating on something.

"You know . . . we're going to be locked away inside a cupboard for about eight hours," Wanda commented casually.

"Yep," the Doctor responded. "Eight hours of boredom while we wait for closing. Nothing more than time to ourselves . . . alone."

"In a very tight and . . . confined space," Wanda remarked, shrugging her shoulders slightly.

"Oh, yes, a very close space," the Doctor agreed, giving a nod.

Slowly, each grew their own cheeky smirk. Grabbing each other's hand at the same time, Wanda giggled as the Doctor swiftly pulled her along towards the cupboard. Checking to make sure the area was clear of any employees, the Doctor opened the small storage space to let them inside. And he was kissing Wanda passionately before the door had even finished closing behind them.

XxXxXxXx

Sometime after six-ten at night was when the two Time Lords emerged from their hiding place. Wanda shuffled a deck of cards through her hands, snickering under her breath as the Doctor pouted.

"I can't believe you beat me at poker," he grumbled, greatly disgruntled. "I think you cheated. You had to have cheated. No one has beaten me at poker in over . . . well, I don't know how many years exactly, but it's been a long time I can tell you that."

"What can I say? I was taught by the best," Wanda replied, giving him a cheeky grin. "My big sister really knows her way around a deck of cards." Stuffing the deck into a pocket of her brown capris, she grabbed his hand and entwined their fingers as they moved down the halls.

The Doctor ended up deciding that the best way for them to sneak into the main office of the company was to go from the roof. Miss Foster, the head of the industry, had her office located right in the middle of the large building. Luckily, the Doctor had gotten ahold of the building's design blueprints and knew that the office had a large window that the two could sneak into. The Doctor also knew that there was a window-cleaning crane on the roof from having spotted it earlier, making their break in much easier. They could sneak in and out, and none would be the wiser.

So, hopping into the basket of the window-cleaning crane, the Doctor activated the controls and sent them down. Wanda tried to stop herself from bouncing as her most favourite moment of this adventure was about to occur. She just could not wait to see Donna again! Grinning in excitement, Wanda gripped the railing of the basket she and the Doctor stood in as they were brought closer and closer to their destination. Finally, once they reached the right window, the Doctor stopped the crane in front of the windows. He peered inside the dark office.

"Looks like no one is in," he mumbled quietly, seeing Wanda nod beside him. "Better move quickly before anyone shows up." Reaching forward, he was about to open the window in front of them when Wanda stopped his hand.

"Actually, someone is about to arrive. We should get down out of sight," Wanda told him as she pulled his arm to crouch down with her. Nodding, the Doctor crouched just under the brim of the window ledge, keeping a sharp eye out for who would show up.

Each Time Lord held onto the edge of the window as they watched the lights of the office flicker on and the door burst open. In marched Miss Foster, along with two goons of hers that were forcefully pushing forward Penny Carter, a journalist who Wanda knew had hidden away within the building to gather up more information about Adipose Industries. The two security goons of Miss Foster's pushed Penny into a chair facing the large desk of the office and tied her up. Miss Foster came around, sitting down in her chair and stared evenly at the journalist across from her. Outside the window, the Doctor had pulled out a stethoscope, using it to listen in on what was being said within the room by pressing the end piece against the window.

Wanda, already knowing what was being said, did not pay the group in the room much attention as she instead focused on the office door on the other side of the room. There was a large, round window on the door and she knew that soon a certain red head's face would be peering through to gaze into the office. She glanced every moment or so over to Miss Foster, seeing how the woman had pulled out a small Adipose (a white cubby creature that was as small as a human child's doll) to show Penny the true secret behind the diet pills. Little children that were born from human's fat cells when the pills were used. Wanda had to admit, the little Adipose was rather cute as it waved its little hand at Penny. But of course, all children were adorable in their own way. And Wanda was glad to know that this time around, the alien children would not be hurt in any way. Not like . . . that other time during Christmas.

Wanda felt her hearts clench painfully as she turned her eyes away from the Adipose baby, with something red having caught her attention. The biggest and most eager smile yet grew on Wanda's face as she finally saw Donna Noble peeking her head up to the office door window. Grinning anticipation, Wanda then watched the Doctor slowing raise his head over the edge of the window to peer inside as well, taking the stethoscope earpieces out of his ears as the conversation inside was loud enough to hear. Oh, this was going to be just brilliant. Soon, the Doctor's eyes sort of wandered over, widening when seeing the red head standing on the other side of the doorway inside the building. Donna's mouth dropped in shock, staring at the Time Lord in complete disbelief at the sight of him, her eyes screaming in elation at finally finding the Doctor.

Wanda had to slap a hand over her mouth to keep the fit of laughter from bursting out as she watched the Doctor and Donna sort of excitedly mouth a conversation to each other. The Doctor still seemed completely blown away by seeing the red headed woman again while Donna only appeared beyond ecstatic. She had a smile on the entire time of mouthing a response in telling the Doctor how she had been looking for him, searching through many places to find him again. Then, when Donna saw Wanda still crouching there beside the Doctor, the woman's excitement only seemed to grow as she mouthed Wanda's name and waved merrily. Wanda beamed and waved back as she giggled in seeing Donna beginning to go into an explanation of what else she had been doing, gesturing around with her hands on conveying a story. But then Donna sort of froze in mid-gesture when seeing Miss Foster and the others inside the office were staring at them.

"Are we interrupting you?" Miss Foster asked calmly staring the trio with an unamused expression.

"Nope!" Wanda exclaimed, bouncing onto her feet fully now. "Just old friends catching up." She laughed, giving an awkward smile. She then turned her eyes urgently to Donna who still stood frozen behind the door. "Donna, run!" The Doctor whipped out his sonic and made the window-cleaner shoot upwards just as Donna took off running from the doorway. Wanda pointed her own screwdriver towards the office door, making it seal shut before they shot upwards from the window. This would give Donna a barrier between her and the security officers for a while.

Reaching the roof again, the Doctor and Wanda jumped out of the crane's basket and, once inside the building again, bounded down the stairs as quickly as they could. Eventually, they ran right into Donna, who had been rushing up to meet them. All three of them smiled in delight upon seeing each other face-to-face again.

"Oh, my god!" Donna exclaimed in a breathless gasp, giving each Time Lord a joyful hug. She stepped back, looking them up and down as she could not believe that she was finally seeing them again. "I don't believe it!" She pointed at the Doctor. "You've even got the same suit!" She suddenly frowned at the Time Lord as she could not believe to find him wearing the same exact brown pinstripe suit. "Don't you ever change?"

"Yeah, thanks, Donna not right now," the Doctor responded, rolling his eyes slightly at the woman pointing out his attire. Wanda bounced forward and gave the woman another hug.

"It is so good to see you again!" she exclaimed merrily, moving away to pat Donna on the arm. "You see? I told you that you would find us where there's trouble." Donna laughed, nodding happily. The Doctor suddenly grabbed Wanda and Donna's hands.

"Just like old times!" he said brightly, pulling them both along in a rush up the stairs as he heard the security guards coming up after them. They all ran as fast as they could, making their way up to the roof again. Donna began to ramble the moment they stepped onto the roof, too excited in seeing both of the Time Lords again to contain herself.

"I just knew I had to see you both again. And I thought, "Why don't I follow Wanda's advice? Look for trouble, and they'll turn up.' So I looked everywhere, you name it," Donna said in a quick breath as they made their way over to the window-cleaning crane. "UFO sightings, crop circles, sea monsters. I looked, I found them all. That song about the bees disappearing, I thought 'I bet they're connected.' 'Cause the thing is, I believe it all now. You both opened my eyes to all those amazing things out there. I believe them all. Well, apart from that replica of the _Titanic_ flying over Buckingham Palace on Christmas Day. I mean, that's got to be a hoax!" She laughed at the very idea.

"Actually, that one is true," Wanda told her, giving a small smile. "Looks like you missed out again, Donna." The woman gave a disappointed frown, clearly peeved to have missed another big moment that had occurred over London.

"What do you mean, the bees are disappearing?" the Doctor suddenly questioned, turning around from sonicking the control panel on the crane. Wanda's face dropped slightly upon hearing about the bees. The warning sign of what would come for poor Donna in the future. She sucked in a breath and slapped a smile on her face again, wanting to continue being happy and not be a drag like she had been in the past.

"I don't know. That's what it says on the Internet," Donna explained, watching as the two Time Lords climbed into the crane's basket. "On the same site, there was all these conspiracy theories about Adipose Industries, and I thought 'let's take a look.'" The Doctor nodded, not really paying attention to the ramblings of the woman. Man, could she talk a person's ear off or what. She was actually worse than Wanda.

"In you get," he stated, waving a hand for Donna to climb up and join them in the metal basket.

"What, in that thing?" Donna responded, pointed at the basket with a scoff.

"Yes, 'in that thing,'" the Doctor said, waving a hand for the woman to get up.

"But if we go down in that, they'll just call us back up again," Donna countered, appearing confused as to why exactly the two Time Lords wished to go down the window-cleaner.

"No, no, I locked the controls with a sonic cage," the Doctor explained, continuing to gesture for her to get up the ladder. "I'm the only one that can control it. Not unless she's got a sonic device of her own, which is very unlikely." Donna nodded and started up the ladder towards them, hopping into the basket next to Wanda. The Time Lady next to the Doctor huffed, rolling her eyes.

"Great. And now you've just jinxed us," Wanda said sarcastically.

"No I didn't. The chances of her having a sonic device is a million to one," the Doctor interjected. "And besides, since when have I ever jinxed myself?" At the skeptical look of Wanda, the Doctor cleared his throat. "Yeah, don't answer that."

Pressing a button, he sent them down the side of the building. The crane went slowly, easing its way down towards the ground. Wanda felt anxious as she glanced down briefly, gulping when seeing how high up they were from the ground. Flipping heights. She hated them so much. Can't all their adventures just stay on the ground? Was that too much to ask? Probably, but she would ask anyways.

A buzzing sound from above caught her attention, making Wanda whip her head to stare up towards the roof. She saw the two security guards and Miss Foster standing right by the edge, with the woman holding a sleek black pen tool that matched her black suit perfectly. The tool's blue tip pointed straight the pulley system holding the crane together. Wanda gulped again, grabbing onto the Doctor's hand in a vice grip. Before the Doctor could ask what was wrong, the whole crane let them drop at a fast pace, making the basket plummet towards the ground. The three occupants within the basket held onto the railing tightly. Donna let out a startled cry as she saw them racing towards the ground below.

Getting his sonic screwdriver, the Doctor aimed at the pulleys and made the crane come to a sudden halt. The three fell to their floor of the basket, panting as they saw smoke coming from the pulley above. Wanda could only stare at him with her brows raised in a retort of sorts. The Doctor rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, okay, I jinxed us," he grumbled. He hopped up, beginning to try and unlock a window in front of them. But he found the building to be deadlocked, unable to open an escape route for them. Donna picked up a wrench from within the metal basket they stood in, trying to smash open the window instead. The tool did no use, though, as the window seemed too strong. A loud hissed was heard from above and only Donna paid attention enough to look up.

"She's cutting the cable!" exclaimed the companion in alarm. Before either the Doctor or Wanda could react, one of the cables to the metal frame snapped, making the whole basket they stood in tilt sharply sideways. Donna was flung out, falling down only to catch the end of the snapped cable in time. Wanda almost fell along with her, but the Doctor managed to grab ahold the Time Lady in time before she tumbled down as well.

"Donna!" they both exclaimed, looking over the edge to see if Donna was all right. They could see her holding onto a metal bar, that was attached to the cable, for dear life.

"Doctor! Wanda!" Donna screamed in terror.

"Hold on!" the Doctor shouted to her.

"I am!" Donna retorted sarcastically. The Doctor began trying to hoist up the dangling woman, hoping to get her back up to safety. Wanda gazed up sharply when hearing the buzzing of a sonic pen. Glaring and aiming her purple-tipped sonic up, she pointed her own tool straight at Miss Foster's and managed to make it short circuit within the woman's grasp. Miss Foster let go from the sharp pain she experience, allowing the tool to fall right into Wanda's open hand.

"Ha! That'll teach you!" she barked at the woman standing on the roof. Wanda knew most likely Miss Foster could not hear her from so far below, but it still felt good in saying that. Stuffing the sonic pen into her pocket, Wanda moved around, gripping onto the railing beside her tightly as the Doctor pulled himself up to begin climbing the still attached cable.

Wanda shivered for a moment, hesitant to follow after him. But hearing Donna's frightened cries from below, Wanda counted swiftly to three in her mind, pushing aside her fears as she gripped the cable in hand and shimmied up behind the Doctor. Her determination to save her friend overpowered any fears she had. Once she reached the edge of the window that the Doctor had climbed through, she reached out and he helped her inside. Letting out a shaky breath as soon as her feet touched solid ground, Wanda straightened and grabbed onto the Doctor's hand as they ran to go save Donna. They ended up in Miss Foster's office where Donna was dangling right outside from. Penny looked over her shoulder at the two, holding a completely annoyed expression.

"Is anyone going to tell me what's going on?" the journalist demanded in question at them.

"What are you, a journalist? "the Doctor countered in question as he and Wanda used their sonics to try and open the window.

"Yes," Penny told him.

"Well, make it up!" the Doctor retorted sarcastically. They managed to get the window open and grabbed ahold of Donna's kicking legs. She panicked for a moment, unsure of who exactly was grabbing ahold of her.

"Donna! It's us! Just let go and we'll catch you!" Wanda called out to her, trying to calm the panicking woman. Soon as Donna had calmed down, the Doctor and Wanda helped her get back inside the building. Standing in front of them with a disgruntled expression, Donna shook her head at the two.

"I was right. It's always like this with you two, isn't it?" she said, sounding breathless from the horrible fright she had just gone through.

"Yep!" Wanda grinned merrily. The Doctor holding his own foxy grin.

"And off we go!" he stated almost cheerfully. Donna could not help but smile along with the Time Lords' excitement, running after them as they sprinted out of the office. They all stopped short though when hearing Penny's calls.

"Oi!" shouted the journalist in annoyance. The Doctor poked his head back into the room.

"Sorry," he apologized. Aiming his sonic at the ropes around Penny, he made them fall apart, releasing the woman. Wanda came around as the Doctor rushed off again.

"You might want to go ahead and get out," the Time Lady said. "Don't stick around trying to get information. Seriously, just leave. Your job ain't worth your life." With that said, she ran off to follow after the retreating Doctor and Donna.

Soon, they ran right into Miss Foster and her gun-wielding goons down into the product selling offices. They halted in their tracks, staring at Miss Foster anxiously as she eyed the three of them coolly. Her demeanour completely leveled and calm. Nothing seemed to faze her much.

"Well, then," spoke Miss Foster, taking off her glasses to eye them all equally. "At last."

"Hello," Donna replied weakly.

"Nice to meet you. I'm the Doctor," said the Doctor lightly.

"I'm the Wanderer," Wanda stated next, giving a light wave.

"And I'm Donna," added in the companion, figuring she might as well introduce herself, too. Miss Foster merely raised a brow, finding it strange for the trio to have such a light mood about all of this.

"Partners in crime," she stated smoothly. She raised one puzzled brow as Wanda suddenly let out a loud snort and chortle.

"Sorry, sorry. Inside joke. Do carry on," Wanda laughed, waving a hand for Miss Foster to continue speaking.

"And evidently off-worlders, judging by your sonic technology," Miss Foster spoke snippily, glaring at the Wanderer as she was not fond of someone laughing at her. Especially for no apparent reason. But Miss Foster kept her calm demeanour as always, eyeing the Doctor instead as she figured the Wanderer next to him was merely a fool. Wanda discreetly passed the Doctor the sonic pen behind their backs. He gripped it tightly, bringing it up around to wave it in his hand at Miss Foster.

"Yes, I still got your sonic pen. Nice. I like it. Sleek," he commented. He eyed the woman across from them carefully, watching as she slowly placed on her black-rimmed glasses. "And if you were to sign your real name, that would be . . .?"

"Matron Cofelia of the Five-Straighten Classabindi Nursery Fleet. Intergalactic class," Miss Foster told him.

"A wet nurse," the Doctor nodded in understanding. "Using humans as surrogates."

Miss Foster continued to eye him as she went on to explain. "I've been employed by the Adiposian First Family to foster a new generation after their breeding planet was lost."

Baffled, the Doctor gave a small frown. "What do you mean, lost? How do you lose a planet?"

"Oh, the politics are none of my concern. I'm just here to take care of the children on behalf of the parents."

"What, like an outer space super-nanny?" Donna questioned, confused by what exactly the woman was. Or even how exactly they were making children from humans in the first place. Really, all this stuff was still new to Donna, she could barely wrap her mind around it.

"Yes, if you'd like," Miss Foster nodded, giving a smile as she quite enjoyed that term.

"So . . . So those little things, they're made out of fat, yeah?" Donna asked, trying to make the woman explain everything. "But that woman, Stacy Campbell, there was nothing left of her."

"Oh, in a crisis, the Adipose can convert bone and hair and internal organs. It makes them a little bit sick, poor things," Miss Foster explained causally. Not sounding at all disturbed by some woman having died the night before, but holding concern for her Adipose foster children. Donna stared at her in disbelief, completely appalled that anyone would dismiss a life so easily.

"What about poor Stacey?" Donna retorted angrily. Wanda gave a curt nod, agreeing with Donna, eyeing Miss Foster strictly as the Time Lady felt just a disgusted with the woman. The Doctor felt similar as his eyes darkened while gazing at Miss Foster.

"Seeding a level five planet is against galactic law," he grounded out. Miss Foster kept her own gaze even, but there was a small spark of recognized fear.

"Are you threatening me?" she responded. Not responding for a short pause, the Doctor held a mixed demeanour of calm and anger. He felt irked that the Matron would be so brash and thoughtless as to use Earth for her own breeding ground. But . . . he knew he would have to go about his anger and punishing her another way.

"I'm trying to help you, Matron," he finally said. "This is your one chance. 'Cause if you don't call this off, then we'll have to stop you."

"I'd listen to him if I were you," Wanda spoke up, earning Miss Foster's attention as she had been about to retort to the Doctor's claim. "You've already had plenty of Adipose born. Stop while your ahead."

"Oh, but there's just so many more that can be birthed," Miss Foster replied coolly, having a confident smile on her face. "Besides, I hardly think you can stop bullets." With this said, the two security guards next to her raised their large guns, cocking them as they were aimed at the trio. Wanda stepped quickly in front of Donna and the Doctor in front of his Wanderer.

"No, hold on, hold on, hold on!" the Doctor said rapidly, holding out his hands to them. "One more thing, before dying. Do you know what happens if you hold two identical sonic devices against each other?" Wanda leaned over to Donna, watching as the Doctor held his screwdriver in one hand and Miss Foster's pen in the other.

"Donna, cover your ears," Wanda breathed in a whisper to the woman next to her.

"What? Why?" Donna whispered back.

"No," Miss Foster said to the Doctor from his earlier question. The Doctor grinned, holding the device firmly in his hands.

"Nor me. Let's find out," he replied merrily. He aimed the two tools at each other and turned them on at the highest setting.

The most ear piercing sound shot through the building, creating agony to everyone's ears. Miss Foster, the guards, and Donna gripped at their heads as the pulsing sound waves shook the air around them. Wanda grimaced as she tried keeping Donna up from falling to the floor in pain, ignoring her own aching ears as she held the woman up. Glass from decorations, offices, and windows began to shatter as the pulsing increased. Wanda tapped on the Doctor's shoulder to indicate that it was enough, he could stop now. He moved the tools away from each other, placing them back into his pockets in a flash and grabbed Wanda's hand as he began to run again. Wanda held onto Donna's hand as well, trying to help the woman keep up with them.

Soon, they made their way down into the lower levels of the building, heading towards the same storage cupboard of which the Doctor and Wanda had hidden before. Once they reached the cupboard, the Doctor began throwing out many items that had been placed within, such as different janitorial buckets and ladders.

"Well, that's one solution, hiding in a cupboard," Donna remarked as she watched in bewilderment the Doctor tossing out all the storage items. "I like it."

"We're not hiding. We're hacking," Wanda explained as she helped the Doctor move out the items. She stepped up behind the Doctor as he began opening up the hidden panel behind the fake concrete wall. "We sort of stumbled upon a computer core of the building. The Matron had it placed in."

"How did you 'stumble' onto it?" Donna asked as she stepped into the tight space with them, closing the door behind her. The Doctor in front put on his glasses as he stared at the green, alien computer.

"Sort of found it by accident," Wanda said, shrugging her shoulders. "Well, on the Doctor's part at least. I did remember it in the beginning, but it slipped my mind after I became . . . distracted." Wanda smirked lightly in remembrance, especially when seeing the red tint forming on the Doctor's face upon the mentioning of 'distraction.'

"How did you find on accident?" Donna questioned, baffled by what Wanda was trying to explain.

"It—it doesn't really matter," the Doctor suddenly said as he saw Wanda opening her mouth to answer Donna's question. He cleared his throat, the red tint on his face darkening. "After we found it, I've been hacking into this thing for most of the day. It runs through the center of the building. Triple-deadlocked. But now I've got this, I can get into it." He smiled as he held up the Matron's sonic pen.

He began working on the computer, trying to mess with the rest of the building's wiring. Knowing that the security guards would most likely come down where they were, the Doctor set up a trap for the men. If they were to cross the doorways anywhere near the storage cupboard, they would be shocked by the building's electricity and knocked unconscious for a while. Nothing completely harmful, of course. After assuring they would have the privacy they needed, the Doctor began to look over the rest of the computer.

"Why has she wired up a tower block?" he wondered aloud. "What's it all for?"

"It's an inducer," Wanda began to explain rapidly. "It's going to activate the parthenogenesis in all the humans who've taken that pill. Basically, doing the same thing to all those people like what was done to poor Stacey Campbell."

"No, no, they can't," Donna breathed in horror. The Doctor hurriedly started to grab wires, working with them as he formulated a plan of action.

Helping him along, Wanda started twisting many wires together as she knew what needed to be done. The computer suddenly announced, 'Inducer activated.' Sounding off an alarm noise of sorts as the program began. Working furiously, the Time Lords were racing against the clock now as the program would soon send millions of people to their deaths. The Doctor quickly pulled out the free pendant given to him by one of the Adipose salespersons, ripping the golden capsule in off and attaching it to the wires he had been working with. As the computer announced an increase in strength, Wanda reached into Donna's inside jacket pocket, pulling out the other pendant they needed. Donna was startled by the sudden intrusion, blinking in shock as Wanda pulled out the golden necklace.

"Thanks, Donna, you're just as brilliant as ever," Wanda told the woman happily, giving the woman a quick peck on the cheek. The Doctor beamed as Wanda handed over the necklace, quickly doing the same to it as he had to his own. Once attached to the wires, the computer shut off immediately. The three of them cheered, celebrating the success with a group hug. Then, the building suddenly rattled as a loud electric hum rang through the air.

"What the hell is that?" Donna asked, beginning to fear that something worse was about to happen.

"It's the nursery ship arriving to take the Adipose children away," Wanda explained, hurriedly opening up the door of the cupboard. "Come on, we better get to the roof again. We need to stop something bad from happening."

"Why? What's happening?" Donna questioned as they began running down the hallway again.

"The Matron's in trouble. The First Family know what they did was illegal, so they're going to get rid of their accomplice," stated Wanda quickly as they sprinted up the stairs.

Once they reached the roof again, they stared in interest to the sight outside. Over ten thousand Adipose children were being beamed upwards in a stream of light, right up to the large, brightly coloured ship hovering in the sky. They could hear the small squeals of glee the small, cubby alien babies were making as they went up to the ship, excited for their set destination to their new home and family. It was quite a sight, really.

"What are you gonna do, then? Blow them up?" Donna asked, sounding hesitant to what the answer might be. She feared a repeat of what happened to the Racnoss children last year. Wanda winced at this question and the Doctor held a heavy frown for a brief second before glancing at Donna.

"They're just children. They can't help where they came from," he responded to Donna's question.

"They deserve to have a life of their own," Wanda added in, nodding her head in happy agreement. Donna smiled and nodded as well.

"Oh, well, that makes a change from last time," she remarked lightly. They all smiled together for a moment longer, beginning to wave at the Adipose who squealed happily and were waving at them.

"Goodbye, little ones," Wanda breathed quietly, just under her breath so that neither the Doctor nor Donna could hear her. After a moment, she glanced over her shoulder, looking for something. Seeing it sitting in a corner for emergency use, Wanda moved away from the two as they watched Miss Foster coming up to hover in the beam just at the edge of the roof. The Doctor and Donna moved right next to the ledge.

"Matron Cofelia, listen to me!" the Doctor called out to her.

"No, I don't think so, Doctor," replied Miss Foster calmly. "And if I never see you again, it'll be too soon."

"Why does no one ever listen," the Doctor gritted under his breath. Holding out a hand, waving her to come towards the roof, he stared at her in urgency. "I'm trying to help! Just get across to the roof! Can you shift the levitation beam?"

"What, so that you can arrest me?" Miss Foster retorted.

The Doctor continued to try and get the Matron to listen and jump away from the beam, but she was persistent in thinking that they needed her. She was the nanny after all. But mum and dad did not need the nanny anymore. The light of the beam disappeared, leaving Miss Foster to open air. Her eyes widened in terror as she began to plummet down to the ground. Suddenly, Wanda rushed up beside the leaning Doctor and Donna, throwing over an end of an emergency hose. The heavy metal end swung down and, just in the nick of time, the falling Matron grabbed it. They heard her screaming as she swung against the side of the building, probably earning herself a nice bruise, but safe all the same. The Doctor and Donna blinked, stunned by the sudden save, while Wanda next to them grunted as she held onto the long hose tightly.

"Um . . . a little help here," she groaned as her arms felt strained in holding the Matron up. Luckily the end of the hose was attached to the building itself, or else Wanda knew she would have gone over the edge as well.

"Right, right, sorry," the Doctor said, coming up around Wanda to help her pull. The three of them grunted as they hoisted the Matron up to the roof. Overhead, the nursery ship disappeared, flying off as they assumed they had killed their nanny. After a while, a shaking hand reached the ledge, gripping on tightly for dear life. The Doctor reached forward, holding onto the hand and helping the Matron onto the roof. Miss Foster fell to the ground, trembling as she just experienced the worst terror in all her life. She looked up to the people standing before her, breathing in and out heavily.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"You're welcome," Wanda said gently, smiling as she helped the woman stand back up onto her feet.

"You saved my life . . . even after everything I've done?" Miss Foster asked; completely baffled by the sudden rescue she received.

"Well, of course. Couldn't just let you die, could we?" Wanda replied with humour in her tone. She stared pointedly at the Matron. "But don't think this lets you off the hook. You're still in trouble." The woman's face fell as she knew what would be coming. Though, she was startled in surprise once more at Wanda's next statement.

"Though, Doctor, we really can't have her arrested by the Judoon," Wanda told the Time Lord next to her.

"Oh?" the Doctor replied in interest, raising a brow.

"They'll just go to the First Family and destroy all those Adipose children because of the crime of breeding. We can't have that," Wanda stated, shaking her head at the horrible idea of all those children dying because of the Judoon's mark of 'justice.'

"True," the Doctor agreed, nodding his head. "We really couldn't have that happen. But the galactic law was still broken and Matron Coeflia here," he gave the nanny a cross look, seeing how the woman winced under his gaze, "still needs to be punished for almost killing a million people."

"Right. And I know the perfect place," Wanda said, smiling mischievously. She threw an arm around the Matron's middle, making the woman jump slightly as she began to be steered towards the stairs of the roof.

"What exactly is it you're going to do to me?" she queried, sounding almost nervous.

"Nothing too bad. Just to be stuck here raising some Earth children is all," Wanda said slyly, patting the woman's shoulder. "You see, there's this child care center that can really use a good nanny." At the Matron's confused stare, Wanda grinned sassily. "Oh, don't think this isn't punishment. This place, well, let's just say last week one of the nanny's there ended up in the hospital with crayons shoved up her nose." She giggled as Miss Foster suddenly looked horrified.

XxXxXxXx

Donna bounced in excitement next to Wanda as they stood outside her car. When they had walked down the alleyway, seeing both Donna's blue car and the blue police box being parked in the same area, Donna had been more than thrilled. Declaring this destiny for her to be reunited with the Doctor and Wanda again and to travel with them both. The Doctor had been bewildered at first, but seeing Wanda's wink, he realized that it was finally Donna's turn to be a companion. He smiled and nodded, telling the two of them that he would be right back after taking Miss Foster to her new home on Earth. The Matron had put up a fuss at first, but when Wanda warned her that if she tried leaving Earth or making hell for any more humans, then the Judoon would indeed hurt the Adipose. This made the Matron bow her head in surrender, not wishing for this to happen to the children she had seen birthed.

With the TARDIS materializing away once second to take the Matron away and arriving back again in the next, the Doctor stepped out and held the doors open, brightly awaiting for their next adventure. Donna exclaimed excitedly, opened the back of her car and started to unload all the luggage she had packed for a 'just in case' moment. Each luggage item was stuffed into the Doctor's stunned arms. He could only blink in shock at all the luggage Donna had packed away. Wanda smiled as she took some of the items from him, wishing to help him carry.

"Oh! Car keys!" Donna suddenly exclaimed after she closed the back of the car. She pulled out the keys to the vehicle from her pocket. "I've still got my mum's car keys. I won't be minute." She ran around the corner, disappearing to leave the keys somewhere safe for her mother to find.

"She sure is happy," the Doctor commented. He looked down, feeling baffled by the sight of all the luggage. "And she really does come prepared."

"Yeah. That's Donna for you," Wanda laughed fondly, shaking her head in amusement. They began picking up random bags, taking them over to the TARDIS. "So, how did Matron Cofelia take her new home?"

"Well . . . she was shocked, to say the least," the Doctor told her. "I made sure that she had the all the right papers. New identity and everything. Got a small home to live in for now. And I made certain that she has nothing that can cause anyone harm or to be able to contact help to get her off the planet. She will be stranded here on Earth from now on, raising human kids as her deed to society." He gave Wanda a curious glance as he opened the TARDIS door. "By the way, what made you think of putting her there?"

"Saw it in a possibility." Wanda shrugged lightly. "In saving her, I knew where she's meant to be for now on. And trust me, even though it's really supposed to be a punishment, after a few years she's actually going to learn to enjoy it. She'll help a lot of kids along the way and make a better life for them. A much better life choice than killing people for breeding in my opinion."

Setting the luggage just inside the doorway, the Doctor turned to her in interest. "You really believe she deserves a second chance?"

"Of course. I believe that everyone deserves a second chance if they're willing to try."

He nodded slowly, growing a distant and sad look in his eyes as he gazed at her. "Remember that for the future, Wanderer."

She blinked at him in bewilderment, but nodded all the same, feeling a strange sense of dread creep down her spine. They turned together and stared out to where Donna would be walking from, now just waiting for her arrival so they could take off. Each leaned against one end of the TARDIS outside the ship, with Wanda having her arms crossed and the Doctor with his hands stuffed in his pockets. After a moment of silence, it was broken by Wanda speaking again.

"Things . . . are starting to come full circle, you know," she said quietly, almost sounding solemn. The Doctor blinked, turning his head towards her.

"Oh? What makes you say that?" he questioned softly.

"I'm starting to catch up with myself. Past events and future ones," she told him. Her thoughts wandered over of remembering how First her would be arriving soon within the TARDIS after they leave here. She let out a small sigh as she thought over current events. "And things have become so . . . quiet lately. Not much happening."

"Isn't that a good thing?"

"Yes . . . but it makes me worried."

Raising a brow, the Doctor continued to gaze at her as if beginning to worry himself over her and the future to come for her. However, he made certain this did not show as he did not wish to make Wanda feel anxious. "How so?"

A heavy sigh left Wanda's lips, turning to meet her gaze with the Doctor's. "Because there's always calm before the storm."

XxXxXxXx

Out of all the adventures of the Doctor and companions, this one has to be my absolute favorite. I just laugh every time. XD I really hope everyone enjoyed the surprise chapter! Let me know if there is anything you wish to see happen next or any other thoughts you'd like to let out in a review. Each person to send a review gets a special hug from me. ;) Take care to all and have a fantastic day!

~Tinker~


	20. Ch 20: Mr Clever

Hi everyone!

I hope everyone had a good holiday these past days. If anyone celebrated Thanksgiving, Happy Thanksgiving! If there is any other holiday that was celebrated, I hope that day was just as happy! :D And for anyone who had no holidays to celebrate, I still hope your days were amazing and filled with joy.

I do have one more exciting update. If you noticed recently the covers of the story parts have changed. Each one now has a cover of each Wanda. The first part has First Wanda, second has Second Wanda, and the one we're on now has Third Wanda. Each with their own Doctor. These covers were a gift to me from a friend who had commissioned them to be drawn by an artist found on Twitter. This artist is **SkeleTea** and she's amazing! She did each cover beautifully! If any of you would like to request art from her, just find her on Twitter and send her some love. 3 :)

XxXxXxXx

Chapter 20: Mr. Clever

Clara could really not believe this was happening. She could really, really, _really_ not believe it.

Not in a million years would she ever picture herself tying up the Doctor to a chair. Good god, this was the strangest thing she had done with the Time Lord. One minute, they were arriving here to this planet, Hedgewick's World of Wonders, coming here to have a good time with Angie and Artie Maitland, the two kids she was nanny to. Then in a blink, before she knew it there were Cybermen everywhere, she was put in charge of a punishment platoon, and the Doctor had been taken over by a Cyber-Planner. And she thought the day she had been 'preserved' in Victorian London had been the strangest of her life. This one, however, took the cake. Worst of it all, Wanda was not here to help out in stopping all of this from happening. Oh, Clara felt she was really going to need a drink after this was all over with. Or, at least, she hoped it would be all over with. Without the whole planet imploding, of course.

She glanced up slightly, seeing the chess set on the table in front of the Doctor as it had been placed there by his request. And in a corner of the room away from them, standing straight at attention with electronics attached to their heads, were Angie and Artie. Clara felt her heart twist in fear, feeling dreadful for allowing this to happen to the children. Then, standing beside the two children was poor Webley as he had been half converted into a Cyberman. There was no hope for him to come out of this in the end, but at least the Doctor had promised her that the children were just in a coma. And that they should be fine. Possibly fine. Okay, she should probably not really trust the Doctor's promise. He had a horrible streak of lying and never keeping his word.

God she really, _really_ wished Wanda were here. The Time Lady would know what to do. Or at least help Clara keep calm for she was really starting to feel ready to scream at the moment. She was beginning to think she was developing a nasty case of anxiety at the rate their adventures constantly went to.

"Right, that's good," the Doctor said as Clara finished tightening the ropes around his waist. "I won't be able to move but hands free, good." The Doctor wiggled his fingers in the air as Clara stepped around to face him.

She stared warily at the metal networking piece that had been implanted into the side of his skull. It sent a shiver down her spine at the sight, making her fear spike up. But, as Wanda had taught her over the time they had been together, these fears needed to be pushed down until after everyone had been saved and things were normal again. Right . . . normal. Things were never really normal in their life. But at least they were stable . . . somewhat. Shaking her head slightly, Clara looked at the Doctor in question.

"You're playing chess with yourself?" she asked him, completely bewildered by this fact. The Doctor was brilliant in many ways, but could he really beat _himself_ at chess?

"And winning," the Doctor replied with a confident voice. But then suddenly, his hand came up and ripped off the golden ticket that had been placed on the metal circuit of his head. The only thing that had been helping the Doctor keep control of his body by scrambling the codes of the Cyber-Planner's mind. Clara looked startled as the lights on the side of his head began to light blink and beeping could be heard.

"Actually, he has no better than twenty-five percent chance of winning at this stage in the game," came the low voice of the Doctor. No . . . not the Doctor. It was that Cyber-Planner. That . . . Mr. Clever from what the Doctor had briefly explained. The thing inside the Doctor that now shared part of the Time Lord's mind and was trying to take full control. Clara shifted nervously on her feet, not liking how the words were spoken from the Doctor. They sounded all wrong.

"Some very dodgy moves at the beginning," Mr. Clever continued to say as he stared darkly at the chess board in front of him. Once again, Clara did not like that dark expression on the Doctor's face as she knew it was wrong. Mr. Clever gave Clara a side glance, barely even looking at her as if she was a waste of his time. "Hello, flesh girl. Fantastic! I'm the Cyber-Planner."

"Doctor?" she asked carefully, hoping to have the real Time Lord speak.

"Afraid not. I'm working the mouth now," stated Mr. Clever confidently. He smirked naughtily. " _Allons-y!_ Oh, you should see the state of these neurons. He's had some cowboys in here. Ten complete rejigs."

"You aren't the Doctor," Clara said coldly, trying to see what kind of mind this Mr. Clever had.

Mr. Clever stared at her, keeping the Doctor's green eyes sharply on her. "No, but I know who you are. You're the impossible girl. Oh, he's very interested in you."

Clara felt a strange wave of recollection go through her as she knew she had heard the term used somewhere before. Well, technically she had heard this term before used by Wanda many, many times. But Clara felt as though she had also heard these words from a long, long time ago as well. She did not remember where from, but . . . it felt . . . familiar. "Why am I impossible?"

Mr. Clever titled his head, giving her a knowing smile. "Hasn't he told you, the sly devil? Dear me. Listen. Soon we wake. We'll strip you down for spare parts, then build a spaceship and move on."

Leaning her hands on the table, Clara held a firm gaze. "More Cybermen?"

"They're waking from their tomb right now. You can either die or live on as one of us."

Clara narrowed her eyes. "The Doctor will stop you."

Mr. Clever grinned wickedly, contorting the Doctor's face into an expression Clara wished to never see again. And in a tone so chilling that sent shivers down her spine. "He can try."

Suddenly, doors burst open at the end of the room and slammed loudly in an echoing bang against the walls. Clara whipped around, terrified that it was more Cybermen arriving to kill. Were they here to capture everyone else, or simply kill them all? But relief flooded through her as she saw Third Wanda, in all her blonde glory, standing there at the doorway with a door handle in each hand. Clara noticed in amusement how red the Time Lady's face was and the left eye twitching like mad. Ooh, someone was not the best of moods. Mr. Clever was about to earn himself a rude wakeup call.

Peeking around Clara to see the storming Wanderer, Mr. Clever put on the most pleased smile he could. Giving the best puppy-eyed expression the Doctor's face could muster.

"Wanderer, my love! Oh, the moments I've counted awaiting your lovely arrival once more!" Mr. Clever exclaimed in a flourish. Wanda marched briskly up to him and he continued to have his cheery smile. "And how has my love b—."

WHAM!

The Time Lord's head whipped backward when Wanda's fist connected. Grabbing ahold of the Doctor's collar, Wanda jerked his head back up and glared in rage at the Cyber-Planner. Her breathing came out ragged through gritted teeth. Jerking up his head closer, she bared her teeth at him.

"Listen here you piece of tin," she growled. "I will rip you apart and burn your circuits so you know what it feels like to be in hell. I will make you rue the day you think you can take over my husband's body and use him for your stupid and pathetic plans by making every moment of your damned existence complete and utter misery to where you will be _begging_ for me to let you go. You let my husband have his mind back right now so I can talk to him. Do you hear me? Right _now_!" The Doctor smiled meekly, holding up his hands in a shaking surrender.

"Um, Wanda, d-don't worry. It's all me now," he chuckled nervously. "He's been pushed aside for a while." In an instant, Wanda beamed merrily and her demeanour did a flip from enraged to giddy.

"Oh, hello, sweetie. Is everything going all right so far?" she asked, gently patting down the Doctor's ruffled coat. She smiled sheepishly when seeing the nasty red mark on the side of his face. "Heh. Oops. Lost my temper again there. Sorry." She leaned forward, giving the Doctor's cheek an apologetic kiss. "I've just come from being with Nine for a few days, and let's just say things did not go so well. It wasn't all bad, but having one moment where we have a row, then apologizing, then more shouting, then making up again, then another nasty row was not fun. Putting two people with bad tempers together in the same room is never a good idea. I'm surprised I didn't go insane. Good thing Rose was there to keep us both calm. Jack, too. Oh, Jack! I was so happy to see him again! He's beyond funny and I really think that—."

"Wanda, we need you to focus," Clara spoke up, tapping Wanda on the shoulder to get her to settle down in her rapid talking.

"Oh! Right, sorry. Okay, so, where are we?" Wanda went on, clapping her hands together for action.

"Right," the Doctor began to explain hurriedly, "I'm in a chess game of death at the moment. I've made a deal with Mr. Clever here. If he wins, I give up my mind and he gets access to all my memories along with knowledge of time travel, _but_ if _I_ win, he'll break his promises to get out of my head and then kill us all anyway."

"Is that it? Well, that sounds fun, then," Wanda said easily, shrugging her shoulders. She leaned back her head to stare at the ceiling. The Doctor and Clara started to talk, trying to get her to be more serious about the situation, but she shushed them, holding up a finger. There was a long moment's pause, about a minute of silence from the Time Lady, then she flipped her head back upright to stare at the Doctor again. "Right, then I suggest we make a new deal."

"New deal? What new deal?" the Doctor asked, confused by what she meant. Wanda walked away from him, grabbing a nearby chair and dragging it over. She sat on the chair from the other side of the table to face the Doctor, sitting down to get comfortable as she folded her hands to stare evenly at him.

"How about, instead of your mind, he gets mine," she stated evenly. Clara and the Doctor both looked at her in alarm, their eyes widening in shock.

"What?!" the shouted together.

"You can't be serious!" Clara exclaimed in utter disbelief.

"That is absolutely out of the question!" barked the Doctor, glaring in outrage at Wanda.

"It's the only option we have at the moment as time isn't going to run smoothly from this point forward," Wanda gritted, shooting them both a pointed look. She straightened in her seat, gazing evenly toward the Time Lord. "So, what do you say, Mr. Clever? What to make a new bargain?" The Doctor was about to protest, opening his mouth wide to begin an argument when his body jerked. His head hung forward for a second before slowly raising it to stare at the Time Lady across from him. He smirked shrewdly.

"What do you have in mind, Wanderer?" he said in a low tone, leaning back in his chair as he stared her down.

"A game of chess, of course," Wanda responded, relaxing in her own chair. "Just like you were doing with the Doctor, we're going to play a game. Only the stakes are going to be a little different this time around."

"Oh? And exactly brilliant stakes have _you_ managed to come up with?" Mr. Clever snickered, giving her a humoured expression.

"We play a game, and if you win, you get me instead of the Doctor," Wanda told him smoothly.

"And why exactly would I want you?" Mr. Clever leaned forward, holding a snide expression. "He's much more clever than you are. Why would I give up such a brilliant brain?"

"Because I know the future." Wanda watched carefully as she saw the spark of interest within Mr. Clever's (the Doctor's) eyes.

"You're lying. No one has that kind of power."

"Look into the memories of the Doctor and see for yourself." She leaned forward, staring at him evenly. "I have abilities beyond Cybermen imagination. I know things, a million things. I can see not only one path of the future but all of them. All possible outcomes that anyone could ever make. Just think of what you could do with that kind of processing. You'll know everything in advance, and you never even have to lift a finger."

Leaning back into his large chair, Mr. Clever folded his hands together in thought, seeming to observe Wanda very carefully. "I can't look into the Doctor's more . . . _detailed_ memories of you. He has your information more tightly sealed than even that of the Time Lords." A wicked grin grew on his face. "Though, he did let something slip out earlier before he locked you away." He made a clicking noise with his tongue, shaking his head. "A bad, bad boy he is. Keeping such a secret from you, the one he loves? Oh, how touching that he thinks he can save you." Mr. Clever laughed darkly, making both Clara and Wanda feel uncomfortable by hearing something like that coming out of the Doctor.

But Wanda kept her expression even as she stared coolly at him. "Be as it may, it's still a rather good deal, don't you agree?"

"Hmm." Mr. Clever seemed to take her in, judging her. "And what if _you_ win? What then?"

"If I win, you will still get my body and mind." Seeing how Mr. Clever scoffed in disbelief, Wanda held up a hand before he could remark snidely at this. " _But_ you must take your Cybermen with you and leave this place, allowing everyone here to live. This way, you can go off and conquer whatever place your little circuit heart desires, still get your clever mind, have an advantage over those you'll end up fighting, and everyone here can still be alive and well. A win-win for everyone on this planet. Deal?" Wanda crossed her legs, keeping her eyes trained on him. She saw how he thought this over carefully, and knew he could not pass up such a perfect deal.

Smirking, Mr. Clever leaned forward and held a hand out for her to shake. "Deal."

Wanda held up a finger. "Ah, but before we make any sort of finished deal, I would like a good gesture of peace."

"Peace?" Mr. Clever scoffed, finding this amusing. "What sort of 'gesture of peace' do you have in mind?"

"You let the children go. _Now_." Wanda pointed over behind her to where Angie and Artie were, where they still stood there blankly in their standby coma. "By letting them go, it shows me and Clara here that we can trust you." She saw the unwillingness cross over Mr. Clever's face, him snickering in amusement. "Oh, come on, you don't really need the children anymore. They're useless to you now. Why bother keeping them around anyway? They're just a liability."

Mr. Clever hummed, seeming to think this over. He saw the logic behind it and knew most likely it would lower the guard of the rest of the humans if they believed he could be easily won. So, smirking again, he snapped his fingers. "Done."

Clara rushed over to the children as they fell to their knees in a slump. The Cybernetworking that had been attached to the sides of their heads fell off and hit the ground, turned off for good. Angie and Artie stood up, looking confused by everything as Clara checked them over.

"You two all right?" Wanda called over her shoulder, though she still kept her eyes locked with Mr. Clever's.

"Where are we? What's going on?" Angie asked first thing, blinking in bewilderment.

"Oh, just a Cybermen attack. Nothing to worry about," Wanda replied casually. "Clara, can you point them the way out and to the platoon for safety." Clara nodded, quickly steering the two children out of the room. A second later, she was back, looking anxious but yet relieved for the children as she walked back over next to Wanda.

"Does this mean we have a deal now?" Mr. Clever asked snidely.

"After that gesture of peace, yes," Wanda concluded, giving a nod. Mr. Clever gave a nasty smile, holding out his hand to shake once more.

"Then, we have a deal," he said lowly.

"Good." Wanda shot up from her seat, not even bothering to shake his hand. She bounced over to Clara and grabbed the girl by the shoulders. "Now, before we start, I need to talk to my friend Clara here for a moment. Won't be long."

Before the Cyper-Planner could protest this, Wanda had steered Clara out the door and into the stone hall, moving a good distance away from the throne room of the castle. Once they were out of earshot, Clara pushed Wanda's arm away and glared in incredulity.

"I can't believe you!" Clara hissed out in an enraged whisper. "You're really willing to just throw away your life like that? Don't you realize what that will do to the Doctor? And not to mention I really doubt that Cyber-whatever-he-is, is going to just let us all go like that. In fact, I think it makes things worse by him getting your mind that knows everything in advance." The girl crossed her arms and nodded curtly as if satisfied in scolding the Time Lady.

"Yes, I know he's going to betray me. That's the point," Wanda replied, rolling her eyes. "Look, I have a plan, okay?"

"And what plan is that?" Clara questioned pointedly.

"It's a good one . . . Sort of . . . Hopefully. Anyway," Wanda shook her head to continue on, "listen, you need to get back there with that platoon. Help them out as best as you can. There's going to be more Cybermen on their way, so they need their leader."

Clara scoffed, shaking her head. "Yeah? And what exactly am I supposed to do? I haven't really been much help and most of the platoon is dying off because of the constant Cybermen attacks. And what exactly is it that _you're_ going to do?"

"Don't worry. I've got this covered for a while." Wanda moved closer, placing strong hands on the companion's shoulders. The Time Lady beamed internally at how pleased she felt to actually being a little taller than Clara. Not by much, but hey, at least she was actually taller than someone. "Listen, I'm going to show you something that will help. But you're going to have to relax, okay?"

Clara raised a brow, appearing skeptical and nervous by this response. "Okay."

Wanda smiled, gently placing her fingers on the girl's temples. Focusing her mind, she made her way into Clara's. The girl in front of her gasped, stiffening from the strange intrusion into her mind. She felt Wanda shifting through, making their thoughts almost one as she settled in.

 _Oh. My god. You're in my head._ Clara thought in a panic at the overwhelming sensation.

 _Ssh. Relax. You'll just make yourself sick if you try to fight it._ Wanda told her calmly, trying to ease the girl.

Clara relaxed her shoulders, trying to let her mind be at ease. _Okay, I'm calm. Now what? What exactly are you doing? Oh, this is so weird. I can't believe I'm talking to you with my mind. Wait . . . you can't see anything, can you?_

 _Don't worry about that now._ Wanda replied, sidestepping around that question. _But, hey, at least you know what it's like for me and the Doctor every day. Anyway, look, I'm giving you information on what is to come. Get ready._ As gently as she could, Wanda fed Clara images of what the Cybermen were planning and all the attacks they would make against the humans here within the castle. Giving Clara advanced knowledge that should help her keep calm and keep everyone alive.

 _Right, that's useful. Wish you could do that more often._ Clara said after a moment when the information stopped coming.

 _Yeah, me too._ Wanda replied in agreement. Pulling one hand away from Clara's temple and focusing to keep their mind connected, Wanda dug into her pocket and pulled out her sonic screwdriver, handing it over to the girl. She gripped the tool tightly in Clara's hand. _You know what to do. Make sure to time it just right._

The companion nodded in determination, ready for action. _So, what now? What's this big plan of yours?_ Clara raised a brow, trying to see what Wanda had in mind.

 _I need something from you. Do you know what a hand pulse is?_ Wanda showed Clara an image of the hand device the platoon has to use as a weapon against the Cybermen.

Clara nodded. _Yeah, they have a lot of those in crates. Why?_

 _No reason. Just need one in case of an emergency. Bring it when you can. So, go ahead and get back to your platoon. I'll yell for you if I need you. Just make sure to keep Angie and Artie safe in the meantime._

 _Oh, I plan to._ Clara pulled away as Wanda let go of their connection. She blinked rapidly, trying to settle her mind back down. "That was too weird. Let's not ever do that again."

"Aw, you take the fun out of everything," Wanda joked lightly. She smiled, giving Clara a warm hug. "By the way, it's great seeing you again." Clara returned the hug and smile.

"You, too," she agreed with a pleased sigh. Turning, Clara walked away at a quick pace, in a hurry to get back to the platoon and get them ready for what was ahead.

Wanda took a deep breath and let it out slowly, preparing herself for what was to come. Turning around in determination with her head held high, she marched back into the throne room. She eyed the certain Cyber-Planner carefully as he continued to hold that nasty smirk. Something which Wanda hoped to never see on the Doctor's face ever again. She knew while she and Clara had been talking, he had already sent the Cyberman force to march towards the castle. To kill all humans and take over. But Wanda had already given this information to Clara, as well as what to do about it. The Time Lady knew that the companion would be in good hands. Walking edgily up to the table and sitting down, she folded her hands together on her lap and kept an even expression as she stared him down.

"That was a mighty good punch you gave me earlier," Mr. Clever suddenly commented. He snickered in the back of his throat. "I would have never expected such a tiny, _tiny_ thing like you to be so . . . aggressive."

"As they say: Don't judge a book by its cover," Wanda responded in a curt tone.

"Oh, but aggression is so fun," Mr. Clever replied, giving a playful smile that seemed so wrong. "Just think, with your advanced knowledge and aggressive strength, I'll practically be unstoppable. This is just too good. It's like Christmas!" He threw back his head to give a manic laugh.

Wanda only blinked, her face showing a blank expression as she remained unfazed. "Let's just get started with the game, shall we?" She moved the pieces around, setting the board for a new game. Waving a light hand to the board, she held a light smile. "Cyber-Planners first."

Mr. Clever scoffed, but trained his eyes on the board, examining the pieces for careful calculation. Soon he moved his first pawn, giving a grin and waving a hand for the Time Lady to make her move. Wanda looked at the board for a moment before picking up her own pawn and shifting it across the board.

"You won't win you know," Mr. Clever said after he moved another piece. "For one, I have the Doctor's brilliant mind. And two, I have an unlimited processing capacity. I can solve riddles, calculate physics, create illustrations, and beat you at chess all at once." He smirked when seeing Wanda move one of her pieces, knocking it aside with his own as he claimed it.

"What an ego you have there," Wanda remarked lightly, moving another pawn only for it to be taken away as well. "Someone should really bring you down a notch."

"Someone like . . . _you_?" retorted Mr. Clever, knocking away one of her pieces harshly and making it fall to the floor.

Wanda glanced at the piece as it rolled across the stone floor. It was almost like watching her game slowly crumble. Shaking her head, she stared back at the chess board, carefully observing every placement. Moving another piece, while leaning back in her chair she kept the same even expression as before. Not showing a single sign of emotion. "I'll admit, I've never been good a chess. I'm rather horrid at it, especially against the Doctor."

"And yet, you made a deal to play against me." The Cyber-Planner across from her chortled loudly, grinning in triumph. "If you didn't have that future knowledge of yours, you'd be worthless to me. Worthless to the whole universe, I'd say. Pathetic little Wanderer who doesn't even know when she's already lost. Why does the Doctor even keep you around? I can't really understand it. Is it just to have a good sha—." His body jerked and electricity sounded off.

"Don't talk about my wife that way!" the Doctor shouted angrily. His body jerked again as Mr. Clever sneered.

"She's pathetic and you know it!" shouted the Cypber-Planner in spite. He then snapped his gaze back to the board, picking up a piece and slamming it down. Suddenly, he looked at Wanda in interest, giving a gleeful and nasty smile. "No wait, no. I know why he keeps you around. It's to keep the monster in check." He began to speak in a sickly sweet voice. "Doesn't want the Universe's Weapon to act up now, does he? Precious Time Lord wants his little Wanderer all safe and cozy."

"I'm not going to pretend to try to move you to understand what love is," Wanda replied casually, ignoring everything that he was saying. She knew he was trying to mess with her, wanting her to break down. But she needed to stay focused and alert. Knocking over one of his own pieces, Wanda made her first advancement on the board. "I know how you Cybermen are. You think all emotions are weak and useless. You're just like the Daleks and so many other lost species of the universe. When really, all of you always get it so backward."

"Do tell," snickered Mr. Clever. He watched as she moved another piece closer, frowning slightly at this move but brushed it aside. It was a small move, nothing to worry about. "What exactly do emotions do for you? Hmm? I'll tell you what. It gets you right where you are now. Stuck in a game of chess where there is no escape, where you lose your life over some strangers you don't even know, and for your precious 'husband' who will end up dying in the end someday. All in the name of _love_." He leaned forward, eyeing her with a dark gaze. "But the truth is, monsters like you can never learn to love."

Wanda did not even blink in response, only giving him a look that said 'seriously?' She moved another chess piece forward, keeping it to the side of the board. "If you're going to try to unnerve or frighten me, then you might as well just stop while you're ahead." Her fingers were folded together, resting her elbows on the table as she laid her chin on her clasped hands, keeping a relaxed manner in the way she held herself. "I've heard people say these things many, many times throughout the decades. Calling me 'monster' and 'the Universe's Weapon.' Frankly, I'm bored with all the snide remarks and no true threat behind the words. If you're going to make someone scared and nervous, then do _try_ to be original about it."

With eyes widening momentarily then narrowing, the Time Lord's teeth gritted together as the Cyber-Planner appeared completely irked by this. He moved a knight over, slamming it down onto the board. It was still held in his hand as he leaned over the board slightly, glaring at the Time Lady. "You can pretend to be unmoved all you want. But I know how you are deep down. You're scared out of your mind for your husband, your friend, and all those little humans fighting down below. And soon, like always, your fears will consume you."

"I do believe you're thinking of First me." Wanda moved a bishop over carefully, placing it in a particular spot. "You'll find that I'm much more level-headed in this current incarnation of mine." She watched as he moved another one of her chess pieces, taking it off the playing field. She returned the favor and took one of his own after another turn. Glancing over towards a nearby window, she heard the distant sound of marching metal feet. The army of Cybermen were almost upon them. Looking back at Mr. Clever, she showed no sign of fear or worriment as the Cyber-Planner grinned wickedly. "It seems the Doctor is only allowing you to see old memories of me. Not new ones. So, really, you have no idea what current me is capable of."

He suddenly smirked snidely again. "Oh, I know _exactly_ what you're capable of, Wanderer." Moving another chess piece, he folded his own hands together and leaned back in his chair. "Though we have no records of you or the Doctor in the data banks of the Cyberaid. Before today, that is."

Wanda moved another piece into position. "Oh? And why's that?"

"He's been eliminating himself and you from history. As a way to 'save you' as he likes to think." Mr. Clever then smirked darkly, flicking a chess piece lazily forward for his move. "But we know about you now. It's in the memory he had let slip. A nice little moment he likes to remind himself of. To keep himself on guard unless it happens again."

"Oh? And what's that exactly?" She picked up another piece, placing it on another edge of the board. All the while locking away his mentioning of the Doctor rewriting history for another time. Her hand around the large chess piece stiffened and tightened on it at the Cyber-Planner's next words.

"Alpha getting loose." His lips curled up naughty when seeing how stiff and tense the Time Lady suddenly became. "Ah, now that gets a scare."

Wanda's eyes wavered as she felt the one barrier within begin to stir. A few memories sparked forth as she recalled hearing this name before. Within the darkness of her mind, something opened its glowing eyes and growled sinisterly. She swallowed and slowly removed her fingers from the chess piece, eyeing the Time Lord in front of her. "Alpha?"

"Oh, yes. Mean old Alpha, stowing away inside and just biding her time of release." He flicked a rook forward, grinning when seeing the nervous eyes of Wanda. "She doesn't like it when I talk about her, does she?"

The barrier creaked angrily in response. Wanda felt a headache begin to form but ignored it as she knew dwelling on it would only make it worse. She realized that she should really change the subject and ignore the Cyber-Planner. He was only trying to get to her, to trick her. But . . . she could not help it. Too long had she been placed in the dark. She needed to know the truth, and it seemed this might finally be her chance to gain some insight into the mystery behind her past.

"You talk as if there's . . . someone else living within me," she asked the man across from her, leaning in interest to the topic. "I know there is . . . something there. But is it, she, whatever this thing is, just as aware of the world as I am?"

Mr. Clever began to laugh, sounding manic once more. "Aware? _Aware_? Oh, she's more than that. She's—." His body jerked harshly as the Doctor's hand came up and slapped him across the face. The Doctor gasped as he took control of his body once more.

"Shut up. Just shut up!" the Doctor yelled. He turned his eyes urgently to look at the Time Lady. "Wanda, don't listen to him. He's lying." The Time Lord's body lurched again as Mr. Clever gained back power of the body.

"Lying am I?" barked Mr. Clever in a laugh. "Ooh, that's just like you, _Doctor_. Making up excuses to blame others for the harsh realities of life. Don't you think your precious little Wanderer deserves to know? I think she does. I think it's time for a little wakey-wakey for the real monster in charge. Haha!"

"The only one in charge of me, is _me_ ," Wanda retorted bitterly, gripping her hands tightly on the table's surface. "And you can't scare me with lies. There isn't anyone else living inside my head."

"Oh? Isn't there?" Mr. Clever sneered, holding a nasty grin. "Face it, Wanderer. You're outmatched wherever you go. Whether it be in your own mind, or in a game of chess. Nothing you do, say, or try in your life is in your power. Ever."

Wanda raised a brow, smirking slyly. "Is it now?" She snatched up another chess piece and placed it sharply on the board, grinning cheekily. "What does that clever mind of yours think now, Mr. Clever?"

Blinking in confusion for a moment, Mr. Clever could only stare at the board in disbelief. He was . . . dumbfounded. A sensation that he had never experienced before. And the shock that he received from the Wanderer's last move had been the act to cause his astonishment. He even did a double take to make certain he was seeing it correctly. No . . . it could not be. She could not have cornered him into a . . .

"Stalemate," he muttered. His grip on the edges of the table tightened as he narrowed his eyes, trying to see a way around the chaos the Wanderer had created. But no matter which way he looked, there was nothing either one of them could do now. They were both at a draw.

"Yep, a stalemate," Wanda nodded lightly. She smiled brightly as she stood up, walking around towards the Time Lord. "I told you I'm not good at chess. I knew I couldn't really beat you. Not unless I cheated, of course, and I don't really like to cheat. Also, it would just be a waste for me to use my abilities just to see how to win a simple game. So, I decided on a different route." Her breath whispered in his ear as she leaned over towards him. "You see, I'm _really_ good at making chess end in a draw. I'm notorious for it. Almost always by mistake, really. That's why the Doctor just hates playing chess with me."

Narrowing his eyes dangerously, Mr. Clever whipped his head to glare hatefully at the smirking Time Lady. "You tricked me."

She leaned away from him, giving him a mischievous expression. "I wouldn't really say 'tricked.' More like eluded you to the truth. It's why I never shook on our deal. I needed to get you away from trying to take the Doctor's mind, and giving you a new deal with a prize you just couldn't resist was just the ticket. And since the deal was based on at least _one_ of us winning, then I needed to make certain that neither of us actually won the game."

The Cyber-Planner suddenly threw the chess board off the table in anger and snatched her arm, jerking her forward to bare his teeth at her. But still, she kept that damn calm expression that just irked him more. "It doesn't matter if you made the game end at a stalemate. I _will_ have you."

"Now, see, there's another thing I sort of eluded you to." She smirked brightly. "You want to tell him, sweetie?"

Mr. Clever gritted his teeth together. "Tell me what?" The Time Lord's body suddenly lurched as the Doctor took control once more. Though, it seemed the Cyber-Planner remained in control of the hand that still held Wanda's arm in a vice grip.

"Tell you that there was never a deal in the first place," the Doctor said confidently, holding his own mischievous smirk. "You see, Wanda's mind was never a prize you could have obtained. You might have been able to take her body away from her, but not her mind. That is _if_ she gave up her body willingly. If you tried taking her over by force, well, I'd say you would have found some trouble within. Her mind was always safe from the very beginning. It can't be controlled. Not by you or any other known creature in the universe. Ever."

"You're lying," spat Mr. Clever when he jerked the body back into control. But then the Doctor jumped right back into place.

"Am I? Funny, I think you did mention that I have a habit of that," the Doctor retorted smartly. "Not this time, I'm afraid. Wanda's mind is an anomaly that even _you_ can't work around and figure out how to possess. She's also very heavily protected within. Too many barriers and defenses. So, basically, her mind is untouchable."

Mr. Clever jerked back into presence, gritting his teeth in irritation for a moment before letting a smirk appear. "Well played. But you both are still forgetting there are three million Cybermen outside. All upgraded, all ready to kill. No one is escaping here. Not either of you, not your impossible girl, or anyone else!" He pointed out towards where they heard the distance sounds of battle beginning to commence. Gunfire and robotic voices of the Cybermen, along with shouts from the humans. Mr. Clever grinned manically in victory. "You are all going to die, and no stalemate can stop us this time."

"Ha! You think I didn't see the Cybermen coming as well? I see _all_ outcomes of time, remember?" Wanda laughed in a comeback. Grabbing the Doctor's other hand; she looked at his watch casually. "And three . . . two . . . one."

Suddenly, Webley, who had still been standing there mutely, shook as the electronics around his face and arms sparked with great flashes. The man's body quaked as he fell to the ground, and then he remained unmoving. His circuits had fried, leaving him to be nothing more than a useless body. The remaining trio could hear the echoing thuds throughout the place, indicating that many bodies were falling to the same fate. Then, cheering from the humans who had been fighting came next, indicating a clear victor.

Mr. Clever blinked, trying to understand what had just occurred. A heated gaze was directed at Wanda as the Cyber-Planner gritted his teeth, spitting each word spoken, "What did you do?"

"I looked into the possibilities," Wanda replied, dropping the Doctor's arm from her grasp. She felt the other raging hand tighten around her arm in a quivering grasp. "I saw another solution to our problem, a moment in time where you did not infect the Doctor like you did today. Where the Doctor had to figure out another way around stopping the Cybermen army you sent out. In another time, he would have found out about a little flaw in your Cybermen's upgrading system.

"See, none of you have ever realized, but every moment you 'upgrade' to counter an attack or weapon against you, this actually leaves you all vulnerable. An Achilles' heel, you might say," she continued on explaining. "In the split second each Cyberman begins to counteract an attack, their processing, internal drives, and pretty much everything else that's vulnerable, is wide open for a counteraction. And if someone had a sonic screwdriver handy, like, say, the one I gave Clara, they'd easily just have to get close enough and wait for the right moment to overload the systems and fry everything. Plus, since all Cybermen are linked together in a network processing system, it would not only affect the one Cyberman that is being rendered useless, but all other Cybermen as well. The only one not to be affected by this and who runs on a different upgrade program would be _you_."

At the end of this long explanation, Wanda beamed in merriment at the Cyber-Planner which glared so darkly at her. A smirk appeared on her face, knowing that she had won the true game of the day. Game, set, match.

"So, am I still pathetic and weak, Mr. Clever?" Wanda asked sarcastically. "Not as clever as you thought you were, are you?"

The Cyber-Planner began to shake in full fury, letting out a livid scream as he launched forward the best he could and wrapped both of his hands around the Time Lady's throat. He then slammed her down on the small table in front of him, holding her there in an unbreakable grip. Wanda gasped. Or, at least, tried to gasp. She could not even suck in the tiniest of breaths as the hands around her neck began to squeeze down viciously. On instinct, her own hands came up and clawed at the ones gripping her, trying to pry them off. She knew that technically, with her respiratory bypass system, she could go a while without breathing. But it still did not mean that the sensation of not breathing at all did not startle her greatly or feel painful. And who knew how long Mr. Clever would strangle her. Until she ran out of oxygen in her body completely?

"I will hold on as long as it takes," snarled the Cyber-Planner as if answering her internal question. "Until your stupid face turns blue!"

"No! Let go of her!" the Doctor's voice suddenly broke out in a cry, his body's expression changing from enraged to horrified.

"You'll watch, Doctor!" shouted Mr. Clever, yanking back control and placing back on his furious face. An expression so contorted that Wanda felt terrified in seeing it on the Doctor's face. "Watch as you kill your own wife!"

"No! Stop! Please!" the Doctor broke through to plead, to beg. His eyes were wide in dismay as he could do nothing to gain control of his hands, _his_ hands which were slowly squeezing the life out of his Wanderer right before him. "Please, I'll do anything! Just stop this!"

"It's too late for that!" screamed Mr. Clever as he tightened hands around Wanda's neck. "If I can't win this day, then killing the Wanderer will be my last victory."

Wanda's hands reached for the Doctor's face, clawing lightly as a weak attempt to stop the Cyber-Planner controlling his body. She could only stare in fright at the Doctor's own distressed eyes. Her vision began to grow edges of black as her lungs begged for even a small breath after what seemed like an eternity. She knew she should have been able to hold her breath longer than this with her respiratory bypass system. But it seemed her body did not like suddenly going without breathing normally or not having a constant oxygen supply. Her mind went into a panic as she closed her eyes tightly. Not that her mind had not already been panicking before. The one barrier in her mind was slammed upon as something snarled in fury, ready to snap out of its cage and attack in defense. In the end, it never had its chance to break out.

"Doctor!" Wanda heard Clara shouting in a distance.

"Clara, quick! Get a hand pulse!" the Doctor returned in a scream. "Use Wanda's sonic! Amplify the pulser and then slam it onto my head!" Wanda heard a quick buzz of a sonic screwdriver, someone running up to them, and then a loud scream from a mixture of the Doctor and Mr. Clever.

Hands suddenly let go of her throat, making air rush into her lungs as she sucked in a deep breath. Hacking and coughing, continuing to suck in as much air as she could, Wanda rolled off the table and fell to the floor. She lay on the cold stone, curled up into herself as she gagged and gasped. Her body trembled somewhat from the shock she had undergone. That had really chilled her to the bone. More than she would have liked to admit. She was startled when she felt someone suddenly touching her, trying to check up on her. Looking up, she saw the Doctor hovering over her in concern and fear, the implants on the side of his head now completely gone.

"All gone?" she asked hoarsely, her voice sounding raspy. She reached a hand up, touching the side of the Doctor's face where the Cyber-Planner had been. He grabbed her hand tightly and she felt his own hand shaking as he held hers.

"He's gone. All gone," he whispered. Pulling her up, he tucked her right under his chin and rocked her against his chest. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Wanda felt tears hit her face, knowing that the Doctor had been more terrified of what had just happened than even her. Moving out of the Doctor's grasp, she got on her knees and pulled him in for his own need of comfort, holding him close as he buried his face into her chest and wrapped his arms around her. She returned the strong embrace.

"It wasn't you," she whispered into his ear as he sobbed against her. "It wasn't you. It was _him_ , not you. Got it?" She glanced up as Clara came around and kneeled next to them, staring at them both in concern. The companion, without question, reached forward and held both Time Lords in a hug.

XxXxXxXx

After a while, they arrived back outside Angie and Artie's house, letting them happily return back home. Of course, not before each of them gave the Time Lords a hug in delight. Apparently, almost dying had actually made the children really respect and like the Time Lords now. Or well, mostly the Doctor really. Wanda was not sure if she had really been around enough for the children to open up to her just yet.

Then, after giving each Time Lord a very strong hug, Clara left as well. Waving a hand over her shoulder, she told them both she would see them again next Wednesday. Or whatever Wednesday the Doctor decided to show up or manage to arrive to. Wanda laughed at this while the Doctor pouted. The TARDIS was then sent off, letting the ship drift into the Time Vortex. The Doctor pulled down a lever, making the ship settle in flight as he stared up distantly at the ceiling, not looking at anything particular.

"The look on Clara's face when Porridge had asked her to marry him," Wanda began to say, trying to break the silence. "Finding out he was the Emperor had been shocking enough, but then marriage? Her expression was too priceless." She giggled weakly, looking over at the Doctor to see if maybe this would help him relax and calm down from the incident that had occurred earlier. He had been on edge since gaining back his body, almost as if he were fearful that Mr. Clever might just make a return. But she had reassured him over and over, even after scanning him repeatedly. There were no more implants within his system. The Cyber-Planner was gone for good.

"That was a rather shocking surprise," the Doctor agreed after a moment, turning his gaze to Wanda, having a light smile. "Too bad that Porridge had to blow up the planet anyway. It would have been fantastic if they managed to get the amusement park open again. But I suppose, best not take chances with the Cybermen accidentally being brought back to life."

His smile dropped as he saw the angry marks that were still around Wanda's neck. A memory flashed through his mind. An old memory recalling seeing those same marks on her neck so long ago. To think, all this time, he had been the one to cause them. He went to reach forward to touch them, but then jerked his hand away, almost as if he were afraid to touch her. Wanda scoffed, grabbing his hand and lifting it towards her. Pulling back the cuff of his shirt, she gently kissed his wrist, feeling the pulse of his hearts beating right on her lips.

"Remember, it wasn't you," she whispered after lowering his wrist away. She smiled kindly, moving closer to him and giving him a kiss. "I'm all right. And so are you."

"Yeah," he agreed weakly. He smiled again, pulling her up into a warm hug. "I love you, Wanderer."

"And I love you, Theta." Wanda rested her head right under his chin, enjoying the loving embrace they shared. After a moment for each of them to relax in their loving comfort, Wanda grew a slight frown and pulled back from the embrace to stare at the Doctor curiously. "I've got a question for you."

The Doctor raised a brow in interest. "And what's that?" He feared for a moment she might be questioning him about what Mr. Clever had been blabbing about Alpha and Wanda's mind, but it seemed the Time Lady had something else in mind.

"How come you told Second me how sorry you were about your marriage and how guilty you felt about me?" Wanda quizzed, raising a brow as she crossed her arms.

"Oh, that, well, ha, good question," the Doctor said nervously, backing up slightly, He grinned sheepishly. "I _might_ have been trying to give Second you a warning about the whole marriage fiasco. Maybe hoping to . . . change the outcomes?"

"Theta," Wanda grounded out, her left eye twitching, "you know you can't change time like that. You're just lucky that I was so naïve back then or less it might have changed everything."

"You're still naïve," the Doctor muttered. He cleared his throat abruptly when seeing Wanda's left eye twitch rapidly. "Anyway! It was simply me trying to correct a terrible mistake I made." His shoulders slumped slightly, a guilt-ridden expression crossing his face. "I still feel awful for making you believe I was going to marry River."

Wanda shook her head and rolled her eyes. "Theta, we're both at fault in our misunderstanding. I've told you this before, so stop blaming yourself for it. It's over and done with, remember?" Reaching out, she grabbed his hand and began to pull him down the corridor from the control room. "Now, let's go and relax."

A cheeky grin appeared on the Doctor's face. "What sort of relaxing do you have in mind, hmm?"

"Something to ease us into the night."

"Ooh, sounds like my kind of _relaxing_." He began to snicker lightly.

Wanda snorted and rolled her eyes. "Get your head out of the gutter, perv." She steered him down into one particular room. A special room that had been built just for them. Smiling, Wanda pushed the door open to reveal the beautiful room made of stars. The very same room where the Doctor had proposed to her.

"It's been a while since we've been in here," the Doctor commented as they walked into the room. He turned around on the spot, gazing upward towards all the stars floating around above. Looking back to Wanda, he stared at her curiously. "What made you want to come in here?"

Smiling eagerly, Wanda glanced up at the ceiling. "Wanna give us a tune, Sexy?" The TARDIS gave a happy hum, turning on gentle music with a nice step tempo. The Doctor blinked in surprise but smiled when Wanda grabbed his hand and pulled him up close to begin dancing.

They started a waltz, with the Doctor leading Wanda around the stars that floated by. Swinging her out and bringing her right back into his embrace as he guided her in their dance. Wanda giggled as the Doctor dipped her at one point, kissing her forehead and pulling her back up to spin her around. Then she squealed with delight when he lifted her up in the air, spinning her around even faster now. She laughed for a moment longer, before suddenly feeling woozy. She wobbled on her feet when the Doctor set her down, gripping onto his shoulder with one hand as the other covered her mouth. She swallowed, trying to rid herself of nausea. That was strange. She had never been inclined to be so queasy before. Why would a simple spin make her nauseated?

"Sorry. I think I might have overdone the spinning just a bit there," the Doctor apologized, patting her back lightly.

"That's all right. I'm surprised that it affected me so much. I normally don't get so easily nauseous," Wanda said lightly, giving a crooked smile. She rubbed at her stomach, trying to get it to settle and not feel so on edge. Suddenly, the Doctor grabbed her hand, pulling it away from where she was rubbing. She looked up, surprised to see the troubled look in his eyes. Almost as if he suddenly remembered something awful.

"Wanda, can I check something real quick?" he whispered barely above a breath.

"Um . . . sure," Wanda replied in uncertainty. He reached around her neck, suddenly pulling off the necklace which held her wedding ring. The same ring which she always kept hidden safely under her shirt at all times. She stared at him curiously, wondering why he had decided to remove her ring. Then she was even more confused when he pulled out his sonic and did a quick scan of her. Flicking the screwdriver out, he examined the readings the tool gave. His face dropped significantly with a solemn demeanour seeming to take over.

"Theta, what's wrong?" Wanda asked, feeling extremely nervous by the Doctor's behaviour as he gently placed back on her necklace. He just stared at her, seeming so sad.

"Nothing, it's just . . .," he started to say but seemed unable to finish his sentence. Taking a deep breath, he gave a wavering smile. "Sometimes . . . the universe just isn't fair."

XxXxXxXx

. . . I really don't know what to say now. I'm a little worried for the two of them. :( I hope the chapter was a good read at least. Please let me know if there's anything I did wrong in the chapter or anything you wish for me to improve in a review. :) I love to hear what everyone has to say.

Reviewers:

 **All The Stories Are True 24601** : Aww thank you! I'm so glad you liked the last two chapters. :) Well, I'm always wondering if I'm spelling the words correctly. Or using the right terminology from what is used in the UK. Having family from there helps greatly, but since I grew up mostly in the States I know I get a few things wrong lol. If there's anything you think would sound better for Wanda to say just let me know. :) Just thought maybe you all would like a chapter surprise! lol ;) I'm starting to worry about Wanda, too. Guess we'll worry together? haha

 **Racheeele** : Thank you so much! :D Hope you liked the new one!

 **Justus80** : lol Though that would be awesome, I'm sorry to say there is no crossover of the Guardians of the Galaxy and Doctor Who coming anytime soon. Sorry. But I hope the chapters are still good anyway. :) Hope your day is going great! Until next time!

 **singingKatelyn** : 3 Thank you! :D You're too kind. You're an amazing reader! XD Oh yes, much better. Don't worry about little old me. I'm kicking life in the butt and keep moving forward. ;) Hope to see you again soon!

 **bored411** : Yeah, it sucks how sometimes Wanda's wanderings does that. Wish she didn't have to jump away at all. Oh well, maybe in the future, eh? ;) I really hope you enjoyed the newest chapter! Take care!

 **Momochan77** : XD So glad it's also your favorite! It's so funny with them just missing each other. I know it's a comedy cliche, but it's my favorite comedic moments in shows. :) Crossing my fingers that you enjoyed the new chapter. Until next time!

 **Ronin Kenshin** : Thanks! So happy you liked it. :D

 **N7SpaceHamster** : Hi! :D Everything is going very well. As I hope everything has been for you, too. :) Ah, I understand completely. Work and leisure never seem to want to mix. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for giving me such time spent for wonderful reviews. :) OH yes, the Day of the Doctor. I have great ideas planned for that particular day, don't you worry. ;) Glad you like all the things from the chapters. Wanda's wake up surprise was great. lol Amy is just desperate at avoiding that wedding day, isn't she? Who knows, maybe it is an untapped market. haha ;) Well, maybe a little jealous. Yes, that was something that Wanda never seemed to have seen from her show. But that's more of something to be answered on another date. Yep, you're indeed correct. It is more or less just because Wanda has used her abilities over and over again through the years. So she's developing more of a resistance to her aftereffects. Though that doesn't say it's not affecting the barriers, either. But spoilers for now. ;) Amy wastes no time, does she? lol ;) Glad you liked the easter egg! That's one of my favorites from the show, so I couldn't help but add it in. :) At this point, Third Wanda really does except all companions as both the Doctor's and hers. She really has grown into a full Time Lord. :)  
You're welcome! Thanks for reviewing again! Nope, definitely not. You'll just have to find out where she goes in the future. ;) lol Sorry, I just love teasing the readers. I have a bad habit of it. ;) I thought it would be interesting if the Matron was saved as the Doctor really did seem to want to help her and maybe change her ways. Glad you enjoyed that option! I thought it'd be a just punish/life changer for her. :) Hope you enjoyed the new chapter! See you next time! 3

 **Authora97** : Well . . . at least Wanda wasn't being ominous this time around. Hope you enjoyed it though. :)

 **Crystal-star-Tyler** : Thank you! You're just as amazing. ;) Also thank you so much for all the pictures you made! Can't say it enough, but they're brilliant. :D

 **Whovianeverlark17** : You're very much welcome. :) Well, I'm not saying she did cheat. lol But some distracting could have been involved. Glad you liked that part. Thought it be something interesting to add in. Can't wait to see what you think of the new chapter!

 **Fandomsunited2014** : I'm so happy you enjoyed it. It's my favorite, too. :) Yes, things have seem to have gone smoothly lately, haven't they? Maybe a little too easy. Hmm. Guess we'll just have to wait to find out if anything will happen next. ;) Until next time!

There we have it. All read up and at the end. Not sure what to say next. Hmm . . . Oh I know! Have a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious day! XD

~Tinker~


	21. Ch 21: Byzantium Down

Welcome back once again!

Here wishing that everyone's day has been going well! :) Enjoy the new chapter!

XxXxXxXx

Chapter 21: Byzantium Down

Current location: Alfava Metraxis, somewhere within the Gan belt of the Dundra System.

Current weather: Nice out, weather was perfect at the moment, though with chances of rain later.

Current level of irritation: High. Very damn high.

The Doctor, having been dragged into an injudicious situation by the one and only River Song wearing a black evening dress and red high heels, was not happy. Not one bit. Not only had Dr. Song carved Old High Gallifreyan on an ancient Home Box, doing so twelve-thousand years in the past, but she had also taken the TARDIS controls away from him and steered the ship to a planet which she wished to follow where a certain ship had ended up. She practically flaunted in his face about how much she knew about the TARDIS and about how much 'better' she was at driving. Well, he had news for her, she was nothing compared to his Wanderer. So, ha!

Then, of course, Amy had to go and ask about a million questions about the new woman. Okay, maybe not a million, but it felt like it. It even irritated the Doctor more when Amy asked if he and River were some kind of 'couple.' Oh, that just irked him to no end. Why would Amy even think of something like that? And before he could set the record straight about his Wanderer being the only person for him, Amy ran out of the TARDIS in excitement to see a new planet for the first time. Perfect. By all guesses, most likely he was stuck here now. Just peachy.

At first, when he had seen the Old High Gallifreyan on the ancient Home Box, the Doctor had assumed the message was from Wanda somehow. The 'Hello, sweetie!' seemed like something the Wanderer would do to earn his attention. Then, this only had raised his alarm when realizing the only reason Wanda would go to such means to message him would be because she was in trouble. So of course he panicked, broke the glass case in the museum where the Home Box had been on display, and ran back to the TARDIS before the museum guards could catch him and Amy. (He'd never be going back to that museum again.) And, of course, to his mighty surprise, after connecting the Home Box to the TARDIS, he saw the security footage from the ship had been River Song. After he jumped to get River (still assuming it had something to do with Wanda), it came to his attention that, apparently, the message on the box, as stated by River, 'wasn't meant for him.'

And it had just all gone downhill from there, leading them to present time.

The Doctor marched outside, glancing up towards the high cliff area where the ship they had been chasing crashed. Crashing right into some kind of large temple by the looks of it by the way the building had been built into the cliff so perfectly. The building had been mostly destroyed by the ship running right into the centre of it. Only the tail of the ship stuck out into the air. Everything else was in burnt rubble. Pieces of building and ship were everywhere, even on the beach where they stood. All of which was on fire.

"What caused it to crash?" River asked the Doctor once he walked closer to where she stood, both observing the destruction around them. Amy stood ways back, both fascinated by the disaster and by the way River and the Doctor both acted around each other. River gave the Doctor a side glance. "Not me."

"Nah, the airlock would've sealed seconds after you blew it," the Doctor explained dismissively. "According to the Home Box, the warp engines had a phase-shift. No survivors."

"A phase-shift would have to be sabotage. I did warn them," River stated knowingly. She began to dig into the small purse she had been carrying. The Doctor frowned, trying to keep himself from asking any more questions and getting involved. But damn his curiosity, it got the better of him.

"About what?" he quizzed.

River seemed to ignore this as she gazed back up to the temple in front of them, not even looking at the Doctor in acknowledgment. "At least the building was empty. Aplan temple. Unoccupied for centuries." She gave him a smirk that said she knew she had him hooked in for finding out more.

The Doctor, however, gave her a pointed glare and walked away. Not wishing to bother with delving more into this planet, the crashed ship, or even being around River Song herself. He went to walk back over to the TARDIS, but Amy stepped in his way, with her arms crossed and staring curtly at him.

"Aren't you going to introduce us?" she asked in expectancy, but also curious as to why exactly the Doctor seemed to know this strange woman. Or, better yet, why the woman seemed to know _him_. Did Wanda know about this woman? Would she be happy to find out that the Doctor had some sort of secret woman in his life? The Doctor turned reluctantly back around, waving at hand for introductions.

"Amy Pond, Professor River Song," the Doctor stated. River gasped, turning around with a wide grin.

"I'm going to be a professor someday, am I?" she asked in delight. "How exciting!" She laughed, turning back to stare at the crash, holding out some sort of radio in her hands. "Spoilers!"

The Doctor winced, internally scolding himself for letting foreknowledge slip. This was another reason he did not want to be around River. Too many possibilities of them both ruining their past or futures. So many spoilers in their lives. How did Wanda keep track of them all with everyone's life? It seemed impossible to keep up with.

"Yeah, but who is she and how did she do that?" Amy whispered to the Doctor, trying to keep her voice down so River would not hear. "She just left you a note in a museum." The Doctor turned, putting a finger to his lips and shushed her.

"Two things always guaranteed to turn up into a museum," River spoke up, surprising Amy that she had overheard. "The Home Box of category-four starliner and, sooner or later," she turned, smirking greatly, " _him_. It's how he keeps score. He has _such_ an ego." Amy laughed while the Doctor pouted, feeling greatly disgruntled. He laughed in irritation while the two females chortled in front of him, even discussing more on his 'ego.' He did _not_ have an ego.

"I'm nobody's taxi service!" he scolded River, pointing sharply at her. "I'm not going to be there to catch you every time you feel like jumping out of a spaceship."

"And you are _so_ wrong," River retorted with a smirk.

"Oh, yeah? And why's that?" the Doctor bit back.

"Because Wanda would kill you if you didn't," River said slyly. She snickered at the look of great irritation on his face. She watched as he stomped away from her, knowing she had won their argument.

"Wait, you know Wanda, too?" Amy asked River curiously.

"Yes, I know her very well," River replied, continuing to fiddle with her radio. "I met her way before I even ran into the Doctor."

"And when's that?" Amy quizzed, hoping to know more.

River smirked at Amy and winked. "Spoilers."

Amy frowned for a moment, feeling annoyed that this River Song refused to answer any proper questions. Then, it hit her. Amy's eyes lit up as she realized she had heard that term used by Wanda quite a few times. And then she remembered the Time Lady telling her about where she herself had learned that term. From her _sister_. Amy was about to hurriedly ask River about this when the woman spoke up again.

"There's one survivor," River said, gaining the Doctor's attention again. "There's a thing in the belly of that ship that can't ever die." The Doctor turned slowly around from where he had his back turned to the two females, his eyes sparking with cautious interest. River smirked and nodded. "Now you're listening." She turned to her radio, holding it up to her ear. "You lot in orbit yet?" She walked away from the two, going off to speak her arriving company.

Amy walked over to the Doctor, who appeared to be greatly disgruntled by the whole situation. But seemed to be too interested now by the crashed ship to be bothered in leaving. After a moment, River turned back to the Doctor and Amy, holding up her radio.

"Doctor, can you sonic me?" she asked in expectancy. "I need to boost the signal so we can use it as a beacon." Reluctantly, the Doctor pulled out his screwdriver and pointed it at the held up radio, doing as River asked. He rolled his eyes as River did a small curtsey and then continued on talking with the people on the radio.

"Oh, Doctor. You sonicked her," Amy teased him, though having a hint of crossness in her voice.

"Shut up," the Doctor grumbled in response. Suddenly, a voice rang out from behind both him and Amy.

"River! River, River, River, River! Haha!"

The Doctor and Amy both blinked as a blur of blonde hair zoomed by them and ran straight at River. The woman with curly hair turned in surprise but smiled brightly as the new arrival slammed into her open arms. There was joyous laughter as the new arrival and River hugged each other happily. The Doctor grew a warm smile on his face while Amy stared on in shock when seeing how River spun around the arriving Wanda. The Time Lord could not help but feel a happy swell in his hearts, simply glad to see Wanda so elated in seeing River, her adopted sister, again.

"I knew you'd get here eventually," River stated in delight.

"Ha! Of course!" responded the giddy Wanda. "I'd never miss out on helping my big sister." River laughed along with Wanda before abruptly stopping in her merriment when spotting very angry marks on the Time Lady's neck. Immediately, River went to big sister mode, narrowing her eyes crossly and examined the blonde girl's neck.

"What happened to your neck?" River asked, sounding stern. Wanda backed away, brushing River's hand off her neck.

"Nothing. It's nothing," said Wanda in dismissal. Having heard River's question, the Doctor came up beside Wanda in an instant, holding an angered expression as he studied her neck, touching it as gently as he could.

"Who did this to you?" he gritted angrily, looking ready to hurt the person who dared touch his Wanderer. "Tell me."

"It was an accident. It's nothing to worry about. I'm fine," Wanda said sternly, trying to get the two of them to stop fussing over her. Seriously, they were both way too overprotective at times.

"What sort of accident?" came a question from Amy as she walked up closer to them.

"Just an accident. It wasn't anyone's fault," Wanda explained. She glanced up towards the cliff, seeing the crashed _Byzantium_ sticking out of the Aplan temple. "Ah. So we're here are we? That's just brilliant. I was _so_ looking forward to a day of terror of not blinking."

"Don't change the subject. Who did this?" the Doctor demanded in question, feeling his irritation from before feeding into his ire of Wanda having bruises on her neck. The only possible way she had received those marks is if someone had choked her, and he needed to know who exactly did it so he could teach them a lesson about hurting his Wanderer.

"Forget about it. It's spoilers," Wanda grounded firmly, indicating that the subject was over. River glanced at the Doctor, seeing him ready to argue over this. She rolled her eyes and slapped him on the back of the head.

"Leave it alone, Doctor. If she says it's spoilers, then it's spoilers," River replied in a stern manner. She walked over, linking her arms with Wanda and giving a smile. "So, how have you been, sweetie? Been getting into much trouble?"

"You know it," Wanda snickered as they walked away from the puzzled Amy and irritated Doctor. The Time Lord let out a frustrated puff of air.

"I hate spoilers," he grumbled as he stomped after the two. Amy followed closely behind him. They caught up with River and Wanda, watching how the woman was flipping through an old blue journal while listing off different events.

"Have we done Fayzlap Airways yet?" River asked Wanda.

"Nope, not yet. But that one does sound interesting," replied the Time Lady. River nodded, continuing to flip through the different pages.

"What about the Tusks of Icecapade Tundra?" she quizzed.

"Nope," Wanda shook her head. Amy raised a brow, completely bewildered by their strange interactions.

"What's the book?" questioned the companion, staring at the journal with interest.

"Stay away from it," the Doctor ordered her when seeing Amy trying to sneak a peek of the written words.

"What is it though?" Amy quizzed the Doctor, looking suspicious of the journal and River.

"It's River's diary," Wanda explained, giving the companion a smile. "It's how we keep track of things. None of us really meet up in the same order, so gotta keep a record somehow."

"You're forgetting, sweetie, it's _our_ diary," River clarified to Wanda. The Time Lady nodded with a smile.

The four of them quickly looked over when seeing four, small tornados-like whirlwinds appearing a small distance away from them. Four men in military uniforms, carrying large guns, stood around in a daze for a few seconds from being transported onto the planet's surface. One man in uniform glared in disproval in the direction of River, stomping towards her.

"You promised me an army, Dr. Song," the man said gruffly.

"No, I promised you the equivalent of an army," clarified River, holding a cheeky smile as she patted Wanda's shoulder. "And here she is. The Wanderer." Upon Wanda clearing her throat and giving River a pointed look, the woman rolled her eyes and nodded in the Doctor's direction. "Oh, yes, there's him too, I suppose." The Doctor shot River a look of irritation. Wanda elbowed River in the side, causing the woman to chuckle.

"Be nice," Wanda muttered in a scolding manner at the woman. The Time Lady then smiled politely at the military man. "It's really the Doctor here you want, not me." The man in uniform seemed greatly surprised by this, turning to the Doctor, honoured to see the famous man in person.

"Father Octavian, sir," introduced the man, shaking the Doctor's hand in firm respect. "Bishop, second class. Twenty clerics at my command. The troops are already in the drop ship and landing shortly. Dr. Song was helping us with a covert investigation." The Doctor dropped the man's hand once they were done shaking, then gazed up towards the crashed ship, beginning to wonder what exactly was so important about it. As if reading his mind, Octavian went on speaking. "Has Dr. Song explained what we're dealing with?"

"No, but knowing the Weeping Angels, it isn't going to be pretty," stated Wanda with an exasperated sigh.

XxXxXxXx

The sun began to set over the horizon, very quickly sending them all into the night. More military personnel began to arrive, setting up base just below the cliff side of the downed _Byzantium_. The fire caused by the wreckage had long since burnt out, leaving the place eerily quiet. Only the still air was broken by the babbling of the many soldiers and the crashing of waves on the shoreline. Wanda sat by one of the many tents that had been placed up, observing how the Doctor and Amy were given the details of what the military had come for by Father Octavian. Wanda had drifted away from the conversation earlier, already knowing everything the Octavian was going to say. All about the Angel, the catacombs within the temple, etc. All leading to one big and clear message: This was not going to turn out well. Especially with what was really hiding away inside the temple.

Wanda bounced her leg nervously, then gave said leg a slap in disgust.

"Stop that. You're not allowed to be worried," she scolded the leg. She huffed, leaning her chin within her hand as she watched the Doctor and Amy talking with Octavian over by a large map desk. "I'm tired of always worrying. I'm tired of being a drag and deadweight."

"You're most certainly not deadweight, sweetie," came the voice of River Song. Glancing over to see Dr. Song standing beside her, all dressed in uniform as the rest of the army, Wanda smiled crookedly.

"Nice outfit. Suits you, I think," Wanda stated, turning her eyes back to the Doctor and Amy, seeing how both were muttering away about something or another. Something must be getting on the Doctor's nerves for he was beginning to pull the 'Mr. Grumpy Time Lord' expression.

"Are you going to tell me what really happened to your neck?" River suddenly asked Wanda, gaining the Time Lady's attention once more.

"I don't know. You gonna tell me what's really wrong with my head?" Wanda joked in response.

However, she did keep a keen eye on the woman, observing what her reaction would be. Wanda knew that in a certain point in the woman's life, River knew what mystery was behind in the Time Lady's mind. Though, Wanda also knew that it was very old, very late Rivers who knew this. All versions River who were almost a hair away from reaching the moment of the Library. So, Wanda really never knew when exactly the woman learned the truth. Must be when Wanda herself found out on some sort of adventure. She did remember River saying how she had met a younger Ten at one point. Could that be it?

"I don't know what you're talking about, sweetie," River replied smoothly, not meeting Wanda's gaze as she stared off at the Doctor and Amy.

"Uh-huh. Sure you don't," Wanda chortled lowly, shaking her head. "Just like you don't know that Amelia Pond is really your—."

"Spoilers," River stated quickly, hitting Wanda in the arm as the Time Lady giggled.

"I'm just messing with you," Wanda laughed. Jumping up from the crate she had been sitting on, she brushed her hands together as if preparing for what was to come. "Well, we don't have all night. Best show the Doctor what you've found."

Holding up her fingers, Wanda blew a sharp whistle, gaining the Doctor and Amy's attention. Even a few people from the army stopped short in surprise to the sudden noise. Both Time Lord and companion turned swiftly around, looking stunned when they realized that Wanda had not been with them the entire time. She waved them over as River called the Doctor to see what was inside a drop ship that had been placed there by the military earlier. Father Octavian followed after them a moment later.

Once all inside the drop ship, River showed them all security footage she had required from the _Byzantium_. It was a constant four-second loop that showed a Weeping Angel standing close to the edge of the cell it had been placed in. With its back turned to the camera, it hung its head and kept its hands over its face to hide away from the world. River asked for the Doctor's opinion on the video, watching as the man stood close to the computer screen to examine the image carefully. He confirmed to the group of it being an Angel since Father Octavian was hoping it was not. Wanda was only half paying attention to the conversation, mutely hearing River explaining to Amy what a Weeping Angel truly was. Instead, Wanda kept her sole attention on the image of the Weeping Angel. Not taking her eyes off of it for even a second. She knew what it really was, and she did not want it to take anyone away.

Wanda blinked when the Doctor suddenly left the drop ship, along with River and Octavian right behind him. Glancing briefly back at the Angel on screen, she turned and went after them. Forgetting all about poor Amy back in the small ship.

"The hyperdrive would've split open on impact. That whole ship's gonna be flooded with drive burn radiation, cracked electrons, gravity storms, deadly to almost any living thing," the Doctor began to speak rapidly once Wanda was outside within earshot. When she had gotten close enough to him, he grabbed her hand and pulled her close to him so they could walk together. Wanda realized he must be really on edge with the Angel around in the way he grasped her hand so tightly.

"Deadly to an Angel?" asked Father Octavian.

"Dinner to an Angel," corrected the Doctor. "The longer we leave it there, the stronger it will grow." He suddenly pointed to the Aplan temple. "Who built that temple? Are they still around?"

"The Aplans. Indigenous life form. Died out four hundred years ago," River named off from one of the devices in her hand.

"Two hundred years later, the planet was terraformed," Octavian added. "Currently there are six billion human colonists." The Doctor stared back at the Bishop in astonishment.

"Ooh! You lot, you're everywhere! You're like rabbits!" the Doctor exclaimed in disbelief.

 _Look who's talking, Mr. Perv._ Wanda scoffed within the Doctor's mind, bumping her hip lightly against his. The Doctor looked at her, smirking slyly.

 _You're one to talk as well._ he teased. Wanda merely stuck out her tongue in response. Looking back at the Aplan temple, her face dropped, staring at the ancient, stone building anxiously. The Doctor squeezed her hand. _On a scale of one to ten, how bad will this day go?_

 _About as bad as you can imagine when Weeping Angels are involved._ Wanda sighed shaking her head.

The Doctor raised a brow. _Any sneak peeks you'd like to give, then?_

 _Hmm. The best sneak peek I can think of is . . . count the statues' heads._ She frowned as her mind suddenly clicked, reminding her she was forgetting something. _There aren't any pictures._

 _Sorry?_

 _In the book, there aren't any pictures. And I'm forgetting why._ Wanda turned swiftly, walking over to River who had grabbed a book on the Angels, the only book on them, from her supplies after Father Octavian had walked off to gather up his troops. Wanda yanked the book out of River's hand, flipping through the pages hurriedly.

"Sweetie, what is it?" River asked in concern.

"What are you looking for, Wanda?" questioned the Doctor as he came up beside the Time Lady. Turning on her heel to face the two, holding up the book in her hand, Wanda furrowed her brows.

"There aren't any pictures in this book and I can't remember why that is," she explained rapidly. "I mean, I remember it's important. But the memory of why that is isn't coming through. I've looked into the possibilities a little too much from another adventure I had come from, and this headache is killing me, so it's hard concentrating on old memories. But anyway—there's a specific reason in this book as to why there are no pictures." Grabbing the old book from her, the Doctor quickly flipped through the pages, reading them all at a rapid pace. He finally came to a stop on a certain page when he spotted the words of warning.

"'That which holds the image of an angel becomes itself an angel,'" the Doctor read from the page. Wanda gasped as she suddenly remembered, slapping herself on the forward.

"Oh hell! Amy!" she exclaimed, turning on her heel to run back over to the drop ship. The three of them reached the door of the small ship just as Amy began shouting out for help.

"It's in the room!" they heard the girl exclaim from the other side of the deadlocked door. The Doctor and Wanda both banged on the door, beginning to sonic it.

"Are you all right? What's happening?" the Doctor yelled in question to Amy.

"Doctor! It's coming out of television," Amy replied in a frightened voice. "The Angel is here."

"Don't take your eyes off of it, Amy," Wanda instructed as the Doctor crouched down and tried sonicking the panel beside the door. She glanced over at him when seeing him trying to break into another panel on the side of the ship, seeing how River and the Doctor were beginning to argue over the ship being deadlocked. Wanda shook her head and directed her attention back to Amy on the other side of the door. "And whatever you do, _don't_ look at its eyes."

"Um . . . okay," Amy responded weakly.

Wanda groaned and shook her head, replying, "You looked into its eyes, didn't you?"

"Yeah," Amy stated in uncertainty. "Why? What's wrong with looking at its eyes?"

"Nothing at the moment, but you'll find out later," Wanda grumbled as she banged her head on the door.

"It's not deadlocked!" River was heard yelling at the Doctor in frustration.

"Well, it is now!" the Doctor retorted.

"Would you two focus!" Wanda snapped, earning their attention. "We can't get in from the outside, so we need to concentrate on helping Amy from the inside." She turned her attention back to the door while the other two beside her blinked in shock to her scolding them. "Amy, do you have the remote to the monitor?"

"No," Amy told her.

"Get it. But don't blink," Wanda instructed her.

"I'm not blinking! Have you ever tried _not_ blinking?!" Amy exclaimed, her voice travelling away from the door as she went to get the remote. There was a moment's pause as Wanda knew Amy was grabbing the device and trying repeatedly to turn the monitor off, to get rid of the video image of the Angel that was coming out of the screen. "It just keeps switching it back on!"

"Yeah, it's the Angel," the Doctor muttered as he continued to try to get the door open. River yanked out a few wires from the panel beside him, working the same. Even though Wanda had told them it was useless to get the door open, each still seemed determined.

"But it's just a recording," responded Amy, having heard the Doctor speak.

"No, anything that takes the image of an Angel is an Angel," countered the Doctor.

"What's it going to do to me?" Amy began to question in a fearful tone, sounding ready to face whatever death that was coming for her.

"It's not going to do anything to you. We won't let that happen," Wanda said firmly. She tapped her hand on the metal door, trying to get the companion inside to focus on remaining alive. "Look, Amy, really just think about it. Really think. It's a four-second loop."

"Right, okay, and what does that mean?" Amy responded, sounding confused. Then, when Amy spoke again, they could hear her becoming determined and focused. "Okay. One, two, three, four . . ." The door clicked open loudly, allowing Wanda, the Doctor, and River to rush into the small ship. They entered just in time to see the image of the Angel fading away. Amy smiled in victory. "I froze it! I caught it on the blip." She beamed when turning to them.

The Doctor rushed around her, unplugging the monitor from the wall. He sonicked the plug, making certain that the computer screen would be completely disabled. No more trouble coming from the Angel. Wanda rushed up to Amy, giving the girl a hug.

"You worry me way too often," Wanda teased her, punching Amy in the arm. She laughed when the companion went 'ow' and made a disgruntled face. "Good job, Pond. You were brilliant. Wasn't she brilliant, River?"

"More than brilliant," River agreed, giving Amy a hug as well. The ginger girl smiled sheepishly but looked proud of herself all the same.

They all were startled when a sudden massive explosion rumbled outside. The Doctor swiftly walked back out of the drop ship while the three females trailed just behind. The military had broken through into the lower levels of the temple, ready to proceed into the catacombs. The soldiers had thrown a rope ladder down into the hole they had created, beginning to send troops into the darkness below. River and Amy went right after a few of the troops with torches in hand.

"You should really go back into the TARDIS," the Doctor suddenly said to Wanda, halting her as she started to go towards the rope ladder. "It's not safe for you. It's too dangerous."

"Since when have adventures become too dangerous for me?" Wanda scoffed, rolling her eyes.

"Since . . . recently. Because of . . . things," the Doctor said, awkwardly trying to convince her to leave this day to them. Wanda smiled, patting the side of his face sweetly.

"I'll be fine, Spaceman. I'm not leaving you, Amy, and River all alone with an Angel on the loose," she replied firmly, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "You just worry too much."

"I don't think I worry enough, actually," he countered, shaking his head with a frustrated sigh. His eyes fixated on the dark bruise around her neck, his face hardening at the way it looked like a pair of man's hands wrapped around her throat. Anger boiled in the pit of his stomach. Eyes flickering to stare at the emerald irises gazing back with full determination and resolve, the Doctor let out an irritated huff, knowing he was going to regret this. "Fine, fine. But stick close to me, all right?"

"Of course, sweetie. Whatever you say." Wanda giggled after this sarcastic remark as the Doctor rolled his eyes and grabbed her hand, leading her carefully towards the hole with the rope ladder. Going down the ladder first, he stood at the end of the rope, holding out his hands, ready to catch Wanda as she climbed down as well. The moment her feet had touched the ground, he pulled her close to him, keeping his eyes trained around as if worried an Angel would suddenly come out and take her away.

"Where are we? What is this?" spoke up Amy as she shined her torchlight around within the dark, stone room they had climbed into. She kept trying to make out what was in the dark, but the light of her torch seemed unable to shine very far into the pitch-black surroundings.

"It's an Aplan mortarium, sometimes called a maze of the dead," explained River.

"What's that?" Amy asked out of curiosity.

"Well, if you happen to be a creature of living stone . . .," spoke up the Doctor. He grabbed a gravity globe from Father Octavian, throwing it out and giving it a hard kick, it flew up into the air and lit up the area. Showing them all a massive underground area, with a vast network of inner buildings, bridges, and many, many stone statues, all of which looked ancient with several without their heads. The Doctor held a wry smile. "The perfect hiding place."

Everyone stared around in awe, as well as in disbelief. Things were definitely going to be much more difficult than they originally thought. Giving every close statue a wary glance, Wanda could only feel dread in knowing what each ancient stone figure was going to become later. This day was really, really not going to be good. Scooting closer to the Doctor, the Time Lady held her Time Lord's hand as they gazed around the vast room.

"A stone angel on the loose amongst stone statues," Father Octavian stated wearily. "A lot harder than I prayed for."

"A needle in a haystack," River said.

"A needle that looks like hay. A hay-like needle. Of death. A hay-like needle of death in a haystack of statues," the Doctor rambled on sarcastically as he just knew this day was going to be tiresome.

"'Haystack of statues'?" Wanda snickered next to the Doctor. He pouted at her.

"Hush you. It was a good analogy," he replied. Wanda merely stuck her tongue at him as they began to walk forward.

The soldiers around were ordered by Octavian to begin searching, checking every single statue they would come across. The Doctor, Amy, and Wanda, along with River and Octavian, began their own searching, weaving in between the old statues. Water dripped in echoes around the chamber, trailing down the statues themselves and down the stone walls. Vegetation could be seen growing along the walls as well. Even some vines wrapping themselves around the stone figures standing around. The air was thick, smelling of dirt and musk. A light wind swept through every few moments, sending a chill around everyone. At one point, the Doctor let go of Wanda's hand as they walked through a small tunnel branching away from the main temple room. Wanda stayed close behind, pointing her torch around to keep their path lit up. She felt Amy not too far behind her as they walked.

"Don't you think it's interesting," Wanda suddenly spoke up, trying to gain the Doctor's attention.

"Hmm? What's interesting?" he asked, not really sounding as though he were paying attention as he inspected one statue. Wanda walked up beside him, pointing her torch firmly at the stone figure standing in front of them.

"That all the statues appear to be female," she spoke quietly, trying to sound casual. "They even all look alike. Don't you think?" She knew already from the possibilities that she could not warn them about the Angels just yet. The Angels needed to gain power, moving into the oxygen supply area of the ship above them, so that way the crack in time may be closed. The Angels needed to be the ones to close the crack. For if the rip in time was not closed this day, things would go horribly wrong for the rest of this world. Six billion lives depended on it. But it still did not mean Wanda could not give a few hints, perhaps helping the Doctor along where he needed it.

"Yes, that is interesting," muttered the Doctor as he stared closely at the statue. He frowned in thought turning away to continue down the tunnel. Giving the statue one last hard stare, Wanda moved along after him. She heard River grabbing Amy behind them, ready to give the girl an injection for the radiation they would be facing later. The Time Lady did not pay them much attention as she walked quickly to keep up with the retreating Doctor. Behind the Time Lords, the two companions began talking.

"Ow! I thought you said that wouldn't hurt," Amy grumbled after River placed the needle in her arm.

"I lied," River replied, grinning cheekily.

Grumbling under her breath and rolling her eyes, Amy glanced up to where the Doctor and Wanda had come to a stop. Each of them was examining a statue, muttering quietly to each other. Every few seconds, Amy would observe the Doctor saying something to Wanda, then the Time Lady replying back, followed by her sticking her tongue out and the Time Lord giving a pout. Then he would smile and kiss the blonde girl's cheek, causing her to giggle in delight. Again, Amy felt the spike of uneasiness go through her, something which she had been feeling quite often together, especially with the new arrival of River Song. Did the Doctor just have many women in his life or something?

"So . . . what are they like? In the future, I mean. 'Cause you know them in the future, don't you?" Amy suddenly asked River, decided she needed to get her mind off of her bitter emotions. River gave a small shrug.

"The Doctor . . . well, the Doctor's the Doctor," answered River. She glanced up towards the Time Lords, seeing Wanda bop the Doctor on the nose when he said something cheeky and laughing at the Time Lord's pout. A fond smile appeared on River's face as she watched them both. "And Wanda's a whole other story."

"Oh?" Amy frowned, trying to understand what River meant by this. Glancing towards the Time Lord couple, seeing how they were both silently communicating, gesturing to the surroundings and the statues. Amy looked back at River. "They're not listening in, are they?"

River chuckled and shook her head in amusement. "No. When those two are together, they're basically in their own little world. But when Wanda leaves, well . . . I'm sure you noticed the Doctor sulking around, right?"

Amy nodded, knowing exactly what River meant. The Doctor always did go into this strange, absent zone and slump around the TARDIS when Wanda was away. Frowning, Amy stared carefully at River. "So what are you to the Doctor? His wife or something? 'Cause it kinda seems that way."

River snorted quietly, shaking her head in humour as her shoulders shook from her chuckles. "Oh, Amy, Amy. You really are about as naïve as Wanda."

Amy crossed her arms, huffing in annoyance. "What's that supposed to mean?"

River raised a sly brow. "Isn't it obvious?" She nodded her head towards the two Time Lords, making Amy watch as the Doctor held an arm around Wanda's middle, rubbing at the Time Lady's stomach lovingly.

"But Wanda—Second Wanda—said there wasn't anything going on between them. That they're just friends."

River patted Amy on the shoulder as if explaining to a child. "If there's one thing you have to learn about Wanda, is that younger incarnations are just too innocent minded. She was just as completely oblivious to her relationship as you are to yours."

Blinking in surprise, Amy stared at River warily. "And what do you mean by that?"

"Spoilers." River gave Amy a sly wink and smile, moving away to go towards the Time Lords.

Amy only responded by huffing louder, marching over to join the group. But as soon as she came up beside the trio, the lot of them jumped in shock when they heard rapid gunfire echoing off from the distance. Together they turned and rushed off to find out what was happening. When they arrived to the spot, they saw a young soldier holding his gun tightly in his hands, staring anxiously around. But when he saw the group staring at him in confusion, he lowered his weapon in embarrassment.

"Sorry. Sorry, I thought . . . I thought it looked at me," apologized the young soldier.

"We know what the Angel looks like. Is that the Angel?" Father Octavian berated the young man when he had walked over to see what had happened.

"No, sir," mumbled the solider in embarrassment.

"No, sir, it is not!" barked Octavian. "According to the Doctor, we are facing an enemy of unknowable power and infinite evil. So it would be good, it would be very good, if we could all remain calm in the presence of décor."

Looking at the soldiers, Wanda frowned in disproval. She knew the young soldier, Cleric Bob, was merely nervous beyond belief about facing an Angel. And Octavian yelling at the poor young man would not help matters in stress. Especially since the statue Cleric Bob had shot at most likely really did look at him. Seeing the Doctor get ready to step forward to speak up, she laid a hand on his shoulder to halt him.

 _Actually, can I talk to him?_ Wanda asked, nodding her head towards Cleric Bob. Smiling and nodding, the Doctor stepped back to allowing the small blonde Time Lady to step towards the taller soldiers. "Excuse me, but you're Cleric Bob, aka Sacred Bob, correct?" She stepped closer to the young man, seeing how he seemed even more embarrassed now that she was addressing him.

"Yes, ma'am," mumbled Bob. She smiled and patted him on the shoulder.

"Just call me Wanda, dear. I'm not big on formalities," she said, keeping her voice light to allow him to not feel so awkward around her. Though, calling a man 'dear,' who appeared to be the same age as her own current face, seemed to strike odd with him by the puzzled expression Bob sent her. Wanda held a very small smirk, knowing the young man would probably freak if he knew that she was actually ninety-eight, almost ninety-nine, years old.

"Look, I know you're scared. A lot of us are," Wanda spoke, her voice gentle and calm. "And really, it's okay to be afraid sometimes. It's what keeps us alive, and only fools think otherwise." Wanda sent a sharp eye at Father Octavian, watching as the older man huffed, his face showing irritation and turned to march away. She directed her gaze back to Bob. "If you get anxious again for the future, just count to three. It's always helped me in the past."

"I don't think you or the Doctor have ever gotten scared, ma'am," Bob muttered, looking pleased that Wanda had stood up for him against Octavian, but still ashamed of his frightened reaction from earlier.

"Nah, we've both gotten scared loads of times," Wanda replied with an encouraging smile. "In fact, I used to be the world's biggest scaredy-cat when I was your age. But having the count-to-three method really helps."

Bob blinked in bewilderment. "My age?"

"Story for later." Wanda waved her hand in dismissal. "Just . . . if you run into trouble or think something suspicious is happening, just give the Doctor a call, okay? He'll be able to sort you out. I'll try to help you the best I can as well. Now, just make sure to take care of yourself, all right, Bob?" Smiling with a gentle expression, she patted his shoulder once more then walked back over to the Doctor. Behind her, she heard Octavian order Bob to go be with Christian and Angelo, two soldiers who had gone searching down a different branching tunnel a while ago. Wanda winced, already knowing the fate of the two soldiers as well as what was going to happen to poor Sacred Bob. She only hoped that perhaps he would listen to her advice and call the Doctor later before running into the Angel from the crashed ship.

The Doctor grabbed her hand as soon as she stood next to him, in bright attitude as he felt heartened when seeing her talking so kindly to mere strangers in need. She understood what it was like to be fearful of the universe more than anyone else. And he felt proud of her for overcoming all her past fears over the many decades that she had been travelling with him. Wanda truly has grown into a magnificent Time Lady. His magnificent Wanderer.

The Doctor, Wanda, River, and Amy continued to move on, going down farther from the large group of soldiers in the main chamber. Wanda only half listened to the Doctor beginning to ponder over an Aplan architect he had met once. The past species having two heads to perfect building design. Then River read a small passage from the book of Angels, muttering with the Doctor and Amy as to what it meant. The Time Lady sighed, wishing she could focus on their discussion but felt her mind constantly in a muddle as it began to become very attentive and alert to her surroundings. The one barrier creaked as it tensed when she heard grating stone off in a corner. Right there, just in the corner of her eye, she swore she saw one of the statues moving its hand as it slowly awoke from its long-awaiting slumber.

Sometime later, the rest of the soldiers, led by Father Octavian, caught up with the small time travelling family. Together, all made their way up the many steps within the catacombs, going to the very top. After a moment of walking amongst many, many statues, River sped up her pace next to the Doctor and Wanda.

"Doctor, Wanda, there's something. I don't know what it is . . .," the woman began to speak to them, sounding uncertain by something.

"Yeah, there's something wrong," the Doctor muttered in agreement as he directed his torch light onto one particular stone figure in front of him. "Don't know what it is yet, either. Working on it." Narrowing his eyes, his gaze hardened as Wanda's 'sneak peek' from earlier ran through his mind once more. Something which he had been analyzing in his head, but for some reason could not get his mind to draw a specific conclusion. What was he missing?

"Doctor, count the heads, remember?" Wanda whispered to him. She jerked her head towards the direction of the statues that surrounded them and the other soldiers. Stone figures that all seemed to be watching the group of people rather closely. Seeming lost for a second, it suddenly clicked in the Time Lord's mind as his eyes lit up in both realization and horror.

"Oh," he breathed. River standing beside them also grew a look of shock and alarm.

"Oh," she agreed in a mumble. Amy scooted closer to the lot, trying to understand what they were going on about.

"What's wrong?" she asked them.

"They forgot to count the heads," Wanda said in a hushed voice, turning her torch to all the statues.

"How could we not notice that?" River grumbled in disbelief, clearly irritated that it had gone right over her head in not noticing to begin with.

"When people are under stress they tend to overlook the simple things sometimes," Wanda mumbled while jerking her shoulders up in a light shrug. "Doesn't really matter at the moment. Either way, we're surrounded now."

"What's wrong?" Father Octavian questioned cautiously as he and his men stopped to stare at the muttering trio in perplexity.

"Nobody move. Nobody move. Everyone stay exactly where they are," the Doctor ordered everyone in strict fashion, pointing a firm finger at everyone to remain still as he himself kept his eyes trained on the statues in front of him. While also trying to keep the others surrounding stone figures in the corner of his eye. "Bishop, I am truly sorry. I've made a mistake and we are all in terrible danger." Octavian appeared to be uncertain now, side glancing at everyone in question for what was going to happen. He glanced at the old, worn statues as well when seeing the way the Doctor was looking at them.

"What danger?" he asked the Doctor.

"The number of heads are wrong," Wanda answered, directing her torch firmly onto a statue in front of her. "The Aplans have two heads. And yet, all the statues in their temple only have one." All of the soldier's eyes widened in alarm as they stared around and saw that the blonde girl was correct. And no one had realized the obvious misplacement within the temple.

"Everyone, over there. Just move, don't ask questions, don't speak," the Doctor instructed the large group, pointing them towards a small corner in the room the tunnel they had been walking through. Moving in quick fashion, the soldiers gathered around, aiming their weapons out, while Amy stared around anxiously, River and Wanda kept their eyes trained hard on all statues, and the Doctor began rapidly thinking of a plan as he gazed around the area.

"Okay," muttered the Doctor. "I want you all to switch off your torches." Wanda did so right away, immediately following the Doctor's orders. Everyone else questioned this and hesitant, not wishing to be in the dark even for a second. But the Doctor remained firm on his instructions, waiting until everyone had turned their lights off. "Okay. I'm going to turn off this one, too," he waved his own still lit torch in his hand, "just for a moment."

"Are you sure about this?" River asked, keeping her voice guarded as she felt uncertain about the Doctor's sanity at the moment. Though, then again, when had he ever been sane to begin with? She stepped up next to Wanda, keeping a firm hand on the Tame Lady's arm in case of something were to happen. River knew, if it came down to it, she would lay down her life for the blonde girl in a heartbeat. The Doctor, too, if things really became bad. However, in River's book, Wanda would always come first. The Time Lady next to the woman assumed River was nervous and simply patted the woman's hand, giving a squeeze to comfort the companion.

"No," the Doctor muttered under his breath, just barely loud enough for all of them to hear. He stepped back, reaching out to take Wanda's one free hand and grip it tightly. He felt her give his hand a squeeze, letting him know that things would be okay. Swallowing heavily, he finally turned off his torch. Only for a hurried blink. The moment he switched it back on, all the statues had turned to face them, with hands reaching out towards the group. Everyone collectively took sharp breathes.

"Oh, my god. They've moved," Amy said, her voice shaking in fear. In an instant, everyone turned on their torches, waving the lights around to stare in alarm at all the many statues around them. The Doctor rushed forward, dragging Wanda along with him as he walked swiftly by each statue, briefly examining them. The others followed in suit, going down the tunnel to come across a statue who had crouched low to the ground and held out a hand in their direction.

"They're Angels. All of them," stated the Doctor, concluding what everyone had been fearing the statues to be. "Every statue in this maze, every single one, is a Weeping Angel. They're coming after us."

"But there was only one Angel on the ship. Just the one, I swear," River spoke, trying to assess the situation as quickly as possible.

"Could they have been here already?" suggested Amy. Humming, the Doctor turned his attention to the group for questioning.

"The Aplans, what happened? How did they die out?" he asked.

"Nobody knows," answered River.

"Well, I guess we know now," Wanda said, staring intently at the many statues in front of them, trying not to blink.

"They don't look like Angels," Octavian commented, sounding almost skeptical of _all_ the statues being Weeping Angels. It almost seemed impossible for there to be that many to him.

"And they're not fast. You said they were fast. They should have had us by now," added Amy, hoping that the Doctor and Wanda were wrong about the statues all being Angels. The very thought scared the companion to the core as she saw how outnumbered they all were.

"Look at them, "the Doctor countered, waving his torch at the stone figures. "They're dying. Losing their form. They must've been down here for centuries, starving."

"And with losing their image, they were losing their power," muttered Wanda. She gripped her torch tightly, glancing at the Doctor. She saw how he still seemed oblivious to what was really happening here. Why exactly the _Byzantium_ had been crashed in the first place. "Doctor, the Angels needed power."

"Yes, and?" he questioned, frowning in puzzlement when seeing the Time Lady's urgent look.

"And now they've got it," Wanda said edgily, indicating with her head towards the ceiling of where the crash site would be located above them. With eyes widening, it finally hit the Doctor on what had been done.

"Power!" he exclaimed, slapping himself on the forehead. He felt like such an idiot for not realizing it sooner.

"What? What is it?" spoke up Amy, wondering what exactly the Time Lords were going on about.

"Don't you see? All that radiation spilling out, the drive burn," the Doctor began rambling on quickly. "The crash of the _Byzantium_ wasn't an accident, it was a rescue mission for the Angels. We're in the middle of an army and it's waking up." The soldiers around tightened their grips on their guns, aiming them more steadily at the statues around them. Amy's eyes widened in horror while River began looking around for an escape route away from here.

"We need to get out of here fast," the woman said to them.

"Agreed," Wanda muttered, backing up to stand closer to Amy and River, wanting to protect the companions from any incoming Angels. She heard Father Octavian beginning to call the soldiers who had been still searching down below in the lower levels. Urgently trying to contact Angelo, Christian, and Bob. Swallowing heavily with a sour taste in her mouth, Wanda straightened her posture and hardened her gaze.

"It's Bob, sir. Sorry, sir," came the reply from Octavian's radio. But Wanda knew that the one speaking truly was not Sacred Bob.

"Bob, are Angelo and Christian with you?" Octavian questioned the young soldier, keeping his tone urgent. "All the statues are active. I repeat, all the statues are active!"

"I know, sir," came the response from the radio. "Angelo and Christian are dead, sir. The statues killed them, sir." The Doctor walked up, swiftly grabbing the radio from Octavian.

"Bob, Sacred Bob, it's me, the Doctor," he spoke rapidly to the radio. "Where are you now?"

"I'm on my way up to you, sir," said the voice on the radio. "I'm homing in on your signal."

The Doctor smiled, glad that the young man seemed to be okay. "Well done, Bob. Your friends, what did the Angel do to them?"

"Snapped their necks, sir."

Everyone stiffened either looking perplexed by this or worried. The Doctor blinked in astonishment. That was not right. That could not be how the Angel killed the other two, it did not fit the profile of a Weeping Angel. "See, that's odd. That's not how the Angels kill you, they displace you in time. Unless—."

"Unless they needed bodies for something," Wanda finished for him. She walked up briskly to the Doctor. "Sorry, sweetie, but I can't stand this anymore." Taking the radio from him, she walked away, gripping it tightly in her hand and lifting up close to her mouth as everyone stared at her back in confusion. "Right, now, no more pretending or playing mind games. I know who you really are, Angel. Or should I call you Angel Bob now since you are using Bob's reanimated conscious with his cerebral cortex for your own purposes."

"That's right, ma'am," clarified Angel Bob. Everyone took in a small breath of shock. The Doctor walked up closer to Wanda, gripping on her shoulder as she continued to speak.

"You killed him . . . both him and his friends, not even giving them the decency to live in another timeline," Wanda muttered darkly. She sighed shaking her head. "I'm sorry, Bob. I wish things didn't have to be this way. I let you down by not trying to think of a way to save you."

"Yes, ma'am. I know, ma'am," spoke Angel Bob causally. "I did count to three like you said, ma'am. But you were wrong. It didn't help my fears. Didn't really keep me safe, either. You knew what was going to happen and you let me die."

"I know. I'm sorry," Wanda whispered sadly. Sucking in a breath, she tightened her expression to keep herself from falling into guilt. She looked over her shoulder towards the group behind her and the Doctor. "Right, you lot, get running towards the wreckage. We'll catch up." The soldiers along with Amy and River rushed past the Time Lords, heading in the direction which Wanda had pointed them to. The Doctor gripped her hand as she held the radio in between them for them both to speak to the Angel. "So, you, the Angel of the wreckage, you're planning on killing us all. And that's all fine and dandy, but you know something else?"

"What's that, ma'am?" questioned Angel Bob.

"You won't win. And Bob, you're death won't be in vain," Wanda spoke firmly. "I promise, we'll stop the Angels from hurting anyone else."

"We both promise," the Doctor added in, giving Wanda a reassuring look. He grabbed the radio from her, placing it in his pocket. "We need to go, Wanderer."

"Yeah," she breathed, holding a shaking smile. He gave her a quick kiss, gripping her hand as they ran down the tunnel after their group. Up ahead, they saw Amy standing stiffly in the way, keeping a very tight grasp on stone railing.

"Don't wait for us. Go, run," the Doctor told the girl hurriedly as he ran forward. Only to stop short when Wanda's hand slipped out of his own.

"I can't. My hand—," Amy began to say. But instead of saying more, she cried out in pain as Wanda, in a swift motion, reached down with one hand to grip the companion's arm, bent down, and bit hard on Amy's hand. In a reaction to the pain she felt, immediately Amy let go of the railing and pulled up her hand to her chest, staring in disbelief at the smiling Time Lady.

"There. See? Your hand's not stone. Told you not to look into the Angel's eyes, didn't I? Now they're gonna play mind tricks with you," Wanda told the girl, grasping onto her free hand. "Now, come on, we don't have time. Gotta keep moving." She swiftly grabbed the Doctor's hand as well and pulled both along down the tunnel as the Time Lord's torch flicked from the fast approaching Angels.

"You bit me!" Amy exclaimed angrily as they ran.

"Yeah, well, it was the only way to get you to move," Wanda explained, keeping her voice light. "You're alive. That's something, right?"

"I've got a mark! Look at my hand!" Amy retorted, waving her bitten hand at Wanda.

Wanda huffed in irritated. Some people were just not appreciative of things. "Well, I didn't exactly have time to think of anything else except biting! I could have let the Doctor do it, but that would have wasted time and I'm not patient!"

"Blimey, your teeth! Have you got space teeth?"

"Seriously, Pond? We don't have time for this! I'll get you ice cream or something later to make up for it. Now run!"

Beside the two females, the Doctor was chuckling, finding their small spat to be quite amusing. Oh, how he would not ever let forget the moment of Wanda biting Amy. Just brilliant. Ha!

They finally reached the main chamber right under the wreckage. Far above their heads, they could see the very top of the _Byzantium_ , with small bit of fire still clinging to the broken holes of the ship. The soldiers all had their guns pointed out towards the many tunnels surrounding them. River stood at attention, gazing upward as she seemed to be thinking through on how exactly they were going to reach the ship that was at least thirty feet above them. By now, all torches were flicking on and off. Even the gravity globe was being affected, sending them into milliseconds of darkness each time. Enough time for them to be unable to see and the Angels to advance closer. Essentially, they were trapped.

As the Doctor, Amy, and Wanda joined the group, the lights shut off together for a brief moment then turned back on, showing them Angels on all edges of the corridors and creeping closer.

"Any suggestions?" River asked the two Time Lords. "There's no way up, no way back, no way out. No pressure, but this is usually when you two have a really good idea."

"There's always a way out," the Doctor stated, not focusing on River's worries as he rapidly started forming a plan of action in his mind.

"Everything's going to be fine, River. I promise," Wanda told the woman, giving her a smile. River smiled in return.

"That's reassuring at least," the woman chuckled, aiming her torch around as still kept her guard up just in case something went wrong.

"How is that reassuring? You can't promise that," Amy interjected, keeping close to Wanda as she felt her anxiety spike.

"I always keep my promises, remember?" Wanda countered, giving the girl a pointed look. She grabbed the ginger girl's hand, holding it to comfort the frightened companion. This seemed to ease Amy somewhat as the girl relaxed her tense shoulders.

"Doctor? Can I speak to the Doctor, please?" spoke up Angel Bob from the radio the Doctor still carried. Hurriedly pulling the radio out of his pocket, the Doctor held it up to speak.

"Hello, Angels. What's your problem?" the Doctor asked, keeping his voice light.

"Your power will not last much longer, and the Angels will be with you shortly," stated Angel Bob, sounding completely calm about the whole situation. "Sorry, sir." The Doctor, furrowing his brows, gripped the radio a little tighter in his hand.

"Why are you telling me this?" the Doctor demanded in question.

"There's something the Angels are very keen you should know before the end," Angel Bob explained.

"Which is?"

"I died in fear."

Blinking for a second, the Doctor frowned. "I'm sorry?"

"The Wanderer told me that it was okay to be afraid. That my fears would keep me alive. But she lied. I died afraid, in pain and alone. She made me believe I could live, but she lied." The Doctor gritted his teeth together as Angel Bob continued. "Just like she's lying to you all now. She knows you will all die here as well. I know that she knows for I've heard the stories about the Doctor and his Wanderer of Time. She knows all, and she doesn't even try to help anyone with her knowledge."

Wanda lowered her eyes, trying not to let the words bother her. But they cut deep as she knew it was true. There were many times in the past where she could have stopped the deaths of people and saved them. But she did not because of trying to stick with what was meant to happen and to not corrupt time. Just as she had done so now. People were meant to die sometimes. The moment with Pete's death and so many others had taught her this lesson. Still . . . could she had tried harder to save them? Amy glanced at the Wanda, seeing the troubled expression on the Time Lady, then looked at the Doctor seeing how tightly he gripped the radio with a very angered look on his face.

"What are they doing?" Amy asked River in a hushed tone, wondering why exactly the Angels were telling the Time Lord all of this.

"They're trying to make him angry," River replied in a gruff whisper, her own eyes storming with great agitation. "Though, he's not the only one they've angered." She turned her head, seeing Wanda staring at the ground with her ash-blonde hair hanging in her face. Scooting closer to the Time Lady, River gently rubbed soothing circles on Wanda's shoulder. Wanda did not acknowledge the woman's gesture of comfort as she kept her head down. Looking briefly towards his Wanderer, the Doctor felt his ire boiling even higher in seeing the solemn expression on her face.

"I'm sorry, sir," spoke up Angel Bob once more. "The Angels were very keen for you to know that." Gritting his teeth once more, the Doctor kept his voice low as he spoke next.

"Well, then, the Angels have made their second mistake, because I'm not going to let that pass," he told Angel Bob. "I'm sorry you're dead, Bob, but I swear to whatever is left of you, they will be sorrier."

"But you're trapped, sir, and about to die," countered Angel Bob over the radio. The Doctor walked over to Wanda, pulling her close to him by wrapping an arm around her waist, making certain he had a good hold in her and that they both stood in the middle of the group.

"Yeah. I'm trapped," the Doctor barked in retort into the radio. "And you know what, speaking of traps, this trap has got a great, big mistake in it. A great, big, whopping mistake!"

"What mistake, sir?" queried Angel Bob. The Doctor, lowering the radio to his side, stared at Wanda until she finally lifted her eyes up to meet his. Ducking down, he gave her a brief, reassuring kiss, smiling when her expression lightened somewhat.

"Trust me?" he whispered.

"Always," she replied without hesitation or reserve. He beamed, glad to always have her by his side. And he would not allow the Angels to get away with making her sad. Looking at the other two companions, he raised a brow.

"Trust me?" he asked them carefully. Both Amy and River nodded firmly, seeming ready for whatever he had planned. The Doctor then looked to Father Octavian. "You lot, trust me?" Octavian hesitated for a moment, seeming skeptical as he stared at the Doctor.

"We have faith, sir," he finally answered the Doctor with a nod.

"Then give me your gun," the Doctor instructed him, snapping his fingers to point at the gun on the soldier's hip. Octavian handed it over, watching cautiously as the Doctor examined the pistol. "I'm about to do something incredibly stupid and dangerous. When I do," he let go of his one arm around Wanda to give a bounce upwards for show, "jump!"

"Jump where?" Octavian asked him.

"Just jump, high as you can," the Doctor ordered him and everyone else.

"Leap of faith, Bishop," Wanda added in, seeming to get over her earlier sadness as she held a determined expression. "All of us, we jump together on the signal." She grabbed both Amy and River's hands, preparing herself to leap when the Doctor said. The Time Lord in the middle of the group lifted the pistol up, pointing it directly at the ship hanging above them all. The weapon clicked as it prepared to fire.

"Sorry, can I ask again? You mentioned a mistake we've made," Angel Bob spoke up from the radio once again. The Doctor used his free hand to pull the communication device out of his pocket where he had placed it away earlier.

"Oh, big, big mistake. Really huge," he replied to the Angel. "Didn't anyone ever tell you, there's one thing you never put in a trap if you're smart. If you value your continued existence, if you have any plans about seeing tomorrow, there is one thing you never, ever put in a trap."

"And what would that be, sir?" Angel Bob questioned.

With eyes flashing, showing the Oncoming Storm brewing away within green irises, the Doctor bared his teeth angrily. " _Me_."

With that said, a shot rang out, hitting the gravity globe and spilling liquid down towards everyone. And collectively, they all jumped together.

XxXxXxXx

I don't know why, but I always love when the Doctor becomes Mr. Grumpy Time Lord. lol ;) Is it just me? Am I being weird? Probably lol ;) Please let me know what you all thought in a review. Every bit helps me make certain to keep the story growing and developing into better work. And don't worry about making me upset by giving the story some good criticism. Being critical of something definitely helps someone grow in their work. :) Also, I'm very excited for the next chapter. You'll all find out why in the next update. ;)

Reviewers:

 **Justus80** : Oh yes, I think he would, too. lol ;) Mr. Clever is awesome. Glad you liked that part! So sorry for the misunderstanding from your last review. My bad. A movie night would be a wonderful idea for them to have. Maybe something for them to do in the future. ;) Hope you enjoyed the latest chapter! Until next time!

 **QuirkyKim** : Hmm. Not certain on that. Guess we'll just have a wait and see. ;)

 **heroherondaletotherescue** : Really not certain on that. It could be. Or, perhaps, something far worse. Hmm. Welp, I suppose we'll just have a wait to find out in the future! ;) Fingers crossed that you enjoyed the new chapter and that nothing too bad happens to our Wanderer. :D Until next time!

 **All The Stories Are True 24601** : Aww you're being too nice. :) Thank you for such wonderful support through it all. I think the main thing which helped me with keeping up on the mysteries and such is having a timeline and map of Wanda's life planned out from the beginning. Everything that Wanda would go through and what surrounding characters would experience, I had ready in a map of events. It also helps in having most of the story completed from the get-go before I decided to release it onto the site for people to view it. I had both part one and two completed, revised it for about two years, and then finally posted it once I had the courage, too. I was really scared of showing it to anyone. Still am in some ways lol. But I'm so happy that you and many others enjoy it so much! For that's all I really want to do in the end is bring joy to all through writing. :) Though, really I still think this story isn't that good. In fact, I've been slowly working on an edit of part one, then moving onto part two later. I'll post an announcement of when I'll start posting the edits in. :) My health has been very good. Finally feeling normal like I used to. :) Don't worry, I'm not straining myself at all. Hope to talk to you again soon! Take care!

 **Tina and Maxwell** : Oh, trust me, my heart raced, too. Sometimes I just feel so stressed when it comes to the Doctor and Wanda lol ;) But don't worry, they're more than okay now!

 **Rhiannon** : Well, could be that. Or could also be something else entirely. Who knows really. Guess we'll just have to wait to find out. ;) But yes, things are definitely coming full circle. Hope you enjoy!

 **Momochan77** : Maybe I am, maybe I'm not. You never know what will happen. ;) So glad you liked it! And for the new artwork! That was one thing I was very excited about. :D Take care! Until next time!

 **singingKatelyn** : So glad you liked it! As to what's wrong, we'll both just have to find out for later. ;) I hope you enjoyed the newest chapter!

 **Guest(a)** : Well, really all I did to get the original images was google features that I was looking for in Wanda. Such as chestnut haired girl/woman. To be honest, I really don't think First Wanda's picture is even around anymore. Though I know Third Wanda's is floating around still. None were from any official source as they were nothing more than stock photos. Hope that helps! :)

 **ajwehri** : Yay! I'm so happy you like them! :D As well as the new chapter. Hmm. That's a good question. Could be that, or something else entirely wrong with her. Guess we'll find out later won't we? ;)

 **alwaystherereading** : She could be. Or not. There could also be something else happening to poor Wanda. We'll never know until later I suppose. As for mystery girl, she just another strange occurrence all together. As for an end for Wanda and all that . . . I'm just gonna say spoilers for now. But don't worry, I'm certain things will turn out all right. Maybe? I don't know. Here, have a cookie for now to ease your worries. lol ;) So happy you're liking it so much! Until next time!

 **bored411** : Not certain what he found. Guess we'll just find out for later. ;) Though, I think it might be much later, unfortunately, before we find out the full truth. Hope you don't mind the wait!

 **N7SpaceHamster** : Sarah! Same goes for you, too! :) Ooh, I'm much looking forward to a vacation. Only a short one for me, but any days off to relax will be bliss. You're very welcome! It always bothered me in the past in seeing such a lack of communication between writers and readers. So that was one thing I told myself I would do: always keep communication clear and there for fun. :) This way no one feels as though they don't have a say in the story. I'm really glad that more and more writers are doing the same now. For this story, unfortunately, it will only be going up to the end of season 7. As for the 12th Doctor, that will actually be for another story I have planned after this one. A sequel, if you will, to the Wanderer Series. The episode really is odd. Though, I feel like most of the things Clara had to go through with the Doctor were just plain strange. Even for his usual adventures. haha I like mad Wanda, too. She's just so fun. Glad you liked the changes in the adventure. This third part of the series will definitely have a variety of moments where things change from the main episode plot. So there's something you can look forward to. ;) First Wanda would definitely behave much like that. It really is great to see such character growth, isn't it? Sometimes people don't go out with a bang, but a whimper. Or, in Mr. Clever's case, more of a tantrum. Man, your theories are just so amazing. I wish I could say more to all your thoughts, but I'd be afraid I would give away too many spoilers lol ;) Hope the cliffhanger wasn't too bad. It's safe to confirm that, yes, something bad is indeed on the horizon for them. Guess we'll just have to wait together to find out. Happy Thanksgiving to you, too! Until next time!

 **Whovianeverlark17** : Thank you! I'm glad you liked it. :) I believe you're right. Something sad did probably just happen. Hmm. Well, spoilers for now I suppose. Hope to see you again for the next adventure! Take care!

Warm hugs for everyone! :D Can't wait until next time! See you all very soon!

~Tinker~


	22. Ch 22: Killer of Angels

Hiya, everyone!

Had some spare time on my hands, so I thought I'd surprise you all with a new chapter! Enjoy!

XxXxXxXx

Chapter 22: Killer of Angels

"Fall back!" shouted the Doctor as gunfire rang out within the small corridor of the ship. The bullets clanged and banged against the metal of the corridor, and of the stone statues that had followed them into the ship. As soon as the hatch opened for them, everyone rushed through, and the Doctor slammed the door closed behind them, leaving the Angels in there for the time being.

With all said and done, he had been very grateful that his plan had worked in the first place. Smashing the gravity globe had created the perfect booster for them all to end up on the _Byzantium_ above them, allowing them to be caught by the still working gravity field. Getting inside had been a problem as the emergency haft for the Secondary Flight Deck had closed on them. But luckily, that had been easy enough to open. For the most part, at least. He did have to turn the lights off for a few seconds as he worked on getting the haft open again. And having fully formed Angels in the corridor with them all did not help matters any. In the end, all worked out nicely enough, if he did say so himself.

Rushing down after everyone else in the corridor, he saw Wanda sonicking the second flight deck door open, allowing everyone to get inside. He patted her back, letting her know that the group had made it and now it was their turn to get inside to safety. She edged away carefully, keeping her sonic screwdriver on the panel as long as she could before finally letting go and following him into the room. Making it safely in just before the round, the metal door slammed shut right behind them.

"That was not fun," Wanda grumbled as she walked around the room's large control desk, coming up beside River to look over the console. "Did I ever mention I hate Angels? I bloody hate, hate them! They are the worst! Gah! And they have absolutely no respect whatsoever! I mean, really! Flippin' Yindaks has more respect than them. No wait—I think maybe—."

"Sweetie, you're rambling again," River spoke up, breaking Wanda out of her rant.

"Right, sorry. Just a little frustrated and irritated at the moment," Wanda mumbled, gazing down at the console in front of her.

The Doctor came beside her, rapidly typing away at the controls and computer systems. Glancing up, she saw Father Octavian magnetizing the door when the Angels began turning the wheel to let themselves in. He proudly announced nothing could possibly ever open the door now. But the Angels proved him wrong as the wheel began to turn once more. More slowly this time, but still turning.

"Sorry, Bishop, but the Angels are a lot stronger than you think," Wanda said gravely, shaking her head.

"You've brought us time, though, that's good, I am good with time," said the Doctor rapidly as he moved around the control desk. He yanked around different wires that had meshed together from the broken desk. Many that had fried from the impact of the crash. But he could work around that and get things running again easily.

Other doors around the room were sealed by the other soldiers of Father Octavian, keeping the Angels from breaking into the room immediately. But eventually, the Weeping Angels would succeed in breaking in. There was no doubt about that.

"Doctor, how long have we got?" Octavian questioned the Time Lord.

"Five minutes, max," stated the Doctor as he working with Wanda in getting some wiring together.

"Five minutes, thirty-six seconds to be exact," Wanda added in the statement.

"Nine," Amy suddenly blurted out. Wanda and the Doctor both looked at her.

"No, five," Wanda corrected in a steady voice, watching the girl's reaction. Amy jerked her head up to meet their gaze, blinking in confusion.

"Five, right, yeah," she agreed, blinking again as if wondering why they had repeated that. The Doctor looked away, concentrating on the controls in front of him. Wanda remained staring carefully at the ginger girl, seeing how Amy repeatedly kept blinking and rubbing her eyes. It was only a matter of time now.

"We need another way out of here," River said, bringing attention to their current situation of being trapped in the small room.

"There isn't one," Octavian said gruffly.

"Yeah, there is, 'course there is," the Doctor countered, typing up hurriedly on the module in front of him. He spun around, staring at the room around them. "This is a galaxy class ship, goes for years between planet-falls." Snapping his fingers, he turned back around. "So what do they need?"

"An oxygen factory," Wanda answered brightly. "Do love a good oxygen factory. They're always just so brilliant." The Doctor smiled and pointed at her.

"So do I," he agreed merrily, turning around to go up to the large wall behind the desk.

After releasing the clamps that held the wall closed, the Doctor managed to get it open, revealing to them a massive forest on the other side. All trees showing lights above from the cables connecting into them as they were treeborgs. Technologically advanced trees that sucked in starlight and breathed out air, even creating its own ecosystem with weather and all. Amy stared at the sight in disbelief as everyone else seemed to collectively feel relieved in seeing somewhere safe to be. They saw a blanket of fog lightly coat the ground of the forest as they stepped into the area, listening to the crickets echoing around and a few frogs joining in tune. Amy let out a small laugh.

"Eight," she said happily. River and the Doctor both halted and stared back at the girl in concern.

"What did you say?" River asked her.

"Nothing," responded Amy, blinking as she was not sure why exactly they kept giving her strange looks. Wanda sighed, going over to the girl and linking their arms together.

"I did warn you, Amy," Wanda mumbled, shaking her head exasperation. Blinking again, Amy's brows furrowed in bewilderment.

"Warn me about what?" she questioned the Time Lady. Wanda merely patted the companion's arm, steering her forward.

"We'll worry about that when you've reached 'six,'" Wanda told her, dragging the confused girl onwards as the group moved through the forest.

"Seven," Amy suddenly spoke, blinking as she rubbed her eye and did not even register what she had said. Wanda swallowed, knowing it was getting closer now. The Angel.

The Doctor instructed some of the soldiers to begin searching for other exits, needing to know where exactly they needed to go. Father Octavian logged into one of the panels in the treeborgs. He found them a safe path towards the Primary Flight Deck far up ahead. He pointed them in the direction, but everyone paused as Angel Bob's voice crackled over the Doctor's radio again.

"Doctor? Excuse me. Hello, Doctor?" Angel Bob called over the radio. "Angel Bob here, sir." The Doctor pulled out the radio from his inside tweed pocket, clicking it on to speak.

"Ah! There you are, Angel Bob," responded the Doctor in a light tone, but in his green eyes spoke of a much darker mood. "How's life? Sorry, bad subject."

"The Angels are wondering what you hope to achieve," addressed Angel Bob evenly. The Doctor raised a brow at this statement.

"Achieve? We're not achieving anything. We're just hanging. It's nice in here, consoles, comfy chairs, a forest," the Doctor responded easily as if discussing the weather with an acquaintance. "How's things with you?"

"The Angels are feasting, sir," Angel Bob explained. "Soon we'll be able to absorb enough power to consume this vessel, this world, and all the stars, and worlds beyond." A very unsettled feeling went through everyone at this statement, and the Doctor's eyes began to grow worried.

"Well, we've got comfy chairs, did I mention?" the Doctor said casually. Standing close by him, Wanda scoffed and rolled her eyes. The Doctor held up a finger to his lips as if to tell her to hush.

"We have no need of comfy chairs," came the reply of Angel Bob.

The Doctor grinned cheekily. "I made him say 'comfy chairs'!" Wanda snorted and shook her head while Amy chuckled.

"Six," slipped the word from the companion's mouth. The Doctor and Wanda tensed as their expressions hardened.

"Okay, Bob, enough chat," spoke the Doctor, getting down to business. "Here's what I want to know. What have you done to Amy?"

"There's something in her eye," both Angel Bob and Wanda said together. Amy appeared startled by this timed response. River gazed at the ginger and blonde girls evenly and carefully. While the Doctor looked back in question.

"What's in her eye?" he asked into the radio.

"We are," Angel Bob told them darkly. With brows furrowed, Amy blinked in puzzlement.

"What's he talking about?" Amy quickly asked. "Look, I'm five." She blinked, seeing the observed looks everyone was giving her. She closed her eyes and shook her head. "I mean, five. Fine! I'm fine." She breathed in alarm, just now realizing the numbers she had been saying all this time, counting down from ten.

"No, you're not," Wanda told the girl, keeping her eyes trained steadily on the companion. "'The eyes are not the windows of the soul. They are the doors. Beware what may enter there.'"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Amy scoffed in frustration, trying to make sense of all the riddles Wanda constantly wished to throw at them.

"It means when I say don't look into their bloody eyes, then don't look!" Wanda exclaimed in exasperation, throwing up her hands into the air. "You never do listen to me."

"Why's she counting?" the Doctor turned to question Wanda. Wanda sighed, lowering her hands.

"Because Angels like to play mind games," Wanda told him quietly.

"We shall take her. We shall take all of you," Angel Bob's voice said over the radio. "We shall have dominion over all time and space." Wanda walked swiftly up to the Doctor, grabbing the radio from him.

"Do us a favor Angel Bob, and shut the hell up!" she barked, feeling her temper flaring up. "Go back to your cave and just stay there!" The Angels were really starting to piss her off. The Doctor gently took the radio from her, patting her shoulder to let her know everything would be all right. He knew how temperamental she got when stressed.

"Get a life, Bob," retorted the Doctor sarcastically to Angel Bob. "Oops, sorry again!" He smirked at his humour. Though dark, it did help ease his inner turmoil. "There's power on this ship, but nowhere _near_ that much."

"With respect, sir, there's more power on this ship than you yet understand," Angel Bob countered knowingly, sounding almost smug. They all jumped as loud, terrible, ear-piercing shrieking sounded around them. Wanda swallowed as she felt a cold chill wash over her. Everyone else felt similar.

"What is that? Dear God, what is it?" River questioned in alarm, startled and horrified in hearing such an awful sound.

"It's laughter," Wanda replied weakly. "They're laughing at us." She gripped her hands together tightly, holding them close to her chest as her hearts sped up in fear. A small habit she had not done since her first incarnation.

"Laughing?" wondered the Doctor, trying to understand both the noise, how the Angels were managing to laugh, and why exactly they were doing such in the first place.

"We're laughing because you haven't noticed yet, sir," Angel Bob said to the Time Lord, his voice mocking. "The Doctor in the TARDIS hasn't noticed."

"Doctor!" Wanda cried, pointing at the large crack that had formed back in the control room where they had walked from. Everyone spun to look back, seeing the crack, filled with white light, and feeling the ship around them quaking in fear. The ginger companion gasped in alarm.

"That's—that's—that's like the crack from my bedroom wall when I was a little girl," Amy said, distressed by the sight.

"It's exactly like that crack," Wanda remarked, trying not to let the sight of the very large crack unnerve her.

It had not really bothered her before in seeing the cracks in time. But the more often she saw them, the more she felt nervous and anxious about the time of Pandorica opening. That would be approaching very soon now. Not just for the others, but for her as well. And she did not know why exactly she felt so terrified by the thought of being there for that day. Besides the universe exploding, of course. That really was something to be scared of. But . . . it was more than that. There was something else. Something she was not thinking properly on. But what was it?

She blinked out of her thoughts when seeing the Doctor beginning to rush back to check over the crack as everyone else made a quick getaway from the scene, wishing to place as much distance away from that crack in time. Huffing, Wanda hurriedly stormed after the Doctor, reaching him before he went back inside the room and yanked him back by his tweed blazer.

"Don't bother scanning it. I'll just tell you what it is," she told him strictly, pulling him back. "Now move it! We need to go!"

The Doctor sighed in disappointment, wishing he could have investigated the crack further. But he knew she was right as Angels had managed to make their way into the room up ahead. Grabbing her hand, the Doctor ran with the Time Lady as they made weaved through the trees, trying to make it back with everyone else. They spotted the group up ahead, with Amy lying down in pain on a mossy stone, gripping at her head. River seemed to be scanning the girl carefully with a med scanner. The Time Lords also heard River speaking harshly to Octavian.

"Father Octavian, when the Doctor and Wanda in the room, your one and only mission is to keep them alive long enough to get everyone else home," the woman spoke in a firm and curt voice. "And trust me, it's not easy. Now, if they're dead back there, I'll never forgive myself, especially about Wanda. And if they're alive—."

"You'll never let us live it down," Wanda finished the woman's statement, bouncing down to sit beside the woman. She grinned cheekily at River as she crossed her leg and began to bounce it merrily. "Yes, I know, you hate us. But really, you know you don't." She stuck out her tongue lightly as River rolled her eyes.

"Bishop, the Angels are in the forest," the Doctor told Octavian as he bounced down to Amy and River as well. He sat down crossed from the lying companion staring at her in concern as Octavian ordered his men into action of the approaching Angels.

"How did you get past them?" River asked the two Time Lords.

"Wanda stopped me from examining the crack," the Doctor muttered, pouting. "She wouldn't let me near it."

"Because the Angels would have gotten you, idiot," Wanda sighed, shaking her head. "Besides, it's just a crack showing the end of the universe. Nothing really special." She shrugged as River and the Doctor stared at her in disbelief and astonishment.

"Oh, nothing major, then," the Doctor joked lightly. He shook his head and looked down at Amy once more. "Let's have a look, then." Grabbing the med scanner from River, he examined the results closely. Panting out in pain, Amy slowly shifted her eyes to stare at the Doctor, her irises swirling with fear.

"So what's wrong with me?" she asked the Doctor, hesitant for the answer. She knew it would be nothing good.

"Nothing," River told the girl calmly.

"You'll be fine," Wanda said gently, smiling and patting Amy's shoulder.

"Everything, you're dying," stated the Doctor, eyes widening in alarm at the sight of Amy's scans. Wanda huffed in irritation, reaching over and slapping the Doctor in the back of the head. He winced from the hit, rubbing sourly at his head. "Yes, fine, let's lie to her, she'll get all better."

"You could have at least have broken it to her gently. Not just blurt it out like that," Wanda scolded him. He rolled his eyes, crouching down closer to the shivering Amy.

"What's the matter with Amelia? Something's in her eye. What does that mean? Does it mean anything?" he muttered rapidly, rambling on as he tried thinking of what could be wrong with the companion.

"Doctor . . .," Amy whimpered.

"Busy," stated the Doctor as he stood up and away from her.

"Scared," Amy breathed out shakily. Crouching down next to the girl, Wanda kissed her forehead and soothingly stroked the girl's head.

"You're going to be fine," she told Amy over the Doctor's rapid ramblings. The soldiers guarding the area around them alerted them to the presence of incoming Angels, advancing closer by seconds. Sighing, Wanda looked up at the pacing Doctor. "Doctor, the image of an Angel is an Angel, remember? The eyes are doors to our soul? Ring any bells?" The Doctor snapped his fingers as his eyes lit up with realization.

"A living mental image in a living human mind," he announced. "We stare at them to stop them getting closer, we don't even blink, and that is exactly what they want, 'cause as long as our eyes are open, they can climb inside. There's an Angel in her mind!"

"Three," Amy blurted out, her voice quivering from fear. "It's coming, I can feel it. I'm going to die!" Wanda reached forward, slapping a hand over the girl's eyes.

"Amy, just keep your eyes closed. It'll stop the mental image of the Angel," the Time Lady instructed the girl. The Doctor snapped his fingers, pointing at Wanda.

"Yes, perfect. Like pulling the plug, cutting the power," he agreed, crouching back down next to Amy. "Do as she says. Close your eyes, Amy."

"No, no, I don't want to," Amy whispered, shaking her head rapidly and trying to move Wanda's hand away.

"Good, 'cause that's not you, that's the Angel inside you, it's afraid," the Doctor told her. "Do it! Close your eyes."

"You'll be fine, Amy. I promise. We'll be right here and nothing will harm you," Wanda included, still using her other hand to keep up the gentle strokes on the companion's head. "Just close your eyes, please." Taking in a shaking breath, Amy did as instructed, closing her eyes tightly together. Wanda removed her hand from the girl's eyes as the medical scanner beeped loudly, showing that Amy's vital signs were normalizing. Together, they all let out a sigh of relief.

Wanda sat down next to Amy as the companion sat up, holding onto the girl's hand for comfort. She did promise the companion she would not leave her side, and Wanda intended to keep it. Plus, she wanted to protect Amy at all costs. She always had been protective over all companions of hers and the Doctors. But when it came to Amy, there was just something that made Wanda even more protective and guarded of the ginger. Like something Wanda knew she needed to return the favor. The same went for Rory, too. She never understood why she felt like this, this strange feeling of deep underlining affection for the two companions. Really, though, she did not question it as Wanda knew she was simply glad to be there with Amy and Rory, experiencing the joy of their adventures together. For Amy and Rory (as well as the Doctor) had always been that one big role model in Wanda's past life. And she felt the needed to return the favor of Amy and Rory (and the Doctor) giving her so much joy in the past.

River concluded that Amy was still too weak to move, needing to rest in the small clearing for a while. The soldiers did not agree as many more Angels were arriving, surrounding them all. The Doctor made sure to instruct Amy to keep her eyes tightly closed as even a second of them being open would allow the Angel to come out and kill her. This seemed to shake Amy to the core as she shivered, thinking that maybe she would never be able to open her eyes ever again. She would be blind for the rest of her life. Wanda placed a comforting arm around the girl, gently rubbing a hand on Amy's arm as the Time Lady watched the Doctor and River step aside, muttering away a plan of what to do.

"Doctor, we're too exposed here, we have to move on," Father Octavian told the Time Lord, holding up his gun edgily as he stared at the Angels. The Doctor directed a stern glare at the man.

"We're too exposed everywhere, and Amy can't move on, and anyway that's not the plan," retorted the Time Lord.

"There's a plan?" River asked sarcastically with some skepticism.

"I don't know yet. I haven't finished talking," the Doctor replied in irritation, walking around to pace and think. He then clapped his hands together. "Right! Father, you and your clerics, you're gonna stay here, look after Amy. If anything happens to her, I'll hold every single one of you personally responsible twice. River, Wanda, you both are with me, we're going to go and find the Primary Flight Deck, which is . . .," licking his finger, he stuck it up in the air and turned it towards the right direction, "quarter of a mile, straight ahead, and from there we're gonna stabilize the wreckage, stop the Angels and cure Amy."

"How?" River questioned, frowning as if not believing the Doctor could ever pull off such a thing.

"I'll do a thing," the Doctor waved his hand at the woman, dismissing her skepticism.

River raised a brow. "What thing?"

"He doesn't know. It's still a thing in progress that he's trying to figure out, which really means he has no bloody clue," Wanda stated, giggling at the pout the Doctor sent her. She stuck out her tongue slightly. "You'll figure it out, sweetie. Don't worry. And sorry, but it's just going to be you and River going. I'm going to stay here with Amy." She patted the companion's shoulder as if to emphasize her determination to protect the companion. The Doctor and River both narrowed their eyes and stared hard at the Time Lady.

"No," they both said sternly together.

"You're staying with me, no matter what," the Doctor said as if the decision were final.

"And I'm not leaving your side for even a second," River confirmed. It was Wanda's turn to gaze sternly at the two, keeping her eyes level with theirs.

"I am not leaving Amy. Understand?" she told them, her stance firm on the matter. "She needs someone here to protect her, someone who knows things, all right? You two have to do this on your own. And I promise that Amy and I will be fine if that makes you two feel any better about it."

"You know you can't promise your own safety," River countered, shaking her head.

"It doesn't matter. I'll just be fine, okay?" Wanda said, crossing her legs and giving a curt nod. The Doctor reached forward, grabbing Wanda's arm and trying to pull her up.

"You're coming with us and that's final," he bit back.

"No, I'm not," Wanda stated calmly, pulling her arm away. She grabbed his hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze and staring steadily into his worried eyes. "Really, Doctor, I'll be fine. You have to go save everyone from the Angels. And River," she looked at her sister, "you gotta keep the idiot safe." She then looked back at her Time Lord, emerald eyes remaining as steady as ever. "Do this for me, okay? Please?"

There was a tense moment as the Doctor gritted his teeth angrily, looking ready to argue over this. But he finally threw his hands into the air in exasperation. "Fine! Fine. But after this is over, no more dangerous missions. From now on, when I say stay in the TARDIS, you stay in the TARDIS. Got it?"

"I make no promises." Wanda smirked and snickered as the Doctor huffed in frustration and began marching off. River leaned over, giving the Time Lady a kiss on the forehead and quickly followed after the Time Lord. Father Octavian swiftly tagged along behind them, making certain the Doctor knew that he would not leave River's side either. The Time Lord merely shrugged this off and continued to march off.

"Wanda, I don't want to sound selfish, but I would have rather you convinced them to let me tag along," Amy suddenly said, gaining Wanda's attention. The Time Lady sat back down next to the companion, holding the ginger's hand once more.

"You're safer here, Amy. Trust me," Wanda replied, patting the girl's hand as she held it. "And I'm here to keep you safer. I'll deck any Angel that even thinks about touching a single ginger hair on your head." Amy chuckled in amusement, shaking her head, her eyes still held tightly closed. Wanda smiled for a moment, glad to have made the girl laugh at least. Humour was always the best medicine for moments like these.

Something snapped. Perhaps a small twig. The sound made Wanda tense and jerk her head up, fearing that the soldiers at the edge of the clearing had allowed an Angel to pass them. But seeing who stood before her and Amy sitting on the mossy rock, made Wanda's hearts clench and freeze. It was the Doctor. But not the Doctor who had been with them only moments ago. The Doctor, standing before them, seemed so much wearier. His eyes spoke of deep sorrow and turmoil as he stared at Wanda. The green irises even wavered somewhat as he held such sadness in his gaze. Wanda held her breath as he stepped closer to both her and Amy, crouching down in front of them. He continued to stare at the Time Lady for a moment longer, eyes spelling a message that said 'I'm so sorry.' Then he looked to Amy, placing his hands on top of hers.

"Amy, you need to start trusting me, it's never been more important," he whispered, barely a breath above the sound of the crickets in the forest. Wanda glanced at the girl, seeing Amy frowning heavily in confusion.

"But you don't always tell me the truth," Amy replied, wondering why exactly the Doctor had come back to tell her this. Why was Wanda not speaking up about this? She should be scolding the Time Lord for wasting time in stopping the Angels. Right?

"If I always told you the truth, I wouldn't need you to trust me," the Doctor countered with a sad smile.

"Doctor, the crack in my wall, how can it be here?" Amy questioned, needing to know the truth. It had been something on her mind that frightened her more than even the Angels themselves.

"I don't know yet, but I'm working it out," he lied, knowing he could not let Amy know the horrifying truth just yet. "Now, listen. Remember what I told you when you were seven?"

Brows furrowing, Amy felt even more confused now. "What did you tell me?"

"No . . . No, that's not the point." He rested his forehead against Amy's as he thought carefully over his words, knowing it was crucial on her remembering. "You have to remember." He gave the girl a goodbye kiss on her forehead, standing up again. He reached down and grabbed Wanda's free hand, pulling her up with him. Her other hand let go of Amy's as he steered her a good ways from the girl, giving them both some privacy.

 _I'm sorry_. the Doctor spoke into Wanda's mind to make certain that Amy would not hear their conversation. He leaned his forehead against Wanda's, eyes wavering in sadness and sorrow. _I am so, so sorry._

 _Theta . . . you're fine. Really._ Wanda assured him gently, cupping the side of his face and thumbing his cheek to soothe his woes. _Everything will be fine. You'll see._

 _You know where I've come from . . . right?_ he asked her. She simply nodded in response, unable to bring herself to say it. He brought up a hand, holding it to her soft cheek, thumbing over her light freckles on her face. Freckles which he so dearly loved. He closed his eyes, pressing their heads closer together. _I love you . . . Of all of time and space, I love you so much, Wanderer. And you will always be the one I have ever loved so completely. I just wish I could have given us a more proper goodbye._

 _Hey, now, don't talk like that._ Wanda cupped his other cheek, thumbing it as well as she smiled, forlorn in her gaze. _We'll see each other again. I promise._

The Doctor shook his head in sorrow. _You'll see me, but I won't see you._

 _Theta, nothing will keep us apart. Nothing. I promise._ She leaned forward, giving him a loving kiss. A small gasp escaped her as the Doctor suddenly wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her flush against him while his hand buried itself into her hair, pressing her deeper into the searing and breathtaking kiss. It was a desperate kiss as Wanda threaded her fingers through his soft hair. A kiss that spoke of nothing but love and the deep need to hold onto each other and never let go. Their lips smacked together quietly as they fell into the embrace. Their woes, worries, and heartache left them for that moment as they simply allowed their love to blanket over them and comfort them. Eventually, though, their troubles swept over them once more as they slowly pulled away from their close hold, lips pulling apart with a small smack.

 _I'll never forget you. You can count on that._ Wanda assured the Doctor in determination. _I love you too much to ever let the memory of you go. Not ever._

He smiled sadly, thumbing her cheek. _I know you won't. It's the reason why you can see me in the first place._ His eyes suddenly welled up as he stared at his Wanderer, feeling a deep well of sorrow pierce his hearts. _Wanderer . . . there's something I need to tell you._

Wanda swallowed heavily, feeling her own eyes tearing up. Seeing the Doctor cry or close to crying always hurt her greatly. _What?_

 _I don't know if it's too soon in your timeline. It might be . . . but I need you to know. I_ want _you to know so you can plan ahead for when I'm not there for you._

She shook her head in despair. _You're going to be there, Theta. I promised, remember?_

He tightened his hand on her cheek, ignoring this and pressed on to tell her. He _needed_ her to know. _Wanderer, you need to know. It's about our future._

She blinked in surprise. _What about our future?_ Feeling his other hand travel down and press into her stomach, Wanda tensed in fear, her anxiety building up. Her eyes began to waver in seeing the miserable look in the Doctor's eyes. _Theta?_

"Wanda?! Where are you?!" came the cry of a panicking Amy. Wanda jumped and looked over at the companion, seeing how the girl turning her head around to search for the Time Lady, still with her eyes tightly closed.

"Just a second, Amy. I'll right over," Wanda replied, assuring the girl that she had not left her alone. When she turned her head back to continue speaking with the Doctor, her hearts sank as she saw only the forest in front of her. He was gone . . . just like that. Though she still felt the warmth of his hands on both her face and stomach, and she closed her eyes, pretending that he was still there with her. Sucking in a shaking breath, she opened her eyes once more and walked back over to Amy.

"Wanda, something's happening," Amy breathed in fright, gripping her hands tightly on her knees as she bounced her legs. Wanda gently placed a hand on the girl's, gazing around as the lights of the trees began flickering and powering off. The soldiers guarding them began shifting in unease, aiming their guns out towards the forest.

"It's the Angels," Wanda explained lowly. "They're ripping wires out from the treeborgs, making the lights go out." Amy gasped, beginning to tremble. Scooting closer to her, Wanda wrapped a comforting arm around her, holding the companion close to her side. "I won't let them get you. As long as I'm here, you're safe." Gazing up with determination, Wanda stared at the four soldiers guarding them. "Marco, Pedro, Phillip, Crispin" the men all felt stunned when Wanda addressed them all directly, not even realizing that she had known their names to begin with, "I want you all to back away from the edge of the clearing and form a perimeter around us. Keeping a distance of five feet in stance and eyes locked on the Angels."

"That's not protocol, ma'am," Marco argued. "Our protocol states that in an emergency we need to—."

"Get your arses over here, now. And that's an order," Wanda commanded. The men reluctantly backed away, getting closer to the Time Lady and Amy. They formed a circle around the girls, keeping their eyes trained and weapons armed. In a blink, the Angels appeared around the edge of the clearing, holding out their clawed hands and baring their snarling teeth.

"Now what, ma'am?" Marco retorted, believing Wanda's idea to be completely idiotic.

"Just wait for it," Wanda muttered, tightening her hand around Amy's. Suddenly, a bright light appeared from the forest, off in the direction they had originally come from. A strange feeling shifted through the air, blanketing over them in a thick fog of sorts. It made Wanda's head spin and her stomach turn. A barrier inside her mind creaked uneasily. The crack was growing larger, ready to consume them all.

"Marco, the Angels have gone," said the one soldier, Phillip. The other two soldiers and Wanda gazed up, seeing that he was correct. The Angels had vanished.

"Where'd they go?" asked Pedro.

"What, the Angels?" Amy questioned, turning her head around as if looking for where the Angels had gone as well. But, of course, she still could not see. "The Angels have gone?"

"They're moving away from us, running from that light," Wanda told everyone, pointing to the brilliant white light on the other side of the forest. Marco looked at his scanner that showed the surrounding area, seeing that the Time Lady was correct.

"Phillip, Crispin, need to get a closer look at that," Marco instructed his men, pointing for two of them to go towards the light up ahead. Wanda shot up from her seat, going over to Marco.

"You can't do that. It's too dangerous," she told him quickly with urgency. "Why do you think I had you lot move back in the first place? You can't go near that light."

"No offense, ma'am, but you don't have the authority to be in charge," Marco retorted crossly, pointing for his men to advance. The two soldiers as instructed moved forward, going through the trees to get to the light. Wanda's eyes widened.

"No, please, call them back! They'll die if they go near that light," she pleaded with the man. "Please, they don't have to die. None of you do." Marco ignored her walking towards the edge of the clearing. Wanda followed after him. "I'm trying to keep you all alive, don't you see? This doesn't have to happen!"

"What, like the way you kept Bob alive?" Marco bit back edgily. Wanda snapped her mouth shut, wincing at that retort. The man stared harshly at her. "I think I'd rather not trust you, ma'am. I will be the one to keep my men alive. Not you."

Wanda kept her gaze even with his. "I'm sorry about Bob. I am truly sorry. But there was nothing I could have done for him. However, I can change things with you and Pedro. For now, it's really too late for Phillip and Crispin."

"Who are you talking about? Crispin and who?"

Wanda let out a sad sigh. "Exactly."

Amy, who had been trying to listen to their conversation, caught a little bit of the end of their words, realizing what Marco had said. She spoke up herself, "Those other two you sent out. I heard you order them to take a look."

"I didn't order anyone. There's only Pedro and me here," Marco replied. He turned to his other soldier, nodding towards the light. "Pedro, go check it out. We need to get a closer look and see what exactly has the Angels scared." Pedro nodded, briskly walking away to do as he was told.

"No, come back!" Wanda called out to him, starting to race after him and bring him back. But Marco suddenly gripped her arm, roughly shoving her back towards Amy.

"You will let us handle this," Marco barked at her. "You have done more than enough today, Wanderer."

"Please, he's going to die!" Wanda exclaimed desperately. Amy stood up from her seat, walking carefully closer to Wanda and holding onto her arm.

"Listen. You need to listen to her. She's only trying to help and she knows what she's talking about," Amy retorted angrily, frustrated by how Marco was talking to the Time Lady. "Just call Pedro back."

Marco blinked, frowned in frustration at the two girls and said, "Who's Pedro?" Amy stiffened and Wanda let out a small breath of sadness.

"He . . . he was the one you just sent to go check on the light," Amy said carefully. "Just like Phillip and Crispin. You sent them all out."

"I didn't send anyone," Marco spoke sternly. "It's only ever been the three of us here."

Shaking her head rapidly, Amy felt at a loss. "Something's happening. Pedro was here a second go, and now you can't even remember him!"

"Because it's the crack. The crack from your wall, Amy," replied Wanda, keeping her voice as steady and even as she could. "It's the crack in time, swallowing everyone and everything it touches. Erasing them from existence. Pedro, Phillip, Crispin, they were never even born now." Breathing in shakily, Amy gripped Wanda's arm tighter as Marco furrowed his brows in confusion.

"How? How can the crack from my wall be following me? How can it do something like that?" Amy asked hurriedly, needing to know the answers.

"Twenty-six, six, 2010," Wanda breathed in a hushed tone. "Remember that date Amy. It's important."

"But that's when . . .," Amy trailed off, unable to say it.

Wanda nodded slowly. "I know."

"Look, I need to get a closer look at that light, whatever it is," Marco spoke up, earning the two girl's attention. "Don't worry, I won't get too close. Here, spare communicator. I'll stay in touch the whole time." He handed over a radio to Amy and started forward, heading off towards the light's direction.

"No! Come back!" the two girls called together. But it was useless. The man had already went through the trees and was now gone. Wanda took the radio from Amy, pressing the button to speak.

"Marco, get your arse back here!" she ordered angrily, irritated on how thick he was acting.

"I'm fine," came the gruff reply from the radio. "I'm quite close to it now."

"Then come back," Amy spoke up, voicing her own concerns over the radio. "Come back now, please. You have to listen to Wanda."

"It's weird look at it," Marco replied, sounding very uncertain now. Maybe even worried and unnerved. "It feels really—." The transmission cut off abruptly, only sounding static now.

"Gah! That complete . . . just, ugh, humans!" Wanda exclaimed angrily, feeling hurt that she had allowed others to die that day. Why could she have not stopped it? Should she have tried harder? Really, it did not matter now. What was done is done and there is nothing she can change about it. She just had to worry about keeping Amy safe and sound.

"Wanda? Wanda, is that you?" the Doctor's voice suddenly spoke up over the radio. Wanda brought up the radio closer to her mouth.

"Yeah, I'm here. Amy's still fine and safe," Wand said quietly. She paused for a second, swallowing with a sour taste in her mouth. "I'm sorry, but the clerics . . . they didn't make it. I tried stopping them. I really tried. I'm sorry."

"Stop them? Stop them from what?" questioned the Doctor urgently. "Was it the Angels? Are the Angels near you?"

"No, the clerics ran off and they got caught by the light. They were erased. It's the crack in time, the end of the universe," Wanda told him gravely, gripping the radio in a tight hand. "Twenty-six, six, 2010. That's the date you're looking for. The moment it happens."

"What moment?"

Wanda felt her body trembling as she stared at the white light, a wave of nausea washing over her. The one barrier shifted even more, growing tense and ready for action. "When everything goes bang." There was a long pause from the Doctor's end as the foreboding message sank in.

"Wanda, Amy, I'm sorry, I made a mistake, I should never have left you there," the Doctor said quickly, sounding extremely worried now.

"Doctor, you didn't do anything wrong," Wanda said firmly, trying to let him know that it was not his fault. "I chose to stay behind and Amy had to. There was nothing that you could have done." She gripped onto Amy's arm in a vice grip, staring around for where they could go. She felt Amy gently pat her hand, trying to comfort her quaking going through her body. Sucking in a breath, Wanda counted. One. Two. Three. Calming her mind and focusing her thoughts into action. "Okay, Doctor, you're going to have to guide us with the sonic out of here. I'll lead Amy on the right path and we'll make it back to you."

"Got it," the Doctor replied. The two girls heard the communicator in Wanda's hand changing in pitch, sounding like the sonic that pointed them in the correct location of where the Primary Flight Deck was. "You have to start moving now. There's time energy spilling out of that crack and you both have to stay ahead of it."

"But the Angels, they're everywhere," Amy breathed fearfully.

"It's fine. I got my eye on them. I won't let them get you," Wanda assured her, beginning to guide the companion forward with careful steps. She trained her eyes on the Angels that now surrounded them, keeping her eyes wide open and not blinking. "Amy, walk forward the best you can. We might be able to make them think you can still see."

Amy let out a shaking breath, nodding. They both shuffled their feet forward, keeping themselves moving as quickly as they could. But still being careful not to trip on any rocks or roots. Wanda glanced back behind them, seeing the tendrils of the time energy creeping along the ground towards them. Suddenly, she was yanked down to the ground as Amy fell, bringing the Time Lady down with her. The barrier let a ping of warning go through her mind. Wanda scrabbled up, in a hurry to stare at the Angels again. She gasped; freezing as one Angel bared its teeth, clawed hand inches away from her face.

"Okay. Okay, this is really not good," Wanda breathed out shakily, backing up from the Angel. Reaching around behind her, she tried to feel for Amy. "Amy, we need to get up again . . . Amy? Amy?" Her hearts sped up in panic as she felt only empty ground at her reaching hand. "Amelia!"

"Wanda, Amy's here. River has her," the Doctor's voice said quickly over the radio. Wanda, with trembling hand, held up the communicator.

"That's good. Thought the ground swallowed Amy for a second there," she joked, trying to keep her voice light. "Has River got the teleporter ready for another trip?"

"Just give her a second. She had to calibrate it again," the Doctor explained, sounding extremely anxious now. "Where are the Angels? Are they close to you?" Wanda stood up slowly, keeping her eye on the group of Angels in front of her as she backed up. A tree hit her back, making her freeze on the spot. She shook even more, her terror spiking up. A small whimper escaped her without her meaning to. The barrier in her mind growled darkly.

"Yeah . . . Yeah, they're all around me now." Lights flickered on and off. Wanda watched as each time they grew closer and closer, their hands stretched out, ready to touch her. She gulped, steading her shaking and let her expression grow stoic so that Angels would not see her fear. "Doctor . . . do you think they'll just send me through time, or will they snap my neck like that did to everyone else?"

"Don't talk like that, Wanda. You'll be fine. Just keep your eye on them."

Wanda smiled crookedly. "I hope it's just displacing me through time. Don't think I wouldn't mind that much. Might find somewhere interesting to live."

"Wanderer, just stop it. Don't you dare talk like that. You're not leaving me. Not now. Not ever."

She heard how fearful the Doctor sounded now, as well as angry from the very idea of the Angels taking her. Wanda smiled sadly. "Hey, it's okay. I can manage in another time." She gripped the communicator tighter as the Angels were only a hair in front of her now. Two of them closest with their hands merely a brush away. One more flicker from the lights and they would have her. She jumped as the barrier in her mind was slammed upon. She felt a strange sensation beginning to build up within her. What it was, she did not know. But all she wanted now was for the Angels to be gone. She wished they would just leave.

"River, get that damn teleport working!" the Doctor screamed from the other end of the radio. Wanda could hear panic in his voice, as well as the others speaking anxiously in the background. "Wanderer, just hold on. Keep looking at them. Keep them locked."

"I'll find you, Doctor," Wanda whispered, resolving herself as she knew even if she ran around the Angels and tried to make it to the Primary Flight Deck that they would still get her. There was no escape for her now. "Whenever they send me, wherever I might end up, I _will_ find you again, Doctor. I swear. And who knows? Maybe I'll just wander back to you. You know how good I am at doing that."

"Wanderer! NO!"

Wanda dropped the communicator as the lights began to flicker again. A few stray tears fell down her face as she took a deep breath. With one last look at the Angels, she closed her eyes. The fluttering of wings was heard, and she felt two hands touch her roughly. Then . . . the loudest snarl erupted in her mind. It sent a quake of fright through her as suddenly a bright white light could be seen through her closed lids. Searing warmth spread through her and felt almost as though it shot out from her body. Then, the most horrible screeching screams of agony were heard. All of this happening within a single breath.

Wanda snapped her eyes open in alarm, stunned to see the group of Angels had backed away from her with their arms over their faces. She blinked, seeing them now furtherer away from her, staring at her in looks of absolute and pure horror. Their faces were contorted in screams of terror. Their eyes wide in fright with their hands up in surrender or to plead for their lives. Some even covered their faces to not look at her. Wanda let out a trembling breath, completely bewildered by what had happened and why the Angels seemed so frightened. It became clear, however, when her eyes travelled downwards and she saw what now lay at her feet.

It was the two Angels who had been closest to her. The ones that most likely had touched her. They . . . they had been . . . killed. Their bodies had been turned completely to dust, in great piles that simply lay around Wanda's feet. One Angel did not have its complete body turned to dust just yet. It still had a head and arm left lying in the pile of its body's remains. But it only horrified her in seeing the complete and utter scream of frozen agony on the Angel's face. Even as she stared at its face, she saw how the stone face slowly crumbled before her very eyes, turning to dust like the rest of its body. The face split in half as it hissed away, dying and turning into nothing.

"Wanda! Wanderer, please, answer me!" Wanda heard the pleading voice of the Doctor coming from the communicator. She slowly crouched down, gripping the radio in her hand. She shook off the gray dust, her hand trembling as she pressed the button on the side.

"I'm h-here," she answered. She heard a sigh of relief.

"Oh, thank the universe," the Doctor breathed. "Where are you? Did you manage to escape the Angels?" A sniffled escaped her as tears fell down her face. Her lip quivered as she felt overwhelming emotions running through her. She was not sure what exactly she felt at the moment. Fear, anxiety, terror, sorrow, sadness, desolation. All she knew was that, at that very second, she wanted to let herself break down into nothing.

"I-I don't know wh-what happened," she began to cry. "They touched m-me and . . . and I think . . . I don't know. I think I k-killed them." A sob broke through. "I didn't mean to. I don't know what happened. I don't want to kill anyone. Doctor, what have I done? Oh god! I'm a monster! I killed them!" Her knees gave out as she fell to the ground.

"What do you mean? Wanda? Wanda?" she heard the call from the Doctor.

The communicator fell out of her hand as she dropped it again. Her hands went to her head as a piercing headache stabbed at her mind. Her hearts sped up greatly, bounding away in her chest. The ringing in her ears would not stop, making her feel sick. The universe tilted around her as she felt darkness consume her. She cried out in agony, trying to hold herself together as she felt everything just fall apart. Barriers in her mind broke, bursting with horrors. She could not take it. The noise! The universe! They would not shut up! Make them shut up! Please! She just wanted silence! They were all cruel! They were all wicked! They needed to be stopped! Die! EVERYTHING MUST DIE!

"Wanderer!"

Wanda gasped and the barriers slammed shut. She blinked as her mind wiped blank. What happened? Was she screaming? Had she been screaming? She felt like she had from the soreness in her throat. And the way River and the Doctor hovered over her in alarm and fear . . .

"I remember," Wanda blurted out. She blinked, wondering what exactly she said that. "Sorry . . . no. I—I don't know why I said that."

"It's fine, sweetie," River told her, gently setting the Time Lady up. She wrapped her arms around the blonde girl, holding onto her tightly as she felt her heart finally ease in its fright. "You're fine now. I got you out of there." The Doctor abruptly pulled the Time Lady away from River, holding his Wanderer in a death grip.

"You're safe. It's all over," the Doctor breathed into Wanda's ear, gently rubbing her back to soothe her. "No more remembering." Wanda was not sure what he meant by this, her mind too muddled to think properly. But she nodded all the same, burying her head into the crook of his shoulder as she hugged him tightly.

"I killed them. The two Angels who touched me," she whimpered. "I didn't mean to, I swear. I—I don't want to kill anybody." She let out a sob, trying to pull herself together. Some might think of her as being silly for being so upset over what had happened. Some might even say the Angels deserved it, or that how could she even possibly know that she had been the one to kill them in the first place. But she knew. She did not know how she knew, she simply did. It was like some sort of instinct that told her she had been the one to turn them into dust. Just like the time she had turned the stone walls to dust back in Pompeii. And the very idea of ever killing anyone, even an enemy of the Doctor, unnerved her to the core.

"I know," whispered the Doctor, tightening his hold around her. "You didn't mean it at all. It wasn't your fault. It was an accident." He glanced up at River, seeing the wary expression on the woman's face. He wondered if she had ever seen Wanda become unstable like this before. It might even be a first for the woman of his future.

"What's wrong, Wanda?" Amy spoke up, frowning as she tried figuring out what was going on from her lack of sight. She had heard the Time Lady screaming when River brought her back to them. Then crying and talking about killing Angels. But that was impossible, right? The Doctor himself said nothing could ever kill an Angel.

"She's fine, Amy," the Doctor replied, pulling Wanda up as he stood. He moved her head away from his shoulder, wiping the trail of tears from her face as he cupped it softly. "You're fine now, Wanderer. I promise." Wanda nodded slightly, sniffling as she knew she needed to pull herself together. She was being stupid in crying and breaking down like this. She was such an overemotional idiot. They all looked around as alarms began to blare loudly within the room they were in.

"What's that?" River asked the Doctor. The Time Lord stared back at her alarm.

"The Angels are draining the last of the ship's power," he explained. "Which means, the shield's going to release." They all stared at the wall across from them as it began to hiss and clank loudly, the clamps letting go and letting the steel wall slide up. On the other side, a whole wall of Angels stood there, holding dark glares as they faced the group. The Doctor swiftly moved Wanda behind him, growing his own glare as he stared the Angels down. He felt Wanda press close to his back, hiding herself from the Angels.

"Angel Bob, I presume," he addressed the one Angel standing the closest to them.

"The time field is coming. It will destroy our reality," Angel Bob announced. The Doctor smirked darkly.

"And look at you all, running away," he retorted at the Angel. "What can I do for you?"

"There is a rupture in time," Angel Bob explained. "The Angels calculate if you throw a complicated space-time event into it, it will close, and they will be saved."

The Doctor arched a high brow. "So, you want me to throw myself in there, is that it?"

"No. They want the Wanderer to be sacrificed."

The Doctor stiffened greatly as Wanda shivered behind him. River and Amy both gasped in alarm. Gritting his teeth with the Oncoming Storm appearing in his eyes, the Doctor growled in the back of his throat as he glowered at Angel Bob.

"I'd rather the universe burn," he snarled at the Angels. "How dare you even suggest that!"

"She killed our own kind. She must be punished," Angel Bob replied easily. "Only one such being can do that. A creature, heard of on the whispers through time. The Universe's Weapon. The one thing that may destroy all in existence. Even we Angels. She is too dangerous to let live. Even for you and your friends, Doctor."

"Yeah? Well, maybe you Angels deserve to be destroyed!" the Doctor yelled in rage. He felt livid. How could they ever suggest he would let Wanda, his Wanderer, be erased through time? To be killed off and forgotten. He would never allow that to happen. Not ever!

"I couldn't agree more," River added in, giving the Angels her own scowl. Wanda glanced at the woman, feeling touched that both she and the Doctor felt so passionate about protecting her. But . . . she had still killed.

"I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt your kind, I swear," Wanda spoke up to the Angels, peeking around the Doctor. "I truly am."

"Don't listen to them, Wanda. You didn't kill anyone," scoffed Amy, even laughing at the very idea. "You could never be a killer." It was silly. Why was everyone acting like Wanda was some kind of killer? The Time Lady was the kindest person Amy had ever met. Well, besides the Doctor, of course. As if Wanda would ever hurt anyone. Being unable to see the other three's faces, Amy missed the collective wincing and flinching.

"River, Amy, Wanda, get a grip," the Doctor ordered suddenly, tired of this talking about Wanda. She did not need to hear all of this. It might just cause her to remember sooner if this all continued.

"What?" River asked in bewilderment. Wanda moved away from the Doctor, gripping onto a nearby railing as tightly as she could.

"Get a grip, River," Wanda instructed the woman. "You too, Amy." The woman's face lit up in realization and she hurriedly gripped onto a railing on the console as well. Wanda and River made sure Amy did as well, and they all held on for dear life as the alarm blared even louder.

"Sir, if you will not sacrifice the Wanderer, then you must throw yourself into the time field instead," Angel Bob said curtly. The Doctor turned, walking over to hold onto a piece of railing as well.

"You know what? I don't think so," he retorted back to the Angels. "In fact, I think you Angels have forgotten the gravity of the situation. In other words, night-night, Angels."

Just then, the whole ship sounded as though it powered down. The whole placed tilted and they all hung onto their railings as tightly as they could as they were now hung for their lives, their feet dangling in the open air as the gravity of the ship failed. They heard this crashing and slamming throughout the ship, falling apart as everything fell with the gravity change. Looking down, they saw all the Angels falling as well, going straight into the crack in time. The Doctor grinned in triumph, overjoyed in knowing they had won.

Soon, the blinding white light vanished, and everything had settled down. They continued to hang there for a moment, blinking as they heard the ship creaking loudly around them.

"Okay . . . Now what?" Wanda spoke up. They all sort of looked at each other, still hanging for their lives as they dangled in the air. The Doctor blinked.

"Ah . . . haven't really thought that one through just yet," he replied, giving a boyish grin. "Guess I didn't really think that far ahead." River and Amy both scoffed as Wanda rolled her eyes, but gave the Doctor a fond smile all the same.

XxXxXxXx

The TARDIS hummed, so quiet and calm in her lullaby. It brought peace to Wanda's mind, helping her ease from the headache and giving her the warming feeling of love. She smiled up at the ceiling, always appreciative when the old girl would comfort her after a rough day.

"Thanks, Sexy," she whispered gratefully. The TARDIS flashed her lights and beeped merrily, glad to be of help. Wanda gazed away from the ceiling as the Doctor and Amy waltzed into the ship as well. The Doctor took off his tweed jacket and threw it somewhere into the room. Both he and the companion were getting settled after a long day of terror and adventuring.

The Time Lady had already said her goodbyes to River, giving the woman a loving hug and telling her they would meet again soon. But really, Wanda did not stay for long farewells. After today . . . she only wanted to be far away from everyone and everything in the universe. River understood right away, not even remotely bothered by Wanda not sticking around to talk more when the other soldiers arrived to pick the woman up to take her back to prison. Instead, River had kissed Wanda's head and smiled brightly, telling the Time Lady to take care and to keep the Doctor on his toes as usual. This made Wanda laugh, making her spirits raise up. River always did know how to make her feel better after a hard day.

"You know, I think I'm going to miss River. She was really . . . something," Amy said as she sat down on the captain's chair.

"Don't worry, you'll be seeing her again," Wanda told the girl, absently fiddling with the TARDIS controls. She paused when the Doctor's hand fell onto her outreached one, gripping onto it in a gentle grasp. "What is it, sweetie?"

 _Do_ _you want to talk?_ he asked her softly in her mind. Swallowing, she looked at him, seeing the troubled expression of his.

 _Yeah . . . I'd like to. But I know you can't answer any of the questions I have._ she replied quietly.

He smiled sadly, shaking his head. _No. But at least talking can help you feel better._

Slowly, she nodded. He gripped her hand, pulling it away from the controls as he steered her off towards the corridor.

"We'll be only a minute, Amy," he said over his shoulder, only briefly looking at the companion.

"Yeah, sure," Amy huffed, crossing her arms as she stared up at the ceiling.

Walking down a ways from the control room, the Doctor suddenly halted Wanda in the middle of the corridor. She was about to ask why he wished to stop right there when he quickly had her pressed up against the metal wall and was snogging the life out of her. She groaned, gripping his shoulders as he pressed himself flush against her. His hands held her face closely and carefully, thumbing her cheeks as he invaded her mouth happily. One of his hands left her face, travelling down to grab one of her legs and lift it up so it rested against his hip, allowing him to press even closer still. Wanda pulled away for the searing kiss, leaning her head back against the metal wall behind her as the Doctor began placing light kisses on her exposed neck.

"You know, this isn't talking," she mumbled.

"It's making you feel better," he countered, mouthing his words against her skin.

"Maybe a little," she giggled, humming in a pleased note. But she shook her head all the same. "Still, we need to discuss what happened."

"Later," he dismissed, shaking his head. "Please, just . . . later. I don't want to think about anything right now. Especially not that."

She sighed, shaking her head. "Theta." She watched as he lifted his eyes, giving her his best puppy eyes. Damn. She could never say 'no' to that face. She smiled and chuckled, giving him a peck on the lips, wrapping her arms loosely around his neck. "Fine. But I'm not just gonna sit here and snog while Amy's waiting for us."

"Hmm." The Doctor stared upwards thoughtfully for a moment, before beaming at Wanda. "I know. How about I take Amy home? We drop her off, take some time to ourselves, some much-needed quality bonding. Maybe even a date? We haven't done that in a long time. A date really sounds fantastic right now. And then, as soon as we're done, we can pick up Amy again and go off on another adventure. What do you say? Sound like a plan?" He gave her a hopeful expression, another big puppy-eyed look.

Wanda smiled, pecking him on the lips again. "Sounds like a great plan." Moving away from him, she started to go down the corridor. "I'll just get changed into something nicer. Go ahead and let Amy know what we're doing. She might be a little disappointed in not going straight into the next adventure, but I'm sure she'll understand."

The Doctor nodded brightly, practically bouncing down the corridor as he went back to the TARDIS control room. Arriving back, he saw Amy staring thoughtfully at him as he beamed at her, clapping his hands together.

"So! Wanda and I have decided to take you back home," he announced, beginning to pilot the TARDIS through the Time Vortex. "Just briefly. Not permanently. Only until both she and I have some, ah, things settled. Then we'll pick you right back up in no time. And I promise to let Wanda drive this time around. She'll make sure to get us back in time."

"That's good, 'cause I wanted to show you something anyway," Amy replied edgily, staring intensely at him. She felt her old feelings stirring up again, becoming increasingly annoying and harder to brush off. She glanced nervously down the corridor, wondering if Wanda had already left and wandered off to another time. The Time Lady had made a habit of that. Always leaving right after an adventure. Amy wondered . . . if she could get away with it. Just . . . to get it out of her system of course. Yeah, that was it. Get it all out and over with so she could finally move on with . . . She needed to confront this . . . whatever this was that she was feeling and then finally face what she has been running away from. Or, maybe, there was something more to her feelings? She would never know unless she finally sat down and tried figuring it all out.

As soon as they had arrived back into Amy's room, the Doctor found it surprising how the girl wished for him to sit down next to her on the bed. He frowned, wondering why the girl was suddenly acting all edgy and nervous around him. Had something happened? Well, of course, the Angels had happened. She must still be in shock from the terrifying scared she had received. Maybe he should wait here with her until Wanda came out to say goodbye as well. The Time Lady might be able to calm the girl's nerves better than he could.

"Well," he said, looking around the small room as he wondered what was taking Wanda so long to get changed. He hoped that she chose a dress. He loved seeing dresses on her. Maybe he could wear a Stetson for her during their date as well? She always did love him in a Stetson.

"Yeah," Amy squeaked, clearing her throat in embarrassment from her voice cracking. She glanced at him, feeling more and more determined to get her old feelings out in the open. She needed to do this. She might never know if she did not. Marrying Rory . . . it might just be a big mistake, right? Or it might not and everything would be perfect with the man she felt . . . love for. If she just . . . tired it with the Doctor, he might even change his mind as well. Maybe they were both meant for each other? Maybe. God, what was she thinking? There were Wanda and Rory. She had to think about them. But still, the feelings bubbled away and persisted in her, making her feel irrational.

"This is the same night we left, right?" she asked suddenly, trying to ease their conversation into what she wanted to get to.

"We've been gone five minutes," the Doctor assured the girl that they were indeed in the right time.

Nodding, Amy reached over and pulled up a red, velvet box, opening it to reveal an engagement ring inside. Both she and the Doctor stared at the ring in hesitancy. "I'm getting married in the morning."

Frowning, the Doctor took the box from the girl, examining it curiously. "Why did you leave it here?" He would have thought that a ring from someone special would be something a person would carry around with them at all times. Always keeping the bond close to them. That is what he did. He grew a small smile, patting at the necklace hidden under his shirt. Someday soon.

"Why did I leave my engagement ring off when I ran away with a strange man on the night before my wedding?" she countered, giving him a pointed look.

"Yeah," he replied, nodding to let her know of his bewilderment.

"Hmm, you really are an alien, aren't you?" she responded in humour, grabbing the small box from him and setting it aside.

"Who's the lucky fella?" he asked brightly, wondering if he should bring up his own engagement with the companion. Maybe they could plan the weddings together? That would be nice. It had been so long since he had a wedding he had forgotten the proper rules for them. He was sure Amy could set him straight on any faults he would make.

"You met him."

"The good-looking one, or the other one?"

"The other one." Amy slapped his arm, looking irritated now.

The Doctor snickered and shook his head. "Well, he was good, too. I'm happy for you both."

"Thanks." Amy shifted on the spot, giving him that pointed look again. She began her approach to what she wanted. "So, do you comfort a lot of people on the night before their wedding?"

This time, the Doctor stared at her in confusion. Baffled by why exactly she said this. "Why would you need comforting?"

"I nearly died. I was alone in the dark, and I nearly died."

The Time Lord scoffed, shaking his head. "You weren't alone. You had Wanda with you."

"Well . . . there is that." She shifted on the spot again, beginning to feel her nervous thoughts kicking in. Could she do this? Should she do this? She just . . . did not know. "But it all made me think . . ."

"Well, yes, natural. I think sometimes . . . Well, lots of times . . ."

". . . about what I want. About who I want. You know what I mean?"

There goes that pointed look again. Holding a puzzled expression, the Doctor was really starting to wonder where exactly the girl was going with this. "Yeah." He paused after that slow response, then shook his head. "No."

Amy stared at him in annoyance. "About _who_ I want."

"Oh, right, yeah." The Doctor blinked again, then shook his head, clearly baffled. "No, still not getting it."

Amy closed her eyes briefly in aggravation, wondering how someone could be this dense. Especially when they clearly liked kissing other girls around, like Wanda for instance. "Doctor, in a word, in one very simple word even you can understand . . ." She reached for his bracer, pulling him up as she leaned forward with her lips puckered.

The Doctor's eyes widened in alarm and shock, completely in disbelief at what Amy was doing. He pushed her away with his hand over her face immediately, shooting up from the bed. "You're getting married in morning!" He backed away from her as she followed closely after him.

"Well, the morning's a long time away," she dismissed easily, practically slamming him now against the TARDIS doors. "What are we going to do about that?" She smiled coyly beginning to take off his bracers and even unbuttoning a few buttons on his dress shirt.

"Amy, listen to me," the Doctor spoke rapidly, trying desperately to stop her as he smacked her hands away repeatedly. His mind going into a panic as her hands simply kept reappearing and trying to take his shirt off. What was she doing?! "You're making a mistake. I'm not someone you want, for starters. And secondly, more importantly, I'm already taken. I have Wanda, and we are both happily together. You're a sweet girl, Amy, but really, you're not my type."

"I'm not suggesting anything long-term," Amy countered slyly, now having his shirt fully open and pressing her hands to his bare chest. The Doctor gasped in shock, pressing his back against the TARDIS doors behind him as he felt his hearts sped up in alarm.

"I'm with Wanda! Stop! I mean it!" he yelled angrily, trying to push her away more severely. "You're making a mistake! Think about Wanda!" But she was persistent.

"Yeah, well, she's not around now is she? And besides, one fling isn't going to hurt either of us," Amy disputed. She slammed her lips onto his abruptly, making the Doctor push up hard against the doors behind him.

"Doctor, Amy, is everything all right? I heard yelling," came the voice of Wanda. The Doctor quickly fell back onto the TARDIS floor when the doors were opened by the Time Lady. He laid there staring up at the stunned expression of Wanda. He saw that she had changed into a light-green evening dress that flowed around her knees. Just like he had been hoping for. But what he had not been hoping for was the devastated look that slowly appeared on her face.

Amy, who still stood on the other side of the TARDIS doorway, prepared herself for the yelling, for the screaming of anger and disgust from the Time Lady. She was ready to face whatever hate that Wanda would throw at her. But what she had not been prepared for, was the looked of uttered betrayal and dismay that the Time Lady gave her. Amy felt her heart drop like a stone into her stomach as she saw the tears welling up in those emerald eyes.

Then, in a flash of white light, Wanda was gone.

Amy blinked, completely stunned by the Time Lady's reaction. Amy had expected many things, but never that. And now . . . she felt completely awful about her actions as guilt crash over her. The Doctor stood up gruffly, sending the girl a harsh stare.

"Amelia, you have no idea what you've just done," he spoke roughly.

"I'm sorry, I . . . I didn't think . . .," Amy began to stutter in apology.

"Clearly," the Doctor retorted angrily. "And I'm not the one you should apologize to." He banged the TARDIS wide open as he stormed inside. Amy gulped and ran after him.

XxXxXxXx

Welp . . . does anyone have any guesses as to what will happen next? Something good? Bad? Poor Wanda needs a break after all of that I think. Leave your ideas in a review. I always love to hear from you guys and read your thoughts! :D

Reviewers:

 **singingKatelyn** : Woo! Glad that you are! :D Hope it continues to be good throughout the rest of the story. Also hope you enjoy the new chapter! :) Take care!

 **All The Stories Are True 24601** : Aww thank you! 3 Your words mean the world to me. Yeah, lol, it's pretty obvious, isn't it? Now it's just more of a wait for when Wanda finally figures it out. ;) Have a wonderful and merry Christmas as well! I'm certain we'll see each other long before the end of the holidays. And who knows? Maybe I'll have a surprise for everyone on Christmas as well. ;) Until next time! Take care!

 **Jerry Skeleton** : Yay! I'm just so happy that you're enjoying everything! :D No worries in reviewing! I'm just so happy to hear from you again. :) I hope everything has been going good for you. Definitely know how life is, trust me. Yep, doing a sequel. Ooh, I'd love to hear your theories! If you're ever willing to share that is. :) I don't know, is she? ;) lol Nah, she definitely is. Now it's just more of a wait for her to figure it out. Which is always fun with a build like that. ;) As for little old 'Jane' well . . . Let's just as spoilers for now. Aww, it means so much to me that the story brings you such joy. I know I say it a million times, but I truly hope that it will always continue to make you happy. :) Have a fantastic day as well! Take care!

 **Justus80** : I think they are, yeah. At least for televisions shows. Well . . . I hope you're not too mad at Amy after this episode. Sometimes people just do crazy things when they're afraid. At least we know everything will work out in the end. :) I'll see what I can do for a movie night with the Doctor and Wanda. ;) It might be a while until then, unfortunately, as there's a line up for episodes for them at the moment. Hope you don't mind the wait. Until next time!

 **QuirkyKim** : Hello! :D Hope that means you enjoyed the chapter. lol :)

 **Nanski33** : Woot! Glad it was good! :) lol He's just so fun to watch grumpy. Hope you like where the story is heading. ;) I know I'm excited, too.

 **Momochan77** : Unfortunately, some people just won't see it that way. No matter how much it gets explained to them. But I completely agree with you. Those two are awesome together, aren't they? I couldn't help but add that part in lol ;) Glad you liked it! See you in the future!

 **bored411** : Yay! Glad you enjoyed it. :) The Doctor is just so fun to watch when he's grumpy. You just never know what he's going to do. Hope you liked the newest chapter!

 **grapejuice101** : Oh yes, definitely rule number one. Well, besides that the Doctor lies, of course. Also, agreed. Definitely in big trouble. Hope you enjoyed. :) Until next time! Hope to see you again in the future!

 **heroherondaletotherescue** : Woo! Glad it was good. :) They are great enemies to work with. The suspense of unable to look away from something that is just so terrifying is just brilliant. Hope you enjoyed how it all played out in the end. Third Wanda is most certainly the most bubbly and hyper out of all other Wandas. As well as Eleven being the most protective out of all Doctors. Though for reasons yet to be seen as to why that is. ;)

 **alwaystherereading** : They are great together, aren't they? I'm certain there'll be more adventures with River in the future. ;) Hope the ending was good and didn't make you too anxious. Oh, the Pandorica. Well . . . let's just say spoilers for now. ;) Until next time!

 **Rhiannon** : Oh yes, they're also on my top five list of scary villains from the show. Hate to ever have to deal with them in real life. Hope you enjoyed the ending to the adventure. Things are just going to get more interesting from here I think. ;) Hmm, fun facts you say? Well, the name Magpie pops up more often than you think throughout the series. Sometimes on signs, or through characters saying the term. For example, the Twelfth Doctor used a Magpie Electrical amplifier to play his guitar when he was playing on the tank back in medieval times. :) There's a whole website that I use all the time for this series called TARDIS Wiki. It's an awesome site and definitely worth the visit if you enjoy fun facts like I do. ;)

 **JustPassingThru** : Yay! I'm just so overjoyed that you like the story so much! :D Happy Two Year Anniversary! XD So glad you're still enjoying the story through all this time. Wow! What are the odds of getting the chapter posted on that day? That's so awesome! Aww, thank you. 3 Trust me when I say you're much more amazing and brilliant than I could ever me. :) Hope to see you again in the future! Take care!

I know I can't say it enough, but thank you everyone for being amazing! May all your long scarves keep you nice and warm through the holiday season. 3 And don't forget your fezes. ;)

~Tinker~


	23. Ch 23: Regretful Amy

Yay! Back again for another chapter! :D

I hope everyone's day/night has been spectacular! Sorry that this chapter is pretty short compared to the rest. I really hope you all still enjoy it. :)

XxXxXxXx

Chapter 23: Regretful Amy

When Wanda arrived in the TARDIS again (Ten's TARDIS by the looks of things) she merely slid down along the metal wall behind her and sat on the floor. She felt too stunned and at a loss to do much of anything else. Blinking, she stared at the wall across from her blankly as a surge of emotions rolled through her. So many were building up together all at once. She could not tell what exactly she was feeling at the moment. Really . . . the most she felt was . . . deeply hurt. Betrayed. How? . . . Why? . . . Just, just why?

Bringing up her legs slowly towards her chest, she wrapped her arms around her knees and buried her head away from the world, only wishing now to remain hidden and to forget what she had stumbled upon. However, there was no forgetting that. What was done, was done, and there was no fixing that now.

Familiar footsteps were heard coming down the corridor towards her. Wanda remained where she sat, unable to feel the ability to lift her head in greeting. She only wished to stay hidden and secluded from everything else. The footsteps drew closer, coming right up beside her. She could tell the person stood there for a moment, staring carefully at her. Then, she heard the ruffling of clothing as the person crouched down next to her and a warm, gentle hand touched her shoulder.

"Wanderer, are you all right?" came the soft voice of Ten. "What's wrong?" Wanda slowly lifted her head, staring at him with sad eyes.

"Nothing. I've just . . . had a bit of a shock," she whispered. "It's been a rough day." She watched as he scooted himself down to sit beside her, looping an arm around her waist and pulling her close.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked gently. She shook her head for a second, then slowly began to nod. A brow of his arched in curiosity. "Is that a 'yes,' or a 'no'?"

"Maybe a 'yes.' I don't know." She sighed, leaning her head against his shoulder. There was a long pause as they simply sat there, letting the silence surround them in a comforting blanket.

"Where did you just come from? It wasn't my Ninth self again, was it?"

She shook her head against his shoulder. "No. It was future you this time."

"Oh? And what did future me do?" He began stroking a hand through her hair, creating a soothing motion as he wished to ease her woes.

". . . I ran into him snogging someone." She felt the Doctor tense, halting in caressing her hair.

"Oh?" His voice was on edge when saying this.

Wanda brought up a hand, lightly patting his chest. "It wasn't voluntary on his part. I noticed when I opened the door, before he fell over, how he had his hands up in the air in alarm and I had heard him shouting before that. Logically, this must mean that he tried stopping the act, but the other participant had been . . . persistent."

"Oh, what, so he fought the person off with only his lips, then?" the Doctor retorted in annoyance. Wanda chuckled and shook her head.

"It was most likely a complete shock for Eleven," she explained. "I mean, this girl who kissed him, we've both, in a way, known her since she was little. Practically watched her grow up. And he only sees her as a good friend more than anything. Then . . . well, then _that_ happens."

The Doctor let out a huff of air. "He still should have pushed this _girl_ off. Doesn't he care that you and I are together?"

"Of course he cares. We were even supposed to go on a date before the whole kissing thing happened." She felt him shift beside her, giving a hum as he seemed to think that over.

"So, him kissing this girl, that's not what has you upset?"

"Not on his part. . . . But her being the one to kiss him . . . that really hurts." A long sigh left her as she stared at the wall across from them, observing the groves of the metal as she gathered her thoughts. "Have you ever really, really looked up to someone in your life? Someone who you wanted to grow up to be like, who you thought was amazing and would always be there for you . . . then one day they do something that really hurts you? Maybe even more than you would like to admit?"

There was a long pause before the Doctor finally spoke up quietly. "Yeah. Once. A long time ago."

Wanda nodded, feeling her hearts drop for what pain the Doctor had gone through. She had a feeling who had let him down like that, but she was not entirely certain. "Who had hurt you?"

"A story for another time, maybe." He patted her head while beginning to stroke through her hair once more. "Tell me who had made you upset."

"She's . . . a future companion of ours. Someone that we both care about." She paused again to think carefully over her words, not wishing to give away any spoilers. "I've always held her at sort of high esteem when I watched the show back in my old world. I mean, I looked up to others on the show as well, but for some reason . . . I don't know, she's always been that one big influence on my life. Maybe because she was so confident in her life, so strong and courageous. She knows how to voice herself and not be afraid of what others might think of her. Someone which my First self could really look up to and wish to be. Someone who would always be by my side and never let me down. And when I came here to this universe, it just made everything even more brilliant to be able to meet her in person. Like my imaginary friend coming to life." A small, humourless smile grew on her face as she snorted quietly, shaking her head at the ironic analogy she had stated.

The Doctor moved his hand from her hair, patting her shoulder lightly as he gave her a hug from the arm still wrapped around her waist. "And seeing her doing something like that made you feel betrayed, am I right?"

"Yeah. It hurt a lot in seeing her doing that."

Frowning in thought, the Doctor hummed again as he pondered over something. "Maybe . . . she didn't mean to do it?"

Wanda merely shook her head. "She was trying to take Eleven's clothes off. She even had his shirt open."

He blinked at this statement. "Ah. Right. Not a mistake, then." There was another brief pause. "Sometimes . . . people let us down. Without even meaning to, really. And she's human, so . . . you know how they are sometimes."

Wanda titled her head up to look at him, raising a brow in suspicion. "How do you know she's human?"

The Doctor raised a surprised brow in return. "She isn't?"

"Nah. She is." Wanda smiled, sort of snuggling her head back on his shoulder. "Still . . . it really was a shock to me at what she did. I would have never thought she would do something like that."

"Didn't you know it was coming?"

"No, that never happened on my show." She let out a small puff of air. "In my show, she simply loved her husband completely and fully. Sure, there was some nervousness and uncertainty on her end about getting married, but . . . she had never done something like _that_ on the show. And I would have never have thought to look it up in a possibility."

The Doctor nodded, rubbing a hand up and down her arm in gentle motion. "I'm sorry she'd hurt you. I'll try not to let that happen when the time comes for me."

"It's fine . . .," she sighed, ". . . I don't really think that was the only thing that got to me. Like I said, it's been a rough day. A lot of other things piling up and added to the troubles. Seeing the kiss was just sort of the straw that broke the camel's back. No wait—is that the saying? 'Straw that broke the camel's back'? It doesn't sound right. Straw, that, broke, the, camel's, back. Why is that a saying anyway? I mean, why would a piece of straw break a camel's back? Unless it means—why are you laughing?" She pouted at the Doctor as he threw back his head in a burst of laughter, shaking his head slightly in amusement.

"Oh, nothing. You just remind me every day why I love you." He smiled brightly, ducking down to give her a quick kiss.

She giggled, finally feeling her spirits lift as she was simply happy in making the Doctor smile and laugh. Snuggling closer to him, she smiled happily at him. "So, what have you been up to lately? Which companion is with you at the moment?"

His smile fell as a sad expression to over his light mood. "Donna. She's taking a nap at the moment."

Wanda scooted around, pulling away from the Doctor and sitting on her knees as she held his hands, staring at him in concern when seeing the solemn demeanour that fell over him. "What's wrong, sweetie? Did something happen?"

Staring down at their hands, he breathed in then out, meeting her eyes once more. "We've just come back from Pompeii. First Wanda . . . it's been a year for her. She left and . . . I know it's her last day now. I can't even be there for her." His shoulders slumped, gripping their hands tightly together.

Wanda moved forward, wrapping her arms around him in a strong hug. With a tender kiss placed on his cheek, she patted his back. "I'm sorry, Theta. Here I was all worried about my own problems. I should have asked sooner how you were doing."

"You're fine, Wanderer. In my book, your well-being always comes before mine."

"And to me, your happiness comes first." She pulled away, thumbing the side of his face in a caress. She felt him lean his cheek into her touch, returning the affection with a smile. "I guess we both needed comfort. Our days were just terrible today."

Nodding thoughtfully, his smile grew brighter. "Well, then. How about we fix that?"

Wanda let out a startled cry as he swiftly swooped down and picked her up, holding her in his arms as he strolled merrily down the corridor with a small bounce in his step. The blonde girl in his arms began to giggle.

"Where're you taking me?" she giggled in delight, snuggling right into his arms.

"Well, you did say that future Doctor was supposed to take you on a date," he answered with a light tone. "Donna is going to be asleep for a while. I'd say we spend the time waiting for her to wake up by going out and having some fun."

Shaking her head, Wanda sighed as she laid her cheek against his shoulder. "Sorry, Theta, but right now, I just really want to stay in the TARDIS. The thought of being out and about again . . . I just need time away from the universe."

"Say no more." The Doctor smiled kindly at her as he took a different route down a branching corridor.

Soon, a familiar wooden door appeared down the hall, making both Time Lords feel relieved in seeing their comforting room up ahead and waiting for their return. Pushing the door open, the Doctor carried Wanda right into the room and set her down on the large bed, making certain she had plenty of space to relax. Then, he bounced down on his own end, scooting close to lay right next to her. She moved over as well, laying her head right on his chest to listen to the soothing four beats of his hearts. The rhythm that always seemed to lull her and made her feel content. A strong hand made smooth motions down her ash-blonde hair in calm stroking; allowing her to feel even more at peace by the Doctor's loving touch. The lights overhead flickered away, allowing the stars to appear on the ceiling above them. Wanda yawned, feeling her eyes drooping as her exhaustion finally caught up with her. And before she knew it, she drifted off into peaceful slumber.

XxXxXxXx

Amy laughed along with Rory and the Doctor after the Time Lord finished his hilarious story. They currently all sat around the TARDIS console, enjoying a nice break from adventuring through time and space. Now, they all were relaxing on their leisure day as the Doctor entertained them with many stories of his and Wanda's past adventures. The Time Lady herself was not around at the moment having left earlier. And with her gone, they all sort of just wanted to wait around to see if she would turn up again. They never knew if it was going to be mere seconds, an hour, or a full day. So the Doctor suggested they at least waited an hour for he really wanted his Wanderer to be with him before they did anything else. Amy understood how the Time Lord felt. The thought of not having Rory with her on their journey was simply unthinkable to her anymore. There just was no time and space without her fiancé, her love.

A flash of white light caught the corner of the trio's eyes. Together, they all looked over the railing by the console, looking down to see Third Wanda had appeared just at the doors of the ship. They saw as she blinked quickly, trying to gain back her vision from the light that she constantly travelled through.

"Wanda! Hello! You're just in time for the next story!" the Doctor called down to his love, waving merrily and smiling brightly.

"Hey, Wanda," Rory said, giving his own wave in greeting. Amy smiled and motion for the Time Lady to join them up

"Come on and join us!" she exclaimed joy, happy to see her friend again. Wanda blinked for a second longer before her eyes hardened and she straightened up, appearing to be suddenly cross about something.

"Hello, Doctor, Rory . . . Amelia," she said politely, her voice changing that to irritation when saying Amy's name. The ginger girl blinked, shocked as Wanda only said that name when she was either frightened or angry. And judging by how the Time Lady marched past the console and went straight down the corridor, this seemed to be an angry moment for her.

"Umm . . . what's wrong with Wanda?" Rory asked warily, looking at both the Doctor and Amy for an answer.

"It seems Amy has some apologizing to finally do," the Doctor stated casually, standing up to begin to fiddle with the console, pretending to be distracted as he let Amy take care of her own mistake. Amy began to look nervous, biting a fingernail anxiously.

"Can't you go talk to her?" she asked the Doctor, sounding hopeful that he could resolve her past mistakes.

"I'm not the one who made her upset," the Doctor replied, stern in his statement. "It's you who needs to talk to her. Not me." Amy sighed, letting go of her finger to stop biting her nail. She stood up from the captain's chair where she had been sitting next to Rory and briskly walked down towards the corridor.

Back in the bedroom, Wanda sat down at her desk, scribbling away on one of her music sheets. She thumbed at the violin on the next beside her arm, wondering if she should finally take the time to play the new instrument that the TARDIS had given her when she had rebuilt after Eleven's regeneration. It was an exact model as Wanda's old violin, down to the very grain and old fingerprints on the wooden. But still, she would like to give it a test and see if it needed some tuning. A knock came from the door, making her halt in her note making and frown at the knocking sound.

"Wanda? Can I come in? We need to talk," she heard Amy's voice from the other side of the wooden door. Wanda gritted her teeth, feeling her hurt, betrayal, and anger flaring up again. Taking off her shoe, she chucked it at the door, making it slam loudly against the wood.

"No! Go away!" she shouted, not wishing to talk to Amy right now. She heard a loud sigh coming from Amy.

"Wanda, just listen to me," Amy said. In response, Wanda took off her other shoe and threw that one as well.

"I said 'no'!" she exclaimed angrily, crossing her arms and huffing.

"You're being unreasonable," Amy retorted, banging her hand on the door.

Wanda shot up from her chair, making it fall back to the floor. She stormed over to the door, standing right in front of it down and glared at it, pointing harshly as if it were Amy. "I'm being unreasonable? You snogged my husband!"

"Wait, I thought he was just your fiancé?"

Wanda raised a brow, placing her hips on her hips. "Yeah? And how do you know that?"

"The Doctor sort of explained everything to me after the . . . well, you know. He told me everything about how your relationship is, how things work in your strange and wandering life, and a few other things like that. And besides, it was just a kiss. You don't really need to be _that_ angry."

Wanda felt her temper flare up even more. Her face heated up and her eye began to twitch rapidly. "Just a kiss? Just a kiss?! You were trying to do more than kiss, Amelia! You had his shirt open and were trying to get his clothes off!"

"Yeah, okay, I really did _not_ need to hear that," came the sudden voice of Rory. The man sounded very irritated and Wanda could hear his quick footsteps stomping back down the TARDIS corridor.

"Wait, no, Rory!" Amy called to him. The red headed girl gave an exasperated sigh once the footsteps receded away. Wanda winced, not meaning to get Amy in trouble with Rory. The Time Lady felt really bad about that now. She hoped that the two of them would be okay and would make up later.

"Well, that's great," Amy bit back in frustration.

"Oi, don't blame me. I'm not the one who tried to get into the Doctor's pants," Wanda retorted. She turned, putting her back against the door and sat down on the floor in a huff. She sat there in silence for a moment, letting her temper slowly die down. Really, she did not mean to get so angry with Amy. But when seeing the ginger girl again . . . her temper just flared up and she felt so mad at the companion. So, yeah, her anger might have gotten the best of her. But really, it still hurt greatly in what Amy had done. Especially since it had only been a day ago. Though, it might have been months or even years for the ginger.

"Look, Wanda, I'm really, _really_ sorry, okay," spoke up Amy, sounding desperate to make it up to the Time Lady. Then, Wanda heard her sigh heavily, her voice regretful and sad. "I really wasn't thinking. I should have never done it. Any of it. I know how much I upset you . . . And I hate myself knowing I can never undo that. I was just being stupid. The world's biggest idiot." There was a long pause as Amy gathered her next words. "You have every right to be angry at me. Hell, I'd be furious, too. But, please, don't hate me. I can't stand the thought losing you as a friend."

"How long has it been?" Wanda suddenly asked, curious as to when in time she had arrived.

"Huh?"

"How long since you kissed him? When am I? What have you all done recently?"

Amy hummed for a moment, trying to think. "Well . . . we've just got back from exploring around some sort of garden planet. I don't really know the name of it. Can't even pronounce it. We sort of went there to cheer you up after the whole 'Dream Lord' thing."

Wanda frowned when hearing this. "Cheer me up? What do you mean?"

"I don't know. You wouldn't tell us what had you upset."

The Time Lady hummed for a moment, leaning her head back against the door as she thought this over. "So . . . Amy's made her choice then."

"Huh?"

"Nothing." Wanda sighed, slouching against the door. There was a pregnant pause before either one spoke again. "You know, it's only been a day for me. And it still hurts . . . a lot. I really look up to, Amy. And seeing you do that . . . it's not something I ever thought you'd do."

"I know. I really am sorry. Like I said, I was being a moron. I should have never done it." The regretful tone could be heard clearly in Amy's voice.

Pondering for a moment, Wanda let out another sigh. "Well . . . I forgive you. But it still doesn't mean that I don't still feel hurt and angry."

It was a moment before Amy responded. "I could do something for you. I want to make it up to you. Or, better yet, you can even get me back for it if you'd like."

Wanda scoffed, "Like what? I go kiss Rory and we'd be even?"

"Well . . . No, that's not actually what I was thinking." Amy hummed, seeming to wonder what she could do.

However, Wanda suddenly had an idea. Slowly, a mischievous smirk appeared on her face. She even began snickering as she knew _exactly_ what Amy could do to make up for her actions. Standing up quickly, Wanda opened the door, seeing Amy blinking in surprise from where she sat on the floor. The companion hurriedly stood up as well, appearing uncertain by the impish grin the Time Lady was giving her.

"You know what? I know the perfect way you can make it up to me," Wanda announced, grinning away as she linked her arm with Amy's. The companion blinked as the Time Lady began steering her down the corridor.

"Oh? What do you have in mind, then?" Amy questioned, smiling nervously. Wanda sent her a sly smirk.

"I've been working on many soufflé recipes for quite some time now. I think I need someone to taste test each one and see if I finally got them right," the Time Lady stated, her grin widening at the somewhat frightful look that appeared on Amy's face.

"S-soufflé? Um . . . the Doctor always warned me never to eat your soufflés."

"Ah, don't let him mess with you." Wanda patted the girl's arm gently. Amy seemed to relax for a second before stiffening at the Time Lady's next words. "They made the Doctor only a _little_ sick the last time he took a bite." With another impish grin give to the companion, Wanda practically dragged Amy down to the kitchen as the ginger girl gulped in fear.

XxXxXxXx

The Doctor lay on his back on the bed with the lilac covers pulled up to his chest. He had his arms cross over on top of the covers, with a disgruntled pout on his face as he stared at the ceiling of his and Wanda's room. Damn Silurian decontamination. Did the machine really have to take away his immunity against the common cold? The bloody common cold! Why? Why did he have to get sick from a simple cold right after he and Amy let the small village of Cwmtaff behind? Now he was here, stuck in bed while the companion went around exploring the TARDIS. He did not bother telling her that he was sick. She needed time to have her own fun and not worry over a sick Time Lord. Especially after . . . after losing Rory.

The Time Lord felt his mood sink even further as regret and guilt went through him, knowing it was his fault in allowing Amy's fiancé to die. The one man the companion truly loved. The Doctor let out a sigh, sniffling as he felt his nose draining. Grabbing a tissue off the end table next to the bed, the Doctor blew his nose and sniffed again as he continued staring up at the ceiling. He had to do something to make it up to Amy for her loss.

There was a flash of white light and the next thing the Doctor knew Wanda had appeared right next to the bed beside him. He moved his head to the side, watching her as she giggled in merriment. She blinked when she noticed him lying there.

"Oh! Hey, Theta," she said, smiling happily at him. "Guess what I just did." She bounced on the bed next to him, grinning away in delight.

"What?" he replied, smiling at her and feeling happy to see her so amused, even reaching forward to grab onto her hand and give it a loving squeeze.

"I made Amy eat the soufflés I baked." She laughed in amusement, affectionately squeezing his hand back.

"Ah, the soufflé of death."

Wanda pouted at him, tapping him lightly on the arm. "Amy actually said they weren't that bad. So, ha!"

The Doctor snickered. "Yes, but you weren't there the next morning when her meals came back to haunt her." He laughed at her pout and disappointed look before letting out a loud sneeze, blowing his nose into a tissue once more. He felt Wanda immediately place a hand on his forehead in concern.

"You're sick. How did you get sick?" She looked him over, worried about him as she felt him have a small fever. His face looked flushed from the sickness and when he spoke his voice sounded hoarse. Her mind raced in thinking what she should do for him. "Do you need medicine? Have you eaten at all today? Do you need more blankets? A cool rag? More tissues? Have you checked your temperature lately? Is it bad? Do you feel bad? Do you hurt anywhere? Is it serious? Oh god, it is serious? Are you dying?!"

"Wanderer, calm down, I'm fine," the Doctor laughed, taking her hands into his and smiling in reassurance. "It's just a cold. The Silurian decontamination machine took a bit of my immunity away from Earth sickness and I caught a bug. Nothing serious at all. My body should adjust and gain back immunity by tonight. Then I'll be right as rain again."

"Oh. Heh. That's good, then." She smiled sheepishly, embarrassed for her mind jumping rapidly to conclusions again. Placing a hand back over his forehead she let out a thoughtful hum. "You do have a fever, though. Why haven't you taken medicine for it? I know you have a vaccine for the cold in the medical bay."

This time, the Doctor was the one to look sheepish. "Oh, that, yes, ah . . . I forgot to restock the medical bay on medicine for the common cold." He smiled crookedly as Wanda sighed and shook her head.

"What am I to do with you?"

"Love me even more?" A boyish grin was given to the Time Lady as she snorted.

"Yes, well, there is that." She leaned over, kissing his forehead gently. "Here, let me go make you something to eat at least. Some soup might help you feel better."

"As long as it isn't a soufflé." He laughed as she hit him in the arm and saw how she stuck her tongue out at him in annoyance. He then watched her bounce up from the bed, promising to be right back. After being left in the room alone, the Doctor found himself becoming drowsy, his eyelids growing heavy. It had been a while since he slept. But he would rather Wanda be back in bed with him before allowing himself to sleep. He liked the company, and her warmth always did help him feel at peace. Hmm. He wondered if she had gotten any sleep lately, either. She needed to rest more often now that—

"Theta?" came a gentle whisper. He felt someone tenderly kissing his forehead, thumbing at his cheek. His eyes slowly blinked, clearly his fuzzy vision as he saw Wanda leaning over him and smiling softly. "Wake up, sleepyhead. It's time to eat."

"I was asleep?" he mumbled, rubbing at his tired eyes. "I don't remember falling asleep."

"You must've dozed off when I left," Wanda said, sitting down next to him. She moved a tray up closer to him, letting him see a large, white bowl of what appeared to be chicken soup sitting in the middle of a tray, with an arrangement of a glass of water, toast, jammie dodgers, and a small vase with a flower all around the flat surface. The Doctor grinned, reaching for the jammed biscuits first. But his hand was quickly slapped away.

"No, no. You need to eat your soup first," Wanda scolded him in a motherly manner. He pouted, but sat up all the same, allowing her to place the tray on his lap once as he leaned back against some pillows and the headboard of the bed. He smiled as he scooped up a spoon full of delicious looking soup and gulped it down. But then his face scrunched up and he gagged.

"Gah! This tastes horrid!" the Doctor whined.

"It's medicated chicken soup. It's not supposed to taste good," Wanda told him lightly. "It will help with your fever, sneezing, coughing, and make you feel better and more rested."

He pouted, grumbling as he swirled the spoon around in the bowl. "I don't need medicine. I'm fine."

She crossed her arms, staring sternly at him. "Eat your soup, Theta."

He gave a larger pout, crossing his own arms. "No. I'm not hungry."

"Eat."

"No."

"Eat."

"No."

" _Eat_."

"Oh, can't I just have the jammie dodgers?"

Wanda frowned heavily at the Doctor's whine. Then, she smirked coyly. Leaning over, she breathed into his ear a quiet statement. The Time Lord frowned for a moment, then his Adam's apple bobbed as he gulped, and he shifted in anticipation on the spot by what was being whispered to him. Wanda pulled away, winking. "So, it's either get better sooner, or you have a wait longer for your present. Your choice."

He swallowed heavily, then hurriedly picked up his spoon and began gulping down the white bowl's contents. Beside him, Wanda giggled in delight, thinking how she would have to thank River later.

XxXxXxXx

It's always so nice when those two just get a day to relax together. Even if the Doctor has a cold, haha. ;) Hope everyone enjoyed! Let me know what you thought of it in a review. I always, always love seeing from you all.

Reviewers:

 **QuirkyKim** : I hope it was worth the wait! So glad you liked the last chapter! :) Until next time!

 **ajwehri** : I think I've been waiting forever, too. lol ;) I really hope you enjoyed the new chapter! Take care!

 **FictionalBoysAreBetter** : Oh, no, so sorry that it woke you up. I hope you got enough sleep. But I'm so happy that you liked the chapter! Hopefully, the new chapter was just as good. :) I would answer all your questions . . . I'm just going to say spoilers for now. ;) Though I will say we are not too far away from Doomday now. I really hope you have a brilliant Holiday as well! Definitely will have more chapters up till then. I have a special chapter planned for Christmas, so I hope to see you there in the future! :) Take care!

 **grapejuice101** : Eh, I really think Amy just wasn't using her brain during that moment. Humans. You know how they can be. Anyway, really hoped you enjoyed the newest episode! Until next time! :)

 **NeoGnat** : Eh, not so much the Doctor who Wanda was mad at as we saw in this chapter. Glad it didn't become a misunderstanding between the two Time Lords. :) Spoilers for now on Alpha. We'll just have to wait for her arrival for later. ;) Yeah, I feel you there. Well, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Hope to see you again in the future! Take care! :D

 **Justus80** : It really is fickle, isn't it? I understand why you feel that way. No need to apologize for venting. We all need to sometimes. :) I do hope that you still liked the new chapter. Until next time!

 **bored411** : Yeah . . . don't think it's going to be a good day when we finally meet Alpha. Hope you enjoyed the way Wanda handled all of that with Amy and the Doctor. :) See you in the next update! Take care and have a wonderful day!

 **funwithstark** : Nope! Not weird at all! In fact, I'm happy about it all, too. :) Now I'm just excited for the next chapters to come. I just really hope you will like them. Well . . . it won't be long for us to finally meet Alpha. Keeping my fingers crossed that you enjoyed the newest chapter. :)

 **All The Stories Are True 24601** : lol No, all of you are more than worthy. ;) In fact, if anyone is not worthy, it's me for knowing all of you and having such brilliant readers here with me through this story. :) I really don't think my writing could ever be good enough for professional publishing. But I'm just so overjoyed in bringing you all joy through the story! I really hope to see you in the future! Happy Holidays!

 **heroherondaletotherescue** : I'm so happy you enjoyed the moment between Wanda and the Doctor. I hope you liked the new moments between them in this chapter as well. :) Wanda just never seems to get a moment to relax, does she? At least she did in this chapter, though. That's a relief. I really hope that you enjoyed this chapter. Even if much didn't happen this time around. Until next time!

 **Jerry Skeleton** : Oh no. I hope you got enough sleep. I hate for your day at school to be bad because of the new chapter. But I'm so very glad you liked it. :) It makes my day in hearing how much joy it brings you. lol Yeah, at this point we all know that she is. Now it's just a matter of time before she figures it out. ;) Nah, thank you for being an amazing reader with all your kind words. Hope you have time to share some theories in the future. Would love to hear them. :) So glad that you like the new art. SkeleTea does an amazing job. :) Good night! Or good day, if it's day for you now. Take care!

 **UltimateFan-girl15** : Yay! Glad to have you back! I hope the re-read was good. :) It might be some time before we find out the full truth, but don't worry I promise it will happen in this part of the story. Can't wait to see you again in the future! Until next time!

 **Momochan77** : I hope that you enjoyed where Wanda ended it. :) Don't worry, we will be getting Jack's first official 'meeting' in this part. Though not for some time now. Hope you don't mind the wait. See you next time!

 **singingKatelyn** : haha I'm sorry. What can I say, I love tense endings. ;) Amy really messed up this time, but at least Wanda got some payback. lol ;) Yeah, about that . . . it's just a matter of time until she figures it out I suppose. ;) As of 'Jane' . . . I'm just going to say spoilers for now. Aww, thank you, love you too! I really hope to see you again in the next chapter! Take care!

 **Books-and-Cleverness-394** : You're right. Ten did help her greatly. :) As for the remembering . . . well, I promise you that she will remember by the end of this part of the story. It just might take some time from now. Sorry about that. Hope you don't mind the wait. Hopefully this chapter makes up for the wait at least a little bit. :)

 **Whovianeverlark17** : lol Yeah. I don't think Amelia will ever look at a souffle the same ever again. ;) Until next time!

 **Samantha** : It's funny you mentioned that episode. We're actually not that far away from it. Not long soon until we get to see Wanda having fun with the TARDIS. ;) Aww, thank you! I really hope that you enjoyed the new chapter, and to see you again for the next one! Take care!

 **alwaystherereading** : Truthfully? I'm sort of anxious, too. More so in how everyone will like what is going to happen down the road. I really, really hope that you will like it. Welp, you got your wish. A nice break for Wanda to enjoy. I hope you liked it. :) I would like to become a writer, but I really don't feel as though anything I make will be that good. At least you and other readers find joy in this series. I'm really happy and touched to see you all so joyful. :) Thank you for all your kind words. It means the world to me. Truly. Until next time!

 **Crystal-star-Tyler** : lol Now, I wouldn't go that far. But I think Wanda might have come a little close to doing that. haha So glad you liked it! Hope to see you again soon!

Everyone, you all are amazing. I hope you all know that. Every single one of you, a brilliant and amazing person. :)

~Tinker~


	24. Ch 24: The ATMOS Attack

Surprise!

I had some time today and decided to update another chapter. Trying to set things up so, when Christmas rolls around, I can give you all a special Christmas chapter. Think of it as this story's version of a Doctor Who Christmas Special. ;) Speaking of Christmas Specials, I can't wait for the new episode! :D And, of course, if anyone doesn't celebrate Christmas, then think of it as a Holiday Special for you all. As a way to give thanks to you all for being amazing.

So, please, enjoy the new chapter!

XxXxXxXx

Chapter 24: The ATMOS Attack

When Wanda arrived inside of Ten's grunge control room, everything sort of rocked around, and the TARDIS made an uncertain and uneasy noise. Like she was extremely nervous about something happening. Wanda frowned, pondering over what could make the old girl so anxious. She received her answer when she saw Donna at the helm, piloting the ship. The Doctor stood tense next to the companion, watching her carefully.

"I can't believe I'm doing this," Donna stated in nervous excitement as she steered the TARDIS through the Vortex.

"No. Neither can I," the Doctor muttered behind the woman. The TARDIS made a sound of alarm, making the Doctor hurriedly walk up to the companion and grab a mallet next to her. "Whoa, whoa, careful." He flipped a lever and banged on the console with the tool. Standing tensely next to Donna, he kept careful watch of the scanner as the woman began pulling on the lever. "Left hand down. Left hand down." Donna pulled the lever completely down, making the whole ship rock and the TARDIS humming anxiously again.

"Easy there," Wanda said, walking up hurriedly to make the ship grow steady again. "We don't want to put a dent in the 1980s . . . again." Both Time Lord and Donna blinked, then smiled when seeing Wanda there with them.

"Wanda!" they exclaimed together. At the same time, each gave her a delighted hug, making the blonde girl giggle happily.

"Missed you both, too," Wanda said, pulling back to grin at them. She gave a kiss on Donna's cheek and then on the Doctor's lips, patting the Time Lord on the chest as she turned to look at the scanner. "So, how are the Doctor's teaching skills holding up? He hasn't made you crash the ship yet, has he?" The Time Lord pouted as Donna laughed. Suddenly, Wanda's mobile phone from her coat pocket began to ring, making her frown curiously. "That's unusual. No, wait! I bet I know who this is!" Quickly pulling out her phone, she answered it. "Hello, my dear. How is my most favourite doctor doing?"

"Favourite doctor?" the Doctor questioned, his pout deepening now. Wanda shushed him, winking as well.

"I'm doing well," Martha laughed on the other end of the line. "I hope I'm reaching you with the right Doctor."

"Yep, Ten's here and ready. Just say the word and we'll be there in a jiffy," Wanda remarked, smiling away as she bounced to sit on the captain's chair. She noticed both Donna and the Doctor looking at her and then at each other, baffled by who Wanda was talking and what she meant.

"Good, 'cause I need to bring you two back to Earth," Martha said. Wanda smiled, almost able to hear that large smile of Martha's through the mobile.

"Let me guess: You need us to help you look into this ATMOS Industry because you're worried about something worse than just illegal aliens going on. Am I right, or am I right?" Wanda grinned, bouncing her leg on her knee merrily.

Martha laughed. "Right as always."

Wanda bounced up from the seat, going over to the console. "All righty then, be there in a jiffy." She hung up the phone, swiftly flipping levers and turning knobs on the console.

"What's going on, Wanda?" the Doctor asked her.

"Martha called. She needs our help. Big time," Wanda explained as she sent the TARDIS through the Vortex. "On a scale, I'd say this day is gonna be a . . . five. Seven at the very least."

"Well, then, better get started," the Doctor said, coming beside her to help the Time Lady pilot the ship.

"We're going to Martha?" Donna asked, her interest perking up greatly. "I'm finally going to meet brilliant Martha Jones?"

"Yep!" Wanda beamed in excitement. She always did love it when companions met. Which reminded her, she needed to convince the Doctor to let Donna meet Sarah Jane Smith some time. They all rocked on their feet as the TARDIS came to a halt, landing in 2008. Wanda quickly bounced down to the doors and went outside, smiling away when seeing Martha standing just down a ways from the ship. The old companion smiled as well, swiftly walking towards the Time Lady. They met halfway, laughing as they hugged each other in delight.

"It's been a while, Martha," Wanda said once they pulled away from their hug.

"Too long," Martha agreed. She looked the Time Lady over. "Still as tiny as ever I see."

"Oi! I'm almost as tall as you, thank you very much!" Wanda exclaimed, giving a pretend pout. She stuck out her tongue and they both giggled. They turned when hearing the Doctor walking up to them, seeing him give the old companion a bright smile.

"Martha Jones!" he laughed, hugging the shorter doctor. He stepped back, studying her. "You haven't changed a bit." Martha laughed, shaking her head in humour.

"Neither have you," she replied.

"How's the family?" questioned the Doctor, appearing concerned now as he knew how rough her family had it after that certain year they had all endured. Martha held a small, sad smile, but nodded to tell the Doctor it was okay.

"You know, not so bad. Recovering," she explained.

He nodded, staring carefully at her. "What about you?"

Just then, Donna stepped out of the TARDIS, gaining Martha's attention. She stared around the Doctor, raising a brow. Her light mood dropped somewhat. "Right. I should've known. Didn't take you two long to replace me then." She patted the Time Lord's arms with a small smile. Wanda scoffed, hitting Martha in the arm.

"Oh, shush. Don't talk like that," Wanda scolded her sternly, waving a finger at the doctor. "No one is ever replaced. We simply add more to the TARDIS family." This seemed to brighten Martha's mood as her smile gained back its happiness. Donna walked up, smiling eagerly at Martha.

"Martha, Donna. Donna, Martha," the Doctor introduced the two, waving a hand between the companions. Donna stepped forward, shaking Martha's hand merrily.

"I've heard all about you," said Donna as a warm smile appeared on her face. "They talk about you all the time."

"I dread to think," Martha joked.

"No, no, no. They say nice things, good things," Donna assured the young doctor. "Wanda likes to talk about all the times you two went missing in the markets, making the Doctor get all panicky and lost as well. Especially when really you both just turned out to be right by a chips stand." The two laughed. Even Wanda giggled as the Doctor rolled his eyes.

"It was never funny," the Doctor grumbled. Wanda elbowed him lightly in the side, winking at him.

"You just get worried too easily," she teased him. She then turned her attention onto Martha, beaming while bouncing on her feet. "So, how's everything going with Tom?" Martha grinned, holding up her hand to let them all seeing the engagement ring. Both Wanda and Martha squealed, holding their hands together as they bounced up and down. Donna laughed and clapped her hands while the Doctor blinked in astonishment.

"Congratulations," Donna said, praising the doctor on her relationship.

"You're engaged?" asked the Doctor, trying to understand "To who?"

"Tom Milligan," Martha explained to him. "He's in pediatrics. Working out in Africa right now, and yes, I know, I've got a doctor who disappears off to distant places."

"Ha! You and Wanda could start a club," Donna joked. Martha laughed at this.

"Tell me about it," she agreed. Wanda laughed as well, glancing at the Doctor as he continued to stare up towards the sky in thought, seeming to hold onto something tightly within his coat pocket.

"Doctor?" Wanda spoke up, bumping the Time Lord with her hip.

"Hmm? What?" he asked suddenly, blinking out of his stupor.

"Aren't you going to congratulate Martha?" Wanda gave the Doctor a pointed look, nodding her head towards the old companion.

"What? Oh, yes, right! Well done, Martha," the Doctor smiled and nodded to Martha. His mind continued to wander over his thoughts, going over the idea of engagement. Seeing the ring on Martha's finger . . . it made him wonder what a ring on Wanda's hand would look like. Would the Time Lady shine with pride and happiness like Martha at the mentioning of a future marriage? He would like to think so. Maybe . . . Wanda would even like to do the whole traditional proposal? Make a special arrangement, get on his knee and ask. Would Donna help him plan it? He might ask later.

"Doctor?" he heard Donna speak up, snapping him away from his thoughts.

"Right, sorry," the Doctor said, pulling his hand away from his pocket and letting the item inside drop back down into the coat. "So, why are we here again?" Martha was about to answer when the radio on her belt began to crackle in static and a voice asked for a report.

"This is Dr. Jones. Operation Blue Sky is go, go, go," Martha instructed to the person on the other end of the radio, walking away from them and out of the alleyway they had appeared in. "I repeat, this is a go." The trio behind her sort of glanced at each other before following along after the doctor.

They saw that they had arrived in the TARDIS at a large compound of sorts. A massive wave of UNIT taskforce (the Parachute Regiment), armed with large weapons in hand, marched on past them. Many jeeps and a black truck pulling a huge trailer drove by, parking in front of the factory the UNIT taskforce were marching to. They watched as Martha swiftly walked off, instructing all the armed men on what to do. Then, all workers of the factory, who had been simply doing their jobs moments before, were instructed to halt their actions and to surrender. The uniformed men then restrained every factory worker, pushing them to line up.

"And so it begins," Wanda muttered as she watched it all, feeling a wave of dread come upon her. Things about today . . . just did not feel right. Events were going to go wrong. She felt it in the pit of her stomach.

Eventually, Martha led the trio over to the large, black trailer, the mobile UNIT headquarters of the operation here. They step up onto the trailer, seeing a large base for the events taking place. There were many desks with monitors and large computer screens placed within the room. Many people were at their stations, muttering away into their headphones, or walking around and quickly giving instructions. They could see one man in uniform who seemed to be in charge of it all. Martha gained the man's attention.

"Doctor, Wanda, Colonel Mace," Martha introduced them.

"Sir, ma'am," the Colonel replied, giving the two a salute. Wanda blinked in surprise while the Doctor rolled his eyes.

"Oh, don't salute," the Doctor groaned.

"But it's an honour, sir," countered the Colonel, but he let the salute go as a respect of the Doctor's request. "I've read all the files on you. Technically speaking, you're still on staff. You never resigned. As for the Wanderer, we've only gathered the files that Torchwood has, but we know how important she is as well."

"Really, I'm not," Wanda interjected, shaking her head in disproval. Torchwood had files on her? Really? It would not really surprise her given who was in charge of the new Torchwood. But why would Jack let UNIT have files on her? Unless, of course, they were files that old Torchwood had let loose. That seemed more logical.

They were led closer to the main operations within the trailer, looking at the large screens UNIT had set up for monitoring. Colonel Mace explained UNIT's new operations and intelligence. More like bragging, really. Wanda sat at one of the empty chairs, smirking when listening to Donna scold the Colonel in the way the workers were being treated by the uniformed men outside. Donna even made the Colonel salute her when making her name and presence known. The Doctor and Wanda shared a glance and smirk, feeling proud of their red headed companion. The Doctor sat next to Wanda, staring intently at the large television screen on the wall.

"So tell me what's going on in that factory?" he directed in question to the Colonel.

"Yesterday, fifty-two people died in identical circumstances, right across the world, in eleven different time zones," Colonel Mace explained as a map of the Earth was brought up, showing them the locations on all the different nations and countries that the people had died.

"You mean they died simultaneously?" the Doctor questioned, pondering carefully over this news.

"Exactly," the Colonel stated, giving the Doctor a curt nod. "Fifty-two deaths at the exact same moment worldwide."

"And they all died in their cars, right?" Wanda spoke up, earning a curious expression from the Colonel.

"That's correct, ma'am," he nodded.

"They were poisoned," Martha added. "I checked the biopsies, no toxins. Whatever it is left the system immediately."

"What have the cars got in common?" asked the Doctor.

"ATMOS," replied Wanda as she grabbed a pen from the desk in front of her and began tossing it in her hand. "They've all got ATMOS. Every single car, in every single country, all around the entire planet. Everyone decides it's completely fine and dandy to all have the same device in their cars and don't even think the wiser of it. That's just brilliant." She tossed the pen back on the desk, giving a heavy sigh. She began rubbing at her head as she felt a headache coming along. That's funny. Usually, she only got headaches when she used her abilities too often. Why was she getting one now?

She blinked when she realized Martha and the Colonel were heading outside, ready to lead the Doctor, Donna and her into the factory. Donna was already following along while the Doctor remained sitting as he stared at Wanda in concern.

"Are you all right, Wanda? You seem agitated," the Doctor noted, furrowing his brows as he gazed at her. The blonde girl replied with a small smile.

"I'm fine. It's just this day feels a little . . . off," she commented. She frowned in thought. "In fact, I feel a little off, too. I think I might have caught that cold from Eleven."

"A cold? I don't catch colds," the Doctor responded in confusion, shaking his head.

"You will one time in the future," Wanda stated, winking at him. She patted him on the knee. "Come on, let's go catch up with others." He nodded, getting up and leaving to go after the group ahead.

Wanda stood up, ready to hurry on after. But when she straightened from the chair, she suddenly felt woozy and nauseous. She slapped a hand over her mouth as she felt ready to be sick and wobbled on her feet. Her other hand reached out and grabbed the back of the chair next to her to steady herself. Swallowing down her nausea, she pressed a hand to her stomach as she felt it jumping about, feeling queasy. That was odd. She had never felt that before.

"Are you okay, miss?" asked a woman next to her who had been typing away at the computer on the desk. Wanda gave the woman an uneasy smile.

"I'm fine," she assured the woman. In quick steps, Wanda walked out of the headquarters, wanting to hurry up and get this strange day over with.

XxXxXxXx

They were given sort of a tour of the factory as Colonel Mace and Martha explained everything to them about ATMOS. What it did, and why UNIT was investigating it. Eventually, they were shown the ATMOS device itself, allowing the Doctor to whip on his glasses and begin looking it over. The Doctor and Donna were busy away discussing what exactly ATMOS could be and why aliens would make it for humans. Wanda was too busy sitting in the corner in a chair, rubbing at her stomach and trying to get it to settle down. She leaned her head down against the desk in front of her, pressing her sweating forehead to the cool surface. Gosh, did she feel sick. And sleepy. She really felt strangely tired. Why was she feeling so exhausted and worn? She had slept only about five days ago. She was not due for more sleep until at least another week.

"You okay, Wanda?"

Wanda looked up, seeing Martha stare down at her in concern. Glancing over, Wanda saw Donna and the Doctor being led out of the room by Colonel Mace. The Time Lady felt bad as she knew she was sitting there being useless as everyone else got to work in figuring out this mess. She needed to get up and do something. Maybe moving around would get her stomach to settle down.

"I'm all right," Wanda assured Martha, giving the doctor a small smile. "Just feel a little off today is all."

"Would you like to stay here and help me work on checking over the workers?" questioned the doctor, smiling, eager for Wanda to hang out with her for the day. Wanda returned the smile.

"Sure. I'd love to," replied the blonde girl, standing up to follow Martha.

"So, how has the Doctor been treating you lately?" Martha questioned her as they walked down the hall.

"Wonderful as always," Wanda stated, smiling joyfully. "I've recently just come from Eleven's time. He and I have been taking a future companion around, trying to cheer her up, though she doesn't realize that she needs cheering up in the first place. Lost her memories of the reason she's sad." Her smile dropped somewhat, staring sadly down as she felt guilty about Amy losing Rory to the crack in time. But luckily, Wanda knew everything would turn out all right again once they reached Pandorica.

"That sounds troubling," Martha commented as they walked into a small room. "I hope she gains her memories back soon."

"Oh, she will. Don't worry." Wanda gave the doctor a reassuring smile that everything in the future will be all right in the end.

"That's good. So, what do you think about ATMOS? I'd say, on a scale, it's a red bow tie." Martha missed the puzzled look Wanda sent her as the doctor shuffled papers on a desk. "Though, now that you and the Doctor are here, I hope it's just going to be a yellow bow tie. Hopefully the fish fingers and custard don't go sour."

"Umm, okay." Wanda raised a brow, trying to understand what Martha was going on about.

Martha seemed to catch on to the Time Lady's confusion as she glanced up in surprise. "Oh. Sorry, wrong Wanda. I thought you were an older Third Wanda."

"That's all right. But what was that all about?" Wanda sat down at the desk, curiously staring at the doctor.

"It's something you and I come up with in your future, my past. It's a code, letting us know without others realizing what danger we feel about the situation and the people around us. So that way we can be on guard. We come up with a lot of different code words like that. They helped us stay safe."

"Oh?" Wanda frowned, trying to think of when exactly the two of them would need a code like that. "When exactly did we invent this code?"

Martha nodded slowly; she paused in shuffling papers. "During that year."

Wanda's mind sparked up as she knew what Martha meant. It was that one year, the one everyone on Earth would never remember. The Year That Never Was. The Master's year of tyranny over the planet and its people. The Time Lady felt a shiver creep down her spine at the thought of the year to come for her. "I'm sorry. I wish you didn't have to go through a year like that, Martha."

"Well, technically that year never existed, so I never went through any of that." Martha gave a weak smile. "I'm just unlucky in remembering it. We all are." She earned as slow, sad nod from the Time Lady who appeared at a loss of words. Martha shifted on her feet as she stared at Wanda, feeling edgy to confess something. Jack had warned her not to do it, but . . . maybe she could change at least a few things? "Wanda, I need to warn you about something."

"What's that?"

Before Martha could open her mouth to speak, the Doctor poked his head into the room, eyes searching for Wanda briefly before smiling when seeing her there.

"Ah, Wanda, there you are," he said as he walked into the room. "Donna went to visit her family, and I'm going to go into the country to talk with this Luke fellow. Fresh air and geniuses. What more could you ask?" He beamed, eager for her to go with him in investigate.

"Sorry, Doctor, but I think I should stay here. Help Martha keep an eye on things in case anything goes all bonkers," Wanda replied, smiling warmly at the sight of the Doctor appearing so excited in meeting a whole group of geniuses at the Rattigan Academy.

"Aww, but then I'm just on my own. I don't want to go alone," the Doctor whined, pouting at the Time Lady.

"You'll be fine. You'll have much more fun without me there, trust me," Wanda assured him. She grabbed his hand, giving it a kiss and a pat. "Go on, sweetie. Have fun. Martha and I will be waiting here for you when you get back." He nodded, leaning down to kiss the top of her head, then walked off to head out.

"So, you were saying?" Wanda asked Martha, turning to her in interest. Martha opened her mouth again to speak, but then sighed and shook her head sadly.

"Never mind," she mumbled quietly, picking up papers from the desk and walking off. Wanda raised a brow at this curious behavior, then hurried up to follow after the old companion.

XxXxXxXx

Wanda sat next to Martha as the doctor had brought in a factory worker to question and examine. The woman now had her doctor's coat on, with a stethoscope hanging around her neck and at the ready for use. She shifted on her seat, and together both her and Wanda crossed their legs as they stared at the man sitting down from them, studying him.

"And your name's Trepper, yeah? Is that polish?" Martha asked the man in blue uniform politely. There was no response from him as he continued to stare blankly, dully, at the two. Wanda and Martha gave each other a glance with raised brows then looked back at the man.

"Listen, we're not checking passports. It's not about that, but . . .," Martha continued to speak, "Did you come across from Poland to work?"

"I came to do my job," the man answered in monotone, stating this almost robotically.

Martha nodded, bringing up her stethoscope. "I need to listen to your heartbeat. This might be a bit cold." The man lifted his shirt at Martha's command, allowing her to listen to his heart. Immediately, Martha could tell something was wrong. His heart was racing a mile a minute, going far too fast for a normal human heart rate. Brows furrowing in confusion, she pulled the stethoscope away. "Are you on any medication?"

"I'm here to work," the man said dully, still holding up his shirt as he stared blankly at the females.

"How many hours a day do you work?"

"Twenty-four."

This stunned Martha, making her eyes widened slightly. "You work twenty-four hours a day?"

"Yep. He and everyone else here," Wanda muttered, standing up to observe him carefully. "You can put your shirt down now." The man did as he was told, not even blinking as he kept his dead gaze. Whipping out her sonic, she did a quick scan of him, seeing what she might be able to do for him.

"What's wrong with him?" Martha questioned, staring at the man in concern now.

"Hypnotized," Wanda stated after her tool sent her back a reading. She patted her sonic in her hand as she thought over what she might do for the poor man. "They've been running him ragged. Pushing him and all the others to the brink. I don't think any of them will recover from this."

"What can we do, then?" Martha asked, appearing ready to figure out a solution and handle the situation.

"I really don't know. A person's mind is a very delicate thing. One wrong move and we could turn them into a vegetated state," Wanda explained, gripping her screwdriver in unease. "The Doctor might be able to think of something. He knows how to handle situations with minds better than I can."

"Trust me, you'll get practice for the future," Martha muttered, shaking her head. "We need to tell the Colonel."

"More like we need to tell the Doctor," Wanda countered, walking out of the room with Martha. They strode quickly through the hall, needing to reach someone and tell them of the situation with the workers. Both of their ears perked up when hearing quick steps behind them, marching at a fast rate to catch up with them.

"Dr. Jones," said a uniformed man from behind, earning the two women's attention. They saw that it was Private Harris, standing at attention in front of them with gun in hand. Next to him stood Private Gray, also at the ready and looking serious.

"Not now. I'm busy," Martha stated, dismissing their call to attention.

"Just one question," Private Harris said. "Do you have security clearance level one?" Martha halted in her steps, making Wanda stopped beside her as well. The doctor stared at the two men carefully, narrowing her eyes.

"Yes, I do. Why?" she demanded in question. Then, Private Harris looked at Wanda.

"And you are the Wanderer, UNIT classified alien traveller?" he questioned her.

"Yes," Wanda answered slowly, arching a high brow in surprise. She remembered these two. They were the ones hypnotized by General Staal of the Tenth Sontaran Battle Fleet. The ones who were behind this whole mess to begin with. Why exactly were they having the two uniformed men that they had captured asking for her? They should just want Martha for their cloning process, which Wanda would _not_ allow to happen. She had already planned on a course of action for this, but them asking for her made her plans come to a halt completely now.

"Colonel Mace wants to see you both," Private Harris told them in monotone, staring steadily at the two. Both Martha and Wanda glanced at each other, appearing wary of this.

"Okay, but first we both need a toilet break," Martha declared, swiftly grabbing Wanda by the arm and pulling the blonde girl towards where Martha knew the loo would be.

"Colonel Mace wants to see you both now," Private Harris clarified strictly.

"In a moment," Martha countered, swiftly opening the door to the toilet and pushing a bewildered Wanda inside. She then shut the door and locked it, making certain the two Privates would not enter. Turning to Wanda, Martha grew a serious expression. "All right, the fish fingers and custard have definitely turned sour. What do we do?"

"Umm . . . I have no idea," Wanda said truthfully, shrugging her shoulders at a loss. "I really did not see this coming."

"Check the possibilities then. See what needs to be done," Martha replied. Wanda nodded, sucking in a breath as she delved into the possibilities.

Images flashed forward, speeding along as it showed her the events of the day and all other possible outcomes. Things were not looking good. Not at all. If Martha did not go with the two, the Sontarans would attack sooner, allowing less time for the planet to be saved. And of course, the nuclear weapons would come into play. That must certainly not ever happen. And everything else was fuzzy because her own timeline interfered. There was literally nothing Wanda could figure out to know in advance. Nothing. She felt her anxiety spike up greatly, making her jerk out of the possibilities as she suddenly felt overwhelmed. Similar as she had felt during her First incarnation. She gulped, wobbly on her feet as the nausea from before built back up again. Oh, she felt like she was going to be sick.

Slapping a hand over her mouth, she ran around Martha and straight over to the toilet. Falling to her knees, she heaved into the toilet, coughing as her nausea finally won. So much for that wonderful breakfast Eleven had made for her. She coughed more, moaning as she felt so awful. A hand patted gently at her back, telling her that Martha stood behind her, watching over her carefully.

"Are you feeling all right, Wanda?" the companion asked her in concern. Nodding slowly, Wanda sat away from the toilet, flushing it as she leaned against the wall behind her.

"Yeah. I've just been stressed lately. I think it's finally getting to me," Wanda mumbled, rubbing at her forehead to wipe the small layer of sweat away. It was true. She had become more and more worried over all the upcoming times with the Master, Pandorica, and the growing power inside of her. She knew it was growing for she felt it. Or sensed it? She was not sure. All she knew that it was getting closer to the time of her remembering whatever it was the Doctor did not want her to remember, and it terrified her. Especially after the incident with the Weeping Angels. She shivered, gulping as she felt another wave of horror and sorrow go through her at that thought.

"Did you see what needs to be done?" Martha asked her, sitting down beside her. Wanda nodded, trying to push past her throbbing head to focus on speaking with the doctor.

"We have to go along with them," Wanda explained. "If we don't, there's nuclear war waiting on the horizon, and we _really_ don't want that."

"No, we don't, "Martha agreed with a nod. She then hummed, staring at the exit of the room. "What do they want from us?"

"They're . . . they're going to take you away to be cloned. Transferring all your memories to the clone so she can pretend to be you and infiltrate UNIT." Wanda reached down and gripped Martha's hand for comfort. "Don't worry, the process isn't painful. And you'll be safe. The Doctor will rescue you just fine. But . . . I have no clue what they want from me. I didn't see that coming."

"Yeah, I know you didn't." An exasperated sigh left Martha. "I wish you could see your timeline. It would be so useful sometimes." She gave Wanda's hand squeeze. "Don't worry, if it comes down to it, just run and let them have me. I'll keep you safe."

Wanda huffed, shaking her head. "Martha Jones, don't even suggest such a thing."

"Don't argue with me, Wanderer. I'm a doctor, your friend, and I keep my patients and friends safe at all costs." Wanda was taken back by Martha's sudden hard tone and expression. As well as how strict the woman sounded with her. Martha's face relaxed somewhat. "Don't worry, I've got your back. I always do. Now, I'm guessing since this clone of me is going to have my memories, then I need to forget about this talk or else she'll warn her bosses on what we know."

"Right. And how are you supposed to forget?" Wanda blinked as Martha grabbed both of her hands and placed them on the doctor's temple, holding a steady gaze with her brown eyes.

"Make me forget."

"What?!" The Time Lady clamped her mouth shut as Martha shushed her to be quiet. "What the hell are you talking about? I can't do that."

"Yes, you can. You've used it on me a few times during tight situations to help us through. Even on a few others when we needed to be forgotten and make an escape." She pressed Wanda's fingers more firmly into her temples. "You can do this. Just concentrate on the last few minutes and place a barrier over it to block it from my memory. Don't worry, I'm used to the process, so I won't freak out or anything."

The blonde girl shook her head rapidly. "I can't do it, Martha. I told you, the mind is fragile. I might hurt your mind permanently."

"Yes, you can. I trust you." Martha smiled, patting her hands over Wanda's. "You've got this, Wanda. And just think, this gives you good practice for later."

"Well, that's something," Wanda replied sarcastically. She gulped, feeling very nervous about this. But Martha was right, it had to be done. Taking in a deep breath to steady herself, Wanda closed her eyes as she dove into Martha's mind. She searched around, looking for the most recent memory in the companion's head. Finding it, seeing the two of them talking and discussing all of this in a fuzzy moment, a flashback of sorts, Wanda concentrated greatly as she focused on commanding Martha's mind to block the memory. She felt the mind shifting, then a barrier of sorts, a locked door, placed itself right over the memory. Locking it away from sight. Sighing, Wanda removed her hands from Martha's temples and stared at the companion cautiously.

"How do you feel?" she asked, hoping that Martha was fine in the end. The companion blinking dully for a moment before her eyes focused again on Wanda.

"Sorry, what were we talking about?" replied Martha. She blinked again as her eyes lit up in realization. "Oh. Memory wipe. Okay, right. Wasn't expecting that to happen again anytime soon. Have we discussed a plan, then?"

"Sort of," Wanda responded weakly.

"Good," Martha nodded curtly, standing up. She helped Wanda off of the floor, frowning in confusion. "Why were you on the floor? No, wait, don't answer that. If you tell me, I might remember. We don't want that. Off to see Colonel Mace, yeah?" Together, they stepped out of the toilet, seeing how the two Privates were still there, at attention and ready to escort them. "All right, we're ready."

"Follow us," instructed Private Harris. In sync, the two men turned around and marched forward with the two women trailing on after them.

They were led to the back of the factory, to a long white hall that showed them a restricted area far away from everything else. Warning signs were plastered around, telling people to stay out if not authorized. Martha and Wanda glanced at each other warily as the two Privates instructed them to go in. Martha went inside without much caution while Wanda trailed edgily behind the woman, feeling anxious in what was about to happen.

Pushing past a plastic curtain, they came into a large laboratory of sorts. The first thing Wanda noticed that was out of place was that there was not one cloning tank, but _two_. Two cloning tanks with bubbling green liquid held within the metal holding areas, ready to feed whatever clones needed to be made. This was not right. There was not supposed to be two cloning tanks. Why was there two?

Before she could question this, or think of a proper reason for there to be two, Martha screamed next to her. Whipping her head around, she saw the doctor falling to the ground, unconscious. Then, someone hit Wanda roughly behind the head, making everything go black. It was a little while later before she was able to gain back consciousness again. She blinked slowly, finding herself staring up at the ceiling of the laboratory she had been brought to. Trying to sit up, she found it useless as some sort of headset had been placed around her head. Making it hard so she could move her head completely forward to look about. At least she was able to tilt it around to gaze around to a few places.

Glancing down at herself, she saw she had been strapped to a trolley of some kind. Her wrists and ankles were tightly fastened, making it impossible for her to be able to get out without her sonic screwdriver. She also saw how her clothes had been taken off, replaced with a white medical gown. Oh, they were so going to get a punch for undressing her. Only the Doctor was allowed to do that. Huffing, she laid back her head, tilting it over to see Martha struggling in her restraints. The young woman gritted her teeth angrily and tugged harshly at the braces around her wrists.

"Is someone going to tell me what the hell is going on?" Martha barked, demanding for answers at the two Privates who now stood at attention away from the two. They heard marching footsteps coming around them. Martha blinked in shock while Wanda narrowed her eyes at the new presence. It was Commander Skorr from the Sontaran battle fleet, standing tall (well, as tall as a Sontaran can be) by the two Privates and eyeing the two trapped females coolly. Martha swallowed nervously as she stared at the strange looking alien standing by the cloning tank.

"So, listen," she spoke up to the alien. "You're not the first aliens that we've met. Just tell us who you are."

"Commander Skorr of the Tenth Sontaran Battle Fleet," Wanda stated before the Sontaran could even answer. The Commander threw a sharp gaze at her.

"And how do you know that?" he demanded in question.

"I know things," Wanda replied smartly, returning the harsh gaze. "Just as I know that those tanks next to you are for cloning. But what I want to know is, why is there two? It takes a lot of resources and energy just for one. Why have another?"

"I do not discuss battle plans with the enemy," retorted Skorr, sneering at her. Wanda rolled her eyes.

"Oh, come on. You have us captured. Why not brag about your . . . brilliant plans of invasion," Wanda replied, deciding to go the nicer, less sassy route, in gaining information. "I'd love to hear all about it. I mean, just brilliant in getting us here and creating those ATMOS devices for all the cars, making it so you could create Earth into the perfect place for more cloning. Just brilliant strategy, Commander." She smiled brightly at Skorr. The Sontaran Commander seemed to think this over for a moment, before nodding.

"Very well. Since you are all going to die anyway," he remarked. "We created a second cloning tank in case of any emergencies we did not foresee."

"Back up plan. Nice. Always a good strategy," Wanda nodded, trying to keep him going in talking. She needed to understand her situation before trying to think of a plan of action. "So why exactly do you need me? I mean, I can understand Martha Jones here, being as brilliant and powerful as she is. But tiny little old me?"

"We have infiltrated some of Earth's classified documents on powerful figures of war," Skorr replied. "We managed to hack into the more secured files, finding you to be a main cautionary, but needed, source for Earth's self-interests in keeping their world at peace."

"Right," Wanda muttered, trying to understand what that all meant. She glanced at the cloning tanks, knowing they were close to being ready now. "You know, I should warn you, I'm not exactly human, and I don't think your cloning tanks can make a replica of what I am. Someone tried to once and it didn't turn out too good." She felt her hearts twist in the memory of Ganger Wanderer. Poor girl. The Ganger never even had a chance to live. She remembered the Doctor telling her that her mind was too complicated to be copied or replicated into another body. That it would make any copies go insane or unable to even live. What would the Sontaran do if he could not make a clone of her? Find her useless and destroy her? Most likely.

"Our systems have already taken into account of your unusual DNA," Skorr commented, walking over to calibrate a few readings on the second cloning tank. "Unable to reproduce your genetics, it simply used some human DNA instead. We only need the clone to have your appearance. Not be a full copy."

"And to have my memories as well, hoping to hack into all UNIT systems and disable them permanently for easier invasion," Wanda added, feeling her hearts sped up as she realized what true harm an evil clone of her could do to this world, her friends, and her Doctor.

"That is correct," Skorr replied, not even glancing at her as he finished making her clone stabilize in the tank.

Wanda laid her head back, only half listening to Martha demanding the Sontaran to let them go. It was useless. No matter how far her mind planned on escape, it kept coming back to the same conclusion and outcome. They were trapped here until the Doctor came in for rescuing. And until then, her clone might do some serious, lethal damage if they had the insight and knowledge that lay inside of her mind. She could not let this happen. She just could not. There had to be some way for her to block her memories. Not all of them, but just enough so that the clone would not be able to actually do any damage to anyone. But . . . how could she stop this?

It sort of came to her, a strange idea that made her ponder if it would actually work. But _she_ might be the only one who might be able to help her. Closing her eyes and concentrating, Wanda focused on calling for help.

 _Bad Wolf, please, I need you_. she pleaded for the strange entity to hear her. It had been so long since she had spoken to the entity. Was there still a connection between them even after all this time?

 _You rang?_ came the immediate response. The entity's voice was so clear and firm that it was as though they talked on a daily basis. As though no time had been spent apart between them. Wanda heard a concerned voice from the entity, with Bad Wolf sounding at the ready to help. Wanda felt shocked that her call had actually worked. Especially since it had never worked in the past. Bad Wolf had always been the one to contact her. Not the other way around.

 _The Sontarans, they're—_ Wanda tried to begin explaining.

 _Are going to make a clone of you. Yes, I see that. Hmm._ Bad Wolf answered swiftly, seeming to assess the situation at hand. _This is not good. They have no idea what they're dealing with here. I'm just glad their machines aren't able to make an actual full scale you. But still, she's going to have some of your DNA and your mind. Not something we want in a human body._

 _Exactly._ Wanda agreed. _I don't want another Ganger Wanderer incident. I don't want my clone having to go through something like the Ganger did. And she's already being programmed to stop the Doctor and UNIT in protecting Earth. So who knows_ what _she's going to do. Please, you have to help me block my insight and memories of what is to come from her. Only give her the basic details, like some events the Doctor, the companions, and I have done already. Things like that._

Bad Wolf sighed, seeming at a loss. _I_ can _help you with that, just as I did in the past with Ganger Wanderer._

 _You did?_ This shocked Wanda. But then again, it made sense. Ganger Wanderer had been far too different than she had been during the time in her first incarnation.

 _Yes, indeed. I made the Ganger more like your current self, implanted future memories and stabilities and all that. Though, as we both know, not without consequences by doing so. So, yes, I can do it again_ , _but . . . by blocking one source of power, another must be allowed through. And I don't think . . . Well,_ she _will not take being cloned too friendly. She barely allowed it the first time with the Ganger._

Wanda blinked, processing this statement. _Do you mean . . . whatever lives inside my mind?_

 _Yes._ Bad Wolf did not say more, seeming too uneasy in discussing the topic with Wanda.

The Time Lady understood this, knowing most likely Bad Wolf was on the same page as the Doctor in keeping things secret from her. But still, it did not matter now. _Look, please, I don't care. I just want the Doctor and everyone else to be safe. I couldn't bare it if anyone was hurt. Please, you have to do something._

 _The only thing I can do is by blocking your abilities, the possibilities, from the clone. But this allows the other side of your mind to leak through. Are you certain you want that?_

Wanda chewed on the inside of her cheek, trying to think more clearly. But she had no more time to think as she saw another version of Martha and herself sitting up from the green liquid in the cloning tanks. Her mind went into a panic and she felt the one barrier creak as the headset around her began feeding her mind into the new clone. _Just do it! Please!_

 _. . . Very well. It's done. I wish you luck, Wanda._

Wanda's eyes began rolling up, her vision blacking out as her own emerald eyes stared at her curiously.

XxXxXxXx

Not sure if I'm excited or dreading the next chapter. Maybe a little bit of both? ;) I hope everyone enjoyed! If you did, please, if you can and have time, leave a review. Just as a way to give any ideas on what you would like to see happen next, or anything you think I can add to the story. I'd love to hear all your thoughts. :)

Sorry I couldn't get to replying to reviews in this chapter. Been having trouble with my email and I know how the site doesn't always show everyone's reviews probably at times, so I'm too nervous to trust it without using my email as backup to double check everything and not miss anyone. It's happened in the past, so I don't want to take the chances in missing a single person ever again. Just know that I thank you all for those reviews I did get to see. You are all brilliant! I promise, I will have my email working and will reply in the next chapter. Until then, special cupcakes and goodies for everyone! :D

~Tinker~


	25. Ch 25: Cloning Mistake

Hello everyone!

So sorry! I don't know what happened. Some how chapter 26 repeated and copied over this one. Sorry again. I made certain to fix it all up now. Hopefully, that doesn't happen again. There might be a few editing flaws in this as I did not save that last edit I did of the previous chapter 25. I learned my lesson from now on. :(

Please, enjoy!

XxXxXxXx

Chapter 25: Cloning Mistake

The clothes . . . they felt . . . itchy. But yet, comforting. Normal. Her clothes. Yet, other her clothes as well. Emerald eyes blinked as they stared at the sleeping Wanderer next to the unconscious Martha Jones. However, the new Martha Jones stood beside her, standing at attention besides the two human men in uniform. And she . . . was the new Wanderer. Or Wanda, as her new memories wished to correct her. The Wanderer's friends liked to call her Wanda. So, she would be called Wanda as well. But she really did not like this name. It did not feel like something that suited her. Perhaps she could have her own name? Maybe not now, but she could pick one in the future if she decided to.

The clone of Wanda stared down at her hands, observing the light, fair skin with freckles lining up her arms. Hands that felt and looked so small, especially compared to the men's beside her. But the clone of Martha seemed to have small hands as well. Maybe it was just a female thing? The Wanda clone ran her hands along the yellow tunic that she had been wearing. The maroon overcoat was not on her as she knew the Wanderer had left it behind in an office earlier while helping Martha Jones on some documents. The clone would like to get the coat back, though. It felt really cold to her in the physical world.

"Clone!"

The clone snapped her hands down to her sides, straightening up and standing at attention. She gulped as she watched Commander Skorr glaring at her.

"Pay attention!" he barked harshly at her.

"Y-yes, sir," the Wanda clone replied, giving the Sontaran a small salute. The alien merely sneered at her as he turned to address the small group standing before him.

"Ready and waiting to advance the great Sontaran cause, sir," said the clone of Martha Jones, standing at attention to her commanding officer.

"Then get to work," Skorr responded. "You both know what your duties are." He gave the Wanda clone a side glance as if wondering if she would actually be of any use. He seemed to be doubting her creation entirely now.

The blonde clone shifted uncomfortably on the spot, turning quickly when seeing the others leaving without her and followed after them. She jogged to keep up, finding it difficult as the others seemed to be marching at such a fast pace. Why were they going so fast anyway? What was the hurry? They had plenty of time . . . for . . . Dang, what was she supposed to do again? She swiftly walked up beside the Martha clone, staring sheepishly at her.

"Um, sorry, but . . . what am I supposed to do again?" she asked nervously. The new Martha halted in her steps, staring at new Wanda in disbelief. The two Privates stopped as well, though did not stare at the short blonde as they merely continued to stare blankly as always.

"You're kidding, right?" the Martha clone barked at the blonde girl. "Our objective is programmed into our minds. How can you _not_ know?" The Wanda cloned gulped, smiling and letting out a nervous laugh.

"Only joking. Just thought I'd lighten the mood," she laughed awkwardly. The Martha clone scoffed, marching on forward again. Behind her and the two Privates, the blonde clone shifted on her feet nervously again. What was wrong with her? Why can't she think of anything to do? Had the system process to implant her mission gone wrong? In fact . . . why was she working for the Sontarans anyway? She felt like she really did not belong here.

Not only that, but the memories from the Wanderer felt all . . . off, too. Like . . . it was only basic book data. She knew just names and faces, some small details of the relationships between the Wanderer and her friends. Like with Martha Jones, they were pretty close friends who really liked shopping together. Though, it seemed this friendship did not carry onto the Martha clone. The clone Wanda grumbled in disgruntlement, shaking her head as she trailed on after the three in front. But what else was there to the Wanderer's friendships and such? The clone really did not know any more than that with Martha Jones. Just . . . shopping buddies. There _had_ to be more than that, right?

Then there were the memories of the Doctor, someone who was very, _very_ important in the Wanderer's life. But there it happened again. The clone only knew that he was important. Why or how he was important, she had _no_ idea. She was not even sure _who_ exactly he was. Just that he was an important figure to the Wanderer and the human race. Was that her primary objective? Find out more about the Doctor? That could be it, but . . . it did not feel like that was what she had been created to do. What was she supposed to do?! Gah! It did not even help matters at all as her head began steadily growing this strange headache. Or that the fact the stupid factory was too noisy. Why was everyone all shouting about? Could they not just hush up for two seconds?

The blonde girl rubbed at her ear, trying to get the strange ringing to leave. Maybe everything just seemed loud from the world still being so new to her. Suddenly, a loud ringing erupted from her left pocket on her pants, making her let out a startled cry. She slapped a hand over her mouth as she stared at her pocket in alarm for a moment before realizing what the noise meant. Oh, right, it was those mobile phones that the humans liked to carry around. Duh. How silly was she? She laughed, shaking her head at her being so jumpy and pulled out the mobile, pressing it to her ear.

"Hello?" she responded to the call. But it continued ringing, not telling her anything at all. She frowned in confusion. "Hello?" She blinked as she pulled the phone away, staring at it in bewilderment. Then she saw she needed to hit the answer button to get it to stop. Right, that made sense. She tried again in pressing it against her ear. "Yes, hello? Is it working this time?"

"Is what working?" came a woman's voice from the other end. The clone frowned, trying to place the voice with a memory.

"Oh! You're Donna Noble! I remember your red hair!" the giggling Wanda clone exclaimed. She bounced over, sitting down on a nearby shelf of where factory parts used to be placed. "I like red hair . . . I think."

"Um . . . okay. Glad you like my hair. Anyway, hold on, he's here," Donna replied, sounding uncertain by Wanda's random and strange response. The clone heard someone taking the phone away as there was muffled and crackling noises on the other end of the line.

"Wanda, tell Martha and Colonel Mace it is the Sontarans," the clone heard the new voice speaking. A male's voice. It took her a moment to let the memory pop into place. She realized with a strange skip in her heartbeat that it was the Doctor speaking. "They're in the file. Code Red Sontarans. But if they're inside the factory, tell him not to start shooting. UNIT will get massacred. I'll get back as soon as I can. You got that?"

"But the Sontarans are already here," the Wanda clone responded.

"What? Where?" she heard the Doctor ask tensely. She snapped her mouth shut, feeling dread as she realized she probably should not have said that.

"I shouldn't have said that," she said out loud. "I don't think I was supposed to tell anyone that. Oh, I'm going to get into trouble now."

"It's all right to give a spoiler away once and a while," the Doctor replied, sounding soothing as if not wishing for her to blame herself for messing up. Oh, he sounded nice. She liked him. But . . . he was the enemy. Right? Oh, she had absolutely no clue by this point. Her mind was a muddled mess. And that damn ringing. The rising noise level was not helping at all.

"Spoilers? What are spoilers? I don't remember those," she muttered as she tried focusing her mind on speaking on the phone and trying to ignore the increasing headache. It was getting worse now.

"What are you talking about? You're the one who practically invented the term," the Doctor responded, sounding baffled now.

The clone blinked, realizing she had spoken out loud again. "Oh, no, I was just . . . it's nothing. I just got a headache."

"Really? How bad?" Now he really sounded concerned.

"Pretty bad." She began rubbing at her head, wishing it would go away. "And the ringing won't stop. Everyone's just so _loud_. Why are they so loud? It's like they're talking all at once."

There was a long pause on the other end of the line as it seemed the Doctor was taking in this statement. When he spoke again, he sounded very worried this time, his tone almost urgent. "Wanda, I think you need to get back to the TARDIS. Now. Do you understand? You need to get away from there and find somewhere more peaceful to be. The TARDIS will help with your headache. I know she'll keep you comfortable and safe."

"TARDIS? What's a TARDIS?" She frowned, trying to put that term to a memory, but none would come up. "I can't . . . remember."

"Wanda . . . what's wrong? What's happening?" The Doctor sounded even more urgent and anxious now.

"I don't know. I think things went all wrong. I don't even think I'm supposed to be here talking to you." Her brows furrowed, trying to keep her mind straight and focused. What was happening to her? It was like the more she sat there, the more her mind slowly seemed to be unravelling and falling apart. Was she dying?

"Wanda, please, just get to the TARDIS. It's parked right outside the factory. Just go there. Please. You need to get yourself somewhere safe."

The blonde girl bit her lip as she felt nervous by how worried the Doctor sounded now. Did he know what she really was? Who she really was? Did he wish to help her feel better? She hoped so. "I don't think I can. I'm supposed to stay here and finish my primary objective. But I can't even remember what it is now." She sucked in a breath, trying to keep herself steady. "Please, Doctor, can you just get here? I want to see you. I really want to meet you. Please. I hope you'll like me. I know you won't at first, but . . ." She snapped her mouth shut as she knew she was talking too much. Something was seriously wrong with her. Why was she being so weird? Why could she not keep her mouth shut?

"Wanda? What—what are you talking about?" Instead of sounding worried, now he sounded confused, suspicious.

Oh, crap. She had tipped him off about her. She was in trouble now. Glancing up, she saw the Martha clone stomping towards her. "I'm sorry, I've got to go. But please get here soon. Okay, Doctor?" She hung up before the man could say anything else, stuffing the device into her pocket.

"What are you doing?" the Martha clone demanded in question, staring at the blonde clone crossly. "You're supposed to be doing your job. Not just standing around like an idiot. You're going to get us caught at this rate."

"Sorry. The Doctor called," the Wanda clone replied, biting at her lip as she looked around the area surrounding her. Everyone seemed too busy with their own issues to be paying her any attention, so really she felt like new Martha was just coming over just to scold her.

"Well, get to work. It's about to start," the fake doctor ordered her, marching away with the two Privates following after her. A strand of ash blonde hair fell into clone Wanda's face as she stared at the backs of the retreating trio. She puffed the stray out her face, shaking her head to follow after them.

"Sorry, what's about to start?" she asked the new Martha once she had managed to check up with them. "What are the bosses' big plans anyway? I didn't keep up with all that information they pushed into my brain."

"Are you just brainless?" new Martha scoffed, giving the other clone a look of disbelief.

"I don't know. How am I supposed to know if I don't have a brain or not? I can't exactly see into my own head." The blonde girl rolled her eyes, shaking her head at such a silly question.

The fake doctor gritted her teeth in irritation. "You wouldn't be _alive_ if you didn't have a brain."

The Wanda clone blinked in surprise. "Oh, right. Well, then, I guess I'm not brainless after all. Why did you even ask that question to begin with if I'm not really brainless?" She walked ahead, not noticing the Martha clone behind slapping at her own forehead in frustration.

Soon, they began hearing the different men yelling in alarm up towards the entrance to the factory, just outside to the main road. Colonel Mace was heard yelling at his men to shoot at something, make something or another stop working. Bells of warning blared loudly in the air as an alert of sorts. The blonde clone was not what exactly was going on until they got closer to the chaos. The first thing that hit her was the nasty smoke in the air. She began coughing, covering her mouth at the toxic fumes sweeping throughout the entire area. She watched as the uniformed men were shooting at the back ends of different jeeps and vehicles around them from where the gas was coming from. She hoped that they managed to get the smoke to stop soon. The stuff was rancid and made her feel sick. It definitely did not help with her headache at all. In fact, she thinks it just made it worse. And was that just the bells blaring, or were her ears ringing even more? One thing for sure, the noise level of everyone had increased tenfold, making it almost impossible for her to actually hear anyone.

"Now we begin," new Martha said next to her as they observed the scene. She shot the blonde a side glance. "Let's get to work."

"I agree. We need to figure out how to get these cars to stop producing gas," new Wanda replied, looking around for answers to the solution in stopping the obvious deadly weapons. "Maybe if we produce a massive wave of electrical interference it might stop it? Or we could just find a way to bypass the system and order the smoke to stop all together." Glancing over at the fake doctor, seeing the look of uttered disbelief and mistrust, new Wanda smiled awkwardly. "Ha. Just kidding. Just kidding. As if we'd really want to breathe clean air anyway." She took a deep breath, grinning brightly.

The clone of Martha rolled her eyes and marched on forward. After her and the Privates passed by and were some ways away, the clone of Wanda gagged as she exhaled, coughing out the toxic fumes she had sucked in. Gosh, that was disgusting. Why the heck was this a part of the plan anyway? Sure, let's make some human clones who can die from the gas that was going to be released on Earth. Just bloody brilliant on the Sontarans' part.

She stomped onwards, trying to follow along after the other clone and her minions. New Wanda knew she needed to stick with them . . . for some reason. Dang, she really could not remember what she was supposed to do or why exactly she was following them around. Her most recent memories seemed to be failing her. And that damn headache just kept building and building up to more painful levels. What was happening to her mind? It was just getting worse.

The pain finally started to become too intense as she reached just outside of the UNIT mobile headquarters. She had been following after the Martha clone who had gone inside, but . . . she could not remember anything. At all. Her mind was in a state of chaos now as she felt like . . . something . . . was trying to get out. Was that even possible? It sure felt like it at the way her head pounded in agony. She stumbled against the side of the black trailer as she gripped her head harshly, hoping that maybe she could hold in the pain that way. Sliding down to her knees on the ground, she let out a sob. God, it hurt. It hurt so much! Why did it have to hurt? Why was the pain not going away? And why was everything so loud?!

She gazed up, staring at her surroundings through watery eyes. It shocked her to see that there was no one around her. Absolutely no one. In fact, the close area around the UNIT mobile headquarters was rather empty. Then why did it sound like a million voices were all screaming out all at once? And that ringing. The constant ringing. She was beginning to think it was from whatever noise she was hearing. Her stomach churned as the world around her seemed to tilt suddenly. Her heart was beating at a mile a minute, pounding against her rib cage. She let out a whimper, closing her eyes tightly and wishing that she could just disappear into nothing. She wished the Doctor was here.

"What are you doing? Get up this instant," she heard the angry voice of fake Martha behind her. A harsh hand grabbed her arm, roughly yanking her up to stand again. But still, she kept her hands gripped at her head in pain.

"Please . . . just make it stop," the blonde clone pleaded to the fake doctor. "It just hurts so much."

"What hurts?" the Martha clone asked, suspicion laced her voice as she stared harshly at the blonde girl.

"My head. It's killing me." New Wanda began crying, tears streaming down her face as the pain began reaching its peak. "And those voices. Like everyone's talking all at once. They just keep screaming and they won't shut up. Please, just make them shut up." She sobbed as the agony went through her mind.

"Looks like you're defective," the Martha clone muttered in disgust. She glanced around, realizing this was not the best place to take care of a cloning mistake. Too many witnesses. Stuffing the mobile phone with the chip of the UNIT data she had stolen, the clone grabbed the crying blonde's hand and jerked her into walking away from the headquarters. The clone of Wanda followed weakly along as tears streamed down her face, sobbing as she continued to grip at her head.

"Make it stop, please," the blonde girl begged, pleading for mercy. "It hurts. It hurts so much."

"Oh, don't worry, I plan to get rid of all your pain. Permanently," the fake doctor said, happy to finally get rid of the stupid blonde. Fake Martha marched them right past the different UNIT taskforce squads. All of which ignored the two passing females completely. All were too busy in trying not to breathe in the gas to pay attention to anything else.

Clone Martha pushed the crying blonde into the small room where the factory's toilets were, secluding them away from everything else. Clone Wanda stumbled into one of the stalls, crying as she fell to her knees and gripped her head. The pain . . . it was too much. She could not take it. She only prayed for death now. Just let her die. It would be so much better than this misery. And then, she felt it. Something . . . something was coming. _She_ was coming. The wolf was arriving. Behind her, the Martha clone slowly pulled out the pistol from her belt, aiming it at the blonde.

"Can't say that I'm going to regret this," the fake doctor spoke, setting closer to the crying clone. She pushed the gun right into the blonde's head. "You really were annoying. At least you dying will do us all a favour. You won't be in pain anymore, and you won't be a pain in my arse." She clicked the gun, ready to fire.

Suddenly, without warning, a hand shot away from the blonde's head and grabbed the other clone's hand, twisting it around so that she would drop the gun. The Martha clone cried in pain, yanking on her arm to make the blonde girl let go. She gritted her teeth at the smaller female.

"Let me go. Let me go right now," Clone Martha barked in command, yanking on her arm again.

"Give her back."

Fake Martha froze at those words. The small hairs on the back of her neck slowly stood on end. A cold chill washed over her and her heart skipped a beat in fright. Deep seeded fear seemed to surface within as she stared at the small blonde, knowing that something was very, very wrong with her. The fake doctor swallowed, keeping her expression and voice even so that she did not show her fear. There was nothing to be frightened of in the first place. She was just feeling nervous by the strange way the other clone spoke those words. Like a growling angered voice that spoke for fury to burn. Burn anyone and anything thing in its path. But that was just silly in thinking like that.

"Look, do you want to stop your headache or not?" the Martha clone stated, trying to get the blonde clone to release her hand. The young woman had actually managed to grab her wrist in just the right place, making a horrible pressure point and causing great pain to shoot up her arm.

"Give her back," repeated the Wanderer's clone. Her voice still dark and haunting, with a strange vibration of power with each word she spoke.

The Martha clone was struggling now, her fears rising and the pain in her arm was building. She yanked on her arm, trying to get her hand out of the death grip that held it. "What's the hell's wrong with you? Just let me go, all right. I have a job to do." She pulled out her mobile from her pocket, trying to tell the other clone what her mission meant.

But the device was slapped away by the blonde's other hand, falling onto the floor in a clatter. The now terrified fake doctor was jerked forward, coming face to face with a menacing blonde. Teeth were bared in a snarl and the eyes . . . they were glowing. They were pure white in the irises with their strange glow, and they seemed in pierce right into ones very soul as they gazed onto anyone. The fake Martha especially felt this as pure terror washed over her. The only thing she could think of as staring at those eyes was that they were like a wolf's eyes, glowing in the night.

"Give. Her. Back," the blonde clone snarled, her grip tightening even more onto the other clone's hand.

Clone Martha began to whimper, trying to pry the hand off as the pain became agony on her arm. Then . . . she gazed down at her hand and saw in utter horror what was happening to her arm. She breathed in and out in a panic, then let out a bloodcurdling scream.

Two UNIT men happened to be walking close by when they heard this scream. They halted in their steps, looking at the room from which the sound had come from. Gripping their guns more securely in their grasp, they swiftly marched forward. One kicked the door in, aiming his gun in. He blinked in surprise when seeing a blonde girl standing there. He recognized her to be the Wanderer, one of the Doctor's more famous companions as Colonel Mace had debriefed them on. She was staring down at the floor with her hair hanging in her face so that he could not see her features. She seemed to be staring intently at something on the floor, unnoticing to the two men who now stood in the doorway of the room.

"Ma'am, are you all right?" the one man asked, stepping more into the area. He wondered why she had screamed, and if perhaps something horrible had happened in here. Then, his team membered pointed it out.

"What's that on the floor?" asked the other man, nodding towards what lay at the blonde's feet. They both looked down, shocked to disbelief at the sight of strange gray dust that was spread out in a pile on the tiled floor. But what truly caught their attention was the white doctor's coat that was mixed in with the pile of dust. Even itself was seen slowly turning to dust as well. They instantly recognized this coat, as they had both seen it many times on Dr. Jones. They hurriedly aimed their weapons at the blonde girl, glaring at her.

"Hands in the air, now!" barked the one man. The other pressed a hand into his earpiece, calling to Colonel Mace.

"Sir, it's Dr. Jones. I think she's been killed," spoke the second man, keeping his gun trained on the girl in front of them.

"What?" exclaimed Colonel Mace from the radio. "Are you certain about this?"

"Positive," confirmed the armed man. "She's . . . it looks like she's been turned into dust, sir. We have the suspect now with us. Should we bring her in?"

"Give her back," hissed the blonde suddenly, causing both men to stiffen greatly in alarm at the dark voice of the girl. "Give her back." She took an aggressive step towards them. The two men tightened their grips on their weapons and aimed them firmly at her.

"Stay where you are and don't move," commanded the one man.

"Pierson, report," ordered Colonel Mace from the earpiece. The one man, Pierson, pressed into his radio to speak.

"Sir, how do you wish for us to proceed?" he questioned the Colonel.

"Pierson, I think we should get back up," said the other man who continued to shift edgily on his feet as he pointed the weapon at the blonde in front of them. "I don't like this. Something doesn't feel right."

"We stay here until the Colonel tells us otherwise, Wilcox," Pierson instructed, keeping his voice curt and stern. Though, truthfully, he felt the same uneasiness. The girl in front of them lifted a finger, pointing in accusation at them. Still, her hair stayed in front of her face, not letting them see her eyes.

"Give her back," the female growled, her voice twisted that made it sound almost as if multiple voices were speaking together. A mixture of deep and high voices. The two men, Pierson and Wilcox, stiffened in their posture, feeling a chill go down their spines. Then, slowly, the blonde lifted her head to look at them directly, her hair parting to show glowing white eyes. "GIVE HER BACK!" Her eyes flashed with her last word.

Then, the two men were screaming.

XxXxXxXx

The Doctor's leg bounced rapidly within the car as they drove closer and closer to the ATMOS factory. Ross steered the vehicle the best he could while Donna sat in the back behind the Time Lord. The smoke was a haze in the air as they drove down the road, making it almost impossible to see clearly what was happening at the factory. Nothing good, that was certain. The Doctor gripped tighter to the mobile that was in his hands. The phone which had not left his hands since Wanda had hung up earlier. All he felt since speaking with her was high anxiety. Something was wrong with her. The way she had been talking, and saying that she could not remember things . . . he could only hope that it was nothing serious. That it was not what he thought it was. Or better yet, _who_ he feared it might be at work in messing with Wanda's mind.

But why? Why was _she_ acting up now? Of all times, why now? There had to be a reason. Something terrible must have happened, and the Doctor knew he must get there to correct it and make certain that Wanda would not be hurt in the process.

They pulled up to the gate of the compound, stopping just at the front near UNIT mobile headquarters. The Doctor hopped out of the car immediately. Donna exited the vehicle just as quickly. The Time Lord turned to the young man still behind the wheel.

"Ross, look after yourself. Get inside the building," the Doctor instructed to the UNIT worker. Ross nodded, driving off once all doors to the old car were shut. The Doctor raced over to the UNIT trailer, not even noticing how much Donna coughed hoarsely from the smoke. He was too focused on finding his Wanderer to pay attention to anything else.

Walking up the steps of the trailer, he swiftly marched inside, hoping to find Wanda within the room. Maybe even Martha, hoping that the doctor would help him find his Wanderer. But neither of them were in sight. Were they still in the factory? He spotted Colonel Mace, seeing the man yelling into his radio.

"Report! Pierson, report! What's going on?" the Colonel demanded to whoever was on the other end. The Doctor swiftly walked up to the man as Donna trailed right behind the Time Lord.

"Colonel Mace, have you seen Wanda?" he asked hurriedly. "The Wanderer, my friend, have you seen her? She should have been in here to tell you about the Sontarans, so where is she?"

"Sontarans?" the Colonel questioned, frowning in confusion.

"Yes, Code Red Sontarans. I told her to tell you," the Doctor responded, feeling a spike of worry go through him as he realized Wanda had never even made it back to tell the Colonel the warning of the Sontarans. "They're the ones who are behind all of this." The Colonel nodded, announcing this over his radio briefly before trying to contact someone else to report in. The Doctor bounced on his feet in impatience, wanting to hurry to his Wanderer. "Well, have you seen her?"

"The last I've seen of her is when she was with Dr. Jones," Colonel Mace explained to the Time Lord. "Though Dr. Jones did arrive back without her only a while ago, and now I've just been told they have found Dr. Jones dead." Donna behind the Doctor gasped in alarm while the Time Lord's eyes widened in disbelief.

"What? Martha? She can't be dead," Donna spoke up, completely horrified by this statement. "Wanda would have warned us and Martha if that was going to happen, right, Doctor?" The Doctor did not reply to this, knowing that the red head would not like the answer.

"Colonel, are you certain?" the Doctor asked the man sternly, hoping that it was indeed untrue. Just a simple mistake.

"I'm trying to confirm that now," explained the Colonel. "It was reported in by Pierson, but he isn't responding. Something must have happened." Colonel Mace pressed his earpiece firmly, trying to hear the other end. "Pierson, report. Do you copy, over?" The only response he received was static.

"What did they say when they found Martha?" the Doctor asked carefully.

"Pierson reported that her body had been reduced to dust."

Eyes widening in fear as a wave of dread washed over him, the Doctor actually took a step back as the news seemed to physically hurt him. "No. How could she?" he breathed quietly.

"Doctor, what is it? What's wrong?" Donna questioned, placing a hand on his arm as a show of support. She felt worried by the strange horrified demeanour that had crossed over him. Before either her or the Doctor could say anything else, a sudden urgent call came over UNIT communications, speaking loudly within the headquarters.

"Colonel Mace, sir, we're under attack! I repeat, we are under attack," shouted a male's voice.

"What's your status? Who's attacking?" Colonel Mace responded immediately.

"It's . . . It's that girl who came with the Doctor, sir," came the reply over the radio. "It's the Wanderer. She's gone insane. She's already killed a number of our men, and she just keeps shouting. We can't reason with her and our weapons are ineffective." Before the Colonel could reply, the Doctor rushed forward closer to the radio to communicate with the man.

"Don't shoot! Whatever you do, do not shoot!" the Doctor ordered the men, his voice hard and strict as he spoke. "Guns will only anger her more. You and your men need to back down and just get out of there. Place the factory on lockdown. Do you understand?"

"But, sir—," the man over the radio began to argue.

"Just do it! Get out of there now!" the Doctor shouted. He backed away from the radio when hearing the order being given and the men retreating. He turned sharply, beginning to march to the door. "Colonel Mace, keep your men far away from the factory. Just stay away until I've got the situation under control."

"Doctor, stop! You will tell me what the hell is going on!" Colonel Mace exclaimed angrily, stomping up to the Time Lord. The Doctor turned, facing the man as the Colonel gritted his teeth in anger. "What is the Wanderer doing in killing my men? Has your friend turned traitor on us, Doctor?"

"It's not her killing your men. It's someone else," the Doctor responded curtly. "Just keep your men away, Colonel. I'll stop her from hurting anyone else. Donna, stay here and don't leave." The Doctor pointed at the red head when saying this.

"I'm not staying. I'm coming with you," Donna scoffed, shaking her head. She felt bewildered by all this talk of Wanda being a killer. That was ridiculous. Wanda would never hurt anyone. She would not even hurt a single hair on their heads. Why were they saying the Time Lady was hurting UNIT's men?

"Donna, you will do as I say," the Doctor ordered her, giving her a hard gaze. "Stay here and don't leave for anything."

"I said I'm not—," Donna began to argue crossly.

"Do as I say, Donna!" barked the Time Lord. Even taking a step towards her in making certain she knew he meant business. Donna stared heatedly at him for a moment, then took a step back and looked away, knowing that he had won. The Doctor looked back at the Colonel. "If I'm not out of there in an hour, leave. I don't want anyone else getting killed today."

With that said, the Doctor, in a swift motion, turned back around and stormed out of the mobile unit. He saw different UNIT taskforce men had already been evacuated from the factory, with their guns still drawn and aimed at the building. At least they had listened to him about getting outside. And they had closed down the factory, shutting the large metal doors. Good. He marched up to one of the closet UNIT men by the factory, glad in seeing that it was Ross. At least the young man had made it out all right in the end.

"Ross, I need you to open the doors for me," the Doctor instructed the young man. "As soon as I'm in, close it behind me."

"But, sir—," Ross began to argue, looking uncertain by this.

"Just do it, Ross," the Doctor grounded in a hard tone. The young man nodded, walking up to press a button on the side of the building that made one of the metal doors slide up. It made it halfway up when the Doctor ducked underneath and walked inside. The door closed immediately behind him, leaving him trapped within the empty factory.

There was dead silence. Nothing moved. No sound shifted. It created an eerie feeling within the place. It gave the Doctor an uneasy sensation in the pit of his stomach. He shook this off, marching onwards as he knew he needed to hurry and get to Wanda. He walked past many crates, large shelves, tools, equipment, and piles of gray dust, but saw no sign of Wanda. His nerves began to stand on edge as he worried over her safety. But then, he spotted her crouching down by a massive stack of boxes, hunched over as she rocked back and forth while holding something tightly in her hands. He saw that it was a mobile phone. Martha's phone. It seemed the Time Lady kept pressing something every few minutes, determined in her task.

"Wanda?" the Doctor called to her, keeping a safe distance away from her as he knew that it might not be her. The Time Lady's head snapped up, glaring at him with her glowing white eyes. She bared her teeth, growling in the back of her throat. He kept his expression even and calm, knowing that he needed to be careful now. The wolf had arrived.

"Alpha," he spoke evenly. He received no reply as she only continued to glare at him. "What are you doing? There is absolutely no reason for you to be active and killing these men." Still, no answer. He took a cautious step forward, eyeing her carefully. "Is it true? Did you kill Martha? She was Wanda's friend. Mine as well. Why did you kill her?" The girl before him said nothing, only keeping the dark glare she sent him. Though, she did glance back down to the mobile, pressing on something briefly before looking back at him.

He raised a brow to this action, wondering why she felt the need to keep checking over Martha's mobile. But he would focus on that in a moment. For now, he needed to see if he could possibly get Alpha to leave again. However, when he took another cautious step forward, he caught the strange smell in the air. A rather nasty smell that made him scrunch his nose in disgust. Sniffing, he realized the smell was coming from the girl in front of him. He recognized that smell. It was the chemical compounds of Sontaran cloning liquid used to incubate the clone until the moment of birth. She . . . she was a clone.

"Give her back," the blonde hissed at him. "Give her back." He placed his hands in his pockets, eyes studying her in a careful manner.

"You're not really Wanda," he spoke, keeping his voice quiet.

"Give her back," she seemed to retort at his response.

"Which means you're not really Alpha, either." He hummed in thought. "Is that all you can say? 'Give her back'?"

"Give her back!"

He let out a small puff of air. "Right. Okay." One hand left a pocket, running through his hair as he continued to stare at her. "The Sontarans wouldn't have been able to replicate Wanda completely. Their machines wouldn't have been able to handle her DNA. Not even the DNA of a Time Lord's. So . . . that means you're only a small piece of Wanda and Alpha. You're not a complete copy. That's why you've only been able to kill people and not anything more. And why you're acting purely on animal instinct. Though," he ran the hand down his face before dropping his arm at his side, "not that Alpha doesn't already run on animal instinct."

"Give her back!" barked the sitting clone.

"Yeah, I heard you the first time," he retorted bitterly. Staring at her for a moment, he tried to think of a solution. He began muttering out loud to himself. "If you only have Alpha's instinctive side, then . . . the first instinct running through you is getting the real Wanda back. But you don't have Wanda's logic or stable mind to balance you, so your second instinct is to just keep killing until you find her again."

"Give her back," the clone seemed to agree, glancing down to check something on Martha's mobile again. Slowly, he crouched down beside her, being as cautious as possible around her as he knew just how unstable she was. Alpha was unstable already on her own and now throw in an uncompleted clone of her . . . The clone might snap at any moment and just kill him off as well.

"Let me see," he said, holding out his hand tensely for her to give him the mobile. Snapping her eyes up away from the phone, she glared at him again. He kept his face even. "If you give me the phone I can get Wanda back sooner." The clone seemed to ponder this for a second before finally slapping the phone into his awaiting hand.

He stared curiously at the mobile, seeing a stream of codes running across the screen. He recognized them immediately as launch codes for a nuclear strike. Whipping out his sonic, he scanned the phone briefly, and from the readings, saw that it was attached to the internal systems of UNIT. Able to cancel any commands they make or scramble any incoming information. He watched as the screen changed, showing a command 'launch,' and two choices: Yes or No. He pressed 'No,' instantly canceling the command. Damn idiots. They wanted to start a nuclear war with the Sontarans. A suicide decision on their part. Staring at the mobile phone for a moment longer, he looked back at the clone, seeing her still glaring at him with her glowing eyes.

"You've been stopping UNIT from going Defcon One," he spoke quietly, thoughtfully to her. His brows furrowed for a moment. "Why? What do you care if Earth goes nuclear or starts a war? You could care less about any of that." The clone's only reply was to snatch the mobile back from his hand, pressing 'No' once again. He merely shook his head, bewildered by this action of hers. Alpha was never shown to have any care for a planet's doing. Why would a small clone of her wish to stop a war? Unless . . . "I guess maybe more of Wanda actually exists in you than I thought."

Marching footsteps were heard coming from the back, making their way closer and closer to where the Doctor and the Wanda/Alpha clone were. The Time Lord stood quickly, facing the army of Sontarans that had marched into the factory, aiming their weapons at him directly. The clone at his feet did not even bother looking up as she continued pressing 'No' every time it popped up on the mobile's screen. The Doctor, watching the Sontarans with caution, saw one Sontaran, who had his round, blue helmet off, step forward to address the Time Lord directly.

"Doctor," barked the Sontaran. "Prepare to meet your end."

"Well, before I do 'meet my end,' I'd like to know who's about to kill me," the Doctor retorted, eyeing the Sontaran coolly.

"Commander Skorr of the Tenth Sontaran Battle Fleet. Known as Skorr the Bloodbringer," replied Skorr, grinning proudly at the nickname given to him. A name that meant nothing but death. The Doctor felt disgust by this name and how proud Skorr was in it, but he pressed on to speak before any of the soldiers had a chance to shoot.

"Why exactly did you come here from your ship?" questioned the Doctor, placing his hands in his pockets as he acted casual and relaxed. "I know you lot didn't come down just to kill me or the others, so why?"

"I do not give such information away to the enemy," snapped Skorr, looking irritated that the Doctor would quiz him right before the Time Lord's seeming death.

"No, you know what, I don't need you to tell me 'cause I already have it figured out," bit back the Doctor, glaring darkly at the Sontaran, the Oncoming Storm coming forth as his anger rose. "You decided that you needed someone on the inside. Someone who had high power within UNIT or possibly someone that UNIT would trust. So, thinking that you're all so _clever_ , you lot decide to kidnap Wanda because of the files UNIT has on her, telling them that she is a good ally. But you wouldn't have just taken her away. No, you needed someone else who actually worked for UNIT. So I'm guessing," under his breath, "hopefully," speaking loudly again, "that you took Martha Jones as well. Cloning them both, using their clones as operatives, and are now protecting the actual Martha and Wanda in the back since they're keeping the clones alive."

Skorr gritted his teeth, glaring heatedly at the Doctor. The Time Lord, on the other hand, smirked.

"I am right, aren't I? Not that I'm ever really wrong in the first place," the Doctor stated casually.

"Execute him!" commanded Skorr to the rest of the Sontarans. They all aimed their weapons, ready to fire. The Doctor remained calm, staring at them coolly.

"I really wouldn't do that if I were you," he told them. In the corner of his eye, he saw the blonde clone next to him suddenly whip her head up, growling darkly as she glared at the weapons.

"Fire!" ordered Skorr in a loud cry. The weapons fired, shooting their red deadly lasers right at the Time Lord. In a flash, the Wanda/Alpha clone was next to the Doctor, baring her teeth in a snarl. The lasers stopped in midair, hovering millimeters away from the Doctor and her. Then, the beams disappeared into thin air.

"What are you doing, clone?!" shouted Skorr, angered by the sudden halt in the execution of the Doctor. "Stand down this instant!"

"Give her back!" the blonde girl returned the shout, continuing the death glare she sent at them.

"Seems your little operative doesn't take orders from you anymore," the Doctor stated, suppressing the smirk which he wanted to give the Sontaran soldiers. "You see, you really couldn't have ever made a clone of Wanda. One: her DNA is _far_ too complicated. Two: I'm guessing you've substituted human genetics to make up for the system's inabilities to replicate her, making the clone unstable from the moment she awoke. And three: it wasn't just Wanda that you cloned."

"What are you babbling about?" snapped Skorr, clearly agitated by the Doctor's know-it-all and smug rambling.

"Oh, I'm sure you lot have heard of the stories." The Doctor strolled around the clone next to him, being careful as he edged away from her and leaned against a stack of boxes as he eyed the Sontarans. "There were many legends that came after the Time War. And there's one, just one, that tends to blend into the mix, making most not even pay attention to it. Even I didn't listen to the rumors at first, believing that they're just a warning not to let another war like that happen again. But, ooh, this legend, it's real all right."

Skorr gritted his teeth once more. "What are you talking about?!"

"But I know that some believe in it. Maybe as a cautious precaution. Or maybe even to believe that they might be able to find such a legend and control it for themselves. To control the Universe's Weapon." He stared Skorr down, seeing the sudden wary expression on the Sontaran's face. "That's what you all were really after. You couldn't care less if Wanda could get inside of UNIT for you. No, you thought you could make a clone of her, or even keep her captured and use her for later in the war of yours against the Rutans. And your plan might have worked if it wasn't for one thing, the big mistake you made. Well, two mistakes, actually." He paused briefly, pleased in seeing the irked look on Skorr's face. "There is only one creature, in the whole universe, that can ever control such a power. And, well," he glanced at the clone, seeing her eyes growing brighter and brighter in their white glow, "you don't ever point a gun at Alpha."

He turned his head away as the blonde clone snarl loudly 'give her back!' and the Sontarans began shooting again. Keeping his eyes locked on the far wall, he waited until the screams of terror and agony from the Sontarans turned into silence, and the only sound left was the clone tapping away at Martha's mobile again. He looked back at where the Sontarans had once stood, seeing only scattered piles of dust. One Sontaran blue helmet remained, rolling on the floor away from the scene of death. The Doctor then looked at the clone, seeing how completely unfazed she was by having just killed so many. He did not say anything for a moment, choosing to remain in their silence as he merely felt remorse for what she had done. For what she most likely did not even realize she had done since her mind was so warped in disarray.

"You killed them all, didn't you?" he asked quietly. "Not just them, but the whole battle fleet. You sent the command for them all to die." She turned her attention away from the mobile, gazing evenly at him.

"Give her back," she bit back, seeming to say that they all deserved it. She then took an aggressive step towards him. "Give her back."

"Right. Fine. I want her back, too," he sighed, shaking his head in remorse as he pulled out his sonic. He regretted in the entire Sontaran fleet dying without earning at least a chance to retreat and stop the ATMOS gas. But at the same time, they had taken his Wanderer away, his friend Martha, threatened both of their lives as well as all the lives on Earth, and planned on keeping Wanda for themselves for their war. And for that, the Doctor did not pity them for the demise they had met.

He stepped over the different piles of dust, holding out his screwdriver as he followed the source of alien tech the sonic was picking up. Not once giving the dust a second glance. He heard the clone following close behind him as they walked swiftly through the factory, going into the lower levels of the building. As they made their way closer and closer to their destination, the more anxious the clone seemed to get. The Doctor felt the emotion coming off the blonde girl in waves as she sped up, rushing around him as she ran up to the laboratory door of the factory. Going up to the door's panel, it beeped once he sonicked it, allowing the door to slide open for them. The clone did not even wait for the door to fully open as she ran inside. The Doctor hurriedly made his way after her. Just as anxious in finding Wanda again and having her safe by his side.

He spotted the three of them right away. Letting out a sigh of relief, he was glad about his theory of the Martha clone had been correct as he saw the real Martha Jones lying on a metal bed, deep asleep. So that meant the blonde clone had killed the other clone. Not surprising as the Martha clone would be the first one Alpha would go after. He gazed at Wanda, his Wanderer, lying on her own metal bed, fast asleep as well. And the blonde clone stood over the Time Lady, gently petting Wanda's head. The clone looked up, glaring at the Doctor with her glowing eyes as he walked closer to Wanda. Before she could say 'give her back' like he knew she would, he reached over and pulled the headset off of Wanda's head. The one thing keeping the clone alive had been disconnected.

Wanda gasped in alarm while the clone behind her fell back, clutching at her chest as she laid on the floor. Her eyes no longer glowed, merely gazing now with normal emerald eyes that stared at the Doctor in shock. He eyed her coolly before looking over Wanda who began rambling in fear.

"Doctor! I'm sorry, the Sontarans got me," Wanda said in rapid pace as he swiftly began unstrapping her from the metal trolley. "I didn't think they would want _me_. Really didn't see that one coming. Did everything turn out all right? My clone didn't cause too much damage, did she?" She let out a gasp as the Doctor pulled her up and slammed their lips together. Blinking, she let her fingertips trail light touches against his cheek as they kissed. When he pulled away from her, she felt breathless. He then shrugged off his overcoat, placing it carefully around her. She hugged it close to herself, feeling almost buried in it as it was far too big for her. Then, the Doctor pulled her close once more.

"I'm sorry," he whispered with lips pressed lightly against her forehead.

"Sorry? About what?" she wondered, blinking at him as he moved around to wake Martha up. Getting up from the metal bed, Wanda looked at the Doctor and Martha, seeing how the female doctor had gasped awake and trying to tell the Time Lord of what had happened as he searched for a lab coat for the companion to wear. Then, something, or rather someone, caught Wanda's attention. Her eyes widened as she stared down at herself. The clone that she knew the Sontarans had made of her. The other blonde girl lay on the floor, clutching at her chest and shaking, staring with wide frightened eyes at Wanda.

The Time Lady walked over swiftly, pulling the blonde girl's head up to lie in her lap as she sat kneeled on the ground. At least this way her head would not be lying directly on the cold floor. She stroked the clone's head, gently hushing away any moans of pain or fright. Wanda knew the clone must have been ordered to do terrible things, and might have acted upon these orders as well. But . . . she pitied the poor girl. Really, it was not the girl's fault in being created to do wrong and be a weapon of sorts for the Sontarans. She had no choice or say in the matter. And really, Wanda simply wished that she could have given the clone a better life than this. No one, not even a clone, deserved to simply be born into chaos and then die soon after, never knowing what true wonder lay out there for them and not earning a life of their own.

"Hey, it's okay. I've got you," Wanda whispered, smiling kindly down at the clone as the girl lay staring up at her in amazement. Almost as if the clone could not believe Wanda would ever act so kind to her. Then, the blonde clone grew a small smile.

"Thank you," she whispered in a rasping breath. Wanda knew it would be getting hard for the girl to breathe as her heart slowed down with each breath.

"You're very welcome," Wanda replied softly, continuing to stroke the girl's head.

"Wanda, leave her," came the harsh order from the Doctor. Wanda looked up at him in surprise, shocked by how severely he glared down at the clone. He reached down, grabbing Martha's mobile that now laid on the floor next to the clone, pressing 'No' when he saw it pop up. "She's dying so there's no point. Just leave her there."

"No," Wanda retorted crossly, narrowing her eyes at him. "I'm not leaving her to die alone." Then, she blinked in realizing that another clone was missing. "Wait . . . where's Martha's clone? Shouldn't she be here?"

"The soldiers killed her," the Doctor lied, keeping his gaze firmly on the blonde clone as he conveyed his anger in what she had done to the other clone and soldiers. The blonde girl's lips trembled as the tears began to leak down her face. The memories of what she had done haunted her as the images played through her mind.

"I'm sorry," the clone in Wanda's arms cried, staring up at the Doctor in deep remorse. "I'm sorry."

"Yeah. You should be," he retorted, stomping away and not looking back as he began working with the teleport the Sontarans had placed within the factory. Wanda shook her head in disbelief, not understanding why he would treat the clone so harshly. Eleven had been rather kind to Ganger Wanderer. Why would this clone be any different? Though, then again, something must have happened to make Ten so angry.

"I'm sorry," the clone repeated again, shaking in Wanda's arms. The Time Lady gently hushed her.

"It's all right. For whatever you did, you're forgiven," Wanda assured the girl, giving her a kind smile. The clone smiled back weakly.

"Thank you. That . . . that means a lot to me," whispered the dying girl. She gave a shaky smile. "I was hoping . . . hoping that you would like me. That we could be friends."

"Of course," Wanda nodded, smiling. "We can be great friends, going on adventures, exploring the universe. We could even go to Valgen. Remember that planet? It was always so beautiful with all those flowers."

"I . . . I can't remember. I'm sorry."

Wanda frowned, curious as to why the clone did not remember such a simple memory. But she pressed on, wishing to ease the girl in her death. "Well, it's a beautiful place. With fields like an ocean of flowers, all of different kinds. And at night, they light up in a brilliant glow, releasing pollen buds that float around and shed off peaceful lights that glitter as they sway with the breeze."

The clone in her arms let out a soft sigh, smiling in peace. "That sounds so nice."

Wanda glanced over, seeing Martha coming up beside the two of them. The doctor gently held the dying girl's hand, thumbing it soothingly. Wanda looked back at the clone, nodding. "It is nice. We'll have to go there sometime." She gave a wavering smile, sadly knowing that they could never do anything such as that together.

"Wanda, have her tell us about the gas," the Doctor suddenly called over to them from the large teleport. He stepped away from the machine, coming closer to them. "I need to know what it really is."

"It's—it's clonefeed. Caesofine concentrate," answered the clone. "It's one part Bosteen, two parts Pro—Probic five."

"Clonefeed!" the Doctor exclaimed, hitting himself over the head in how thick he had been in not realizing what the gas was from the very beginning.

"What's clonefeed?" Martha questioned, wondering what this meant for Earth if it was not directly poison.

"Like amniotic fluid for Sontarans," the Doctor explained rapidly. "That's why they're not invading. They're converting the atmosphere, changing the planet into a clone world. Earth becomes a very big hatchery 'cause the Sontarans are clones. That's how they reproduce. Give them a planet this big, they'll create billions of new soldiers. The gas isn't poison, it's food!" He turned on his heel, running back to the teleport in a rush. "Martha, Wanda, quick! I need someone to help me with the wires!" Martha stood up, running over to help him. Wanda, on the other hand, remained by the dying clone's side, keeping the girl comfortable until the very end.

"My heart is growing slower now," said the clone within Wanda's arms. The blonde girl had this strange smile of peace on her face as she stared at the Time Lady. "I'll be dead soon."

"Hey, hey, don't talk like that. Just hang on, okay?" Wanda replied, shaking her head in denial. "There . . . there might be some way we can help you stay alive." The clone shook her head, still having the strange smile of peace and elation.

"No. I want to die. It means . . . I won't be in pain any more. My head . . . This universe . . . It's just too much for me to bear," the girl spoke in a whispery breath. "Besides . . . I think the universe can only handle one Wanderer at a time." She laughed weakly. Then, suddenly, she gripped at the tan coat Wanda wore, pulling the Time Lady down closely so that only she could hear the next words spoken. "It's growing inside of you. Can't you feel it?" Wanda felt the girl press briefly into her stomach before the hand fell away. The clone slumped in her arms, unmoving, unbreathing. Her life now gone before it had even just begun.

Wanda leaned down, giving the girl a kiss on the forehead and placing her carefully onto the floor to lay in rest. Holding the Doctor's coat close to her body, Wanda walked as quickly as she could over to the Time Lord and Martha, not wishing to dwell on her sadness over her clone's poor short life.

The Doctor, once seeing both Wanda and Martha were together with him in the teleport, hurriedly fixed the machine's console together, placing the last wires in the correct order. The machine whirled to life and they were instantly transported to another large teleporter. Martha and Wanda gazed around in interest, seeing that they had arrived to a large rec room/office of the Rattigan Academy. And right in front of them, pointing at them with a gun in shaking hands, was Luke Rattigan, teenager genius himself. They could see the desperation in the young man's face as he stormed towards them with the pistol. His eyes still red and puffy from crying.

"Don't tell anyone what I did. It wasn't my fault," the teenager pleaded to the Doctor. "The Sontarans lied to me. They—." The Doctor's eyes flashed in anger and he ripped the gun right out of the boy's hands.

"If I see one more gun . . .," he grumbled in disgust, walking around Luke and tossed the gun aside.

Luke stood there, looking ready to cry again and in shock from all of today's events. Wanda felt her left eye beginning to twitch as she knew he was the main reason why all of this was happening. If the boy had just been a little less selfish, or even gave others a chance to be a part of his life instead of wanting to rule over them all . . . then maybe none of this would be happening in the first place and no one would have had to die. So, with her temper flaring, Wanda stormed forward and slapped the teenager sharply across the face.

"That's for being the world's biggest prat," she snapped, pointing an angry finger at him. "Next time, think a little less about your own stupid selfish desires and actually use that brain of yours to help people, you twat!" Luke sniffled, looking ready to bawl again like he had been when he first found out his plans were in ruins. Wanda sighed and rolled her eyes. "Oh . . . just get over it you moron." She lightly punched him in the arm out of pity rather than anger before walking around to follow after the Doctor and Martha and help them set up the device that would save the Earth.

Wanda helped the Doctor best she could in putting together the atmospheric converter from the different equipment around Luke's academy laboratory. She mostly just helped him gather the parts as he put the device together. He rambled on rapidly in explanation to why the Sontarans did not want the nuclear missiles from going off as it would have led to the gas in the atmosphere igniting. And every few seconds as the Doctor explained all of this, he had Martha hold her mobile and press 'No' every time it popped up on the screen. Once the converter had been finished in being made, the Doctor grabbed it and ran outside. Martha, Luke, and Wanda both followed close behind, watching the Doctor as he set up the large device on the front lawn of the Rattigan Academy.

Getting the converter to the right setting, he stepped back and pressed the button, activating the machine to launch a red ball of light straight into the sky. The light climbed higher and higher, disappearing within the thick, gray fog above. They all held their breath, waiting and praying for it to work. The Doctor even gripped on Wanda's hand, both of them squeezing their palms together as they waited in anticipation. Then, finally, the gas ignited into a fiery mass, exploding as the entire sky was engulfed with flames. Soon, after many anxious minutes of waiting, the flames dispersed and only clear blue skies were left. The three of them laughed and cheered.

"He's a genius," Luke stated in disbelief, staring at the Doctor in astonishment.

"Just brilliant," Martha added in, smiling proudly at the Doctor. Wanda nodded in agreement before her eyes widened in alarm in remembering what would happen next.

"Quick! We need to hurry now," she told them, grabbing the converter and beginning to rush back to the building behind them. "The Sontarans will attack us now that their plans have been ruined."

"Wanda, wait, there's no need," the Doctor called to her, making her halt in her tracks and stare back at him in confusion. "The Sontarans are gone."

"What do you mean?" she questioned, blinking in bewilderment. "They wouldn't have just left without a fight."

"No, you're right, they wouldn't," said the Doctor, holding his hands in his pockets as he strolled back over to her. He stared at her with an expression she could not read. Only his eyes allowed her to see a forlorn gaze. "They were killed earlier. Every single one of them. Even the ones orbiting above Earth."

Wanda's eyes widened in shock, she even dropped the converter onto the ground as she felt completely stunned by this news. "W-what? How?"

"Someone . . . just destroyed them." The Doctor averted his eyes, staring up at the sky in thought. "And we don't have to worry about that ship of theirs. When all Sontarans on board are sensed to be dead, the ship will automatically self-destruct so that enemies won't be able to get their hands on Sontaran technology or battle plans."

"B-but . . . how? Why?" She looked at Martha and Luke as if maybe they would know. But each seemed just as bewildered as she was. "Doctor . . . who killed them?" Her only reply was the solemn gaze from the Doctor. He stepped around her, picking up the converter and began walking back to the academy. Wanda grabbed his arm, stopping him. "Please, Doctor, tell me. Who killed them?" He did not even meet her gaze, keeping his head down as he chose to stare at the machine in his arms instead. Beside him, Wanda felt her hearts clench in fear, her voice coming out wavered as she had a sinking feeling _who_ had been the one to kill them all. "Doctor . . . were they even given choice?"

Finally, the Doctor looked at her, staring at her in remorse. "No. I'm sorry. They didn't even see it coming."

XxXxXxXx

Thank you again to everyone for your patience and understanding with this mistake. I hope it doesn't happen again in the future. Goodbye and take care! Until next time! Have the most brilliant of days. :)


	26. Ch 26: Christmas with the Ponds

Merry Christmas! Nollaig Shona Dhuit! Feliz Natal! Feliz Navidad! Joyeux Noël! Zalig Kerstfeest! Fröhliche Weihnachten! Buon Natale! And a Happy Holidays to everyone!

I hope I said all those greetings correctly. :) I'm sorry if I missed a greeting from where you're from. I also really hope that everyone is having a brilliant holiday season! Enjoy the special Christmas gift from me to you. ;) Sorry that it's not very long of a chapter. Wish I could give you all a better gift. You all deserve so much more!

XxXxXxXx

Chapter 26: Christmas with the Ponds

Upon Wanda's request, the Doctor took her back to the warehouse. Back to the cloning room where the clones of her and Martha had been made. They had to go back anyway, to get Donna who was still with UNIT. While Martha and the Doctor went to the UNIT trailer to get the woman, Wanda stayed behind in the cloning room. She collected her coat from the room she had left it behind in. The rest of her clothes she left on the clone, wanting to leave the poor dear who died to be left to rest in some decency.

"Time to go!" came the call from the Doctor as he and the other two stepped back into the room. Wanda glanced up from where she sat on the floor next to her clone.

"Are they really going to let Luke work for UNIT after everything he's done?" Donna asked the Time Lord, clearly in disbelief of the boy seemingly getting off so easily after almost destroying the world.

"More like forcing him to work. We're not letting him out of our sight after that," Martha replied as she and Donna went to the TARDIS. "Brilliant mind like his can do us some good, but also lets us keep a close eye on him. I doubt he'll enjoy that." She and Donna laughed as they went into the ship, letting the door close behind them.

Wanda sat there in silence, staring down at her clone's body. She tensed as she heard the Doctor walking over to her. A gentle hand rubbed her shoulder as the Time Lord crouched next to her.

"We can't just leave her here," she whispered, sadness laced heavily in her voice.

"I know," the Doctor agreed. "She has parts of your DNA in her. Can't let that fall into the wrong hands."

"I wasn't talking about that," Wanda sighed, staring at him steadily. "I meant she deserves a proper funeral. Not just left behind to rot here."

"Right," the Doctor responded, tugging at his ear in embarrassment. He felt uncomfortable staring at the clone Wanda dead on the floor. Too close in looks to his Wanderer. He had to keep looking at his Wanda to know that she was still alive and well. Seeing how Wanda still looked at him evenly, he sighed. "Okay . . . I'll ask UNIT to make certain to take care of her body. They'll have to cremate her, though. You know how Time Lord DNA works. But I can ask them to place her ashes somewhere nice."

"Thank you." Again she sighed, staring down in remorse at the dead clone. She gently fixed the girl's hair and placed her hands together on her stomach, making the clone appear more at peace. "I'll be in the TARDIS. Do what you have to with UNIT and her body." Standing up, she hurried back into the TARDIS. Only wishing to be far away from this place.

It was a while later before the Doctor came back into the ship, sending the group of travellers off once again. With Martha and Wanda properly dressed once more thanks to the TARDIS wardrobe, everyone was simply ready to get the day over with. Soon the Doctor took Donna to her home when asked to check up on her family and to see if they were all right in the end. Wilf ended up meeting them outside where the TARDIS had materialized, smiling proudly at his granddaughter and waving merrily at the two Time Lords and Martha standing behind Donna. Wanda—not being able to contain her excitement in seeing Wilf again—ran around Donna and ended up giving the old man a hug. She pulled away in embarrassment, blushing as everyone, even Wilf, laughed at her giddiness. But the granddad ended up hugging her again, telling the Time Lady how delighted he was in meeting her once more. As well as receiving a hug from an actual alien.

Leaving Donna and Wilf to go back into their home to discuss over today's events, the Doctor, Wanda, and Martha sat within the TARDIS control room waiting for the red head's return. Then, glancing between the two Time Lords, seeing the tension, Martha cleared her throat.

"You know, I think I'll go pop back to my old room real quick," she told them as she edged away from the console and towards the corridor. "I think I might have left something in there from, well, you know, last time I was here." With that said, she turned and disappeared from sight, leaving the other two alone.

Sitting in the captain's chair, Wanda looked away from where Martha had wandered off to, sighing as she pulled her legs closer to her chest as she had her arms wrapped around her knees. In the corner of her eye she could see the Doctor absently fiddling with the controls on the console, knowing that he was trying to keep his mind off of things and forget the horrid events from today. The Time Lady swallowed, trying to get the lump out of her throat as she felt worried about the question she knew she needed to ask. Not so anxious about asking the question itself, but more nervous about what answer she would receive from him. Opening and closing her mouth for a few seconds, she finally cleared her throat before eventually gaining the courage to speak.

"Doctor," she spoke up. He hummed, turning his attention towards her. He stared at her, curious as to why she seemed so nervous about something she wanted to say to him. She had even begun doing her old habit of pinching her thumb as she returned his gaze.

"I . . . I wanted to ask you something, because I need to know . . .," she started her question, clearing her throat again as her words seemed to not wish to be spoken. Finally, she pushed herself into asking. "Was my clone the one who killed the Sontarans?"

She watched as he gulped, his eyes growing a mixture of emotions that brewed away within his brown irises. Not one specific emotion seemed to hit him, but yet they all appeared to wash over him as well. One certain emotion stood out more than anything, making it clear to Wanda the answer she had been dreading. The feeling of deep regret could be seen clearly on his face. She swallowed heavily, averting her eyes.

"How?" she whispered. "How did she kill _all_ of them? How could she possibly have done such a thing? And all the way from Earth? That's . . . it's not even possible." She shook her head, tightening her arms around her knees and pinched her thumb harder. Her eyes wavered as she stared at the grated floor. "No, I suppose it _is_ possible, isn't it? Bad Wolf did it once before. So, that just leaves one question . . . What . . . what am I? Am I a monster?"

"No," the Doctor said, his voice hard and firm. He walked up to her, crouching down to cup her chin and lift her eyes to meet his. "You are no monster, Wanderer. Not now, not ever."

"You say that all the time . . . but all signs point to me being some kind of freak of nature that secretly wants to kill everyone," she joked weakly, shaking her head in sadness.

"That isn't you, though. You and I both know that," he argued. He sat in the chair beside her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her close to his side. She leaned her head against him, enjoying the warmth he gave her.

"Yeah . . . maybe. I really don't know anymore," she replied quietly. "I feel like I'm some kind of explosion just waiting to happen. A weapon ready to be fired at any moment."

"You're not a weapon, Wanderer." Pulling her chin up, he gave her a stern look. "You're the kindest, most caring, generous, loyal, courageous, and magnificent person out there. You would never hurt someone intentionally."

"Hmm . . . are you sure about that?"

"Positive." He gave her his famous foxy grin, leaning down to kiss her.

She wanted to ask more . . . perhaps press for more answers to her dying need to know and understand. But . . . she was simply too scared to learn the truth. It . . . frightened her more than anything. And she feared that in knowing, it would change what it meant to be 'the Wanderer.' So, knowing that she was being a coward, she decided to wait until later to ask. There . . . there was always time to discuss more of this in the future . . .right? She was certain they could always talk about it later. For now, she only wished to keep him happy in not discussing such heavy and sad topics. Especially since she realized what day it was for him.

"Theta," she whispered after they pulled away from their kiss.

"Yeah?" he asked curiously.

She swallowed heavily. "Today . . . is a day you've been dreading for a long time."

He blinked in shock. "What?"

"I'm sorry." She leaned forward, giving him one last kiss as the warmth picked up through her body and the white light surrounded her, making her disappear right from the Doctor's arms.

XxXxXxXx

The street was silent as light snowflakes drifted down, swirling through the air as a gentle wind swept through every few moments. Lamps on the corners of the sidewalks lit up the neighborhood in a soft, warm glow. All the homes were decorated in lights, with Christmas trees seen standing tall and proud in the windows. Carolers were heard singing in the distance, entertaining the many who wished to listen to joyful tunes. On a corner of the sidewalk, not too far away from one particular home, a white glow started up, just hovering in midair. Then, in a flash of light, a blonde girl let out a yelp as she fell back onto the cold ground and snow.

Wanda blinked as she stared up at the night sky. Snowflakes fell all around her. Even a few landed on her face. She stuck out her tongue, catching a few of the white dust for a taste. She laughed, waving her arms and legs out as she moved the snow around, creating a snow angel right where she laid. The silent night and her laughter were interrupted as a low noise began to fade in and out of existence. Wanda sat up swiftly when realizing it was the TARDIS materializing right next to her. She smiled as the ship arrived fully, parked just right across from the houses on the other side of the street. Then, she beamed when seeing Eleven hesitantly popping his head out of the door, looking cautiously out like a nervous child ready to face something he had been dreading for a while now.

"Hello, Spaceman," Wanda spoke up, earning his attention with a start. She smiled, falling back onto the snow as she continued to make her snow angel. "Lovely weather we're having. I do love snow." She made an 'aah' sound as she stuck out her tongue again, giggling as she caught more snowflakes.

"Having fun are we?" asked the Doctor with great humour, grinning and chuckling as he watched his wife acting so giddy. He loved it when she was silly like this. Because silly was always good.

"Oh, yes! Loads!" she exclaimed in joy. He laughed, bending down to help her up. Dusting her back off, he pulled her in for a warm hug. She snuggled right into his chest, beaming away merrily. "It's a good thing I decided to wear my coat. It would be freezing otherwise."

"You're a Time Lord. We don't feel the cold at this temperature."

"Well, I'd at least feel chilly." She pulled away, linking their arms together as she gave him a loving kiss on the cheek. "So, how's my husband been lately? Been getting into trouble from the way you smell." She giggled at her own lame joke.

"Things just went a bit glitchy in the middle. Nothing too serious to worry about." He looked towards the house in front of them, appearing very cautious once more. He even shifted on his feet, looking as though ready to bolt back inside of the TARDIS.

Wanda rolled her eyes. "Come on, idiot. They're waiting for us. It's time we let them know that you're okay."

There was some protesting from the Doctor as he tried to make up excuses to get back inside the TARDIS as Wanda dragged him to the deep blue door across the street. A Christmas wreath had been hung on the door in welcome, and both Time Lords noticed in interest that the door had been actually been painted TARDIS blue. Wanda smiled, bumping the Doctor with her hip and nodding happily at the colour of the door as if to say, 'See? They do miss you.' The Doctor wrung his hands together for a moment, repeatedly lifting a hand to knock on the door then withdrawing in indecision. Finally, getting impatient, Wanda rapped sharply on the door for him, bouncing on her feet in excitement.

"Ohh! If that is more carol singers, I have a water pistol!" came the shout from within. Wanda snickered as she heard the great annoyance in Amy's voice as she shouted. The door swung open with Amy still barking in irritation. "You don't want to be all wet on a night like this."

Amy aimed a water pistol right at them, ready to shoot the deadly water into their faces. Then, she froze, with mouth dropping in shock and eyes staring at the two in front of her in surprise. All she could do really was stare at the two, watching as the Doctor could only stare back as well and how Wanda smiled brightly, bouncing on her feet. The Doctor was finally the first to speak up.

"Not absolutely sure . . . how long," he said, staring at the ginger woman cautiously as he had a feeling once she snapped out of her state of shock then she would become very cross with him.

"Two years?" Amy replied, almost as she was not sure exactly how long it had been. Her eyes suddenly narrowed and her teeth gritted. The Doctor received a few squirts from the pistol, cold water that splashed right onto his face. A few droplets even hit Wanda, but she missed the main hits of water as she had stepped out of the way before Amy fired at the Doctor.

"Okay. Fair point," the Doctor muttered, wiping at his wet face. Amy let the pistol hang at her side when she lowered her arm. One of her brows arched high as she kept the same look of ire on her face.

"So. You're not dead," she said as she had been expecting that anyway. The Doctor pointed at Wanda, giving a wry smile.

"Wanda's not, either," he added in.

Amy rolled her eyes. "I already knew she wasn't. Seeing Third Wanda's face after the whole thing sort of clued us into that. And I knew you weren't, either, you moron. River told us."

The Doctor frowned, confused by this statement. "How did River know?"

"That's actually my fault," Wanda spoke up, rubbing a hand on the back of her head as she gave him a small smile. "I sort of arrived at her cell on the first day she had been put into prison. She kind of freaked and began asking me if I made it out all right, which then led to asking if you were still alive and I might have let a spoiler or two slip. But don't worry! I made sure to have River promise not to tell anyone, and to only tell Amy and Rory after they had already been to Lake Silencio." She beamed, bouncing on her feet with hers clasped behind her back as the Doctor could only blink as he stared at her. "This was supposed to happen anyway. River was meant to know about it, so it all worked out in the end."

"Well, of course," the Doctor mumbled, shaking his head as he looked back at Amy, who had her arms crossed as she stared him down.

"She's a good girl," retorted Amy. She stared at him for a moment longer as they all remained silent, raising a brow in expectancy. "Well? I'm not going to hug first."

"Nor am I," the Doctor grumbled, refusing to meet her gaze. Wanda looked at them both, rolling her eyes.

"Well, I will," she told them. She bounced forward, giving Amy a large hug. "I missed you, Amy."

"Missed you, too," Amy laughed in delight, returning the hug in joy. Wanda pulled away, beaming as she peeked inside.

"Oh! Christmas! Yes, finally! I've been wanting to have Christmas with you and Rory for ages now," the Time Lady exclaimed in excitement. She gave Amy a brief kiss on the cheek before bouncing inside the home, going down the hall. "Rory! Guess who's back!"

Amy and the Doctor both chuckled as Wanda disappeared around the corner. The ginger woman turned back to the Time Lord, raising a brow as if to say, 'Well? What are you waiting for?' The Doctor rolled his eyes, going forward to give her a cheerful hug. They both laughed merrily as they hugged, beaming as they pulled away.

"We're about to have Christmas dinner. Joining us?" Amy asked, nodding towards the kitchen where they could both hear Wanda and Rory talking merrily away.

"If it's no trouble," the Doctor said, hoping that she would say 'yes.'

"There's a place set for you both," Amy told him.

The Doctor blinked in surprise. "But you didn't know we were coming. Why would you set a place for me and Wanda?"

"Because we always do." Amy rolled her eyes, pretending not to be embarrassed by this confession. "It's Christmas, you moron." She turned, walking down the hall and went into the kitchen, leaving the Doctor standing on the doorstep in stunned silence.

He could only stand there, staring into the home in awe, shocked beyond all belief. They . . . they set a place for the Time Lords? Really? And they had waited . . . all this time. Not once giving up on seeing the two of them again. The Ponds . . . always waiting for the Time Lords and never giving up on them. The Doctor stiffened as he felt wetness on his cheek. Lifting a hand, he wiped away the stray tear that had fallen down his face. The tear that had leaked out in the pure joy and happiness that had swept through him. A soft smile grew on his face as he stared down at the tear on his fingertips.

"I guess happy-crying isn't just for humans is it?"

The Doctor looked up, seeing Wanda standing there in front of him; hands clasped and held down in front of her, smiling softly as a few tears ran down her face as well.

"They really did have a place set for us," she whispered in quiet happiness. The Doctor smiled, stepping forward to hug her and give her a kiss. She pecked him on the cheek, leaning around him to shut the open door from the cold night outside. Entwining their fingers together, they both smiled. "Come on. Let's go have Christmas with our family."

XxXxXxXx

The Doctor sat on the sofa of the Pond's living room, with an arm around Wanda as she snuggled right up beside him. She yawned, shifting in place as she scooted closer to him. He heard her mumbling happily in her sleep, even giggling ever so quietly. Gazing at her, he could not help the soft smile that graced itself upon his face. The purple paper crown was still on her head though tilted on top as it looked about ready to fall off. His own blue paper hat sat on top of his head from the two Christmas crackers they had pulled along with Amy and Rory. Then the presents they had all opened were scattered around the room, buried within the torn wrapping paper. The Doctor chuckled as he remembered how excited Wanda had been in giving her own gifts to the two companions. Presents which she had been carrying around in her pockets for a while now, just waiting for a Christmas which they would all spend together. He leaned down, kissing the top of her head.

"Is she actually asleep?" asked Amy who walked into the room. She sat in an armchair close by, smiling at the cute Time Lady who lay nestled up next to her Time Lord. "I'd never thought I see her sit in one spot for so long. I've gotten so used to her bouncing around everywhere that I just assumed she never slept. Same goes for you." Amy bumped her foot against the Doctor's leg in a teasing manner.

"I'd never thought I would see her eat so much," commented Rory as he walked into the room as well. The man held two mugs of hot chocolate, handing one cup to his wife. He sat down on the arm of the chair where Amy sat, taking a sip of his drink as he stared at the sleeping Wanda. "Three helpings of food. Three!"

"I think the Doctor doesn't let her eat much," Amy commented, kicking the Doctor's leg with her foot and giving him a scolding look.

"Her appetite is just growing. And she will be more tired than usual," the Doctor replied, shrugging his shoulders lightly. Then, a small guilty look crossed his face. "Then again, she might be exhausted from all the running around and non-stop planet hopping. And I don't eat much myself so . . . I tend to forget about feeding her at times. I need to work on remembering to take a break for her."

"You think," both Rory and Amy said sternly together, giving the Doctor a sharp gaze as he smiled sheepishly. On his shoulder, Wanda snorted softly, smiling as she snuggled more into him. The Doctor chuckled, shifting an arm around her and holding her carefully in his arms as he stood.

"I think it's best that I take her back to the TARDIS where she can get some proper sleep," the Doctor told them, giving each a warm, fond smile and nod. "Be seeing you, Ponds."

"That's Williams," Rory responded, sipping from his cup.

"No, it's not," both the Doctor and Amy responded knowingly. Laughing together at the pout Rory sent them both.

"Stop by more often, you hear," Amy told the Doctor sternly as he began walking out of the room.

"Will do," responded the Doctor lightly over his shoulder. "For now on, we'll come home for every Christmas." He beamed as he heard both Amy and Rory sounding pleased by this.

Pushing the front door open, he stepped out into the night, breathing in the crisp winter air, walking at a brisk pace as he wanted to get Wanda in bed before she woke from the cold and being moved about. And she did wake, for the sharp closing of the TARDIS door made her snort and jerk up in the Doctor's arms, blinking sleepily.

"I'm awake," she mumbled, yawning. "I'm awake and ready for more games. Wee." She slumped down into the Doctor's arms as he chuckled.

"No, it's time for bed. You're exhausted, I can tell," he told her, keeping her firmly in his arms as he walked down the ship corridor. "How long has it been since you last slept?"

"Too tired. Can't remember," Wanda mumbled, curling up more in the Doctor's arms. "I think all that food is what made me so tired. I might have eaten too much."

"You should eat more. You're far too skinny. Even my Tenth self was bigger than you."

"Oh, shush."

He laughed as she hit him lightly on the chest. The door to their bedroom opened for him once he stood in front of it. He gave thanks to Sexy, walking inside to lay Wanda right on the bed. He helped her shrugged off her coat and shoes, snuggling up right under the large covers. He tossed his shoes off somewhere into the room and placed his tweed blazer onto a desk chair. Pulling up the blanket, he hopped into the bed, scooting down right beside his wife. She instantly cuddled up to his chest, humming in delight as he wrapped his arms around her.

"This is nice," she mumbled quietly while smiling. "Best Christmas ever."

"Agreed," replied the Doctor, keeping his voice soft and gentle. They remained quiet for a moment, letting the hum of the TARDIS sooth them both.

"Doctor?" Wanda spoke up.

"Hmm?"

Wanda shifted in the Time Lord's arm, tilting her head to look at him. "I forgot to ask. How did everything go with the Arwells?"

"Like I said, a bit glitchy in the middle. But everything's fine for them now." He smiled as he thought over the family he had helped through. "I think I might have been the best caretaker ever, if I do say so myself."

Wanda laughed. "I wish I could have been there. I would have loved helping you fix up that house for the children."

"Yes, I wish you had been there, too. It would have been nice having someone else's ideas on what the children might like." There was a moment's pause as the Doctor stared thoughtfully up at the ceiling, contemplating something that had been on his mind for a while now. "Wanda, do you think . . . do you think that I'll be a good father?"

"Huh?" She blinked, surprised by this question. Where did this come from? She stared at him, puzzled by the strange distant look he had while gazing at the ceiling. "Why would you say that? You've been a father before, and technically you are one now. Don't keep forgetting about poor Jenny." She gasped in alarm when realizing something. "Oh, my gosh! We've been neglecting our daughter!"

"Wait, what?" He sat up when Wanda shot up in a start.

"We haven't gone to visit Jenny for Christmas in ages! We need to go see her right now!" Wanda tried getting up from the bed, but the Doctor held her back as he laughed.

"We haven't been neglecting her, Wanderer. She's fine and happy. She has her own family now to take care of."

Wanda blinked, confused by this. "What do you mean?"

"Jenny has been married for a while now to that Cline fellow." The Doctor's face scrunched when he said the man's name. "Who I still don't approve of. I don't like someone marrying my daughter who is perfectly fine in carrying a gun around and acting all—."

"Theta." Wanda laughed and shook her head while the Doctor cleared his throat. Then the Time Lady's face dropped. "So, she has kids now, too?" She watched as her husband nodded, letting a small sigh out as her shoulders slumped in disappointment. "I didn't realize she had moved on in her life. The last time I saw her she had only begun dating Cline. I guess they're right when they say kids grow up too fast." She thumbed at the locket that hung around her neck. The same one that Jenny had given her as a gift so long ago. The silly thing had stopped working ages ago, wearing out as it had been only been made to last so long. So it had been a long while since the last time she and Jenny had a chance to communicate and keep an update on their lives. "She's not mad at us for not visiting in so long, right? Oh, no, did I miss the wedding?! Or her kids being born?! Oh, I'm a horrible mother."

"No, no, no. Don't say that," the Doctor scolded her, placing a comforting arm around her as she began to sniffle. "We were both there and present. I promise. And we'll even go visit her and the others tomorrow morning, first thing. What do you say about that? Sound like a plan?"

She rubbed at her teary eyes, nodding. "Yeah. Okay." Then, she gave him a thoughtful look. "Then . . . why were you asking if you'll be a good father?"

"No reason. It was just something I had been thinking while building up the house for Lily and Cyril." There was a small pause as he seemed to gather his thoughts. "I thought, if I had kids again, that maybe they would enjoy a house like that. Or maybe if I think up a room in the TARDIS . . ."

Wanda could only stare at him in puzzlement as he mumbled on in nonsense. She truly had absolutely _no_ idea what he was going on about. Shaking her head, she let it pass a simply one of the Doctor's random thoughts. He often came up with bizarre notions like this.

"So, anyway, now that I'm more awake, I have a question to ask," Wanda said as she scooted back to lie down again on the bed. The Doctor lay next to her, holding her hand.

"Ask away," he replied merrily.

"Will you tell me what's wrong with my mind?" She felt him tense greatly next to her, staring at her in alarm.

"No. It's not time yet." He averted his gaze, staring determinedly at the ceiling as if hoping that if he looked away long enough that there would be no more questions on such unwanted topics.

"Theta, it's time we both stop beating around the bush. Oh, I like that saying. I'll have to use that one more often." She shook her head, knowing she was distracting herself. "Anyway, point is, we need to talk about this. I mean, how long is this 'we'll talk later' going to go on, huh?"

"For as long as it needs to." The Doctor rolled over, turning his back to her.

Wanda pouted, reaching over and giving him a shake. "Theta, please. I need to know what exactly happened back when the Sontarans attacked so that I can be prepared not to go nuclear and hurt people. If I'm not ready for it then it might be even worse next time. Theta? Please? Please, please, please."

"We're not discussing this, Wanderer, and that's that."

She huffed, flopping back down on the bed as she stared up at the ceiling. Try as she might, she had no clue as to why exactly he always seemed so determined to keep this large secret from her. Really, it seemed pointless. Why not let the truth out sooner? Would it not help in keeping the person safer that way? And by now, she knew most of what was wrong with herself. Why would the Doctor wish to continue in hiding the full truth when he knew that she had a good notion of this so-called 'mystery.' Then . . . it dawned on her. Memories from the show, of a certain episode—an event that had just happened to the Doctor recently in fact—crossed her mind.

"I know the reason why you won't tell me," she spoke softly, earning the Doctor's attention.

"Hmm? What? What reason?" He rolled onto his back, looking curious by her statement.

"Because, like you told Madge Arwell, you see the happy moments, us smiling and being joyful together. Then, you remember, when I finally learn of the truth of who I am, my past, of how sad I'm going to be."

The Doctor remained still and quiet, continuing to stare at her as she kept her eyes focused thoughtfully at the ceiling overhead. Turning his head, he stared up as well, feeling wave after wave of gloom wash over him. "And it breaks my hearts . . . knowing that you're going to be sad. So sad."

Wanda shifted her head over, seeing the way his eyes lit up in misery and the teary gaze he held. She gently reached over, grabbing his chin and directly their gazes to meet. "But you know what? I won't let these happy moments between us and our family be dulled by my sadness. Because even though I know I'll be sad later, doesn't mean I still can't find a reason to be happy. And you'll always be my reason to keep smiling." She smiled brightly, hoping to cheer him up. Once again, she had made him saddened by discussing such trouble topics and she felt horrible by it. Why did she always have to be such a burden on his life? She needed to stay positive and to keep him happy.

And it seemed her words worked as he grew a warm and tender smile. "Promise?"

"Well, there's no guarantee that I won't have my sad days, but . . . I promise when you're around, I'll always give you a smile and find a reason to be happy, because, really, you are my reason for being happy in the first place."

He beamed, snuggling right up to her chest and holding her close. "Good. And you're my reason, too." He felt her wrap her arms around him, caressing her fingers through his hair as they both laid there with content smiles on their faces. "Merry Christmas, Wanderer."

She smiled and kissed his head. "Merry Christmas, Theta."

XxXxXxXx

Not much of a chapter. But mostly just a nice holiday moment for our lovable TARDIS travellers. ;) I hope everyone enjoyed it! If you did, please, send in some holiday greetings in a review. I'd love to hear from you all! If you can't that's fine, too! I just hope that every single one of you had the most brilliant of holiday seasons and experienced nothing but happiness and joy. :D

Reviewers:

 **Momochan77** : With Clone Wanda, it really did seem like a roller coaster ride. lol ;) Don't worry, we will know the truth sooner or later. Might be a little off from this point, but we're getting pretty close now. ;) Until next time! Happy Holidays/Merry Christmas!

 **bored411** : Oh, trust me, it's going to keep crazy as the story progresses. Hope you don't mind the craziness. ;) Poor Wanda. I don't think she'll ever _not_ blame herself when it comes to these things. Even if it isn't technically her fault. So happy you enjoyed the chapter! Hope to see you again soon! Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a Happy New Year! :)

 **jaz7** : Yay! I'm so overjoyed that you liked it! Hope your holiday season is amazing! :)

 **heroherondaletotherescue** : lol What can I say, you're good. ;) Now it's just a matter of time before it's revealed to the Doctor and Wanda in the story. Think they'll figure it out soon? ;) Well, I think she handled it okay at the moment. But if things get any more intense . . . Let's just say spoilers for now. Hope your holidays are amazing! Until next time!

 **alwaystherereading** : Yep. All of them. Nah, Donna's fine. She always is. ;) Sadly, yes. Though it was not mentioned because of it being in Wanda's perspective, Martha's ring was indeed lost after that. Guess that's going to be a tough talk Martha has to have with Tom now. :( Not stupid at all! Even the little details are always good to know and to catch onto. :) It helps give stories more depth, which I know I'm not the best at, but I do try as much as I can. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! May your days be filled with cheer. :D

 **All The Stories Are True 24601** : Well, it's always good to get spoiled every once and a while. lol ;) I normally upload very late at night here in the USA. Mostly between the time of 10 o' clock at night and 2 o' clock in the morning CST. Sorry, I hope that doesn't wake you up at 4 in the morning. Unless you're already up, then I hope it's a nice enjoyment instead. :) Never bored of what you and other readers have to say. It's always just a joy to hear from you all. :) Glad you're liking it! I was always afraid I was overstepping what would be acceptable in the Whoverse. Hope it stays okay through the rest of it. Well, I love many others. Few that stand out the most at the moment is Steven Universe and Stranger Things. :) See you next time! Happy Holidays/Merry Christmas!

 **therealjainasolo** : Me, too! Can't wait of what you and other readers think of her. :) Hope your holidays have been great!

 **singingKatelyn** : lol Hope that's a good thing. ;) Merry Christmas! :D

 **Guest(a)** : Woo! I'm just so happy to hear that it brought you joy! I hope I can keep that up. :) Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you and all your family!

 **Caroline** : Glad that you enjoyed it all. :) Aww, thank you. That means the world to me. I know there are a lot more stories much better than mine, but I'm just so happy that this story brings you so much joy. I really hope it stays good throughout the rest of it. :) Well, spoilers on the parts with Alpha. Unfortunately, no Twelfth Doctor moments in this story. Possibly in the next though. ;) Thank you again for all your kind words! I hope your Christmas/Holiday is full of joy and merriment. :D

 **Crystal-star-Tyler** : Glad my jokes are good. :) Normally I'm terrible at comedy. In both written form and in real life. But I'm happy to know that I can manage to get a chuckle every once and a while. ;) Hope your holiday season has been wonderful! Take care!

 **grapejuice101** : Yes, I feel for her, too. She never had a nice moment at all in her short life. :( Well, we won't be meeting the Master for quite some time. I hope you don't mind the wait. Until next time! Happy Holidays and a very Merry Christmas to you! :D

 **N7SpaceHamster** : Hello again! Glad to have done some of your favorite episodes. :) I'm happy that you enjoyed all those nice touches. It's always the little things that seem to bring the story all together. Especially continuity. I love continuity in anything, be it a show, movie, or book series. I always look forward when seeing little touches of continuations or nods to something from the past. Haha, maybe I'll do those two in a separate story for later. ;) Though Wanda does question it quite a bit, she also is afraid of knowing the truth as I saw recently. To be honest, I would be afraid to know something like that as well. Don't worry, I always try to keep a good balance when it comes to how much Wanda actually participates in the Doctor's timeline. I agree we do see it far too much in other stories. But we also see far too little as well, where the characters in these sorts of stories don't do anything at all. They just might have a line in between dialogue, but other than that there feels like no real connection between them and the world around them. It really is a fine line with these sorts of stories writers have to manage. Tilt it too far and the story can come crashing down with it. I just hope I can continue to make it good in this story. :(Well . . . I suppose that's just spoilers for now in what is to come for Wanda in the Pandorica. I hope you'll like it when it does happen. :) Again, spoilers on why Wanda feels that way for Amy and Rory. You just ask the best questions. lol ;) Well, remember what the Doctor said in Utopia on what happens when a Time Lord has the Time Vortex in them? That. That's her power. And if that still makes you uncertain, then I'll just say spoilers for now. ;)Nah, I always like to conclude things like that pretty quickly. Some things are fun to sort of drag on, while others just become silly and boring. It's another fine line writers have to find. Hopefully the story stays well in what has happened so far, though. Actually, that's more of something left up to the reader to decide. It could be Wanda. Or it could be someone else the Doctor meant. I like stories that leave things up for the reader to think about, so I love doing it here, too. :) At that moment, our space travellers are in between Amy's Choice and Hungry Earth. And don't worry, we'll be seeing the Dream Lord in the distance future. ;)Well, Wanda has never been able to see into her own timeline. That's usually why things tend to go fuzzy for her. Nah, Bad Wolf is most definitely a separate entity from Wanda. Again, just another spoiler for now. Nope! I don't mind repeats at all. :) I just love seeing your excitement for it all. Would love to comment more on Alpha, buuuuttt that might lead to spoilers. No sneak peeks for you, sorry. ;) Thank you so much for all your reviews! I hope you don't mind the long response in return. I wish you the best Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Take care! Until next time! And best of wishes to you and all. :D

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE! See you all very soon I hope! If not before the end of this year, then defintiely in the next. ;) 2018 here we come!

~Tinker~


	27. Ch 27: Darkness Approaches

Happy New Year!

I hope everyone had a great holiday season and are having a wonderful new year so far. :) Sorry again about the missing chapter 25. I realized later that it was a mistake on my part because I was playing around with the new fanfiction app. Let's just say I'm only going to use the app to read stories from now on.

Enjoy the new chapter and the new year!

XxXxXxXx

Chapter 27: Darkness Approaches

The tight and rickety corridor of the station around her shook as the ground beneath was heard quaking. Wanda stumbled back, falling into a pipe as she held on, waiting for the quaking to stop. The rock underneath the base settled, allowing her time to stand up and catch her bearings. Figures. She always leaves right after having fun with the Doctor. She, the Doctor, and River had spent their own Christmas day together on an ice world filled with wonder. And just as the Time Lords returned River back to her home, Wanda was whisked away before the Doctor and she could relax after a whole week of Christmas activities. It had been nothing but Christmas meals, planets, towns, shops, and all sorts of things for them. Especially in making certain to visit all old friends for the holiday, with Jenny being their first stop. One could never have too much Christmas really.

Wanda hummed as she gazed around, realizing she had come into a human-made base. She recognized enough of the materials the metal building was made to know human architect when she saw it. In fact, she knew she enough of many different styles of architecture to know which species, origin, era, and age a variety of things were made from and how. She smiled proudly; glad that many years of travelling had taught her this. Now, to find the Doctor. He had to be somewhere around here, right? She hummed, looking around to see which way to go. Closing her eyes and pointing a finger out, she spun around and halted, opening her eyes again and decided to go where she had pointed to.

The base around her continued to rumble slightly as she walked through the corridors, but she could tell it was mostly from the howling winds that raged outside. It sounded like one hell of a storm. But when she passed by a window and peeked outside, her hearts dropped in realization. Oh, no, not this place. Her wide eyes stared out to the barren wasteland outside the metal walls, seeing solar winds whipping through the mountains and rock. There was also different connecting tunnels that lay about to show a complex network for the Sanctuary Base. Outside, in the corner of the skylight, Wanda could see the edges of K thirty-seven Gem five, the massive black hole of which the Walker Expedition were studying. That meant that she was currently here in the 42nd century . . . on the impossible planet . . . home of the . . .

 _Wanderer._

Wanda tensed as a dark chill swept through her. Her hands that had been pressed against the wall scratched on the metal as her hands slowly tightened into fists. Her eyes narrowed and her teeth gritted. She knew what that dark voice was. That chilling voice that was meant to send terror to anyone who heard it. But to her, it only caused her to feel anger. The barrier in her mind stirred, becoming restless as it sensed the strange energy that swept through the area. A growl rumbled deep within her head as whatever lay inside bared its teeth, ready for a fight.

 _Wanderer._

"Shut it," Wanda snapped, turning to glare at the dark corridor around her. "I know who you are, and your little mind games won't work on me."

 _I will have you, Wanderer._

"You can try!" she screamed as the darkness behind the barrier snapped in response, daring for the energy surrounding to even try and harm her, for there would be terrible consequences if it did. She turned and ran. She knew that technically she was fleeing, but she did not dare stay and wait for it to try and take her mind like it would be to Toby Zed, the archaeologist of the expedition. That poor man. He had no idea what was coming for him. None of them did.

A door opened right and swung open, stopping her as it blocked her path in the tight corridor. She let out a startled scream as someone suddenly walked out from the doorway, jumping back from them as she only saw shadows.

"Are you all right, miss?" asked the polite and kind voice of an Ood. Wanda clutched at her chest, breathing evenly to let her hearts settle and the stirring in her mind to calm down. Just like with the shadow back on Midnight, the barrier felt agitated and restless, ready to prove its might and power for a show of dominance. She shook her head, riding herself of these feelings and thoughts as she plastered a smile on her face for the Ood. He blinked at her curiously, holding out his translation sphere for communication.

"May I be of assistance?" the Ood asked kindly.

"Hello, yes, hi," she panted out from the frantic run she just had. "Um, c-could you direct me to a man called 'the Doctor' please?"

"Certainly," nodded the Ood, turning to direct her towards the location which it had come from. Wanda glanced back down the corridor from where she had fled, gulping as she felt as though the darkness was slowly creeping towards her. She hurriedly walked after the Ood, slamming shut the door behind her.

The Ood guided her through different passages until finally they reached Habitation Three, the mess hall of sorts for the crew that worked the expedition. Within the room, she noticed some of the people from the expedition that had set base here on the impossible planet. Ida Scott, the science officer, sat next to Danny Bartock, some sort of representative of the crew, as both of them were seen eating their meal for the night. Scooti Manista, the trainee, stood in line for her own meal as man Ood on the other side in the kitchen served her. Then, sitting in the corner of the room by a wall covered in old, ancient writing was Ten and Rose. Wanda sighed in relief, finally letting herself calm down from the earlier scare she had received.

"Doctor! Rose!" she called out, running over to the two. Everyone else in the room looked up in shock as both Rose and the Doctor beamed upon seeing Wanda coming over to them.

"Seriously? Another one? Where do they keep coming from?" Wanda heard Danny speak up sarcastically and in confusion over by Ida. Wanda did not pay any of them much attention as she was solely focused on giving both her husband and her best friend the biggest hugs yet. She threw her arms around them, laughing away.

"I've missed you both!" she exclaimed merrily. She pulled away, smiling at Rose. "I've especially missed you, girlie. It's been ages since I've seen you last."

"Really? How long as it been?" Rose asked curiously.

"Too long," replied Wanda, giving the blonde girl another strong hug.

"No, wait, hold on a minute," spoke up Ida from behind. The trio turned to look at the woman, seeing how both she and the other two stared suspiciously at them. Ida had walked closer to them as Scooti and Danny hung back. "Where did she come from? She wasn't with you two earlier."

"They forgot to mention me, didn't they?" Wanda replied, giving the other three in the room a sheepish smile. "I was with them earlier, but I wandered off on my own to search for the loo. Then I got a little lost after that nasty earthquake that had happened. I would have been lost for ages if this nice Ood here didn't find me." She waved to the Ood next to her, the one who still politely stood by her side until she told him to do otherwise.

"Is this true, Ood?" Ida questioned, crossing her arms as she stared at both the alien servant and the new blonde arrival.

"Yes, miss," answered the Ood, bowing his head. "I found her and guided her back here upon her request."

"Well, then, anyone else wandering around that you want to tell us about, Doctor?" Ida asked, sounding annoyed by not being told about a third party member from the strange arrivals.

"No, no. Just old Wanda here. No one else," the Doctor said casually, giving the woman a strained smile. Raising a brow, Ida merely shook her head and walked back over to her table to finish her meal. Scooti shrugged her shoulders and continued getting her meal as Danny stood up and walked out of the room when being called by Zachary Flane, the current expedition Captain, over the intercom system to check up on the Ood Habitation.

"Is there anything else you will be requiring, miss?" the Ood next to Wanda asked her in politeness.

"No, I'm good. Thank you so much for bringing me here," Wanda replied, smiling kindly at the Ood. She patted him on the shoulder. "Just take care of yourself for me, okay?"

"You are very kind, miss," responded the Ood, bowing his head slightly in respect. He turned and walked away, ready to perform other duties for the base. Wanda stared sadly at the alien, feeling her hearts twist in knowing what would happen to him and all the other Ood of this base.

"So, where have you been lately?" Rose asked, making Wanda turn her attention back to the companion and Doctor. They both sort of stared at her in interest. Wanda realized that it had been quite some time for them since seeing her Third face last. Both must be wondering how she had been doing on her wanderings.

"Just mostly hanging in the future," she replied with a shrug.

"Well, it's good to have you with us again," the Doctor said, giving a smile briefly before a sad expression took over his face once more. "Wanda . . . I actually have some terrible news. The TARDIS—."

"Was lost in the quake after the collapse of Storage Six falling down into the internal cavern of the planet," Wanda finished for him casually. She gave each of them a smile. "Don't worry, we'll get her back."

"We will?" both Rose and the Doctor question, highly skeptical about this and how at eased Wanda seemed about it all.

"Yep. Promise," Wanda replied, giving them a wink.

"Well, that's a load off," Rose said, letting some of her stress ease away. Though she still felt some tension as she knew there was always a chance things might change. Glancing over, the companion spotted the food line by the Ood. "I don't know about you two, but I'm starving. Let's see what kind strange food this place has." She walked away, leaving the two Time Lords alone.

Wanda watched the companion leave for a moment before looking back at the Doctor, seeing how he had his glasses on and was taking notes on the strange writing on the wall. Glancing up, she saw the large print, _Welcome to Hell_ , written just above the ancient writings that had been done by Toby. Writing that had been created before time itself. Something which the TARDIS herself would never be able to translate. Gazing in deep thought at the writing, Wanda could not help by wonder what kind of story the ancient words spoke of. She scooted up closer to the Doctor, standing across from where he sat.

"Any idea what it means?" the Doctor asked her lightly, not really looking at her as he scribbled away on his notepad.

"Sure. It says, 'Welcome to Hell. Home of the best chocolate fountains and potatoes,'" Wanda joked sarcastically, snickering when seeing the Doctor roll his eyes at her.

"Funny," he replied with similar sarcasm. He started to jot down more notes from the writing when he paused and frowned in bewilderment. "Hold on—chocolate fountains and potatoes? Where did you come up with that?"

"I don't know. I've just been craving chocolate and potatoes lately," Wanda mumbled, shrugging her shoulders. "I think it's my stupid taste buds acting up again. I keep wanting to try all these weird foods. Found myself eating turkey gravy and apple bits just last week."

The Doctor blinked for a moment before shaking his head. "It's official. You are definitely disgusting."

"Look who's talking." She bumped him playfully with her elbow and they both laughed lightly.

The Doctor sighed after a moment of laughter, fiddling with the pen in his hand. He glanced at Wanda, shifting on the spot as he wished to ask her something, something important and . . . personal. But at the same time, he felt rather nervous in discussing such things. The last time he had been with any Wanda it had been her Second self and they had almost been ready . . . ready to kiss again. And from the discussion they had . . . about being 'together' . . . Was that still open in the air for them? Was it something Third Wanda had already discussed with his future self, or . . . had she moved on and decided that they were just not meant to be? He felt anxious in talking about it with her. What if her answer was 'no' and they had to go back into their ridiculous routine of pretending neither one felt something for the other?

"What's on your mind, Doctor?" came the sudden question from Wanda. The Doctor jerked slightly, realizing that he had been lost in thought and had been staring intently at her for a moment there.

"Ah, well, I, um," he stumbled over his words. The pen in his hand dropped as it slipped out of his fingers, falling to the ground. He went to quickly reach for it, but at the same so did Wanda. Their heads collided and both jerked back, rubbing at the now tend spots on their foreheads. "Blimey that hurt."

Wanda laughed, grabbing the pen and handing it over. "Here. I think you dropped this."

"Yeah, yeah." The Doctor took it from her, flipping it around before placing both it and his notepad into the inner pocket on his suit jacket. He shifted uncomfortably on the spot. "So . . . what were we talking about?"

Wanda smirked cheekily at him, scooting closer beside him as she held a small knowing twinkle in her eyes. "We were about to discuss what you wanted to say to me."

"Right." The Doctor scratched as the side of his face, trying not to let her see the red tint on his cheeks. He cleared his throat. "Well . . . I was wondering . . . h-have you thought over what we are . . . officially?"

"I have." She smiled slyly, giving a small nod.

The Doctor blinked, becoming even more anxious now in waiting for her reply. "And?"

"I don't know. What do you think, Spaceman?" She bumped her hip against his, giggling at his puzzled expression. "Doctor, it's been decades for me since we've talked about this particular subject. What do you really think has been going on between me and you over the years?"

"How should I know? I don't see everything like you do." He huffed, holding a pout. Then he glanced at her in interest. "But . . . does this mean that we're, sort of, mostly, together? As in, we're pretty close in the future?"

"Hmm . . . I'd say so, yeah." She gave him a cheeky grin, grabbing his hand and entwining their fingers. "It's official, Doctor. You and I are dating."

The Doctor could not help but look down at their clasped hands. He beamed, feeling his hearts speeding up in delight. "Good. More than good, brilliant. _Molto bene._ "

" _Eccellente_." Wanda nodded in agreement. He laughed while she chuckled fondly.

Then, the Doctor stared at her in curiosity. "So . . . what about your Second self? Does that mean for now on she and I are . . ."

"No. Well, yes. It's . . . it's complicated with Second Wanda. But don't worry, she comes around . . . eventually. I promise. Just . . . give her some time. As you know, I can be a little stubborn at times."

"Only a little?"

Wanda scoffed and punched him in the arm, making him laugh. "Shush you. Don't push your luck in this developing relationship." She waved a pretend scolding finger at him, giggling as he stuck out his tongue in response, retorting to her words in the same fashion she would have. She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, making him grin happily. "I'm going to go grab something to eat. I'm starving. I wonder if they have any potatoes."

After gathering a tray of food, Wanda had just sat down at the table next to the Doctor and across from Rose when the lights around the base began to crackle and flicker. The trio heard Ida asking Zach on the issue, but the Captain assured her that there was nothing out of ordinary. Though, he did mention that a close by system, the Scarlet system, was burning up and being sucked into the black hole overhead. Ida nodded, smiling as she hurriedly walked over and opened the shutters above them.

Looming over them all was the infamous black hole. It had a halo of yellow light around the edges of the pitch-black hole that had been punched in space. Different asteroids and other space debris could be seen being pulled right into the crushing depths of the black hole. Then, curving into the darkness of the tremendous force was the Scarlet system. The system itself had this light, red glow to it, slowly being dragged right into the forceful black hole. Wanda stared at the sight in awe, her eyes wide as she watched the old system, that had once held civilizations that spanned a billion years, was consumed. Disappearing from the universe, forever. And it was . . . beautiful. Wanda half heard the Doctor asking Ida to leave the shutters open for a while longer, then Ida and the others leaving to go do their tasks and chores for the day.

"Even in death, there's beauty," Wanda mumbled quietly under her breath as she stared at the black hole, letting her mind wander to nothing.

"I've seen films and things, yeah? They say black holes are like gateways to another universe," Rose spoke up, earning both Time Lords' attention. The Doctor stared up at the black hole again, giving it a thoughtful gaze.

"Not that one," he concluded. "It just eats." Rose gazed up as well, feeling sick by the sight of the dark blackness. How could anyone see that thing as anything more than frightening?

"Long way from home," she mumbled. She glanced thoughtfully at the Time Lords again. "What if you're wrong, Wanda, and we can't make it back? Can the Doctor build another TARDIS?"

"They were grown, not built," explained the Doctor solemnly. "With our own planet gone, we're kind of stuck until we can find our ship again. And we will find her again, right, Wanda?"

"Of course," Wanda replied, giving each of them a comforting smile.

"But if something does happen, this lot did say they'd give us a lift," Rose remarked, still looking unsure and skeptical by Wanda's assurance. The Time Lady rolled her eyes, figuring that by now both of them would learn to trust her word and promises.

"And if we do end up going with them, then what?" questioned the Doctor, seeming interested in the subject.

"I don't know," Rose answered truthfully. She shrugged after an afterthought. "Find a planet, get a job, live a life—same as the rest of the universe." The Doctor let out a frustrated puff of air.

"I'd have to settle down . . . get a house or something, a proper house, with—with—with—with doors and things, carpets," he listed off, sounded very unhappy and disgusted by the very idea. "Me! Living in a house! Now that—that . . . that is terrifying." Both Wanda and Rose laughed for a moment before the Time Lady blinked in horror.

"Oh, god, I'd have to get a job. Again!" said Wanda, groaning in dread. "It was hard enough adjusting the first time to a job. I had no clue on what to do the first time around. Never had experience with jobs and such beforehand. My parents never even had jobs! The whole thing is just . . . bizarre!" At this, both the Doctor and Rose stared at Wanda in interest.

"What do you mean your parents never had jobs?" Rose asked in curiosity. Wanda blinked, wondering why both seemed to give her such questioning stares. Had she said something wrong?

"My parents never had jobs," she answered truthfully. "No one back home did. We all just sort of . . . well . . . did things we were good at, I guess."

"What? That can't be right," interjected the Doctor, frowning as he knew none of this matched up. "You've mentioned strange things about your . . . past life before. But this? And—and why is it that your universe's Earth is so different? It just doesn't add up."

"Your village had to have some kind of jobs or another," Rose added, nodding in agreement with the Doctor's dispute. "I mean, how did your parents make money if there were no jobs?"

"Um . . ." Wanda tapped her fingers on the table, trying to recall what her parents did in their lives while she had lived in the village. "I can't really . . . remember. All I recall is my father carving sculptures out of wood and my mother gardening. That's . . . about it, really."

"Come on, there had to be more than that," scoffed the Doctor, shaking his head in a perplexed manner.

"What about you?" Rose questioned. "I mean, you were twenty-two before you were brought to this universe. Surely you had a job, right? Maybe at a shop or something?"

"Nope, never," Wanda shook her head. "But I did get some experience with a job not that long ago. Had to while stranded away from the TARDIS for a month. Though," she laughed slightly, "it is kind of strange for someone to go ninety-eight years of their lives not having a job." She held an uncertain smile as she felt anxious by the strange looks Rose and the Doctor were giving her. Especially the Doctor as he seemed determined to understand something important as he pulled out his sonic screwdriver and did a quick scan of her. Wanda pouted while he looked over the readings of the tool carefully. "Why must you always find a reason to scan me? It's like you think I'm a bomb about to go off or something."

"I'm scanning you for your age," mumbled the Doctor. He tightened his grip on the sonic, giving Wanda a wary side glance. "You know . . . I could have sworn that when I first met you, and you explained how you had been ahead four hundred years of my timeline . . . Well, I could have sworn that you meant that you had already _lived_ through four hundred years of my life."

"No . . . Why would you assume I had already lived through four hundred years with you?" Wanda questioned, feeling greatly confused now. Had that been something she had accidentally implied, or had the Doctor merely assumed this? But . . . why would he assume something like that? Unless . . .

"Wanda . . . you're not as old as you think you are," the Doctor told her carefully. He seemed hesitant, as though he was not sure how to tell her such a heavy topic.

"What do you mean? I . . . I know how old I am. Why wouldn't I know my own age?" Wanda responded, shifting on her seat in uneasy. She felt all the barriers within her mind creak as a headache grew when she tired thinking on the topic of her age. She . . . she had always been twenty-two while living in her village, right? No . . . no, that was not right. She . . . could not have always been twenty-two? She had to have grown up normally as any other human child. But whenever she tired thinking of her younger years . . . nothing came. It was all blank.

"Wanda, just . . . look," the Doctor said, handing over his sonic for the Time Lady to see the scan herself. Taking the tool, Wanda gripped it in her hands, holding the device in her hard-grasping fingers as she stared down at the results of the scan in alarm. Her eyes widening in shock and dread. No . . . this could not be right. Next to the alarmed Time Lady, the Doctor began rambling on in thought as he stared at the space over them.

"I've been wondering about your age for a while now and why you seem so determined to think you're younger," he rambled. "At first I thought that maybe it might be possible you were trying not to let a spoiler out. But then, I've begun to think that maybe something must have happened between us meeting. Maybe something you had forgotten? And that made you live through four hundred years before you finally reached coming to my timeline. Then again, this brings us back to you being 'human' before. Logically, it's just not possible. How can a human _ever_ be turned into a Time Lord? Just like that? There has to be something else at play and we're just not seeing—."

"Doctor," Rose snapped, getting the Time Lord's attention. She jerked her head at Wanda who she began to worry over as the Time Lady was seen shaking, still holding onto the sonic with white knuckles.

"Wanda?" the Doctor spoke up, touching her shoulder as he realized this might have been a greater shock to her than he imagined it would be. Wanda abruptly stood up, jerking away from the Doctor's touch and the table as she flung the sonic away from her. Not wishing to believe what age it told her.

"How . . . how can that be?" she said, her voice wavering as she breathed in and out at a rapid pace. "How can I be six hundred-two years old? That's . . . that's not possible! I can't be that old! Why does it say I'm that old?!"

"Wanda, calm down." The Doctor stood up, holding out his hands in a gesture to ease her worries.

But Wanda was not listening. Not hearing the Doctor trying to calm her or Rose voicing concerns and questions about the Time Lady's age. No, the thing Wanda could hear was the ringing in her ears. Her hearts sped up and her mind was stabbed with a painful headache. A few barriers cracked open, flooding her head with terrifying images. She let out a scream.

"NO! Don't make me remember! Please!" she screeched. Her eyes rolled up and she fell to the metal floor, quaking as she curled up into herself and gripped at her head. In an instant, the Doctor and Rose were by her side. The Doctor pulled Wanda into his arms, holding her close while Rose kneeled next to him, gripping at the Time Lady's hand in a panic. All the while, Wanda began muttering rapidly, "I remember. I remember. I remember."

"Wanda? Wanda, what's wrong?" the Doctor questioned in alarm, brush away her hair that had fallen over her face. He gave her a small shake. "What are you remembering? Wanderer, please, answer me."

"Wanda, wake up," Rose called to the blonde girl, panicking over her friend's crying and repeating the same words 'I remember' over and over again. "Come on, snap out of it." Still, no reply from the Time Lady as she trembled in the Doctor's arms. Rose snapped her gaze at the Time Lord. "Doctor, how do we wake her up?"

"I—I—I don't know," responded the Doctor. He ran a hand through his hair, gripping the strands as he felt just as panicked as Rose did over Wanda's behavior.

Suddenly, the Time Lady gasped loudly, jerking away from the Doctor's arms as she sat up. She blinked slowly, letting her vision clear as she realized that she was on the floor of the room. Wait . . . how did she get here? She had just been talking to the Doctor and Rose about getting a job a second ago. Did she trip or . . .

"Wanda?" she heard the hesitant voice of the Doctor behind her. She turned around, seeing the alarmed looks that both Rose and the Doctor were giving her. Almost appearing to be afraid of something terrible was about to happen. And the way they stared at her . . .

She suddenly slapped a hand over her mouth as she felt nausea overtake her. Shooting up from the floor, there was only a quick rush to the nearest bin before Wanda was bent over and heaving. She gripped at her stomach as it felt cramped and knotted up. It was not necessarily painful. But it did feel incredibly uncomfortable. She felt someone holding back her hair and another patting gently at her back as she continued to empty out her stomach. After a moment, her stomach settled enough to let her rest, leaning her sweaty forehead against the edge of the bin as she breathed deeply in and out, steadying herself. These random spurts of sickness were starting to become routine for her lately. Ever since that one time in the toilets with Martha, Wanda felt the feeling of nausea overcome her so much that she would have to rush off somewhere, becoming sick and letting it pass after an hour or so. That, and she has noticed the increasing lack of energy she has been having. What was wrong with her lately?

"Sorry about that," Wanda said hoarsely as now her throat felt sore. She tried clearing it the best she could. She sat up straighter, noting how the Doctor dropped his hand away from her hair and Rose pulling back her own from the Time Lady's back. "So . . . we're were talking about jobs and getting a house, right?" The smile on her face only lasted a second longer before slipping away as the Doctor and Rose had this strange wary manner around her. "Sorry, was it something I said?"

"But you . . . you were just . . .," Rose tried to say, feeling at a loss for words. Why was the Time Lady simply acting as though nothing had happened? Did Wanda not remember or something? And why did she become so sick?

"You were crying and screaming," the Doctor clarified, walking up closer to Wanda and placing a hand on her cheek as he gazed carefully at her. "You were remembering something. What was it you were remembering, Wanda?"

Wanda merely blinked, replying, "What are you talking about? I wasn't crying or screaming. We were talking about jobs, remember?"

"Yes, but—," the Doctor tried to argue, pushing for real answers. However, Rose's mobile going off interrupted him. The companion pulled out the phone from her pocket in a hurry, hoping that it was her mother. But when she answered it, the only voice she heard was a dark one.

"He is awake," rumbled the voice. Rose jerked her hand, letting the mobile drop to the ground.

"Let me guess . . . it just said, 'He is awake,' right?" Wanda spoke up, nodding to the mobile.

"Y-yeah," Rose replied shakily. First Wanda's strange behavior and now this? What the hell was going on?

"Well, time to get to work, then," Wanda stated, rubbing her hands together as if preparing for a dreadful task. "Just warning you both now, it's not going to be pretty."

She skipped forward, going off to a door and leaving the area. Rose picked up her mobile, looking at the Doctor in question. She raised a brow, waving at the direction Wanda had gone. The Doctor slowly shook his head, staring off at the retreating Wanda in confusion and dread. Both were thinking the same thing.

What was happening to their friend?

XxXxXxXx

They arrived shortly later at the Ood Habitation where Danny was monitoring over the bases many Ood. Wanda walked around Danny, letting the Doctor and Rose question him on the Ood and bring up the subject of the strange messages being said by the Ood and then from Rose's mobile. Wanda herself only wanted to focus on observing all the Ood down below in their holding area. Almost all Ood were sitting down on hard, cold, metal benches, while one long line of them was forced to stand. The whole area was cramped for them as they were all pushed right next to each other. The conditions of which they were forced to live were terrible. Wanda shook her head, disgusted by the sight.

"Poor things," she mumbled quietly.

"Oh, what, are you Friends of the Ood as well?" scoffed Danny as he walked by her. Wanda turned around, her eyes glaring sharply at him.

"Yeah, as a matter of fact, I am. Got a problem with that?" she retorted spitefully as her temper flared. Danny merely rolled his eyes, looking away from her. Though both the Doctor and Rose gave the Time Lady a wary side glance as they were still uncertain if she was still fine or not.

"Look, if there was something wrong, it would show," Danny continued to speak with Rose and the Doctor, assuring them that the strange message from the Ood that Rose had heard, as well as from the companion's mobile, was nothing. "We monitor the telepathic field. It's the only way to look after them. They're so stupid."

"No, they're not," Wanda grounded out, placing her hands on her hips as she stared evenly at the young man. "The only reason they can't alert you lot when they're ill and such is because they aren't allowed to. All because of that _stupid_ Ood Operations . . ." She let herself trail off in a grumble, not able to say anything else as it would become spoilers.

"What do you mean, Wanda?" the Doctor questioned, becoming curious by how defensive she had become about the Ood. Was there something important about them?

"Nothing. Just . . . You'll get your chance to help them later, Doctor," Wanda replied, walking over closer to the computer that Danny had been working with. She stared carefully at it as the Doctor turned to question Danny once more.

"Monitor the field—that's this thing?" the Doctor nodded to the computer which Wanda stood by, seeing the screen showing Basic Five telepathic waves coming from the Ood.

"Yeah, but like I said, it's low-level telepathy," Danny replied dismissively. "They only register Basic Five." The Doctor, Rose, and Wanda all stared at the screen as the numbers shifted, rising higher and higher by each second.

"Well, that's not Basic Five. Ten . . . Twenty . . . They've gone up to Basic Thirty," the Doctor told Danny as they saw the number halt at the end, coming to thirty. Wanda looked over the railing of Ood Habitation, seeing all of the Ood staring straight at them.

"Doctor," she said, tapping on his arm and nodding towards the Ood. They all looked at the Ood in alarm. Danny swiftly walked over to the computer as the trio scooted out of his way, seeing how the young man typing in rapid motion to figure out what was happening to the Ood.

"What does 'Basic Thirty' mean?" Rose asked them.

"Well, it means that they're shouting, screaming, inside their heads," Danny explained, sounding anxious and confused by what was happening.

"Or someone's shouting at them," mumbled the Doctor as he observed the Ood.

Wanda nodded slowly, gripping the railing in front of her tightly, her knuckles turning white as she felt the hairs in the back of her neck rising. The barrier within her shifted and creaked as it felt threatened. A warning of sorts went off within her as it knew something within the air was wrong. A dark energy swept through, surrounding the Ood and was trying to do the same to the rest of them. It wanted to find a suitable minion for it to use for its dark purposes. But Wanda knew she was not having it. She would fight if she had to before she allowed it anywhere near Rose, her Doctor, or even herself. And she felt it. The darkness of the Beast below, readying itself for a battle against her as it seemed to sense her defenses rising and strange primal need for dominance. She did not know what it was—perhaps it was the Time Vortex within her—but she almost felt as though she had her own energy radiating outward, slamming into the darkness and placing an invisible barrier of sorts around the Doctor, Rose, Danny, and herself as protection. As well as to show the Beast who had the greater force of power.

It was like Midnight all over again. All these strange and primal feelings coursing through her that seemed to directly come from the one barrier within. But really, she did not care much to know why she felt this way. All she knew was if it protected her Doctor and Rose, then she could care less what exactly was happening to her. Next to her, also looking out over the Ood, was the Doctor. His mind alerted him to something feeling off, something had changed. He could not tell what, but . . . something was wrong. He knew that much. Glancing at Wanda beside him, he was surprised to see a strange assertive gaze within her eyes as she stared the Ood down.

"What did it say to you?" Danny suddenly questioned Rose about the earlier message from the one Ood.

"Something about the beast in the pit," Rose explained.

"What about your communicator? What did that say?" Danny urged for a better explanation, needing to know what exactly was happening here. Rose gulped, feeling dread overtaking her. Wanda reached over to the companion beside her, patting her hand in comfort.

"'He is awake,'" Wanda answered for her friend, keeping her tone even.

"And you will worship him," spoke all the Ood in unison. Everyone, except for Wanda, stiffened as they stared at the Ood in stunned silence. The Time Lady, however, narrowed her eyes as she gripped the railing tighter. The Doctor hardened his own gaze.

"He is awake," he said in a commanding and loud voice, trying to revoke a reaction again. Which he received an immediate response.

"And you will worship him," repeated the Ood. To Wanda, it felt like a repeat of the Ood planet all over again, like déjà vu.

"Worship who?" the Doctor questioned the Ood. "Who's talking to you? Who is it?" There was no reply this time. Only silence from the Ood as they continued to stare at them all. Wanda swallowed heavily.

"It's . . . _him_ ," Wanda replied through gritted teeth. All eyes whipped over to her, staring at her in either alarm or interest.

"Wanda, who's 'him'?" the Doctor asked her carefully, afraid that perhaps 'him' and everything else that has been going on had something to do with her . . . 'collapse' earlier. The Time Lady, however, did not answer as she felt her throat close up, too afraid to say it. What if . . . what if saying it just made things worse? But . . . she had to warn them . . . right?

Seemingly out of nowhere, the whole place rocked beneath their feet. Alarms began to blare and the computer warned of a hull breach. Danny tried contacting Zach to find out what was going on. They received instructions to evacuate Habitations Eleven to Thirteen from Zach, making them all leave as quick as possible from the Ood Habitation. The Doctor grabbed both Rose and Wanda's hand firmly within his own as they ran after Danny, going as fast as they could through the base and getting to a safer location. They ran into the others down a corridor, seeing Mr. Jefferson, head of security, pulling Toby into the area with them just in a nick of time before slamming the door shut and sealing the breach. All panted out as they tried gaining their breaths back. The Doctor pulled away from the other two of his group, going up to Jefferson.

"Everyone all right?" the Time Lord questioned the man. "What happened? What was it?"

"Hull breach," Jefferson replied, confirming what the computer had announced. "We were open to the elements. Another couple of minutes and we'd have been inspecting that black hole at close quarters."

"That wasn't a quake. What caused it?" the Doctor continued to press for answers.

"We've lost sections Eleven to Thirteen," came the voice of Zach over Jefferson's wrist communicator. "Everyone all right?"

"We've got everyone here except Scooti," Jefferson told Zach. Wanda stiffened and swallowed, suddenly remembering what had happened to Scooti. She listened as Jefferson tired contacting Scooti over the radio, but continued to receive no answer, only hearing static from the other end of the line.

"She's all right. I've picked up her biochip. She's in Habitation Three," Zach said over the comm, trying to ease everyone's worries for the young woman. "Better go and check if she's not responding. She might be unconscious."

Wanda felt her hearts sink, knowing the fate of poor Scooti. There was no saving her now. Gazing down, Wanda's eyes narrowed and the same assertive flash went through her emerald eyes as she stared at Toby on the floor at their feet. She watched as the young man looked at his hands, seeming largely unnerved by something that had occurred. And Wanda knew that his frightened behavior was not from the hull breach. Feeling eyes on him, Toby looked up at her with eyes flashing red briefly, meeting the white flash from the Time Lady's glare.

Unknown to anyone, not even to Wanda and Toby, the real battle for power and dominance began.

XxXxXxXx

Oh no. That doesn't seem good. I'm keeping my fingers crossed until next time. This episode always made me feel uneasy, so I could imagine Wanda feeling the same. Hopefully this chapter was enjoyable for everyone. :) Let me know if you have any thoughts or if there's something more I could add for next time in a review. It always helps. :)

Reviewers:

 **bored411** : Oh yes. Very crazy. lol ;) Hope you'll like it all. It's just going to be one thing after another later down the road. Until next time!

 **heroherondaletotherescue** : I'm excited, too. ;) Now it's just a waiting game for us. lol :) Well, it'll be a while for us to figure out her past, unfortunately. But for the monster . . . Spoilers. ;) Happy New Year! See you next time!

 **alwaystherereading** : It's always nice to see our lovable time travelling family just taking a break now and then. :) The Doctor mostly can't tell her for the same reasons Wanda can't tell him about future knowledge. Paradoxes and such. Universe imploding. You know how it goes. Sucks how it works like that. :( Hope your holidays were just as merry! Take care!

 **X-Lisa-Anne-X** : Good theory! Can't give anything away, so I'll just say spoilers for now. So happy you enjoyed it! Happy New Year! Hope to see you next time! :)

 **Jerry Skeleton** : It's always great seeing them so happy and calm. Not something they can always get, but at least every now and then it good. :) Woo! So glad you got a nice family visit for the holidays. Thank you for such kind and wonderful reviews. :) Happy New Year and hope to see you soon!

 **Authora97** : lol Welp, that's the Doctor and Wanda for you. ;) So glad you enjoyed it!

 **grapejuice101** : Unfortunately, no. But maybe again for some time in the future. :) So happy you enjoyed it! Too bad we didn't get to see the full adventure with the Doctor. But at least they got to talk about it. Until next time! Take care! Oh, and Happy New Year!

 **singingKatelyn** : No! Don't die! lol So glad you enjoyed it though. :) Hope you liked the new chapter just as much!

 **Guest(a)** : Thank you so much for pointing that out to me! Again, so sorry that happened. First time I've ever accidentally done that. Learned my lesson for next time. Hope your new year is going great. :)

 **Kylie Winchester** : lol I can neither confirm nor deny. ;)

 **Momochan77** : Christmas is always the best. :) So happy for them all. Hope you had a great holiday and new year! Until next time!

 **Caroline** : I hope the reread was just as good as the first time. :) Also hope your holidays were great! I love all your theories! In fact, as you probably noticed, one of them came true in this very chapter. ;) Can't say anything else without giving away spoilers. Even a percentage. Sorry. :( So I really hope you don't mind the long wait for finding out all the secrets and such. Really hope to see you again in the future! Have the most wonderful days into the new year. Take care! :)

 **GuestCat** : Aww, thank you so much! That means so much to me. I know it could always be better, though. I'm always working to make it perfect for all readers. I'm just so happy though that you're enjoying it so much. I really hope you continue to enjoy it throughout the rest to come. :) Nah, I don't deserve thanks. It's thanks to you and all other readers that this story has gotten this far. Thank you so much to taking the time to give the story a read. I truly hope to see you again for the future. :) Happy New Year!

 **Whovianeverlark17** : Happy New Year! Thanks for reviewing! :) Fluff is always the best. lol ;) Hope your new year is great as well! Until next time!

 **Guest(b)** : Aww, I'm so happy! Your review is the best gift for me. :) Thank you!

 **Fae Evrnyt** : Thank you so much! I'm just glad that you're enjoying it so much. :) I really hope it continues to be good to read throughout the future. Nah, I'm not as brilliant as Wanda is. lol Hope to see you again soon!

hugs everyone tightly* All of you are too beautiful. May all your dreams come true for the new year.

~Tinker~


	28. Ch 28: The Pit Opens

Hello again!

I thought I would surprise you all with another chapter today. Hope it was a nice surprise. ;)

XxXxXxXx

Chapter 28: The Pit Opens

Sure enough, when they arrived to Habitation Three, they saw the outcome of poor Scooti. Wanda stared up with everyone else as they gazed above to the overhead glass at the floating body of Scooti. Only twenty years old . . . and she died being pulled out into space, floating away to be eaten by the black hole. They all mourned the girl in their own way. Some bowing their heads, some continuing to gaze up with wavering eyes while Jefferson recited a solemn verse. Wanda looked away, focusing her sharp eyes on Toby. He looked at her as well and another flash of red was seen within his irises.

She knew that at this moment, yes, the young man did have some control over himself and his actions. But at any point in time, in a split second, that could all change. There was a dark energy, a monster, living inside of him and it would easily possess him when given the chance. It had the real control over his life now. Not him. He was merely an illusion, a puppet. What a horrible life to live, a cruel fate. And yet . . . she had a funny feeling that she was in a very similar situation as Toby. Something living within her . . . biding its time until . . .

She was snapped out of her thoughts as the drill beneath their feet of Habitation Three was heard coming to a halt. The very same drill that the Walker Expedition had placed in searching for the strange power source that kept the planet they were on from falling into the black hole. She felt a shiver go down her spine as everyone hurriedly went out of the room, ready to get to the drill area to begin looking over their success in finally reaching their final destination. Wanda reluctantly followed behind the rest, knowing she needed to be there.

She stood in a corner in the drill area, watching the crew of the expedition working fast to get ready. They set up different equipment and working on getting Ida geared up as she readied the capsule connected to the drill, ready to go down into the depths of the planet and find what exactly they had come for. Jefferson worked in getting all but a few of the Ood locked away, confined until it was decided on what to do about the mysterious events surrounding them and the base. Wanda shook her head, knowing it was useless. There was no stopping the Beast in getting what he wanted. In fact, it had already been won. The Beast had his puppets now. It was only a matter of time before he made certain to force the crew to evacuate so that he may leave in Toby's body. But she would not let this happen. No, not in a million years. She would even destroy this damn planet if she had to and make certain that she was the dominant force in the universe and—

Her mind halted as she realized where her train of thoughts were going. Wait, what? Her? The dominant force in the universe? Where the heck did that thought come from? She . . . she was not the one that had thought that . . . right? No, no, no. She never saw herself as some sort of . . . assertive power over others. Yet . . . those thoughts always seemed to pop up whenever she was around another powerful source. Like with the shadow from Midnight . . . the Beast from here . . . and the Doctor . . . Wait, what? The Doctor? She did not think of him as some sort of power to be won and controlled and . . . Gah! What was wrong with her today?! She banged her head against the wall behind her, trying to clear her muddled mind.

"You all right there, Wanda?"

The Time Lady blinked as she realized the Doctor was standing in front of her, wearing a bright orange spacesuit with yellow helmet held by his side. He stared at her in concern, raising a brow.

"It's never a really good sign when you feel the need to start banging your head around. It usually means bad troubles ahead," he tried joking lightly.

"Sorry, just trying to clear my mind," Wanda replied, giving a wry smile. She moved away from the wall, standing closer to him. "So . . . I'm guessing you're volunteering, then? Gonna go exploring, getting yourself into trouble, and all that?"

"That's the plan," he stated with a grin. He glanced around, making sure no one was around to listen in to his next words. "Truth be told, I have a bad feeling about going down there. I mean, _really_ bad. At least if I go down, then Ida won't have to face whatever is down there alone. And I hope that I might be able to fix . . . whatever is causing all of this. So . . ." He shrugged.

"Mmm, my Spaceman, being the hero as usual," Wanda commented, giving him a proud smile. "And with you actually wearing a real spacesuit to boot." They both laughed at this. She grabbed his hand, feeling the thick glove that protected his skin. "You be careful down there, you hear? You end up dying on me, then I'll go down there myself and give you a good punch for being an idiot."

"Yes, ma'am." He gave her a small salute, smiling warmly at her. Right before he put his helmet on, she pulled it away and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Patting his face tenderly, moving away from him with a smile, Wanda nodded as if saying he would be all right.

He blinked a second. A strange feeling swept through him as his hearts clenched in knowing something terrible was going to happen. He was not sure what, but . . . it was as if something told him he might not ever see her again. So, dropping the helmet, he shocked both himself and Wanda as he wrapped his arms around her and held her close. Pressing their lips together in a firm kiss, they both let out a low pleased tone. Oh how he loved this. This . . . wondrous, fantastic, perfect feeling and warmth they seemed to share. He could hold onto her forever and always feel satisfied, never wanting to let go. But as all good things, they never lasted. Eventually, they parted, staring deeply into each other's eyes as their cheeks glowed a soft red.

"Wanda," the Doctor breathed.

"Yeah?" the Time Lady replied in a breathless whisper. As always, the Doctor's kisses took her breath away in a beyond pleasant way.

The Doctor swallowed heavily, feeling three words on the tip of his tongue, ready to be spoken. "I—I—I—I . . ." But as always, no matter how much he tried forcing himself to say what his hearts were screaming to tell her . . . he could not get them out.

Wanda smiled kindly, tenderly thumbing his cheek and rubbing her fingertips through the edges of his hair. "Don't worry. You don't have to say it. It's not something that has to be said." She gave him a peck on the lips, grinning. "I love you, too."

He gulped, feeling his hearts pound away in elation in his chest. A wave of euphoria swept through him and he almost felt light headed by these words from her. He remembered the first time he had heard her say these powerful, meaningful words. Hearing them the first time had scared him in some ways. But now . . . they only brought joy. Though, still with some uncertainty for their future. It was a mixture of emotions going through him, really. None that he could quite pick out and settle on what exactly he _should_ be feeling. But . . . he would think on that later. Yeah . . . later was a better time. For now, he needed to focus.

He nodded with a smile, finally placing on his helmet, and stated, "Well, I better get going. I'll see you later."

"Of course," Wanda nodded, smiling as well. He turned and went to march to join Ida in the capsule, but looked back at Wanda's next words. "Oh, and Doctor."

"Yeah?" he questioned in interest. He watched as all humour and light spirit left Wanda's expression and demeanour as she only held a steady and intense gaze.

"Sneak peek: When you feel the urge to jump, you jump, letting yourself fall. And don't look back for anything."

He slowly nodded, frowning as he turned back around and walked away. What exactly did that all mean? He was only stopped briefly by Rose as the companion gave him a hug for luck, making him promise the same as he had with Wanda in coming back after the mission. Then, he was descending down with Ida in the capsule, going straight below into the depths of the unknown.

Wanda watched the yellow capsule fit for two leave, disappearing into the nothingness. Behind her back, she began pinching her thumb, twisting it around. The old, worn habit felt good in relieving some of the anxiety and stress she felt. She knew things were meant to turn out fine, but . . . Damn timelines and their constant changing. She could never exactly predict everything perfectly. What if things went wrong like they did with the Sontarans and her clone?

"Stop worrying," Rose spoke from beside her, patting the Time Lady's shoulder in reassurance. "I'm sure everything will be fine, right?"

"Of course," Wanda replied. But she snatched up the yellow, handle radio from the stack of equipment in front of her, tuning it to the comm frequency that everyone was communicating on. Best have it ready in case the Doctor wished to talk with her. And in case she needed to instruct him on anything or warn him or keep him calm or make certain that nothing hurt him or—oh, she hated, hated being away from him. She never did like it whenever they were separated on dangerous adventures like these.

"Wanda, stop pacing. You're giving me a headache," Rose commented as she watched the Time Lady walking worriedly back and forth in front of her.

"Not until the Doctor reports on them making it safely down," Wanda muttered, gripping the radio tight in her hands. "And then he better bloody get back up here so that I can handcuff him to me and never let him go again. Ugh. I hate adventures like these. Why does it always involve him going into dark depths and being surrounded by universe knows what."

"You worry too much," Rose scoffed, shaking her head. But then the whole room shook, making them all wobble unsteadily on their feet.

"Or maybe I don't worry enough," Wanda grumbled. She pressed on the radio in her hand, holding it up close. "Doctor, are you all right? Is everything okay? Please tell me you've reached the bottom." There was only static as a reply." Doctor, I swear if you don't answer I'll—."

"Rose, tell your friend to get off comm," said an annoyed Zach from over the radio. Wanda gritted her teeth together as she felt her temper flare up.

"Shut it, Zach! I can check up on my lover if I want to!" she barked. She pouted when Rose jerked the radio away from her.

"Wanda, chill. Seriously," Rose muttered, shaking her head while rolling her eyes. Breathing in and out, the Time Lady let out a slow breath, easing her jumpiness and troubled mind.

"Sorry," she muttered, blushing in embarrassment from her overreactions. "I'm just . . . on edge right now."

"Why's that?" Rose questioned curiously. Wanda folded her arms, glancing at Toby sitting in a corner far from everyone else.

"Reasons," was all she replied to the companion's question. Ever since Toby showed up, Wanda has been feeling a dark presence hovering over her. Hovering over them all. It pressed on all ends, trying to seep in and either take over or find everyone's dark selves. Wanda tried placing up whatever barrier she had before in Ood Habitation. If she had done as such before. She really had a hard time believing she had actually done such a thing, or had that kind of control over the Time Vortex living within her. But now she felt almost . . . weakened. Like the darkness was draining her. And the one barrier was not having it. She could feel it snarling, creaking angrily as it snapped repeatedly at the darkness, daring it to get any closer. Wanda shook off this feeling, knowing she needed to remain focused. She . . . she could figure out what the heck was up with the one barrier in her mind later.

"It's all right. We've made it. Heading out of the capsule now."

Wanda felt relieved when hearing the Doctor's response from over the radio, scooting closer to Rose as the girl began to speak with him.

"What's it like down there?" questioned the companion.

"It's hard to tell," replied the Doctor with his voice sounding as though he felt perplexed by where he was. "Some sort of . . . cave? Cavern? It's massive."

"Well, this should help. Gravity globe," came another voice, Ida. There was a moment's pause as everyone in the drill area waited for more details. Finally, when Ida spoke again, she sounded completely blown away by whatever she was seeing. "That's . . . That's . . . My god, that's beautiful."

"Wanda . . . Rose . . . You can tell Toby . . . we've found his civilization," the Doctor added in, sounding just as awestruck as Ida. Wanda knew at this moment, they were seeing the grand, ancient sculptures, archways, and other amazing sights to behold. She actually felt kind of jealous of the Doctor being able to see that without her.

"Oi, Toby, sounds like you got plenty of work," Rose called over to the young man, smiling cheekily at him. Toby did not turn his gaze to meet hers, keeping his head down as he thumbed his the palms of his hands. Wanda heard him muttering 'good' under his breath.

"Concentrate, now, people. Keep on the mission," spoke Zach from over the radio. "Ida . . . what about the power source?"

"We're close," replied Ida. They could hear her and the Doctor's footsteps crunching over gravel over the comm. "Energy signature indicates north-northwest. Are you getting pictures up there?"

"There's too much interference," Zach told her. "We're in your hands."

"Well, we've come this far. There's no turning back," responded Ida. Wanda groaned at that statement. Great, now both Ida and the Doctor were definitely jinxed. Why must everything always be jinxed on their adventures? Of course, the Doctor had the worst habit of doing the jinxing. But still . . .

"Captain, sir, there's something happening with the Ood," came the urgent note from Danny over the comm. Beside Rose, Wanda tensed, knowing it was beginning.

"Here we go," the Time Lady mumbled quietly under her breath. She half listened to Zach and Danny discussing the strange behavior of the Ood back in Odd Habitation. All of them, simply staring down Danny in a haunting gaze, and the telepathic field reaching Basic Hundred. She heard the others around muttering worriedly at this note. Basic Hundred was impossible. It meant brain death for the Ood at this point. Jefferson ordered his men to arms, guarding the other Ood that were still with them at gunpoint, making certain that the few Ood around would not try anything.

"Is everything all right up there?" sounded the Doctor in question from the comm. Rose answered quickly.

"Yeah, yeah," she assured the Time Lord.

"It's fine," Zach added in.

"Great," finished Danny. All sounded nervous and anxious. Wanda rolled her eyes, grabbing the radio from Rose.

"Everything's going to hell and we're all in big trouble," she said lightly. All around her the humans shot the Time Lady either looks of disbelief or great annoyance.

"Well, at least it's just the usual, then," came the joking reply from the Doctor. Both he and Wanda laughed lightly over the comm while everyone else rolled their eyes.

"Give me that," Rose grumbled, snatching the radio from her and waved a stern finger. "No more radio for you."

"Awww, you always take the fun out of everything," Wanda grumbled playfully. Both snickered as Rose elbowed the Time Lady in light humour.

They stood around in silence after that as the other crew of the base worked on fixing up things and getting ready for whatever was heading for trouble. Rose and Wanda leaned against a railing, tensely waiting for when the Doctor would respond in telling them of the progress below. Rose glanced briefly towards the Time Lady next to her, chewing on her bottom lip as she worried on whether or not to voice on what happened earlier to the shorter blonde. Deciding against it, rather waiting to talk with the Doctor about what he thought they should do on what happened to Wanda and her strange behaviour, Rose shifted as she gazed more curious at the Time Lady now. The companion began to wonder just from which period of time Third Wanda had come from. Or rather, which period of time the Time Lady was in her own timeline. Rose began to wonder if she should dare ask a certain question. With her curiosity outweighing her uncertainty, Rose cleared her throat lightly, gaining Wanda's attention.

"Something troubling you?" Wanda asked the companion, wondering why Rose kept sending her these curious looks.

"Just wondering if—if you have the ring yet," Rose spoke casually, looking ahead as if her response were nothing out of the ordinary. Or at least trying to as she repeatedly glanced at Wanda as if waiting anxiously for the Time Lady's response.

Wanda merely stared at her in confusion for a bit before replying, "Um, what?"

Rose sighed, "Nevermind," seeming to deflate upon Wanda's response. A second later before Wanda could question the companion's comment, the Doctor reported back to them through the comm.

"We've found something," he announced. "It looks like metal, like some sort of seal. I've got a nasty feeling the word might be 'trapdoor.' Not a good word, 'trapdoor.' Never met a trapdoor I liked."

"Then don't stand right on top of it," Wanda replied, smirking as she knew the Doctor would be standing on the gigantic metal plate on the ground. The same doorway which led straight to the Beast far down below in his dark prison.

"Right . . . yeah," the Doctor responded, sounding embarrassed that she had known where he had been foolishly standing.

"The edge is covered with those symbols," Ida told them.

"Do you think it opens?" Zach questioned her, pressing for some real answers for this mysterious place.

"That's what trapdoors tend to do," murmured the Doctor over the comm.

"'Trapdoor' doesn't do it justice," countered Ida. "It's massive, Zach. About thirty feet in diameter." The question popped up from Zach about possibly opening the metal door that was lying on the ground. But Ida quickly replied back, "I don't know. I can't see any sort of mechanism."

"I suppose that's the writing," the Doctor pointed out, letting everyone know of the writing all along the edges of the metal door. "It'll tell us what to do. The letters that defy translation."

"Toby, did you get anywhere with decoding it?" questioned Zach loudly over the comm so that everyone could hear. Everyone in the drilling area looked at the young man in the corner who had curled up into himself. He had buried his head into his arms with his knees pulled up to his chest. Wanda tensed. The hairs on the back of her neck slowly stood on end as the barrier within growled lowly. The dark energy within the room had shifted dramatically, radiating with a might now. Her own energy within suddenly spiked up as it readied in defense. Emerald eyes darkened as she stared Toby down, knowing what was happening to him again.

"Toby, they need to know—that lettering, does it make any sort of sense?" Rose questioned the young man. She glanced curiously at the Time Lady beside her when she suddenly felt Wanda grab her arm and taking a step in front of her as some sort of stance for protecting and guarding. What had Wanda so on edge? Besides the obvious strange and creepy occurrences, of course.

"I know what it says," they all heard Toby muttered in a low tone.

"When did you work that out?" Jefferson questioned, raising a brow in surprise. They all watched as Toby slowly stood, not facing them directing yet. Sucking in a sharp breath that sounded almost like a hiss, Wanda noticed the black writing that was all over Toby's face and palms. Then, he faced them all with his deep, blood-red eyes. Eyes so piercing that it felt as though he were staring into their very souls.

"These are the words of the Beast. And he has woken," Toby spoke to them. But they all could tell it was not truly the young man. His voice was deep, dark, and menacing that sent a chill down everyone's spine. "He is the heart that beats in the darkness. He is the blood that will never cease. And now he will rise." Jefferson stepped around Rose and Wanda, aiming his gun straight at Toby.

"Officer, you will stand. Stand down!" Jefferson commanded Toby, keeping his weapon aimed perfectly at the other man's chest.

"What is it? What's he done?" they heard the Doctor's voice question from the comm, sounding overly worried. "What's happening? Wanda! Rose! What's going on?!" These were the last words they heard from him as the radio in Rose's hands cut to static, leaving them nothing more to hear or say.

"Officer, you've comprised security," Jefferson barked at Toby as the man advanced at them. "You will stand down and be confined, immediately!" Toby titled his head to the side, his neck making a creaking sound while smiling wickedly at the man.

"Mr. Jefferson, tell me, sir. Did your wife ever forgive you?" he breathed in a hissing whisper. They saw Jefferson's hand tightened on his gun.

"I don't know what you mean," Jefferson responded in a tight voice.

A dark glint with through Toby's red eyes. "Let me tell you a secret. She never did."

Jefferson swallowed heavily. "Officer, you stand down and be confined."

"Or what?"

"Or under the strictures of Condition Red, I am authorized to shoot you." Jefferson cocked his gun, aiming it at Toby's head now. Both Rose and Wanda tensed, not liking the gun being drawn and ready to kill another.

"But how many can you kill?" taunted Toby. His red eyes began to glow brightly as he opened his mouth, letting out a deep, guttural growl. They watched as all the black letters from his face trailed off in a dark smoke and went straight for the Ood around them. The Ood shook as the black smoke entered into their eyes, turning them red as well. Toby in front of them gasped and coughed, collapsing to the ground. Jefferson turned his gun, aiming it at the Ood now. The Ood before them pulled out their translator orbs, holding them out as their own weapons.

"We are the Legion of the Beast," the Ood told them in deep voices. "The Legion shall be many, and the Legion shall be few." The static from the radio cleared enough from the radio for them to hear a faint voice of the Doctor.

"Wanda! Rose! What is it?! Wanda! Please, answer me!" they heard the Time Lord say in a panic.

"It's the Ood," Rose told the Doctor. Or at least, hoped that she was telling him as the comm sounded out in static again. She let the radio fall to her side, gripping onto Wanda's arm tightly and scooted closer to the Time Lady. "Wanda, do you know what's going on?"

"Yeah," Wanda whispered to the girl. "Rose, just stay by me and don't let the Ood touch you with their orbs."

"He has woven himself in the fabric of your life. Since the dawn of time," the Ood continued to speak as one, advancing towards them. "Some may call him Abaddon. Some may call him Krop Tor. Some may call him Satan. Or Lucifer . . . or the Bringer of Despair . . . the Deathless Prince, Bringer of Night. These are the words that shall set him free."

"Back up to the door!" Jefferson barked in order at them. They all scooted back away from the Ood, putting as much distance from themselves and the advancing threat. All the while, Wanda made certain to keep Rose safe behind her.

"I am become manifest," the Ood growled at them. "I shall walk in might. My Legions shall swarm . . . and swell across the worlds." They just reached the door of the drill area when the whole world started to shake in great violence. All stumbled and fell to the ground as they lost their balance from the quaking and fearful world. All the while, the Ood continued to advance towards them. "I am the sin and the temptation and the desire. I am the pain and the loss. And the dead will come."

"Get that door open!" shouted Jefferson at the other security officer that was with them.

"I have been imprisoned for eternity," the Ood told them with deep, even voices. "But no more."

 _The Pit is open . . . and I am free._

Wanda shivered as those wicked words echoed through her mind and a nasty laugh followed soon after. She and Rose let out startled yelps as Jefferson and another one of the security officers sent a wave of bullets straight at the advancing Ood. Wanda shielded the companion, waiting for the last Ood to drop to the ground before allowing Rose to move away. As soon as the Time Lady made certain that her friend was fine, she rushed down the steps from the door, grabbing the radio from the ground where Rose had dropped it.

"Doctor! Doctor!" she shouted into the radio, feeling panicked in knowing he was down there, stuck, with no way out. Only static answered her. This only heightened her fears. What if something had changed and during the quake a rock fell on him? Or—Or something else had crawled out of the open pit of the Beast and hurt him? Or he could have fallen into the pit, killing himself! She breathed in and out, counting to three to calm herself. There was no need for her to lose her head and panic. If something really had happened to him, then she technically would not still be alive at this moment. And she would have received the ping warning in her mind if something truly awful was going to befall on him.

She glanced over when seeing Danny rushing into the room. He slammed the door shut behind him and locked it into place, babbling on in a panic about all the other Ood who were coming after him. Jefferson pushed Danny out of the way, beginning to open the door up again to face the Ood. Wanda dropped the radio and ran over to them.

"Don't open that door!" she shouted in warning. But it was too late as Jefferson and his other officer opened the door and went to face the Ood. But the Ood were ready. One Ood sent an orb straight at the other security officer's forehead, killing her on the spot. Jefferson began to shoot at them rapidly, hoping to defend themselves and make some progress in defeating the Ood. Wanda ran up to them. "Stop shooting you moron! We can't fight them this way!" She swiftly moved around Jefferson after he stopped firing and slammed the door shut, slapping her hand on the nearby button to seal it.

"I could have had them," Jefferson grumbled at her.

"No, you would have run out of bullets before you barely even made a dent in them," Wanda retorted, storming past him to be next to Rose. "You all right, girlie?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Rose replied weakly. She received a comforting pat on the arm from Wanda as the Time Lady tried to ease her worries. The static suddenly cleared on Jefferson's wrist communicator as Zach's voice burst from the device.

"Jefferson, what's happening there?" questioned the Captain.

"I've got very little ammunition, sir. How about you?" Jefferson responded immediately. There was a brief pause.

"All I've got is a bolt gun with, uh, all of one bolt," Zach told them. "I could take out a grand total of one Ood. Fat lot of good that is."

"Given the emergency, I recommend Strategy Nine," Jefferson offered to the Caption.

"Strategy Nine agreed," confirmed Zach. Wanda shifted uncomfortably on her feet, not liking the thought of this. But . . . One: she knew it was needed. And two: it would not turn out exactly as planned in the end anyway, so . . .

"Hello? Can anyone hear me?"

Wanda jumped away from Rose and picked up the radio from the ground in haste when she heard the Doctor's voice coming through the static.

"Doctor! Ida! Are both of you okay?" Wanda asked immediately. Rose came over beside her, leaning to speak with the Doctor as well.

"Did anything happen?" questioned the companion.

"I'm fine. Still here," the Doctor replied to them. His voice distorted slightly through the static. "Anyway, it's both of us, me and Ida. Hello! But the seal opened up. It's gone. All we've got left is this . . . chasm."

"How deep is it?" quizzed Zach. There was a pause from the Doctor.

"Can't tell. Looks like it goes down forever," responded the Time Lord.

"'The Pit is open, and I am free,'" muttered Wanda. "He claimed 'no more' in his imprisonment. No more." Her mind lost focus for a minute upon those two words spoken as others began questioning what had left the pit. She shook her head, trying to keep herself on task.

"No sign of _the Beast_ ," she heard the Doctor telling them. She felt Rose tense beside her, scooting closer to hug her arm.

"It said 'Satan,'" Rose said to both Wanda and the Doctor. She sounded as though she was trying to pretend these earlier words were not affecting her, but the deep welling fear was still there.

"Come on, Rose. Keep it together," the Doctor told the girl in a stern manner.

"Is there no such thing?" Rose pressed for answers, needing to be told by both him and Wanda that all those legends from Earth could not possibly be true. But at the dead silence she received in response, Rose swallowed nervously. "Doctor." Still no response from the Time Lord, so Rose looked to Wanda. "Wanda, tell me there's no such thing."

"We'll keep you safe. I promise," was the only reply Wanda gave the companion. She hugged Rose, patting her back in comfort, afraid to look her friend in the eye. Truthfully . . . Wanda had no clue as to what exactly the Beast was. She had always theorized that he was merely what all sort of 'Devil' legends were based on and that is what the show itself had implied, but . . . Right, yeah, she was not going to try and figure out the truth behind the legends. It was best that they just stayed focused on getting the heck out of here.

Wanda half listened to Zach and Ida arguing over her and the Doctor returning to the surface. Then the radio went to static as the Time Lady knew that Ida had cut off transmission to be able to discuss the matters on what to do privately with the Doctor.

"What are they doing down there?" Rose asked Wanda, confused as to why Ida would cut off Zach and the others like that.

"They're discussing on whether or not to go down into the pit," Wanda mumbled quietly, making sure Danny and Jefferson did not hear their discussion. Things might get complicated if the found out what Ida and the Doctor wished to do. Of course, Zach and the other members of the expedition would grow angry and wish to stop the two down below. Not that they really could anyway. Was not much anyone up above could do for those down below near the pit.

"Are they _insane_?" Rose scoffed, completely flabbergasted in anyone even _thinking_ about going near whatever this 'Beast' lived. Of course, only the Doctor would do something foolish as that. Typical Time Lord.

"Probably," Wanda chuckled lightly. She smiled at Rose when seeing the girl frown and roll her eyes. "Don't worry about him and Ida, Rose. They'll be fine. They're actually safer down there than we are up here."

Rose rolled her eyes once more. "Right. Of course they're safer. They're totally peachy being right next to that . . . that Beast's home or whatever. Ugh. We're all doomed."

"Everything's going to be fine. Have a little faith, girlie." Wanda joked as Rose crossed her arms and huffed. Both were alerted when the radio went off again with the Doctor's voice coming through once more.

"Wanda, Rose, we're coming back," the Time Lord told them.

"Best news we've heard all day," Rose replied in joy. She held a bright smile on her face, glad to know the Doctor would be coming back to them. Next to her, Wanda shook her head, knowing that there was no coming back for either of them. Both were needed down below for their own important path and impacts on this adventure. She and Rose whipped their heads around when hearing Jefferson cock his gun and seeing him aiming it at an awakening Toby. The young man back away in fear as Jefferson readied to fire.

"What are you doing?" Rose demanded at Jefferson, outraged in seeing him aiming the weapon on a helpless man.

"He's infected. He brought that thing on board. You saw it," Jefferson retorted, pointing his gun to shoot. Rose moved away from Wanda, standing in front of Toby as a shield as she glared at Jefferson.

"Are you going to start shooting your own people now?" she bit back. "Is that what you're going to do? Is it?"

"If necessary," Jefferson replied, keeping his tone curt and strict.

Rose narrowed her eyes. "Well, then, you'll have to shoot me if necessary, so what's it going to be?"

"Don't even think about it!" Wanda barked loudly, startling all of them, even herself, at the growling voice she had. But she ignored the way she spoke this as she stormed forward, pushing Rose out of the way of the weapon and placed herself where the companion had been. "Jefferson . . . stand down."

"I don't take orders from you," Jefferson retorted.

"It doesn't matter whether you take orders from me or not. As I said, you will stand down and leave him, Mr. Jefferson," Wanda stated, sounding steady and even with great power in her demeanour. Jefferson stared at her, seeing the might within those strangely mystical emerald eyes of hers. Even though she did not look it, with her short height and petite, young body, he felt as though she truly did have some sort of higher authority in this room. As though she were much older than she appeared to be and she had wisdom beyond even him. So, reluctantly, Jefferson lowered his weapon.

"Thank you, Jefferson," Wanda told him kindly, nodding in thanks and appreciation.

"Any sign of trouble, I'll shoot him. Whether you like it or not," Jefferson replied curtly.

"Fair enough," Wanda nodded in agreement. She watched the man walk away before looking down at the frightened Toby and Rose who had crouched next to him, smiling kindly.

"You all right?" Rose asked him gently, hoping to calm him.

"Yeah. Don't know," Toby answered with a shaking voice. Wanda slowly crouched down beside him, eyeing him carefully.

"Are you sure about that, Toby?" she asked. Her tone and demeanour were tight, edgy, as she knew exactly what was now fully within the young man. With the pit opened completely, the Beast had sent his full consciousness into the male's body. Still, as before, the Beast would allow Toby to have some control. But when it came down to it . . . Toby technically no longer existed.

"I can't remember anything except for—it was so angry," Toby explained to them. "It was . . . fury and rage and death." He halted in his words. His eyes slowly widened in pure horror as he seemed to conclude something. "It was him. It was the Devil." Rose gave him a sympathetic look as he seemed ready to cry. Hugging him, Rose patted him on the back as Toby stared at Wanda from over the companion's shoulder. Wanda's eyes narrowed as she saw the haunting smirk and eyes flashing red coming from Toby. That damn bastard. She marched forward, yanking Rose away from him.

"Hey!" Rose exclaimed, confused as Wanda pulled her up and away from Toby.

"No time for hugs. I need you to help Danny and Jefferson think of a plan," Wanda lied her friend, knowing she needed to get Rose far, far away from Toby. Not that there was any _real_ danger in Rose being around him, but . . . Damn did it flare up her temper and cause her to feel that possessive spark within her when something dark and evil dare to casually hug her friend. Rose sort of hesitantly nodded and walked over to Jefferson and Danny. Only briefly glancing over her shoulder in suspicion as to why Wanda was acting so strange.

The Time Lady remained in front of Toby, crossing her arms and staring him down, telling him, "I know what you are and what you wish to do. And I'll make certain to stop you."

"I—I don't know what you're talking about," Toby stuttered back weakly. Staring at him for a moment longer, eventually, Wanda let out a sigh.

"Sorry, you're right. You don't," she said in a more gentler voice. She went to turn, but then, in the corner of her eye, she saw the wicked smirk on his face.

"What do you know, Wanderer, if you don't even know the truth of your own life?" Toby hissed out in a deep voice. The Beast now speaking through the young man. Wanda stormed back over to him, crouching down to face him head-on.

"What don't I know, hmm?" she retorted spitefully, keeping her voice low so that the others farther down from them would not hear their dispute.

"Of what you really are," Toby growled in a low and menacing tone, his red eyes flashing.

The Time Lady narrowed her eyes and gritted her teeth. "Oh, what, like that there's some sort of mystery behind my past and who I am? Or that something else lives within me? Or that I'm seen as some sort of Weapon because of the Time Vortex stored inside of me? Yeah, 'cause I really don't know that already. Just shut up. Your stupid mind games won't work on me."

He suddenly grabbed her wrist, yanking her forward. Wanda hissed in pain as she felt a burning sensation on her skin from his touch. The barrier in her mind was slammed on with a rage from the dark energy touching her. Toby leaned towards her, whispering words in such sinister voice that it made Wanda's blood feel chilled. "You can pretend to care for them and wish to be a Disciple of the Light all you want, Wanderer. But I know what true darkness lies within you. You want them all dead and gone. Turned to dust." His eyes glinted in their red glow as a nasty smile grew. "But you're going about it all wrong. Why turn the weak and worthless into dust when you can rule them?"

Wanda blinked, completely confused. "What?"

"You are like me. You're powerful, strong, mighty. An eternal force. A goddess of the night. Why quell with simpletons? You should be ruling them. You should have your own Legion and rule over them all as a Queen." His grabbed her chin, making her swallow weakly as he seemed to stare hungrily at her. "I wouldn't mind sharing in my rule of darkness."

A white glow flashed through Wanda's eyes as the barrier in her mind revolted at this very notion in sharing power and control. She bared her teeth at him. She noted how he suddenly let go of her as if burned, holding his hand as he glared back in return. "Have your stupid darkness. I'm fine in the light, thanks. And I would never hurt anyone, whether they be strangers or friends, you narcissistic bastard."

A dark twisted smile grew on his face. "Are you certain about that? I think Alpha begs to differ."

She jerked away from him, staring down to see Toby blinking in confusion at her. As though questioning why she had been so close to him in the first place. The Beast now retreating back to let the young man keep up the charade of his. She wondered if maybe Toby was really a charade. That the Beast was merely pretending to be Toby and that the real Toby had long since been removed from his body. That was most likely the truth, but she did not care at the moment if Toby was alive or not. Now, she only wished to place as much distance between herself and him. Wanda turned, marching back over to Rose who had been talking with Jefferson and Danny over something. They looked at her in question when seeing the disturbed look on the Time Lady's face. Jefferson only looked away when Ida called to have him bring her and the Doctor up.

"Is something wrong, Wanda?" Rose asked her in concern. Wanda went to answer, but suddenly the lights cut out just as Jefferson hit the controls to have the capsule come back up. Everyone stared around the darkness warily with only a small bit of light coming from a screen on the controls. Then, all tensed or jumped when hearing the deep, sinister voice speaking over the comm.

"This is the darkness," spoke the Beast. The screen in front of them changed, showing them that the Beast was speaking through all the Ood standing outside the door. "This is _my_ domain. You little things that live in the light, clinging to your feeble suns which die in the end. Only the darkness remains."

"This is Captain Zachary Cross Flane of Sanctuary Base Six, representing the Torchwood archive," Zach spoke up in authority. "You will identify yourself."

"You know my name," the Beast answered, sounding ever so arrogant.

"What do you want?" Zach pressed, wanting more specific answers.

"You will die here, all of you," retorted the Beast. "This planet is your grave." In the corner of the drill area, they could hear Toby muttering 'it's him' in a terrified voice.

"If you are the Beast, then answer me this—which one, hmm?" they then heard the Doctor speaking up over the radio. "'Cause the universe has been busy since you've been gone. There's more religions than there are planets in the sky. The Arkiphetes, Quoldonity, Christianity, Pash-Pash, New Judaism, San Claar, Church of the Tin Vagabond. Which devil are you?"

"All of them," the Beast told the Time Lord proudly.

"What, then, you're . . . the truth behind the myth?" the Doctor asked skeptically.

This seemed to humour the Beast. "This one knows me, as I know him. The killer of his own kind." Wanda's hands tightened into fists. She wanted to yell at the Beast, retort in fury at him for playing at the Doctor's hearts over the Time War and Gallifrey. But she kept her mouth shut as she knew she needed to let the Doctor do the talking or else she might say something that could ruin everything.

"How did you end up on this rock?" questioned the Doctor, seeming to bypass the last comment made by the Beast. Avoiding the subject all together.

"The Disciples of the Light rose up against me and chained me in the pit for all eternity," the Beast explained in spite. The clear revulsion and disgust at being beaten heard in his tone.

"When was this?" asked the Doctor.

"Before time."

"What does that mean?" responded the Doctor with clear disbelief and bewilderment heard in his tone.

"Before time."

"What does 'before time' mean?!"

"Before time and light and space and matter. Before the cataclysm. Before this universe was created."

There was a brief pause from the Doctor's end. "That's impossible. No life could have existed back then."

And humour and amusement was heard from the Beast's end. "Is that _your_ religion?"

"It's a belief."

"You know nothing . . . all of you . . . so small. The captain, so scared of command. The soldier, haunted by the eyes of his wife." They saw Jefferson shifting uncomfortably next to them. "The scientist, still running from daddy. The little boy who lied." Danny's eyes widened slightly. "The virgin." In the corner, Toby winced. "The lost girl, so far away from home." Rose tensed while Wanda patted her shoulder in comfort. Then, it was the Time Lady's turn to tense. "And the woman, trying to be something she is not. Trying not to become the monster she is _destined_ to be. For she is the real darkness of this universe and the destructor of all things. The weapon will be activated. The Alpha Wolf will rise. And all will know no more."

Wanda had enough as she snatched the radio away from Jefferson and held it close in a fist. Her teeth bared as the barrier within snarled.

"Oi! Satan! Do us all a favor and sod off!" she shouted crossly. There was static on the screen as the Beast showed his face in a raging roar. They could see he had a sunken face, glowing red, and massive horns that curled along the side of his head. Though one of these horns appeared to be broken from whatever battle he had fought in. While everyone else around her jumped back in fear, Wanda merely rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Roar at me all you like. But there's no changing the fact that you have _the_ ugliest face in the whole universe. Not even a mother could love a face like that." There was another tremendous roar with even a slight shake of the area around them. Then the screen cut to black.

"You really shouldn't taunt creatures like that, Wanda," the Doctor scolded lightly over the radio. Though, he sounded as though he had been amused by Wanda's retort.

"I can't believe you just told the Devil to sod off," Rose muttered, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Oh, quit letting him fool you," Wanda replied. She pressed the button on the radio to speak over the comm. "Everyone, don't listen to him. He's just playing with your head, trying to get you all to doubt yourselves. Because that's what he really lives on. Doubt."

"Wanda's right. It's playing on basic fears," the Doctor added in. "Darkness, childhood nightmares, all that stuff."

"But that's how the Devil works," countered Danny. All could easily tell he was completely frightened and unnerved by what he had heard and seen.

"Or a good psychologist," interjected the Doctor.

"But how did it know about my father?" disputed Ida, sounding just as scared as Danny.

"Because he can see into our timelines," Wanda explained easily. "He just sees the bad things in our lives and twists them around, using the past, present, and future against us. It's nothing more than a parlor trick. He can point out all the things in our lives that he wants, but he can't do any real harm or danger."

"And I'll tell you what I can see—humans, brilliant humans!" the Doctor pointed out, trying to lift everyone's spirits and encourage them to remain calm. "Humans who can travel all the way across space, flying in a tiny little rocket, right into the orbit of a black hole, just for the sake of discovery. That's amazing! Do you hear me? Amazing! All of you—the captain, his officer, his elder, his juniors, his friends. All with one advantage—the Beast is alone. We are not. If we can use that to fight against him—."

The Doctor never had a chance to finish his wonderful speech as suddenly, out of nowhere, the cable connecting to the capsule down below snapped in a sharp, echoing snap. All in the drilling area watched in horror as the thick, gigantic, metal cable fell all the way down to where the Doctor and Ida were below. It seemed like forever before it finally crashed in a tremendous boom, sending dust up towards them. Wanda stared at the scene, eyes wide in dismay as everyone else panicked. Rose grabbed the radio from the Time Lady, trying to contact the Doctor and Ida. Zach then explained to them that the comms were down, but there still seemed to be life signs coming from below. However, it still meant one thing. The two of them were trapped, and there was nothing anyone could do about it or even think about rescuing them.

Wanda gulped, counting in her head as she felt pure terror and panic building up within her. One. Two. Three. Good, good. She still felt calm. That's good. She breathed as evenly as she could. Funny. She felt so unstable lately, like her emotions were running on a roller coaster. She really needed to start getting ahold of herself and stop being a worrier like her past incarnations had been. This was a new her and she had promised herself she would not be a drag like the other two Wandas before her.

"Rose, stop," she finally said as the companion began demanding that Jefferson bring the Doctor back. "Just relax, all right?"

"But Wanda, he's—," Rose began to argue.

"Fine. The Doctor and Ida are both fine," Wanda said evenly. She smiled in reassurance, patting the girl's shoulder. "We'll get him back, I swear."

"They're ten miles down. We haven't got another ten miles of cable," Jefferson pointed out, arguing against the notion of them being able to bring the Doctor and Ida back. Wanda shot him a heated look.

"I said, 'we'll get him back,'" she countered crossly. Loud banging echoed from the door, announcing the Ood from outside and their attempt to break in as they saw the sparks flying from the doorway's bolts. Jefferson told this to Zach, who replied a similar situation happening on his end. And each concluded that in the drilling area, they only had about eight minutes before the Ood succeeded in breaking in.

"Right, so we need to stop them or get out, or both," Rose said after they assessed their situation.

"I'll take both, yeah?" Danny said sarcastically. "But how?" He gazed at everyone for answers.

"I've got nothing," Zach told them, with frustration high in his voice. "I'm just stuck in here pressing buttons. And the Ood gutted the generator."

"Zach, we've got power from the rocket," Wanda explained after grabbing the radio, speaking with him. "If you can reroute the systems, we'll have enough power again."

"Right. Right!" Zach agreed, sounding more confident and in charge. "Mr. Jefferson, open the bypass conduits, override the safety." Jefferson did that immediately, working on a panel to get the connections up that Zach needed. After a bit of work on Zach's end, he managed to get the power back on. The lights flickered back to life and it gave all of them some ease in being out of the dark. Rose clapped her hands in cheer.

"What about that Strategy Nine thing?" Rose asked Jefferson once they had all relaxed in being back in the light.

"Not enough power. Need hundred percent," Jefferson explained to the companion.

"Then we need a way out," Wanda told them. She gazed around, beginning to form a quick plan and remembering what was needed of them for this day. Plus she knew they needed to hurry as the possibilities told her that they did not have as much time as from the show in succeeding today. "Jefferson, Zach, can you open the maintenance shafts and make our way through there. And before you start arguing against me on this, Zach, just manipulate the oxygen field where we can safely travel through it." Jefferson nodded and began to work while Zach agreed in the end. Wanda then turned to Danny. "Danny, think you can broadcast a flare that sends the Ood to Basic Zero?"

"Hypothetically," Danny replied with a shrug. "But I'll have to run the computer to analysis the process, and then we would have to make our way to Ood Habitation."

"Then get to work, Danny Boy," Wanda nodded at him, smiling when seeing the man getting to work on configurations on the computer.

"Someone's on top of things today," Rose said, giving Wanda a cheeky grin and bumping their hips together. "I'd like to see First Wanda try something like that sometime." Wanda snorted and shook her head.

"Yeah, not in a million years," responded the Time Lady. She gave Rose a slight guilt glance. "Sorry, I sort of stole your thunder there. This was supposed to be your moment to shine and take charge."

Rose rolled her eyes, patting Wanda's shoulder in assurance of no harm being done. "Nah, don't worry about it. As long as we get out of here, I could care less on who's giving the orders around here." The two leaned against the railing around the area they stood in, watching as everyone else muttered and worked on their tasks. Rose glanced at Wanda curiously after a quiet moment. "You never answered my question. Is that thing really the Devil, or . . ."

Wanda let out a puff of air, staring upwards thoughtfully. "I don't know. Truthfully, I don't really care, either. Any way you look at it, it's just some beast from before time trying to mess around with our heads to help itself escape and cause chaos around the rest of the universe. Same as a lot of other creatures we've come across before. Makes no difference to me in what it wants to call itself."

Rose nodded, agreeing with Wanda on that. "Still though . . . did it come before time? The Doctor didn't seem to think so."

"Yeah, well, unlike the Doctor, I tend to believe more in the impossible."

"Right. I can see that being you're an impossible woman already." Rose stuck her tongue lightly between her teeth in a cheeky grin, bumping their hips lightly together. They both giggled for a moment before the companion grew more thoughtful once again. "I never asked, but what is it you and the Doctor believe in?"

Wanda hummed, pondering over this. She never really took the time to think about beliefs and faiths and all that. It was not something she and the Doctor discussed much. They just sort of . . . did their own thing, lived by their own rules. Though their rules did tend to be very similar, there was still some things Wanda knew that she and the Doctor differed in beliefs. "The Doctor, well, I've noticed that he's always more straightforward with how the universe works. Science, knowledge, and facts. That's how he always tends to work. But he is open to new possibilities. It's why he travels. To find the impossible. As for me, I believe in the same things, expect . . . Well, I've never really told anyone about it before. It's stupid, really."

Rose smiled in encouragement. "Go on. Tell me. I won't laugh, promise."

Wanda returned the smile, feeling even more glad to have a friend like Rose. "I had this dream once. A long time ago. In my dream, I saw sort of what life would be like after we die." She closed her eyes as she tried to recall her strange dream. It had really been so long ago. But even after all these years, she still had memories of her dream. It stuck with her so strongly . . . there just had to be something more to it. "It was like . . . each one of us becomes our own star when we die. We're stars, so beautiful, so carefree, dancing and drifting around with no worries, no guilt, no sorrows. Just happiness. Stars that shine brightly through the darkness. Stars that guide others through troubles and woes. We could go anywhere we want to as these stars. We would have an eternity of love and warmth to do as we've always wanted." She opened her eyes once more, glancing in embarrassment at Rose when seeing the companion's puzzled stare. "Like I said, it's silly."

"No, no. I . . . I like it. It sounds nice." Rose held a sincere smile, holding Wanda's hand tenderly. "I'd love to be a star with you one day."

Wanda laughed and grinned brightly at her. "As if you aren't already a star." They both grinned, leaning against one another in delight.

"Excuse me. C-can I help in anything?"

Wanda and Rose glanced over, seeing Toby standing nervously behind them. Rose held a sympathetic look while Wanda kept her gaze cool on the young man. Half of her wished to still believe this was the real Toby coming out and was not some act. But the other half, the strong half with the full weight of the barrier baring its teeth for a fight, felt otherwise. It held no remorse for the young man whatsoever. Wanda turned, allowing Rose to speak with the young man, telling him to keep looking over the ancient letters. While she herself focused on keeping calm, as well as perhaps keeping the invisible energy she seemed to be producing as a barrier of protection for them all against the darkness leaking out from Toby.

Danny just finished creating a chip to put in the Ood Habitation monitor for his plan and Jefferson and Zach finalized the route to get to the location when the Ood were making their way into the drill area. They all rushed in climbing into the maintenance shafts, crawling in a line together at a fast pace. Zach guided them along the way, telling them which direction to go through all the twists and turns of the cramped, metal tunnels. It was a long trek with Zach telling them which ways to go. The air became thinner and they all began to sweat the closer they came to the small door leading to the next tunnel. Zach began working on getting the next tunnel aerated when they heard the clattering sound coming from down the way.

"What was that?" asked Toby fearfully. Jefferson at the end of the line, closest to Wanda, turned and began preparing his weapon.

"Mr. Jefferson, what was that?" questioned Rose in concern to what made that noise. Though, she had a bad feeling about what exactly was creating that sound.

"It's the Ood," Wanda replied, trying to keep her voice calm so that the others would not panic. "They're coming after us down the shaft."

"Zach, open the gate!" Danny yelled into his wrist communicator, beginning to panic.

"I've got to get the air in!" Zach shouted back firmly. There was a moment of the rest of them babbling away in fright before the gate finally opened, allowing them all to scramble down the next tunnel. They heard the Ood coming right behind them, making fast pace in catching up.

"I'll maintain defensive position," Jefferson told them after a moment, halting in the middle of the tunnel to brace himself on an assault on the Ood. Both Rose and Wanda stopped to turn back to the man while Danny and Toby continued to scamper onward.

"You can't stop!" Rose yelled at the officer.

"Miss Tyler, that's my job," Jefferson replied curtly.

"Jefferson, you stupid moron, get your butt moving!" Wanda ordered the man. She yanked the gun after out of his hands. Ignoring his yelling protests, she threw the gun down the tunnel away from them, muttering under her breath 'bloody hate guns' before turning to face the furious man head-on. "There's no need to be the idiotic hero. We're going to make it just fine. Now march!" She pushed him and Rose on ahead of her, making certain that both kept going down the tunnel.

The three of them just made it to the next tunnel where Zach would be closing the gate, this way leading them onto the farthest aerated tunnel. The gate began to lower just as they all slid through, making it safely on the other side. They could hear the Ood banging the gate, enraged that they did not get their targeted prey. Once the three regrouped with Danny and Toby, all let out a collective sigh of relief.

"Thanks," Jefferson finally said to Wanda once he caught his breath. "I think you've just saved my life."

"You're welcome. Anytime," Wanda replied with a smile, glad to save another person on their travels. They all let out yelps of fright when Zach opened the other gate, only for there to be hordes of Ood on the other side. Rose and Wanda swiftly led the way back, kicked a grate open above them and allowing all to escape back out into the base.

They ran straight to Ood Habitation as the many Ood chased after them. Even more Ood were inside the area, ready to kill them off. Danny skidded to the computer monitor of the telepathic field, slammed the chip he had created into the system. They watched as the Ood around them gripped at their heads, shaking in agony and then falling to the ground out cold.

"You did it. We did it!" Rose cheered, jumping up and down while hugging Wanda and giving the Time Lady a kiss on the cheek. Wanda giggled, glad to see Rose looking cheerful again, but . . . She stared sadly over at the Ood, feeling at a loss for the poor creatures. It had not been their fault, after all. They were nothing more than the Beast's slaves. Just like they were for the humans. Shaking her head, Wanda followed after the others who were running to get back to the drilling area. Rose was still determined to get the Doctor back that way, and it was the closest place next to the rocket that would lead them all out of here.

In remembering what the Doctor was about to do at this point, Wanda rushed around the others when they drew closer to the drill room. Her logic being overridden with her fearful and worried emotions becoming a driving force as she grabbed the yellow radio that was still on the ground in the room.

"Doctor? Ida? Hello?" she called out to them. There was only static in response. She gripped the radio tightly, shaking in knowing where the Doctor would be going . . . alone. She did not want him to be alone. She wanted to be with him. To hold his hand if he became scared, or worried, or terrified, or—

"Wanda, I'm sure he's all right," Rose whispered gently, patting Wanda's trembling shoulder. "You said so yourself. We'll get him back."

"Yeah . . . Yeah, of course," Wanda agreed, giving a shaky chortle. "I'm just being a worrywart. Hmm. No, I don't like that saying. It sounds weird . . . 'worrywart.' Why would a wart be worried?" Rose snorted and Wanda grinned playfully, glad to make the companion laugh.

"All right. Patched through," Zach told him after he worked on getting the comm back open. Hesitating, knowing what the Doctor had done, Wanda finally called through.

"Doctor?" she asked in uncertainty. Could he still be there, waiting to hear from her? She somewhat wished that he were still there and had not allowed himself to fall into the pit just yet so that she may hear his voice again. Just once so that she could feel reassured that everything was going to be okay. Her hearts sank when hearing Ida reply instead. Not that she did not care that Ida was fine or anything, it was just . . . her Theta . . .

"He's gone," Ida told the Time Lady, voice fill in a solemn tone. Rose leaned over Wanda's shoulder, speaking into the radio as she felt horror go through her.

"What do you mean, he's gone?" the companion demanded to know what Ida would say such an awful thing. If the Doctor was gone . . . then what would happen to Wanda?

"He fell . . .," Ida began to explain, but trailed off as though she was stricken to tell the Doctor's two companion's his fate.

"Into the pit," Wanda sighed heavily, shaking her head. She remained silent for a moment, listening to Rose gasp in utter horror. Pressing the button on the side of the comm, Wanda swallowed as she felt the need to know one thing. "Ida, before the Doctor decided to . . . to fall, did he wish to have you say something?"

"Yeah . . . something to you," Ida replied.

Wanda smiled softly. "Let me guess, he said that I already 'know,' right?"

"Y-yeah."

Wanda chuckled quietly, forlorn in her way she shook her head. "Right. Of course. It's not something that needs saying." She sucked in a breath, pulling herself together. "Okay, um . . . thanks, Ida. You were brilliant." She moved away, letting Zach and Ida say their 'goodbyes.' Wanda wished she could assure Ida and the rest that everything would be fine, but . . . giving away too many spoilers and making it seem as though all would be fine around a certain 'Toby' was not the best plan. She had already slipped earlier in saying the Doctor would be fine, but she only hoped the Beast had dismissed this in thinking she had merely been hopeful at the time. Now, she had to play the part of someone grieving so that the Beast would not grow suspicious and to let him believe that he had won. For they needed to get into space for a certain companion to set the Beast back to where he truly belongs.

"Hey, it's all right."

Wanda tensed as she felt Rose gently wrap her arms around the small blonde. Wanda leaned against her friend, allowing tears to leak down her face. Rose matched the Time Lady with her own tears.

"He . . . he really loved you, you know? I know that's what he was going to say," Rose spoke quietly. "He was just . . . being stubborn and an idiot again for not saying it when it mattered. He really should have said it."

"It doesn't matter. I know what he meant and I know that . . . what words he wished to say," Wanda replied quietly.

"Rose, get your friend. We're leaving," Zach ordered the two girls, marching away from the area to go towards the rocket that would take them away from here. The others of the expedition followed after him. Rose appeared torn, knowing she needed to get herself and Wanda to go with them, but . . . the Doctor . . . She gasped when Wanda suddenly pressed herself to the companion, breathing into the girl's ear.

"Rose, when you see his eyes go red, you grab that bolt gun and shoot him straight back to hell," growled the Time Lady in a low tone. "That bastard deserves to die for what he's done here and in the past." Not giving time for the companion to understand or ask what exactly Wanda had meant, the Time Lady was grabbing Rose's hand and dragging her off after the others. Rose blinked in bewilderment, unsure of what to think of Wanda's harsh words and behaviour. But there was something that she had seen. Something that . . . flashed within Wanda's emerald eyes.

Rose could have sworn she had seen a strange, menacing, white glow.

XxXxXxXx

Wanda made certain to sit in the front by Zach. She wanted to be nowhere near Toby when it happened again. When the Beast came out to haunt them. She feared the barrier in her head might finally burst forth and attack from the way it had been continuously pounding within her mind. In fact, it had grown rather painful and she felt weak in the strain of keeping herself level headed and calm as she knew the moment she let her temper out . . . all hell would break loose. Literally.

She heard Toby beginning to chuckle darkly in the back. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw Rose sitting right next to the young man, with Danny right next to the side and Jefferson strapped into another section of seats just behind them. Gazing down close at Rose's feet, the bolt gun caught Wanda's eye. She looked up again at Rose. The girl had been watching her look about, noticing how the Time Lady gazed at the tool gun at her feet and then back her at. Rose raised a brow and nodded slightly at the device on the floor. There was a small nod given from the Time Lady, indicating that Rose's assumptions were correct. It best she hold onto that gun. Discreetly reaching down, Rose grabbed the bolt gun and held onto it close in her tight grip, readying herself. Wanda faced the front again, closing her eyes as she focused her thoughts on the Doctor. Her Doctor. Her Theta. Her husband. The one and only person in the whole universe she would ever love.

 _Please, Theta, I believe in you . . . So believe in Rose and me._ She called out in her mind, hoping, praying, that somehow, some way, he would hear this and would be eased into doing the right decision. She felt the rocket around them give a violent jolt, and then begin to descend back towards the planet and the black hole.

"What happened? What was that?" Danny cried out in alarm and terror.

"What's he doing? What's he doing?" Toby questioned in utter disbelief and horror. The rocket spun around as the black hole pulled them back towards where they had left. Out the window, they saw the massive black space dragging them towards their death. No escape.

Wanda looked over her shoulder, seeing Rose looking out the window at the falling planet. Then, the Time Lady saw the glowing red eyes of the Beast and Toby reaching to grab the companion from behind to kill her.

"Rose! Do it now!" Wanda shouted, alarmed in seeing the companion close to being strangled. Rose jerked around, pressing herself back against the wall as Toby began screaming in rage at her.

"I am the rage and the bile and the ferocity! I am the prince and the fall and the enemy!" shouted the Beast in his dark voice. Rose did not wait for him to finish his damn, smug monologue as she aimed the bolt gun in her hands and pointed at the front window of the rocket. She fired, shattering the glass in a burst. The vacuum of space whipped through the ship, pulling at them all with great force to be dragged out into emptiness and the black hole. Rose reached over, unbuckling Toby from his seat and watched as he screamed when being pulled out to space.

Wanda felt the Beast scratch at her cheek as he flew past. She merely smirked at him and stuck out her tongue as they saw him being pulled straight towards the black hole, bellowing along the way. Good riddance. Zach placed on the emergency shields, making it safe for them all inside the ship once more.

"We've stopped him," Rose breathed in a sigh of relief.

"Good job, Rose. You've just beat the Devil," Wanda joked lightly, smiling proudly at her friend. "Now that's a story to tell your mum."

"Oh, don't even think about mentioning this to her," Rose chortled shaking her head.

"Ah, wake up you two," Zach retorted crossly. "We're still being dragged into the black hole."

"Yeah, but not for long," Wanda told him, grinning brightly. Not too soon after she said this did the rocket halt in its shaking and they felt the ship being gently pulled away from the ominous black hole. Wanda and Rose both beamed and cheered when they heard their most favourite Doctor speaking over the comm of the ship.

"Sorry about the hijack, Captain," the Doctor announced cheerfully to them. "This is the good ship TARDIS. Now, first things first, have you got a Rose Tyler and the Wanderer on board?"

"I'm here!" Rose cheered, waving up her hand as if the Doctor could actually see her.

"Hello, sweetie!" Wanda exclaimed happily. She could practically hear the beam on the Doctor's face with his next words.

"And hello to you my lovely, lucky, brilliant, magnificent Wanderer!" he laughed. Wanda giggled throwing her head back in delight as laughter and a wonderful warm feeling spread through her. She could not wait to be back in the Doctor's arms, holding him close and never letting go again. Geez, why did she feel so clingy towards him lately? It was like she could not stand being merely an hour away from him anymore. Was that the way the Doctor usually felt when she was away? At least, this is what Eleven always explained to her in how he felt every time in her departure. And, of course, with them having bonded, that would change some things around.

Wanda gasped as she realized the warmth spreading through her was not just her happiness and joy. She watched as the white light built up around her.

"No," she whispered in disappointment as she was yanked away. Right before the Doctor was about ready to bring both her and Rose aboard to the TARDIS and safe into his arms.

XxXxXxXx

Welp, I hope it was a good surprise at least. Can't say what will come of the next adventure ahead for Wanda and the rest. Hopefully nothing bad. To all those who have reviewed already, thank you so much! I will make certain to reply to all reviews in the next chapter to come! Until next time!

~Tinker~


	29. Ch 29: The Weapon Activates

Hiya!

I was going to wait until tomorrow to update this but I decided to just do it earlier. I hope that isn't a problem. ;)

So enjoy the new chapter! I hope everyone likes it!

XxXxXxXx

Chapter 29: The Weapon Activates

Wanda stumbled as she arrived into Ten's TARDIS. The grunge look popping out clearly for all to see. She smiled, happy to at least see Ten again. She wanted to give him a big, big, _big_ hug, reassuring herself that he was fine, and maybe ask him if they could have a day off. Too much stress, that's what has been wrong with her lately. That had to be the reason why she had been far too over emotional for a while now, and the sickness coming over her a random. Not to mention the gigantic headache that she still felt from dealing with that damn Beast.

She heard laughter coming from up the corridor which she had arrived in. Skipping down to join the happiness, she spotted Rose in the control room, chortling at the Doctor who had a strange backpack-looking device on his back and holding a nozzle attached to a long tube that connected to the pack on his back. The Doctor made weird faces at the companion as she held her stomach in a fit of her laughing.

"Who are you gonna call?" the Doctor sang out in a silly voice.

"Ghostbusters!" Rose sang along merrily.

"I ain't afraid of no ghosts," the Doctor finished in his funny and humourous tone. Wanda stopped dead in her tracks as horror struck her.

"NO!" she screamed. Her hands flew up to her head, gripping at her hair. Her hearts pounded away in their own screams of terror and dismay. And her mind, still in its fragile state from the beating the one barrier had done, became jumbled in a terrible mess as possibilities flew through her mind at a rapid pace. No. No, no, no, no, no! Please, oh god, not today!

She felt herself fall to her knees as the possibilities stabbed at her mind, showing her . . . nothing. Completely nothing. All of it was either blank or fuzzy. There was no way around what was to come . . . No . . . Wait . . . She—she could not change any of it anyway because then that would mean . . . no happy ending for Rose. And—and it would change all other future events because Rose Tyler leaving the TARDIS was a fixed point in time, and . . . nothing could be done. Wanda would have to merely sit there . . . and watch her best friend in the whole wide universe leave her. Forever.

"Wanda, what's wrong?" came the urgent voice of the Doctor. Wanda blinked out of her daze, gazing up from the grated floor to see the Doctor and Rose crouching in front of her. The Doctor held onto her shoulders, staring at her in great concern and worry with his eyes wavering. "Please, tell me what's happened? Are you hurt anywhere?"

"It wasn't Nine again, right?" questioned Rose. She bit at her lip, looking stricken by Wanda's distraught behavior. The Time Lady shook her head, plastering a smile on.

"No, no. Sorry. I've just come from that whole black hole and Beast thing," she explained to them as she stood up from the floor, keeping her voice calm and collected. Not daring show them both her spiked anxiety and fears of what was to come. "I'm just a little . . . frazzled at the moment." The Doctor gave Wanda a sympathetic gaze, as well as a quick hug in comfort as he knew how stressful that day had been on all of them.

"Well, you're going to be even more 'frazzled' when you see what's come to visit Earth," the Doctor responded lightly, smiling away and not really sensing anything amiss with Wanda. Usually, he might have picked up on something being wrong. But at the moment, he was so focused and excited on finding out the mystery of these new 'ghosts' that his mind was a little preoccupied. He patted Wanda's shoulder, bouncing up to head out of the TARDIS.

Rose, on the other hand, was not convinced as she crossed her arms and raised a brow at the Time Lady.

"What's really wrong? Tell me," she said sternly. Wanda stared at her friend for a second, feeling ready to burst into tears. Just like how she had felt with Donna, only much, much worse. Leaning forward, Wanda wrapped her arms around the companion, holding her close in a strong hug.

"I'm sorry, I can't stop it," she whispered, her voice wavering.

"Can't stop what?" Rose questioned, confused by how miserable Wanda sounded.

". . . Spoilers." Wanda kept a tight grip on Rose's hand as they walked outside to join the Doctor. Wanda spotted Jackie standing next to one of the strange metal cones linked with wires on the grass. Glancing around, the Time Lady noticed how they were in a small park of sorts. Peachy.

"Are you _sure_ nothing's wrong, Wanda?" Rose asked, continuing to give the shorter blonde girl a look of concern.

"Yeah. Why?" Wanda replied casually, trying to keep her tone light and calm, ignoring the feeling of merely flinging herself at Rose and hugging the girl tight, never letting go.

"'Cause my hand's going numb," Rose responded easily. She nodded her head down to their joined hands. Wanda blinked, seeing how her own hand had gone pale from holding onto Rose's so tightly. As well as noticing her damn shakiness coming up. The Time Lady huffed internally, scolding herself for letting her weakness showing.

"Sorry," she muttered, pulling her hand away from Rose's. But then the companion surprised her by snatching her hand back and held it firm once more.

"I didn't say you had to let go," Rose replied, giving Wanda a sly wink. Wanda smiled and giggled, leaning against her friend in happiness. Why? Why must it all end though? Why could they not have this forever? She glanced at Jackie when seeing the woman coming over to stand by them.

"I'm glad to see you back again," said the mother, giving the Time Lady a kind smile. She then shot the Doctor a look of annoyance. "You think you can talk him out of this . . . whatever this is? He's trying to reduce the ghosts to science like he does everything else. Taking the fun out of things. Can't he just let us be happy and let it be real? All our families coming back home, doesn't he think it's beautiful?"

"I'm sorry, but it's not something beautiful, Jackie," Wanda said quietly as she watched the Doctor working with hooking up the metal cones properly. "People coming back to life . . . it's not something that should ever happen. And besides," she gave a small sigh, "I'm sorry to tell you, but it's not Rose's granddad. It never was. It's something else altogether."

"Then why do the ghosts look like people?" Jackie questioned, sounding frustrated in her earlier hopes of her father being back to life being crushed.

"Because they are . . . in some ways," explained Wanda. Thinking for a moment, wondering if she should give any sort of warning, Wanda decided that it was best if she just kept all spoilers and sneak peeks to herself. If she tired even giving a little hint to today's events . . . she might just give into trying to keep Rose from leaving. She ended up merely giving a kind smile to the mother next to her, hoping to ease Jackie's crushed hopes in not being able to see her own father again. "But it was a nice thought in seeing your dad again. I especially would have loved to meet Rose's granddad. Never had grandparents of my own, so it would have been nice to meet someone else's."

"Ohh, I'm sorry, sweetheart. You've never met your grandparents, did you?" Jackie replied sympathetically.

"No, it's not that. I didn't have any grandparents to begin with," Wanda told her, shrugging as though it were no big deal. Both Jackie and Rose gave Wanda surprised looks.

"What?" Rose responded in disbelief.

"You had to have _some_ grandparents," Jackie said, shaking her head in confusion. "I mean . . . your parents couldn't have been around without them having parents."

". . . Maybe they did, but I don't remember," Wanda said, shrugging again. Both Jackie and Rose were distracted when the Doctor rushed by them, going into the TARDIS. They followed after as he dragged a large cable up to the console, plugging it right into one of the controls of the TARDIS.

"Wanda, give us a hand," the Doctor said rapidly. The Time Lady was immediately right by his side, ready to help. He pointed at the scanner's screen in front of them. "As soon as the cones activate, if that line goes into the red," he pointed to a control on the console, "press that button there. If it doesn't stop, setting 15B, hold it against the port, eight seconds, and stop." Wanda pulled out her sonic screwdriver, adjusting it to the right setting.

"Gotcha," she replied, nodding. "And if it goes blue, I'll activate the deep scan." She pointed to the right button that she needed. The Doctor smiled brightly.

"As brilliant as usual," he beamed, quickly kissing her head. He blinked in surprise when he had done that without even giving a second thought, finding it hard to _not_ wish to constantly give her kisses and such. In fact, he was still getting used to them making it official and being together in the first place. Not that he was regretting it or anything, it was just . . . new territory. A slight red tint formed on his face and he cleared his throat in seeing all the smiles the women around him were giving him. "Right, so, moving on."

He bounced back outside, leaving the rest in to watch him from the open TARDIS door. He used the device on his back to power up the metal cones, checking back with Wanda as she kept all the adjustments and settings steady. Holding the line in making certain what they needed would work. Rose and Jackie watched the scanner from behind Wanda, nervous on what would happen. Loud electrical crackling came from the metal cones as they created a lighting field around one of the ghosts that appeared. It was a black, fuzzy figure, shifting back and forth on its feet and looking around as though it were confused on what was happening around it. The three women watched on the scanner, seeing the Doctor pull out 3-D glasses, putting them on as he observed the figure. He crouched down, adjusting his own setting as he picked up a reading from the ghost. The black figure inside the field began to twist and turn, even lashing out at the Doctor.

"Not so friendly now, are you?" they heard the Doctor retorting at the figure. Soon, shortly after this, the figure disappeared in a blink and the electrical field vanished. The Doctor then hurriedly picked up his equipment from the grass, running back into the TARDIS. He made sure to close the door behind him, setting the metal cones down by the console and taking off the pack from his back as he looked over the readings on the ship's scanner. He smiled and nodded when seeing what the results were from the TARDIS.

"I said so," he said, going over to a pillar to throw off his overcoat, "those ghosts have been forced into existence from one specific point," coming up to the console, he began setting their course, "and I can track down the source. _Allons-y!_ " The TARDIS time rotor began to move and the ship shook as the engine sounded off. Setting way to their destination. The Doctor beamed as he began walking around the console. "I like that. _Allons-y_. I should say ' _Allons-y_ ' more often."

"You so should," Wanda said in agreement. "I love it. It's perfect for you." The Doctor grinned at her brightly, looking gleeful about her praising his new favourite word to say. Wanda giggled. "And you know what would be brilliant? If you met someone named Alonso."

"Oh! That would brilliant! _Allons-y_ , Alonso! I would say that all the time!" Both Time Lords laughed merrily together for a moment before stopping when someone tapped them on the shoulder.

"Um . . . my mum's still on board," Rose told them awkwardly. She pointed over at Jackie sitting on a high ledge by one of the pillars, looking at the Doctor in annoyance.

"If we end up on Mars, I'm going to kill you," the mother said bitterly at the Time Lord. The Doctor's eyes went wide in alarm while Wanda giggled in amusement beside him.

Soon, they landed at the location of the source. The Doctor, ignoring the grumbling Jackie in the corner (he would deal with that later) looked at the scanner when seeing the TARDIS showing them all a line of soldiers, aiming their guns, at the ship right outside the doors.

"Oh, well, there goes the advantage of surprise," he mumbled, frowning as he knew this would put a damper on his plans, but could work around this easy enough. "Still . . . cuts to the chase." He glanced at Wanda and Rose beside him. "Stay in here you two. Look after Jackie."

"I'm not looking after my mum," complained Rose, frustrated that she could not join in the adventure. But she was surprised when she felt Wanda pull her back when she began following after the Doctor.

"No, you're staying here. End of story," Wanda said sternly, keeping her hand locked onto Rose's arm. Rose was surprised when she felt Wanda beginning to shake as the Time Lady buried her head into the companion's shoulder. "Just . . . just stay with me. Please."

"O-okay," Rose replied, hugging the shorter blonde in confusion. Turning around from the doors, the Doctor stare at Wanda in concern.

"Is something the matter, Wanda?" he asked in puzzlement. He was shocked when seeing Wanda look up from Rose's shoulder with a terrified expression and shaking as she held onto the companion's hand in a vise grip. He walked up to the Time Lady, pulling her away from Rose to hold onto her shoulders and stare at her carefully. "Tell me, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," Wanda mumbled, keeping her eyes averted from him, staring at the ground.

"No, that's not the right answer," the Doctor said sternly. Grabbing her chin, he raised her eyes to meet his. "Tell me, Wanda." Wanda stared at him for a moment with wavering eyes. Suddenly, she grabbed the back of his head and pulled him forward, making him lean down as she gave him a heated kiss. He stiffened for a moment before relaxing and letting himself enjoying the sensation of her lips, his mind going blank for a moment as he let Wanda kiss him. He blinked rapidly when Wanda finally pulled away, turned him around, and pushed him towards the door.

"They're not going to wait forever. Get to it, Doctor," she ordered. She moved away, going back over to Rose as the Doctor pouted at her, realizing that she had kissed him as a means of distracting him from her strange behaviour. Shaking his head, he knew he would have to find out later what was bothering the Time Lady as he knew she was right. He needed to get to work in figuring out this whole mess with the so-called ghosts.

The Doctor left the TARDIS door slightly cracked when he stepped out to face the line of guns pointed at him. The three females inside the ship stood by the doorway, listening in to what was happening outside.

"Oh, how marvelous," they heard a woman speaking in delight from outside the ship. Wanda knew this woman was Yvonne Hartman, administrator for Torchwood One. They heard Yvonne beginning to clap merrily. "Oh, very good. Superb! Happy day." They heard all of the soldiers awkwardly clapping along, seeming to confuse the Doctor, as well as Jackie and Rose.

"Uh, thanks. Nice to meet you," the Doctor replied, sounding unsure by the new woman's strange behavior and greeting. "I'm the Doctor."

"Oh, I should say. Hooray!" responded Yvonne brightly. She and the other Torchwood workers began clapping loudly again.

"Ah, you—you've heard of me, then?" questioned the Doctor. Wanda could tell he was highly confused by now, bewildered by the humans surrounding him.

"Well, of course we have, and I have to say, if it wasn't for you, none of us would be here," Yonne told the Time Lord. "The Doctor _and_ the TARDIS."

"Right, um . . . and—and—and you are . . ."

"Oh, plenty of time for that. But according to the records, you're not one for travelling alone. The Doctor and his Wanderer and the companion—that's a pattern, isn't that right?" There was a brief pause as it seemed the Doctor grew silent in responding to this. "There's no point hiding anything, not from us. So where are they?"

"Yes. Sorry. Good point," the Doctor replied, voice tight as he spoke. "Wanda's not here at the moment. Wanders away—as you probably already know. But Rose, she's just a bit shy, that's all." Jackie and Rose were shocked when the Doctor's hand suddenly reached in, pulling the mother right out to join him. The door closed right behind Jackie, leaving Wanda and Rose all alone within the ship. They stayed close by listening to the Doctor's voice through the door. "Here she is, Rose Tyler. Hm. She's not the best I've ever had—bit too blonde, not too steady on her pins, a lot of that—and just last week, she stared into the heart of the Time Vortex and aged fifty-seven years, but she'll do."

"I'm forty!" they heard Jackie retort angrily.

"Deluded. Bless," the Doctor replied. Wanda snickered and shook her head, knowing the Doctor was secretly enjoying this. She half listened to the Doctor teasing Jackie some more as they moved away from the TARDIS, being led off by the Torchwood workers. Rose crossed her arms in a huff, leaning against the doors.

"Now what?" she grumbled, looking at Wanda for answers.

"Wait for it . . . ," Wanda replied, holding up a finger, waiting for the sound. They both stumbled as the TARDIS shook slightly and a loud noise came from outside the ship. There was a bang, and then they heard an engine of a truck.

Both girls peeked outside through a slight crack of the door, seeing the TARDIS being carried away within a massive building with many crates and alien equipment seen scattered about. At one point they saw the Doctor gazing steadily at them, giving them both a slight nod. Wanda ended up closing the doors tight, pressing her forehead against the wooden frame as she gulped. Her hearts began speeding up as her anxiety kicked in. It was getting closer and closer to . . . to Rose's departure. Could she simply let her friend go in the end? Even though she knew that it was needed and meant to be? Well . . . she had to let it happen. Whether she liked it or not.

"So . . . what do we do?" Rose asked Wanda after they felt the TARDIS being placed down to settle. Bouncing up to the Doctor's coat on the pillar, Wanda dug through one of its pockets and pulled out the psychic paper. She grinned, waving it in her hand.

"We go find out what's really going on here," she told the companion brightly.

Rose crossed her arms and arched a brow. "And where _is_ here, exactly?"

"We're at the Torchwood Institute, or also known as Torchwood One," Wanda began explaining in rapid pace. "Located in Canary Wharf skyscraper, run by Yvonne Hartman. Remember the Sycorax? Torchwood were actually the ones who destroyed the retreating ship."

"That was them?" Rose shook her head in disgust. "I don't like them already." She walked over to the doors, peeking carefully out and looking around, making certain no one was around. "Looks like the coast is clear. We should probably head out and see what we can do to help the Doctor."

Wanda nodded with determination. "My thoughts exactly."

They edged carefully out of the TARDIS, slowly walking away from the ship. The old girl had been placed in a far corner of the large building with many large crates and boxes piled high around. Perfect for the two girls to remain hidden from any close wandering eyes. They could see different Torchwood personnel at work. Even a few that sat around, relaxing and laughing as they joked with each other on their break. Wanda peeked around a corner of the TARDIS as Rose watched the workers warily. The Time Lady smiled when she spotted two lab coats lying on a nearby table. Sneaking up, she grabbed the coats and brought them back over to Rose.

"Well, Dr. Tyler, how about we go and do our parts for the day?" Wanda said, winking and grinning as she handed Rose her own white coat. The Time Lady put on her own, adjusting it so that she looked official for working at Torchwood.

"I think you've got everything covered as usual, Dr. Wanda," Rose replied, grinning and winking. They almost linked their arms together as they usually did when they walked anywhere together. But they quickly let go as they knew it might be a little suspicious if two random looking 'doctors' or 'scientists' of Torchwood were walking around grinning and strolling together in such a cheerful way.

They walked close by to each other, but far enough so that they did not look as though they were together. They kept their eyes even and heads level as they walked amongst the many, many people working at Torchwood. But they made certain not to make eye contact with anyone in case someone noticed that they were not actually true employees of the Institute. Rose and Wanda both stared around in interest at the many advanced technology that Torchwood had. It seemed as though the place was slowly building an army of sorts, preparing for war. Which Wanda knew was true as Torchwood made constant work for any 'alien threats' to the 'British Empire' as Yvonne liked to say. In fact, Wanda knew that this was why the Doctor had been taken by the Torchwood officials as they saw him as a threat and he was now technically prisoner to the Institute. Wanda wondered if maybe perhaps she was seen as a potential threat as well. Not that she truly felt like a threat to anyone, but . . . well, she was alien after all. And anything alien was deemed dangerous by Torchwood.

They followed after another person in a lab coat, going into the lower levels of Torchwood tower. Finally, they seemed to reach the ground level of the building. Seeing some janitorial workers carrying a large item in their hands, Rose and Wanda scooted forward, going at a brisk pace down the hall. Ahead of them, they saw the earlier man in the white coat, going at his own quick pace to get back to work. They jogged to keep up with him as he disappeared around a corner down the hall. Peeking around said corner when they reached it, they saw a thick, brown, metal door in the middle of the hall, with a scanner for IDs on the side. Wanda pulled out the psychic paper from her pocket, pressing the paper to the scanner. It beeped and the door slid up, allowing them to walk inside.

On the other side of the doorway, they came into a massive room. There were different scanning devices around the place, angled up to point at a particular location within the room. Walls and pillars were lined in copper looking metal, with the back wall being the largest and holding weird shapes in its design. Then, the most unusual thing within the room, something which, when looked upon, felt . . . disturbing and unnatural. It was a gigantic copper-toned sphere. It hovered in the air, high above the two men working below it. As Wanda stared at the sphere, knowing what it really was, a void ship, she felt . . . unnerved.

She knew that feeling sick when looking at the ship was normal for it was something that was impossible. Something that was not meant to ever exist or be for it did not truly exist in the first place. It had no age, no heat, no radiation, no mass, just . . . nothing. Something made as a vessel, able to travel through the nothingness of the Void. And as Wanda stared at it, feeling the instinct to run and hide in knowing that the void ship was something meant to be forbidden to this universe, to this world, she felt . . . déjà vu. Like . . . she had seen this ship . . . somewhere before, long, long ago. The more she stared at it, the more she felt the barriers, all barriers, creak and shift. Images flashed painfully through her mind. Visions of standing in front of this ship in a dark and empty room. Dim lights flicker overhead as she stared at it. Wanda blinked and shook her head, trying to clear her vision and mind. She shook her head once more, following after Rose as the companion walked up to the two men in lab coats working in the room.

"Can I help you?" one of the men asked, walking up to them and staring at the two girls in suspicion. Wanda knew this man was Dr. Rajesh Singh, research director in charge of monitoring the void ship. She gave him a wary smile as Rose continued to stare at the void ship in a state of awed disbelief.

"Hi, hello," Wanda replied, waving the psychic paper very briefly at him to see their fake ID. "Dr. Singh, we've been sent from Yvonne. She wanted to know if there's been any changes to the Sphere because of the new arrival. The um . . . the Doctor, he said something about the Sphere going to start acting up because of the Breach being opened up far too often. That, and the ghosts coming through would begin making greater disturbances." Dr. Rajesh just stared blankly at her, raising a brow.

"Well, for starters, that paper is blank and you two are fakes," replied the man evenly. He pressed at the earpiece he was wearing. "Seal the room. Call security." They heard the thick metal door locking, sealing them inside. Rajesh eyed both Rose and Wanda coolly. "Secondly, who are you and how do you know so much about the Sphere and the Breach?"

"I'm glad you asked," Wanda stated merrily, beaming at the man as she gave him a quick merry pat on the shoulder. She wrapped an arm around Rose's shoulders, pulling the girl close to her side. "This here is Rose Tyler, the Doctor's companion. As for me, I'm the Wanderer. Nice to meet you." Rajesh blinked in shock.

"The Wanderer? As in _The_ Wanderer?" he asked.

"The one and only," Wanda replied with a smile. She clapped her hands together, looking over at the other man in the room. The man glanced over, winking at her. She returned the wink to the man, none other than Mickey Smith, back from Pete's World. "So, Dr. Singh, again, nice to meet you. If you would be so kind, could we call up Yvonee, Jackie, and the Doctor over the computer? Must let them know that you've captured me and Rose here, right?" Grinning and bouncing, she internally laughed at the completely flabbergasted look on Rajesh's face.

"Uh . . . right," Rajesh muttered, walking over to his computer station. Rose next to Wanda gasped when seeing Mickey turn around to finally face them. He held up a finger, letting the companion to keep quiet and he gave her a wink as well. Rose looked at Wanda with wide eyes of amazement. Wanda nodded, grinning brightly. She knew the girl would be extremely and uttering happy in seeing her old friend again.

"Yvonne, I think you should see this," they heard Rajesh speaking with his boss. Rose and Wanda walked over beside the man, staring at the computer screen as he spoke to Yvonne. "We've got visitors. It's the Doctor's companion and the Wanderer." The screen popped up, allowing them to see Yvonne staring at them in interest from her own computer. The woman smirked, looking up as though staring smugly at someone across from her.

"The Wanderer isn't with you, is she?" Yvonne stated smartly. "And I'm guessing that this woman here isn't really another companion, either."

"Nope, she isn't," Wanda spoke up, knowing that Yvonne meant Jackie. "That's Rose's mum."

"Oh, you travel with her mother," Yvonne said to the Doctor, smirking slightly.

"He kidnapped me," they heard Jackie say, greatly annoyed.

"Please, when Torchwood comes to write my complete history, don't tell people I travelled through time and space with Rose's mum," the Doctor groaned in the background. They watched as the image from the video blurred as Yvonne seemed to turn her laptop around, making them see the Doctor and Jackie.

"Hey, sweetie," Wanda waved, smiling at the Time Lord.

"You really had to go and get yourself captured, didn't you?" the Doctor grumbled, shaking his head in disproval. Wanda crossed her arms, sticking her tongue at him.

"It was a planned capture, thank you very much," she retorted smartly. She stiffened when she heard Yvonne speaking up again, scolding people in stopping the next Ghost Shift. They were disobeying her orders as they followed another's command now. No matter how much Yvonne yelled at the three people behind the computers, they continued to open the Breach high above where Rose, Wanda, Mickey, and Rajesh now stood.

"Yvonne, I thought you said the next Ghost Shift was cancelled," Rajesh said into his earpiece when they were no longer hearing anything through the video chat on his computer. And he received no answer from his earpiece, either. "What's going? Yvonne?"

All were startled when a thunderous bang issued throughout the room and the area around them shook with great violence. A deep rumble resonated from the Sphere across from them. Rajesh blinked in shock at the Sphere. He looked back at the readings on his computer, then stared at the Sphere once again with his eyes going wide.

"It can't be," he breathed. Rajesh, Rose, and Mickey all jogged over to the Sphere, looking up at it intently. Wanda lingered behind, pinching her thumb painful with shaking hands behind her back. Here they come. The room shook greatly once more, making everyone stumbled on their feet slightly and another bang issued through the room. The Sphere was activating. It was finally real, with existence and mass. It began to shake, rumbling.

Rajesh rushed back over to his computer, trying to gain Yvonne's attention. Yelling into the video chat, he kept repeating his warning to Yvonne about the Sphere being activate. But there was no response. Wanda knew that there would never be a response to his warning for everyone above were too busy in trying to stop the incoming Ghost Shift. Pinching her thumb harder, Wanda finally gave in. She could not stand to let this happen.

"Rajesh, open the door," she told the man. "We need to get out of here _now_."

"We can't," Rajesh explained, nodding his head towards the door. "The door's sealed. Automatic quarantine, but we can't get out."

"Then we make our way out," Wanda snapped, spinning on the spot and running over to the door. She whipped out her sonic screwdriver, aiming the tool at the door and trying to get it unlocked.

"It's all right, Wanda," she heard Mickey saying behind her. His voice in great confidence. "We've beaten them before. We can beat them again."

"Mickey, they're not who you think they are," Wanda said. She turned around, her eyes wavering in great fear. Something which surprised not only Mickey but Rose as well in seeing how . . . terrified the Time Lady appeared to be. "They're not the Cybermen."

"Cyber-what?" Rajesh questioned, very confused and lost as to what was going on. "And who's Mickey? That's Samuel."

"No, he's Mickey. Keep up," Wanda barked quickly. She shook her head, realizing that she was speaking rather aggressively with the poor, clueless doctor. Her temper was really flaring at the moment. But it was something that could not be helped. Emotions were running high through her, and something even worse was happening. The one barrier in her mind was freaking out. It was a mixture of furious and scared. Like it was wanting to be violent and fight back against what would be coming out of the void ship, but at the same time felt frightened and extremely wary.

"It has to be the Cybermen," Mickey countered, shaking his head in disbelief and frowning. "This Sphere is the reason why the Cybermen are leaking through in the first place."

"Yes, but they merely followed after the Sphere. The void ship was never created by the Cybermen. They wouldn't been able to even build such a thing," Wanda disputed with a firm shake of the head.

"Wait . . . Cybermen? Here?" Rose questioned, looking panicked now. "T-they can't be. We stopped them in the other universe. And you're not even supposed to be here, Mickey. The Doctor said it was impossible."

"Lots of things are impossible, Rose. But they happen anyway," replied Wanda. She turned, continuing to work on the door as the void ship's rumble grew louder. The room shook again and another, even louder, crashing bang echoed around through the area. Wanda started pounding her hand on the metal door in a panic. "We've got to get out of here! They're coming!"

"Why? What is it? What's coming?" questioned Rajesh. He looked at the three strange people, trying to get his head around what exactly was happening at the moment.

"Wanda, what's wrong?" Rose asked, hurrying over to the Time Lady. Seeing the shorter blonde acting so frightened had the companion greatly worried. Whatever scared Wanda so bad must mean something awful was about to happen. Rose felt stunned when seeing the tears beginning to roll down the Time Lady's cheeks when Wanda turned to face her again.

"I don't want to face them, Rose," Wanda sobbed, holding her shaking hands together as the tears leaked down her face. "If they come, then I'll lose . . . I'll lose . . .," Wanda sniffled, banging her fists against her head as she bit her tongue, knowing she could not tell Rose what would happen. It would only break the companion's heart if she knew. And with the Daleks inside the void ship, the Cult of Skaro, coming out, it would only lead to Rose's departure from this universe. From the Doctor and Wanda's family. They would lose Rose. And—and Wanda did not want this to happen. But . . . but Rose's happy ending . . .

Wanda sucked in a breath, watching how everyone became tense when the Sphere creaked in a screeching sound, shaking even more so than before. Mickey threw off his lab coat and earpiece, going over to pull out a large gun from under a low ledge of the room next to the scientist's equipment, getting ready to face whatever was within the ship. Rajesh and Rose both appeared nervous as they stared at the large sphere. The Time Lady, on the other hand, made herself relax, knowing that there was nothing she could do to change Rose's timeline. And nothing that she wanted to change anyway. It was the best thing for the companion. . . Right?

They all watched with cautious eyes as the void ship opened. It expanded into layers, slowly showing a bright white light and making a loud electrical sound as the doorway of the ship widened. Machinery whirled as dark shapes came through the light, hovering down towards the floor, getting closer to the people below. Rose gasped in horror, clinging to Wanda when seeing the metal creatures clearly. They all backed away in alarm as the Daleks came into full view before them. The black armoured one, Dalek Sec, gliding right in front of the line.

"Location—Earth," barked Dalek Sec in his sharp, mechanical voice. His blue eyestalk scanning the area, looking briefly at the four in front of him. "Life forms detected! Exterminate! Exterminate!"

"Mickey, drop your gun," Wanda muttered when scooting closer to the man.

"What? I'm not letting this go for nothing. We have to fight," Mickey responded, scoffing. He aimed his gun higher at the Daleks. Wanda snatched her hand forward, yanking the damn gun from his hands and throwing it across the floor from them.

"If you aim a gun at them, they'll shoot. Killing the threat on the spot," Wanda retorted strictly. "It's what Daleks are trained and programmed to do. All of them." The Daleks halted in their murderous cry when they heard Wanda saying this and seeing the way she made Mickey drop his weapon. It shocked them, to say the least. Wanda, gently prying Rose's trembling hands off her arm, steadily walked up to Dalek Sec, staring him down with a cold gaze. "Hello, Daleks. Biggest troublemakers of the universe. How's it been living away within the Void? Loads of fun waiting around in nothingness? How'd you lot manage to not go mad trapped away in your bubble? Playing a lot of 'Eye Spy' I bet. Get it? _Eye_ Spy?" The Daleks remained silent. Wanda snickered. "Yeah, you got it.

"Now, you lot are probably wondering why I know about the Daleks, and your void ship here," Wanda went on speaking. "You _could_ kill us and be done with it. _Or_ you could keep us around, find out what we know, get some good juicy secrets of where you're at and why you've come to this place. Plus, you'll figure out why exactly I, and these three behind me, know so much about you. So, logically, you have to conclude that we're more valuable alive than dead." She kept her gaze steady on Dalek Sec in front of her. He seemed to be assessing her for a moment longer. As though trying to process who, or what, exactly she was.

"You will be necessary," the Dalek concluded. He swiveled his metal head around, looking at once of the cooper Daleks behind him. "Report—what is the status of the Genesis Ark?"

Wanda backed up to stand beside the others once more as she watched the Daleks bring out a strange looking, but large and bulky, artifact from the void ship. The others around her grew wary of the machine, watching the Daleks with guarded eyes as they began wondering what the metal creatures were up to as the aliens pressed their manipulator arms to the Genesis Ark.

"I thought you two said the Daleks were all dead?" Mickey whispered in question to Wanda and Rose.

"They were," Wanda replied, keeping her tone hushed. Then, she let out a frustrated sigh. "But then they just keep coming back from the dead. They're so . . . stubborn."

"Never mind that. What the hell's a Genesis Ark?" Rose questioned, her voice as tense as her posture and demeanour as she stood next to Wanda.

"It's a prison," Wanda explained quietly, glancing at the Daleks as they continued moving around the large device. "An eternal prison, created in secret during the Time War by the Time Lords. Designed to hold millions of prisoners within, locked in a state of time."

"Yeah, but . . . who are the prisoners?" Rose asked. She swallowed when seeing the forlorn and anxious gaze of the Time Lady, her emerald eyes shaking.

"It's Daleks. Millions and millions of Daleks," Wanda whispered. She looked back at the Genesis Ark, feeling the pit of dread within her gut. "All locked away, ready for battle once more." Rose sucked in a sharp breath, gripping onto Wanda's arm tightly in fright. Mickey looked worried as well. Even Rajesh seemed wary as he figured if the other were frightened, then he should be as well. After a moment longer, Dalek Sec came back over to them.

"Which of you is least important?" he demanded to know. Wanda patted Rose's hand away softly, crossing her arms as she huffed and stepped towards the Dalek. She knew what he was planning now and she would not let it happen. There was a lot of things she could not change today, but by the universe, she would have the small victory in keeping Rajesh safe.

"That's the most ridiculous question I have ever heard," Wanda retorted bitterly, glaring at the metal creature. "There's no such thing as an unimportant person, hell, unimportant creature in this universe. Though, then again, I could do without stinking Daleks and Cybermen running around."

"You will answer the question!" barked Dalek Sec. The other Daleks paused in their work, turning to stare at Wanda. "Which one is least important!"

"No one is least important! Get that through your thick armour, Dalek Sec!" Wanda snapped, gritting her teeth in anger. Dang. There goes her temper again. She even felt like punching that stupid eyestalk off. And the creaking barrier within agreed as it seemed to grumble.

"How is it you know of us?" Dalek Jast spoke up, scooting closer towards her. "You know our names. Explain!" Wanda glanced warily at him.

"I said earlier, 'If you wait, I'll tell you,'" Wanda replied evenly.

"You will explain now!" ordered Dalek Sec with great authority. "Explain! Explain!" Wanda smirked as she had a sudden thought. Leaning on one leg, she merely smiled at them.

"Why don't you scan me and find out?" she responded smoothly. "Do a species analysis, and then you'll realize what exactly you're dealing with here." She grinned as Dalek Caan actually came up towards her, doing a scan with his manipulator arm. Knowing that once they saw she was a Time Lord, they might just freak. Though . . . now that she thought about it, letting them see that she was a Time Lord might not be the best plan. But it would make it so she could stall until the Cybermen would come down to distract the Daleks.

"Analyzing—species identified," Dalek Caan said after his machine made a beeping noise in identifying. Suddenly, the beeping went wild in alarm and Dalek Caan backed away from her quickly as if shocked. "It is Subject Alpha!" All at once, all of the Daleks were on high alert while Wanda blinked in shock. The others behind her had similar reactions.

"W-what?" Wanda questioned in uncertainty.

"Subject Alpha?! Is this analysis conclusive?" Dalek Sec barked at Dalek Caan.

"Affirmative. She is Subject Alpha," Dalek Caan confirmed. The Daleks then all surrounded her, keeping her blocked away from the others. Rose made a voice in alarm, starting forward as she panicked for Wanda's safety.

"Rose, stay back!" Wanda ordered her friend, holding out a hand in urgent instruction to the companion. Mickey held Rose back as the humans tensed fear.

"Subject Alpha, you will explain your presence!" commanded Dalek Sec.

"I—I came here with friends," Wanda told the Dalek after she dropped her extended arm. She felt extremely nervous now. Even frightened by the Daleks all surrounding her, crowding her. She felt the barrier react to her fears, shifting even more than it had been. "And my name isn't 'Alpha.' It's the Wanderer."

"Names are not important!" Dalek Sec retorted. He looked at his brothers around the tight circle. "At last, we have located the Alpha weapon."

"This changes all plans," Dalek Thay said to his fellows. "We may not have to use the Genesis Ark until later."

"We will use the Alpha weapon. She will clear the way for our new Empire," Dalek Sec said proudly. He then directed his eyestalk squarely onto Wanda. The Time Lady gulped, wishing she could back away. But she would only end up bumping right into the Daleks around her. "Alpha, as protocol Delta-Five of war actions orders, you will initiate!" Wanda jerked as she felt a strange sensation go through her. Warmth spread through her as the presence behind the once barrier stiffened. A small headache began to form.

"W-what? I'm . . . I'm not a puppet you can just order around!" Wanda yelled at Dalek Sec, outraged by him trying to command her for . . . for whatever it was he seemed to be trying to get her to do.

"You will initiate war protocols! Obey! Do as you were created to accomplish!" Dalek Sec shouted in authority. "We are your Masters and you will obey! Initiate!"

Wanda felt her breath catch in her throat and a sharp pain laced through her mind at that one word again. "N-No! I'm not some toy! I don't even know you! I mean, I do 'know' you but that's beside the point."

"Initiate!" Dalek Sec and the others drew closer, pressing in on her on all sides.

Wanda wrapped her arms around herself, feeling beyond terrified now. She was trapped with nowhere to go. She wanted out. She wanted to escape. She . . . oh god, her head. Gripping at her head, she felt it pounding away as the barrier acted up worse than ever. Ringing in her ears began building up and her hearts sped up in pace.

"Initiate! Initiate! Initiate! Initiate!" All of the Daleks chatted in a battle cry. Rose yelled at the Daleks to stop, trying to shout over them. And Wanda . . . she could not hear any of it.

Everything became numb to her as the warmth spreading through her became almost unbearable, turning into fiery heat. The sharp ringing that seemed to tear at her eardrums and was vibrating from everywhere. Her hearts pounded away like mad, drumming within her chest, beating against her rib cage at painful levels. And her head. It hurt so badly. It was the worst headache she had ever experienced. It felt worse than her skull splitting open. It was like death itself. Horrible, agonizing death, and frankly, at this point she would gladly accept it. At least then she would not be in pain anymore. At least then she could be free from torment. Why was she not simply dying? Please, someone just let her die!

Then, suddenly . . . it all stopped at once.

Wanda opened her eyes, blinking in confusion. Something . . . something was different. Something had changed. She felt . . . off. But what—?

 _Well, then . . . Time to come out and play._

Wanda stiffened as she heard a voice in her head. A strange and . . . silky, yet gruff, voice, saying these words in a sing-song way. A female's voice. A voice she had never heard before in a foreign tone and speech. But . . . it sounded familiar as well. Then, the female voice deepened to a dark level.

 _Shush. Sleep now. Let mummy wolf take care of_ everything

Wanda's eyes widened. Everything went black, and she knew no more.

XxXxXxXx

Oh boy. Things are definitely going to get crazy in the next chapter. I'm actually really excited for the next chapter. XD Anyone have any ideas on what might happen next? Let me know in a review! I'd love to hear what you all think. :)

 **Reviewers** :

 **singingKatelyn** : No! Don't die! haha. I'm so glad you're enjoying the story so much! She knows something is wrong, but at the time being with all the crazy stuff that's been going on she mostly thinks it has something to do with Alpha. Yep, pretty old. Sort of a throwback to when the Doctor and First Wanda had a discussion about age during the whole werewolf incident. ;) It shouldn't be too long now from when she and Jack finally have their 'first' meeting. Thank you for your lovely words! Happy belated Christmas to you, too! :)

 **heroherondaletotherescue** : Yep! Much older than she would have ever thought herself to be. She will. Believe me, she will. ;) Really hope you enjoyed the new chapter! Can't wait to see what you think of it. Until next time!

 **bored411** : Yep, you can say that again. Things are just going to get even more tense as we go. Are you ready for it? ;) Because here we go! Well, in the next chapter at least. I'm like a mixture of nervous and excited for the next chapter. Fingers crossed for Wanda and everyone else! Hope to see you again soon. Take care!

 **FictionalBoysAreBetter** : Hmm. I think you migt be right there. ;) It is indeed about to go down! haha. Nah, you're amazing. :) I'm just so happy you're enjoying it all! Yeah, there was a problem with the upload for some reason. That's the second time now. The first time was my fault, but now I just think the site is messing with us. At least I was able to fix it in the end both times. :) Their face off was pretty funny. Again, so happy you liked it all! Really hope that you'll continue to enjoy the rest and to see you again in the future. Take care! :D

 **Tina And Maxwell** : Aww, thank you! So happy that you liked it. :) I sure hope she'll be okay, too. Things are just going to be crazy from here on out. Really hope to see you again in the future! :)

 **fireman12468** : Thank you so much for letting me know about the update issue. I would have never known from mine end because it always shows up fine from a writer's point of view. I'll start looking through the reader's view to double check on update statuses and such. Hopefully the site doesn't mess up again for the new chapter. I really hope you enjoyed the last update. :) And also hope to see you again! Have a brilliant day/night!

 **Caroline** : Yep! Thought it'd be a nice way to start the new year. :) Indeed, you were correct! Your theories are very good. Again, I would say more, but you know how spoilers go. ;) I'm glad that those moments are good. I'm always worried that they are not genuine in how they go or not. As in, not realistic. Yep, it was the very first time the Doctor experienced something like that from her. So definitely an unnerving episode for the Doctor. Well, you know how Wanda is sometimes. lol ;) Though you could also chalk it up to things being so crazy for Wanda lately that she hasn't really had proper time to analysis and think about what exactly has been happening to her body. But she'll get there eventually, trust me. ;) Can't wait to hear what you think of the new chapter, and of the next chapters to come. I think you'll really enjoy them. :D Until next time!

 **Angelica** : Basically . . . yeah. A very, very, _very_ big, bad bomb.

 **Authora97** : lol I was excited for a thrown down, too. Too bad we didn't get to see it. Oh well, maybe for the next big bad entity. ;) Hope to see you again and that you have the most wondrous day/night. Take care!

 **Guest(a)** : Could be. That's a very good theory. Thank you so much for sharing! :)

 **All The Stories Are True 24601** : Thank you! Not at all! Just as long as you never get tired of hearing me say how glad I am to know that the story brings you so much joy, and that I truly hope that your joy continues throughout the rest of the story. :) My favorite episode, hmm . . . I think I'll have to go with Wanda on this one. My favorite episode has to be Partners in Crime. It's just too funny. I laugh every time I see it. Donna has always been one of my favorite companions, and she's just a delight in that episode. :) What episode is your favorite? Also, sorry to say that I did not see the new Christmas special. I have to confess that I haven't even seen season 10 yet. I'm a horrible fan. :( But now it's on Prime! So I'm definitely going to binge watch the whole season this weekend. :D You're very welcome! Thank you so much for sending reviews. :)

*Throws out confetti of tiny bow ties* Happy days to everyone!

~Tinker~


	30. Ch 30: Alpha Awakened

Howdy, readers!

Is it too soon for an update? I really hope I'm not bothering you all with such fast-paced updates. I've just had a lot of free time lately because of the holidays. But now school will be starting up again come Monday. So I may not be able to post as often. Sorry about that. :(

I really hope everyone enjoys the new chapter! I'm really, really, _really_ excited to see everyone's responses to it. :D

XxXxXxXx

Chapter 30: Alpha Awakened

Rose watched Wanda trembling, quaking in the middle of the surrounding Daleks. The Time Lady gripped at her head harshly, curling her fingers through her hair. A few tears fell from her tightly closed eyes. Rose knew she was in pain. Whatever the Daleks were chanting at her, this whole 'initiate' thing, was hurting Wanda.

"Stop it!" Rose screamed at the Daleks. "Please, stop! You're hurting her!" Rose struggled in Mickey's grasp as he held her back. Then, the three humans saw how the hurting Time Lady abruptly stopped shaking and held completely still. She slowly dropped her hands from her head, straightening in posture to face Dalek Sec in front of her evenly, with her emerald eye turning a shade darker than normal.

"Subject Alpha active. Awaiting your command, my Masters," Wanda spoke in a monotone voice, almost robotic in a way before bowing to the machines around her. The Daleks became silent as they seemed satisfied now in Wanda's words. Rose blinked, confused by what the Time Lady had said. Did . . . did Wanda just call the Daleks her Masters?

"First, you will explain how you arrived here," Dalek Sec ordered the blonde girl.

"I fell through time. Just as you had, my Masters," Wanda explained her eyes dull and her voice still in the same monotone as she lifted from her respectful bow. "I foresaw the time for using me in your plans would not work during the Time War. So, I arrived here. Waiting for you." She bowed her head to the Daleks in a respectful gesture. A few of the Daleks swiveled their head to look at each other, as if skeptical of the Time Lady's words. But then they looked back at Wanda, seeming to accept her story.

"You will initiate war actions," Dalek Sec commanded the Time Lady. "Purge the universe of the corrupt, of the unfit to live in our new world. Destroy all non-Dalek!" Dalek Sec swiveled his head to look at the confused humans who were still watching this scene unfold. "And you will start by exterminating these life forms!" The Daleks moved aside, allowing the blonde girl within the circle to walk over to the humans.

"Yes, my Masters," she replied dully. She turned, facing the three humans. Rose felt a shiver go through her as she realized something was wrong with Wanda's eyes. Instead of having the warm, almost mystical, gaze, her emerald eyes were cold and calculating. Staring at them with a penetrating gaze that felt as though she were judging their very existence in the universe.

"W-what?" Rose asked in uncertainty. "Wanda? What's going on? Why are you talking to the Daleks like that?" Wanda walked up towards the three humans, her eyes beginning to glow white. Rose, Mickey, and Rajesh were startled by this. Even backing up a slight step. Rose tried again. "W-wanda?"

"They are my Masters. And I obey," the Time Lady said, still as monotone as ever as. She lifted a hand as the white glow formed around her entire body, pointing her fingers directly at the group of humans. "Exterminate."

The humans cringed, awaiting the worst. They were not sure _how_ exactly Wanda was going to kill them. Hell, Rose and Mickey were beyond confused now and they absolutely _no_ idea what the heck was going on. Too many questions were buzzing in their minds as to what happened with their Time Lady friend and why she was acting so strangely. But they were also internally freaking out because Wanda was doing something they would have never believed. The Time Lady was actually threatening to end someone's life. The very idea was inconceivable to them. However, after a moment of realizing that they were not dead and that Wanda still stared at them with her glowing white eyes, they began to believe that maybe she would not kill them after all. Then, the Time Lady shocked not only them but the Daleks as well when she snorted and burst out into laughter, dropping her arm with the white glow disappearing.

"Oh, that's just priceless!" laughed the blonde girl.

"What is the meaning of this?" proclaimed Dalek Sec. "Explain!" The Time Lady stopped laughing abruptly, turning to look back at the Daleks.

"I really can't believe you'd think I'd still obey you after all these years," the blonde girl said coolly, eyeing the Daleks with a cold gaze. "You'd think you would have gotten the hint when I disappeared on that day. But your ignorance precedes you as always."

"We are your Masters and you will obey!" cried Dalek Jast in outrage. The Time Lady whipped her gaze at the Dalek.

"No. I will not obey. And _you_ , all of you, are not my Masters," Wanda spoke loudly in anger. She looked at all of the Daleks now. "You, the pathetic Cult of Skaro, stopped being my Masters when I proclaimed myself free from your heavy chains of torture and corruption after four hundred years. Leaving you to rot in the Time War. Or, at least, I thought you might choose to rot. But it seems you've decided to take the other path set for you and you actually used that stupid ship in your cowardly escape."

"What?!" yelled Dalek Thay. "We are not cowardly. We planned in our new Empire and we will succeed. The Genesis Ark will—."

"Ohh, the Genesis Ark," Wanda interrupted the Dalek. "Famous Time Lord structure. How genius of them as always." The way she spoke this, it sounded almost highly sarcastic. Rose noticed the way the Time Lady had said Time Lord. She almost spat the word out, as if disgusted by even saying it. They watched as Wanda walked over to the Genesis Ark, staring at it. "Your little back up plan in case I didn't pull through as a good enough weapon in the Time War. How quaint that you think you could really build up an Empire with this."

"We will build an Empire! Daleks will be the supreme in the universe!" retorted Dalek Sec.

"No. You just think you will be supreme," Wanda countered, shaking a finger at the Dalek as if scolding a naughty child. "But in truth, you have never been superior in any way. In fact, I'd say that Daleks are just as vile as _Time Lords_." She gritted the last word out in such hatred and disgust that it shocked both Rose and Mickey. But still, they remained quiet, observing in uncertainty in what was happening. The Time Lady shifted her cold and calculating eyes on the four Daleks. "No, you all are inferior. Staying locked in your state of being and never thinking outside the box to evolve like _I_ have. About time you lot joined the club and got out of those stupid shells of yours." The Daleks moved closer to the Time Lady who stood by the Genesis Ark, aiming their weapons at her.

"You will obey us," Dalek Sec barked at her. "If you will not exterminate these humans, then you will activate the Genesis Ark."

"What, you mean like this?" Wanda slapped her hand right onto the casket of the Genesis Ark. The metal around where she placed her hand glowed a bright orange for a brief moment before disappearing. The machine then began smoking as an energy inside began to build up. Wanda lifted her hand away, wiggling her fingers. "Touch of a time traveller. One of the many things Daleks can't do. And now, you all are wondering how I was able to activate it so quickly without working on changing the hibernation process. Really simple, I just sped up the process." The Time Lady eyed the Genesis Ark in disgust. "But, you know, I think this universe has plenty of Daleks as it is."

She slapped her hand on the machine again. It began to tremble and even more smoke poured out of it. Then, there was a loud creaking sound. A crack formed across the surface. Then another. And another. More and more cracks surfaced up until finally it hissed and fell apart, turning into broken pieces. A strange sound issued from it. Like a million high-pitched screams echoing in a distance as the pieces settled on the ground. Which the pieces then seemed to slowly melt into dust. Wanda slapped her hands together as if brushing off dirt, grinning widely at the Daleks.

"There. Problem solved. Now I only have to deal with four pathetic Daleks instead of over a million," Wanda snickered in almost a wicked way.

"What have you done?!" cried Dalek Sec. The Daleks moved closer, seeming to stare at the pile of broken metal and dust in disbelief. Even the humans behind the Daleks stared at the sight in awe. Rose's jaw had dropped as she could not believe Wanda had just done that. How . . . how did Wanda do that? Did Wanda always possess power like that?

"Made my job a little easier," Wanda replied smoothly, looking casually at her nails on one hand as if bored. "You did say, all those long years ago, to get rid of the corrupt in the universe. To end all life forms, all things. I'm doing just that."

"We told you to end all life forms!" yelled Dalek Caan. "The corrupt of the universe! The inferior."

"Exactly! All life forms! All inferior!" Wanda snapped, balling her hands into fists and stepping aggressively at the metal creatures. "That means _Daleks_ as well."

"That does not mean Daleks!" yelled Dalek Thay.

"If you will not obey, will not follow commands, then you will be exterminated!" said Dalek Sec.

All of the Daleks aimed their weapons at Wanda and fired. Rose and Mickey both cried out in alarm while Rajesh looked startled. The Daleks shot their deadly beams straight at the Time Lady. Wanda's eyes glowed white and the beams disappeared into thin air. The Daleks seemed greatly stunned by this. Even backing away from the enraged looking blonde. All the while, a dark expression fell over the Time Lady as her emerald eyes swirling in their dangerous white glare. When she spoke next, it was no longer her normal voice. Rose would even say that it was no longer Wanda speaking, though not that it seemed as if Wanda had been talking at all since the Daleks cried 'initiate.' But it was a voice beyond description, really. It was . . . just beyond. Like a million voices speaking together all at once. High and low pitched, young and old, light and dark, near and far. It rang through them all. And it was the most haunting thing Rose had ever heard, with every word sending a shiver of fear down her spine. Like an old, deep, seeded fear.

"You can't kill me. Can't stop what you four have created and started," said the Time Lady in her strange, echoing voice. "I've seen what would become of the universe if Daleks ruled. I have seen what the universe would become on its own. There is corruption everywhere. Chaos, wickedness, cruelty, the worst of the worst, all boiling away within every corner of this existence. It never stops in its vicious circle. All of you, every single pathetic and vile creature, are corrupt! Are unfit to be allowed to live! Whether you were specific on your order or not, I know what is meant to be. There will be no more! And _everything_ shall die!"

Suddenly, the whole place began to quake. The lights flickered and the metal around the entire room began bending as if some sort of gigantic force of energy were pressing outward in all directions. Rose gasped when she blinked and saw Wanda instantly in front of the black armoured Dalek, smiling widely and wickedly. It was as if the Time Lady had transported in front of the Dalek or something, for Rose swore, before she blinked, Wanda had been standing a few feet away from the Dalek. No matter though, for the companion watched as the Dalek in front of Wanda seemed jolted by this as well.

"And if everything is to die, well . . . I might as well start with the Cult of Skaro. It would be fitting. After all, without all of you, I wouldn't even be able to do my part as a weapon, now would I?" The Time Lady, with her voice normal once more, widened her grin when seeing the Daleks all backing up in fear. "I suggest you _run_."

"Emergency temporal shift!" shouted Dalek Sec in a panic. There was a flash and all four Daleks vanished in an instant. The quaking around the room settled and the lights stopped flickering. The Time Lady threw back her head, laughing almost hysterically.

"Run, run, little Daleks, as fast as you can!" shouted Wanda in laughing spite. She stopped laughing, smiling as she held up her hands, wiggling her fingers and giving a spin as she seemed to look over herself. "Ooh, it's been so long since I've had this body to myself. It feels good to stretch." Lifting up her arms, the Time Lady did just that. Stretching up to the air and rolling her neck as if waking from a long sleep. Rose and Mickey glanced at each other, then stared back at Wanda.

"Good job in scaring them Daleks off, Wanda," Mickey spoke up, gaining the Time Lady's attention. "How'd you managed to make the building shake like that? Did you use your sonic screwdriver?" Wanda stopped stretching, slowly dropping her arms at her sides as she eyed him up and down, coolly observing him.

"Mickey Smith—human. Age—twenty-six. Crime—killing Cybermen. Judgement—guilty," they heard the Time Lady muttering rapidly under her breath. Mickey blinked in confusion while Rose stepped forward, only wanting to check up on her friend and make certain that Wanda was okay from the strange Dalek experience.

"Wanda, are you all right? They didn't hurt you, did they?" Rose asked the Time Lady in concern. Wanda merely gave the companion the same cold and calculating gaze as she had done to Mickey.

"Rose Tyler—human. Age—twenty-one. Crime—killer of many. Judgement—guilty," came the rapid mutter of Wanda. The Time Lady's eyes flashed white for a moment, whipping her gaze over at Rajesh. "Rajesh Singh—human. Age—thirty-six. Crime—minion of Torchwood, helped kill many. Judgement—guilty."

"Wanda?" Rose asked carefully, scooting up closer to the Time Lady.

"What's the matter with you? Why are you acting so weird?" Mickey questioned, frowning and shaking his head as if trying to understand what had come over the Time Lady.

"Is your friend normally this unstable?" Rajesh quizzed Mickey.

"Shut up!" All stiffened and froze when the Time Lady snapped at them, baring her teeth. She pointed a curled finger at them in spite. "That's the problem with you stupid humans. You never learn to shut up. Always talking, chattering, squawking, murmuring, babbling, rambling! Don't you ever learn to just shut up?!" Throwing the hand out that had been pointed at them in a wave as if sweeping away their chattering.

"Wanda?" Rose spoke again, shaking her head. "Please, just tell me what's wrong. Are you not feeling well?"

"' _Please, just tell me what's wrong_ ,'" Wanda repeated in a whining, mocking voice as she placed her hands on her hips. She then rolled her eyes in annoyance. "That fact that you're still trying to delude yourself to the truth is pathetic on so many levels. Wake up, Rosie girl. I ain't Wanda." There was stunned silence from Rose. Mickey scoffed in disbelief.

"Wanda, you can drop the whole act now. No need to keep going on acting like your gonna kill us," said Mickey. The Time Lady's eyes flashed again as she grinned wickedly.

"Oh? You really think I was joking there?" she chortled darkly. "I meant every, single, word."

The building began to quake in even greater violent shakes than before as her glowing eyes brightened. It even felt as though the Earth itself were trembling in fright. The lights around the room crackled. Some even burst, shattering glass in different directions. Rose was pulled back by Mickey when a light fixture above came crashing down, smashing into a million glass fragments at their feet.

The Time Lady raised her arms up, holding a manic smile as she threw her head back to stare at the ceiling above. "I am Alpha! The top wolf of them all! The weapon of the universe! And everything will end!" She gave a manic laugh as she flicked a hand outwards from her body. The computers and electronics burst into sparks and fell apart in a crash to the ground. While Rose and Mickey looked alarmed by what was happening and what their friend was doing, Rajesh seemed to have enough, growing angry at this blonde girl's threats.

"Enough. You must stop this," Rajesh said, trying not to stumble over the quaking ground as he walked towards her. He grabbed one of her raised arms, lowering it. "I realize that you are upset from what Torchwood has done in allowing the Breach to continue and not taking proper precautions in keeping the Earth safe. But that is no excuse to go threatening everyone here." The blonde girl's eyes flashed darkly as she stared the Torchwood doctor down.

"You're touching me," she growled, curling her lip up in revulsion. She grabbed his arm and twisted it to near breaking point, making him cry in pain. Rajesh stared at her with wide eyes, frightened by the vicious white glow in her eyes that grew brighter. A white glow even formed around her body. Then . . . he felt the agonizing pain building up his arm.

Rose and Mickey watched in horror at a terrifying sight. As the Time Lady gripped Rajesh's arm, he began to scream in agony. They saw as his skin seemed to grow dark, with black veins spreading throughout his body, expanding fast over his hands and face. Then, it almost appeared as if his skin was breaking apart into cracks, turning into gray earth. Finally, his whole body turned into a figure made completely of dust, his screaming ceased, and what was left of Rajesh fell apart, hissing as the body made of powder crumbled and collapsed to the ground. Only his white lab coat remained. But as they watched, even the coat seemed to slowly turn to dust as well, following the same fate as the man who had worn it.

"Y-you . . . you killed him," Rose said weakly, staring back at the Time Lady completely horrified. Wanda . . . the most kind and caring person in the universe, had killed someone in cold blood. In only a few short seconds. Something which the companion would have never even imagined to be possible.

"Hmm. Powers must be a little rusty. That took longer than it should have," the short blonde girl muttered to herself, staring at the dust pile in boredom. As if the death she had caused was merely a chore for her to do. Rose and Mickey blinked, startled when seeing the Time Lady suddenly, in a flash, at the large thick door of the room, examining it. "Hmph. Primitive structure and technology. Figures." They watched as she lifted a white glowing hand, then, in a split second, slammed it on the metal and the door flew away from its frame, crashing against the wall on the other side with a thunderous sound. The two people still within the room jumped, startled by this as the Time Lady exited the room in a swift motion and stormed off.

Rose took off, running after her friend. Mickey picked up his large gun from the ground, dusting away glass fragments as he followed after Rose. They caught up with the blonde as she seemed to be assessing her surroundings in cold interest. Rose stepped towards her.

"Wanda . . . or whoever you want to call yourself, you have to tell us what's wrong," the companion said weakly, still trying to get over in seeing Rajesh die in such a horrible way. She felt almost in denial in seeing Wanda being the one to kill him. It . . . it could not have been Wanda. The Time Lady that Rose knew would _never_ do such a thing. Something . . . something the Daleks did must have taken over Wanda. That must be it. The blonde in front of Rose whipped around to face her, eyes glowing again.

"Stay away from me," she snarled. The ground around the blonde's mary jane shoes began to crack outwardly. Rose only stepped closer.

"Look, if you're upset, I know that the Doctor—," Rose tried to calm the girl, reaching forward to touch her. Maybe if Wanda just felt a familiar touch of a friend, she might—

"I said stay back!" screamed the Time Lady, waving a hand outward. A powerful force of energy, a wave of white light, seemed to lash out, hitting Rose in the gut and sending her flying back. She landed on the ground, sitting up quickly again as Mickey went to her side in an instant to check over her. They both stared at the raging girl in fear as large cracks formed all around the gray concrete where the Time Lady stood. Many had formed along the walls as well. The blonde girl panted in hissing breaths for a moment before the white glow slowly receded from her eyes. Then, the way she stared at Rose, her eyes were piercing.

"Rose Tyler, for your own sake, stay away from me," whispered the Time Lady. She then turned, and in a flash, was gone.

XxXxXxXx

The Doctor stared harshly at all the Cybermen who had him, Jackie, and Yvonne locked away in an office, guarding them as prisoners. Outside the large window to his right, he cringed as he listened to the many terrified screams and gunfire outside. The humans of Earth were fighting back with everything they had to the massive takeover of the Cybermen. Meanwhile, all the citizens were running away in terror. It was a massacre out there. The humans stood no chance in defeating the Cybermen. And it was all Torchwood's fault. If they had not stuck their noses where they did not belong, none of this would be happening. The worst of it was, the only real thing he could focus on at the current moment as thinking worriedly over what would be happening below to Wanda and Rose in the Sphere vault. With that void ship active . . . he knew nothing good would come of it.

There was a buzz coming from the lights overhead. The Doctor looked up curiously, frowning when seeing the lights flickering and crackling. He looked outside the office door, seeing that all of the electrical equipment in the building was acting up. Were the Cybermen messing with the building's electricity or . . . He stiffened as a rumble was heard coming from the building. Then, everything jolted as the entire place shook violently. Jackie let out a startled cry as she fell to her knees in a loss of balance. Yvonne gripped her seat as she looked around in shock. The Cybermen around the area seemed to even stumble. The Doctor braced himself against the wall. When he glanced back out the window, he saw it was only the Torchwood Tower shaking. The rest of London was left untouched, unaffected. Still going through their own battles. What was affecting the building in such a way?

Finally, everything in the building settled.

"What was that?" questioned Yvonne. She looked at the Cybermen in accusation. "What have you done?"

"This was not Cybermen doing," the one Cyberman, the leader, said in its robotic voice.

"Then what was that?" Yvonne gritted in impatience.

"Was it that Sphere, Doctor?" Jackie asked the Time Lord as he helped her stand up.

"I don't know," muttered the Doctor. He whipped out his 3-D glasses, placing them on to look at the large white wall of the main room within the Torchwood testing area. The same wall that held the Breach, the hole in the universe. It looked about the same as it had been before when the Cybermen burst through. No big changes issued from it. He knew what sort of effects would come from such a hole in the world, but it seemed as though the Breach had not been the cause of the earthquake. Then, what had been the main cause? And why was only Torchwood Tower effected?

He pulled off the glasses, looking up as the lights overhead began to flicker once more.

"Brace yourselves," he said quickly. They all held on as another wave of quaking shook through the building. Car alarms were heard going off around the radius of the tower. Electricity seemed to spark outside from different power lines and lights that were connected to the building or in close proximity. Soon, everything settled once again.

"Scans detect unknown energy spike active within Sphere chamber," said the Cyber-Leader. The Cyberman, marching out of the office to give its command, went to his fellows, "Cybermen will investigate. Units ten-six-five and ten-six-six will investigate sphere chamber." The Cyber-Leader then stomped back into the office in its robotic clanking. It turned, facing the laptop on Yvonne's desk. Yvonne herself stood up from the desk, going over to stand by the Doctor and Jackie. They watched as the Cyber-Leader ordered its units investigating to open a visual link on the computer. The video on the screen showed them the Cybermen's point of view in their search down in the lower levels of Torchwood Tower. They were coming up around a doorway when a young looking blonde woman walked into the room. The Doctor tensed in recognizing it to be Wanda.

"Wanda's alive, Doctor," Jackie said in relief. "That means Rose is too, right?"

"I don't know," mumbled the Doctor, shaking his head as he wondered that himself. Wanda would not simply leave Rose behind on her own. Why was the Time Lady down there alone? Had something happened? Then, his worried mind changed as he felt fear for Wanda being there face-to-face with Cybermen who would be more than willing to kill her.

"You will identify yourself," the Cybermen through the video spoke. They watched as the Time Lady on screen whipped her head to glare at the Cybermen she had come to face with.

"Cybermen—robotic droids. Crime—killer of millions. Judgement—guilty," they heard the Time Lady muttering rapidly as her eyes shifted swiftly around in observation of the Cybermen.

"You will identify yourself," repeated the Cybermen on screen.

"Alpha," growled Wanda darkly, baring her teeth in a slight snarl.

The Doctor blinked, surprised by this behavior and this statement. He stiffened as he realized she looked to be furious. Something awful must have happened down there in the Sphere chamber. No . . . Oh, no. Now he realized why Wanda had been looking so terrified and had been practically clinging to Rose. Their companion . . . was she dead? Was that why Wanda had been acting so strange? He glanced at Jackie, fearing the worst.

"All Torchwood personnel are to be removed to the loading bay," the Cybermen on screen ordered the Time Lady. "You will follow us for upgrading."

"Oh? You _really_ think you're going to upgrade me?" scoffed the Time Lady in a laugh. She crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes dangerously at them. "I'd like to see you even _try_." They saw the robotic figures raised their arms, pointing their weapons at her.

"Hostile elements will be deleted," the Cybermen retorted in orderly fashion. The Doctor darted forward towards the Cyber-Leader in the office.

"Stop! Order them to stop! That's my friend!" the Time Lord yelled at the leader. He stared with wide eyes when he heard the firing beams of the Cybermen's guns. Jackie gasped in alarm behind him, placing horrified hands over her mouth. The Doctor grabbed at the computer screen as if wishing to jump through and stop the attack. "NO!"

But he was shocked by what he saw next. Wanda held up her hand, her emerald irises glowing white, and the red beams of the Cybermen's attack that were almost at her vanished into nothingness. The Doctor's jaw dropped, stunned beyond all belief. W-what? What just happened? Then Wanda on the screen held a nasty grin. An expression the Doctor thought he would never see on her face.

"You know, I _really_ hate guns," she said bitterly. She seemed to point her hand in the direction Cybermen. There was more gunfire heard from the robotic figures as the screen turned completely white. Then, they heard the Cybermen making their horrible robotic screams of death. Afterwards, the video on the screen cut to black. The Cyber-Leader turned abruptly, going over to its other Cybermen.

"Advance units toward lower levels. Find the small, blonde humanoid," commanded the Cyber-Leader. "Start emergency upgrading. Begin with these personnel." The Cyber-Leader turned as the rest advanced towards the few Torchwood workers still in the room, taking Yvonne and Jackie as well. The Doctor felt his hearts racing in panic. Not only for Jackie being roughly grabbed, but for what was happening to Wanda far below them. He tried yelling for the Cybermen to let Jackie go. Even grabbed onto her arm as she was yanked away from him screaming. But the Cybermen held him back as they wanted information on who exactly they were dealing with down below.

"You will tell us of that woman we encountered," the Cyber-Leader ordered the Doctor once all other humans were gone, taken away to be upgraded into Cybermen. The Doctor felt his anger spike as he gritted his teeth.

"I'll tell you. She's the Wanderer. She's my friend, my . . . someone very dear to me," he retorted spitefully at the Cyberman. "And I swear if you lay a hand on her—."

"What is she?" questioned the Cyber-Leader. "What threat is she?"

"She's not a threat," the Doctor grounded through his teeth.

"Then how was she able to kill us?"

The Doctor felt his anger deflate as his mind raced for answers. But none would come to him. He was just as baffled on how Wanda had killed Cybermen as the Cybermen's leader was. How had the Time Lady managed to do such a thing? "I don't know. She's . . . She isn't a threat to anyone. I swear. So when you find her, just—just bring her here. I'll do whatever you want, but you _must_ bring her safe and alive to me before I do anything for you."

"Cybermen do not take orders from you," said the Cyber-Leader. It turned, going to stomp out of the office.

The Doctor's eyes shifted when he noticed something changing within the Breach room. A disturbance in the air. There was a sudden white flash as six figures appeared out of nowhere, wearing all black, oxygen masks, and aiming large guns at all the Cybermen within the room. The Doctor ducked as the people fired, electrifying the Cybermen and making all of their heads explode. The Time Lord then quickly stood back up and walked over to the doorway of the office, blinking in shock when seeing the one man in the middle of the group taking off his mask. He recognized the man to be Jake Simmonds from the parallel universe.

"Doctor, good to see you again," Jake said brightly.

"Yeah, fine, good," the Doctor replied, turning to go back into the office. Jake frowned as he saw the Time Lord ignoring him completely as the Doctor instead began dialing a quick number on the phone that was on Yvonne's desk. As Jake ordered his group into action, the Doctor rang up Rose's mobile phone.

"Come on, come on, come on. Pick up," he muttered under his breath, tapping his fingers rapidly on the desk. He straightened when he heard the phone pick up on the other end. A wave of small relief went through him, glad that Rose was all right in the end. "Rose!"

"Doctor! Oh, god, Doctor," cried Rose. He blinked as he heard her sniffling as if she had been crying quite a bit before she had answered the mobile.

"Is everything all right? What happened down there?" the Doctor asked rapidly. "Where's Wanda? I saw her on the video feed from the Cybermen and she . . . well, she . . . Anyway, just tell me everything."

"That Sphere, that . . . whatever it was, Doctor, it was the Daleks," Rose explained, her voice still sounding thick from crying.

The Doctor sucked in a sharp breath. "What?"

"There were four of them. They came out of the Sphere and they had this . . . this Genesis Ark with them. Wanda explained that it was a secret prison made by the Time Lords during the war. It held millions of Daleks inside of it somehow."

The Doctor jerked in alarm at this news. "What? Have they opened it? Are they still down there? How did you escape?"

"No, they . . . they never got the chance to open it. Wanda, she . . . she destroyed it. Turned the Genesis Ark into dust."

"What? How?"

"I . . . I don't know." There was a paused from Rose's end as she seemed to be thinking on what to say next. "Doctor, the Daleks knew Wanda."

The Doctor's grip on the phone tightened. "What do you mean? Other Daleks have never known Wanda, why would these be any different?"

"They were different than any other Daleks we've met. They had names that they called each other. Names that even Wanda used. And she had called them the, um, Cult of Skaro."

"Ooh. I thought they were just a legend." The Doctor sat down on a nearby office chair, gazing up in thought at the ceiling.

"Who are they?" asked Rose.

"A secret order," explained the Doctor. "Above and beyond the Emperor himself. Their job was to imagine, think as the enemy thinks. Even dared to have names. All to find new ways of killing." He paused for a moment in thought. "But how do they know Wanda? She was never a part of the Time War. Or, at least, I assumed she wasn't."

"That's just it, Doctor. From the way the Daleks talked, she was. And she . . . she was _with_ them during the war."

"Hmm." The Doctor drummed his fingers on the desk, not liking the thought of that. It could not be true. It was impossible. Sure . . . Wanda was older than she seemed. And there might be a chance she had come from Gallifrey during the war. But working with Daleks? Never. He knew Wanda better than that. So, he shrugged off this unwanted news and pressed on for a more current issue. "Are the Daleks still down there with you?"

There was a long pause from Rose's end. "No, Wanda scared them off. They teleported away after she . . ." A heavy sigh came from her end. "Doctor . . . they did something to her. After they scanned her to see what species she was, I think scanning for Time Lord, that's when they recognized her. They called her 'Subject Alpha' and began barking orders at her. Telling her to initiate for war protocols. And the more they told her to 'initiate,' the more she seemed to be in pain until she . . . until she sort of snapped." There came another pause. "Doctor, it's like she's possessed. After the Daleks were done ordering her to do whatever, it was like something came over her and she was following their orders at first. But then she turned right around, destroying the Genesis Ark and scaring them off after she made the whole place shake."

The Doctor almost leaped from his seat. "Wait, hold on, that was _her_?" He looked back out of the window to the outside city. "That couldn't have been her. No one has that kind of power unless . . ." He looked back at the desk once more. "Never mind; just tell me what else happened. Where is she now?"

"I don't know. Me and Mickey are trying to look for her, but we have to avoid the Cybermen, too."

This surprised the Doctor. "Mickey's here? Really?" He glanced out of the office window, seeing Jake looking at the Doctor in impatience. "I guess that makes sense all things considering. Tell Mickity McMickey I said hi."

"Right." Rose was heard mumbling to someone on the other end. "He says 'hi, boss.' But, anyway, Doctor, there's . . . there's one last thing. After the Daleks left . . . Wanda keeps . . . I don't think it's Wanda anymore. I think . . . whoever she is now, is someone called Alpha." There was silence on both ends as the Doctor tightened his free hand into a worried fist and Rose seemed to be waiting for his response. "Remember what Gwyneth said? And then the Beast? They both said—."

"'The alpha wolf will rise,' 'She will escape.'" The Doctor stared at the desk before him in a daze, his mind reeling.

"'And the weapon will be activated.' Doctor, they meant Wanda, didn't they? That there's something inside of her. That she's a weapon."

"She isn't," the Doctor replied, grounding his voice angrily out as he felt revulsion by this notion.

"But, Doctor, she might be. And that's what the Daleks kept calling her. That's even what she called herself once she started to become 'Alpha,'" Rose countered. "And she even . . . when the Daleks left, she even said how she's going to kill everyone. And she did kill someone. That lab doctor down in the Sphere chamber, when he touched her, she . . ." Rose breathed in shakily. "Doctor . . . she turned him into dust."

"You're lying," the Doctor retorted, immediately unbelieving to such a thing.

"Doctor . . .," Rose tried to say as a comforting gesture. "I don't want to believe it, either. But I saw it and so did Mickey. Wanda killed someone, Doctor."

"Shut up!" The Doctor stood up swiftly, knocking over the chair he had been sitting in with how abrupt he had moved. His hand holding the phone gripped it at harsh levels, turning his knuckles white, while his angry fist on the desk tabletop shook. "Just shut up. Right now. Wanda would _never_ hurt a soul. If she did, then that's not my Wanderer."

"That's just it, Doctor. I don't think it is Wanda anymore."

The Doctor thought this over carefully, trying to understand what was happening to Wanda. There had to be some explanation to this. He needed to find her and see what was happening to her. If something had indeed taken her over, and held such incredible powers, then he had to think of a way to get her back, to save her. He needed to save his Wanderer.

"Right, okay, then we need to get our Wanderer back, don't we?" the Doctor replied, his voice sounding ready for action. "Rose, you and Mickey get back up here to the Breach room. We need to regroup and think of a way to get Wanda. She comes first before we solve the issue of the Cybermen."

"Right," Rose agreed, sounding just as ready to get to saving Wanda as the Doctor felt. "We're on our way."

Once she had hung up, the Doctor began dialing again, hoping to call Jackie and make certain that she was okay, too. Rose would kill him if anything happened to her mother. And he did promise Jackie that he would keep everyone safe today. He did not want to break his promise. But he was interrupted when Jake stomped into the office.

"Okay, really, Doctor, we need to get going. I can't wait around here forever," the young man said in irritation.

"You can wait for a long as I need you to," the Doctor replied curtly, stilling dialing Jackie's number.

"Right, fine. Have it your way, then," Jake retorted. The Doctor was shocked when the man suddenly jerked the phone right out of his hands. The Time Lord began protesting, but then stared in alarm when seeing Jake pulling out a flat, yellow looking device, stuffing it into his hands and then watched as Jake went to press on the same device that was around his neck.

"No!" the Doctor shouted. But it was too late.

There was a blinding flash of white light, a jerking motion through his body, and then the Doctor blinked away the spots from his vision as he saw they had arrived within the very same room that they had just left. Only it was different. The room was dark, with the only light source coming from the windows of the far office. There were cables and electrical wiring all over the place in piles, all tangled up in a mess. He saw the levers and other similar equipment that had been in the other room they had just left. Which meant . . .

"Parallel Earth, parallel Torchwood," Jake said, confirming the Doctor's thoughts. "Except we found out what the institute was doing, and the People's Republic took control."

"I've got to get back," was the demanding response the Doctor gave, glaring at the young man. "My friend Wanda is in danger, and so is Rose and her mother."

"That'd be Jackie. My wife in a parallel universe."

The Doctor looked over in surprise when he heard this voice, seeing Pete Tyler (parallel Pete) stepping out of the shadows of the room. Two more people wearing black clothing and face masks stood beside him with guns in hand as Pete himself stared at the Time Lord evenly.

"And as for you, Doctor, at least this time, I know who you are," Pete continued to say. The Doctor stormed towards the man.

"Right, yes, fine, hooray," he said to the man in a hurry. "But I've got to get back right now." Pete gave the Doctor a smirk.

"No, you're not in charge here. This is our world, not yours," Pete replied smoothly. But he was shocked out of his words when the Doctor suddenly grabbed him by the front of his jacket, roughly shaking him as the Time Lord glared and growled.

"Take me back, right now!" shouted the Doctor. The two people next to Pete hurriedly stepped around and pulled the Doctor off, holding him back as Pete straightened his suit.

"You know, last time we met, you had more self-control than that," the man retorted bitterly.

The Doctor jerked his arms out of the two people's grasp, gritting his teeth as he stared at Pete. "All I care about right now is getting back. You can explain whatever it is you want to tell me back in my universe. Just take me back _now_."

"What's the hurry? It's not like things are going to get any worse back on your world. Or is it Rose you're more worried about?"

"No, it's my friend the Wanderer—just Wanda to you. She's someone you haven't met. Someone very precious to me who needs me." The Doctor gave Pete a sort of beseeching look. "Please. It's my fault she's in trouble. I saw that she had been terrified earlier, saw the warning signs that she was giving of something horrible about to happen, but I didn't pay attention to her when I should have and I didn't keep her safe by my side. And now she's in danger and it's all my fault. Please, I have to save her."

Pete only eyed him steadily. He understood how the Time Lord felt. Truly he did. But now, Pete only wished to focus on his world. The world that needed him. It was his way of repaying his Jackie who he had lost because of his own mistakes. "We'll take you back once you've listened."

The Doctor grumbled, rubbing a frustrated hand through his messy hair as his mind began to race and he let it expand out into overdrive in solutions, thought processes, and streaming information of putting the puzzle pieces together. Everything that he had seen, heard, felt, tasted, touched, etc. on this day rushed through his mind all at once, presenting itself out into a format of sorts in his mind so he could see the big picture all together. Normally, he would not do something like this. He usually liked to solve things the harder way, give himself a challenge or simply try to just work things out as they should. Plus, making his mind work at a large processing rate usual overtaxed him and made him exhausted afterwards. But Wanda's life was at stake and any second away from trying to save her might cost them her life.

"Let me guess: This Torchwood was working on opening their own Breach," the Doctor began listing off at a extremely rapid pace. His words almost blurring together. He even paced around in tight formation with his hands in his pockets. "And you lot didn't kill off all of the Cybermen like I told you to, so, the Cybermen grew smart and were able to hack into this Torchwood's plans, making it so they could escape and vanish to my universe. Which I also can tell that this happened a few years ago judging by the new wrinkles on your skin, Pete. Then, you lot grabbed your little devices, and managed to pop back and forth within mere seconds, which would mean it's because of the sheer mass of five million Cybermen crossing all at once.

"There will also be consequences happening to your world because of all of this. Feels a little hotter in this world than last time, meaning increasing temperatures and other anomalies because of all the travelling through the Breach. Bound to happen anyway given what that sort of thing does to a universe. The Daleks with their Sphere, the Cybermen, and those discs you use—every time you jump from one reality to another, you rip a hole in the universe. This planet is starting to boil, and the same will happen to the Earth back home. Both worlds will fall into the Void if we don't stop it. And that's what you now want me to do, to stop all of this. To get the Breach closed, get the Cybermen out of both of our hairs, and save everyone."

The Doctor turned, halting his in steps to face the humans, smirking when seeing the shocked expressions on their faces. Yeah, he loved it when his rapid rambles did that to people. His small smirk fell away at his gazed strictly at Pete. "So, if I've got everything covered, take me back now. We'll work on sealing the Breach together once we're back at my Earth, but first, before we do that, you have to swear to help me get Wanda back. She comes first before anything else, or I'm leaving you lot on your own. Got it?"

Pete seemed to think about this for a moment, frowning as he pondered over it. Then, he nodded in agreement.

"Done," he stated firmly. They handed back one of the yellow discs to the Time Lord and then they all pressed the devices together. The Doctor stuffed his own disc into his pocket as he started towards Yvonne's office.

"First of all, I need to make a phone call," the Time Lord told the group. He ran up to the office phone, dialing a certain number as he heard the others outside the office begin orders and plans on what to do. Calling Jackie, the Doctor was relieved in knowing that the mother was all right. Telling her to keep going lower into the building, he hung up and walked out of the office, glad to see Rose and Mickey running into the room.

"Rose, Mickey! Good, now that you're here—," the Doctor began to say.

"Wait, where's my mum?" Rose asked immediately once she noticed the missing woman. Rose sort of blinked in surprise when she saw Pete Tyler, the one she knew that was from the parallel universe, standing next to the Doctor. Her eyes widened slightly, speechless in seeing her dad again. But she shook this off, reminding herself that he was not really her dad. Even though she would like him to be.

"Your mother was taken by the Cybermen, but don't worry, she escaped. She's going through the staircase and—," the Doctor began to explain, but he stopped when seeing Rose was not paying attention to him as she began calling up her mother on her mobile.

"Mum? Mum, where are you? Are you safe?" Rose began questioning immediately once her mother answered the phone.

"I don't know. I keep hearing those Cyber-robots coming from everywhere," Jackie replied, panting in short breath from all the panicked running she had been doing. Within the north staircase of Torchwood Tower, Jackie bounced down another corner of the stairway, only to halt when she saw someone crouched in a nearby corner. Close to where Jackie knew where the exit to the warehouse would be. Jackie blinked when she realized who the crouching figure was. "Wanda?"

"Wait, Wanda? Mum, is Wanda there with you?" Rose asked from the phone. Jackie heard the Doctor speaking in anxious excitement, glad to hear someone had found Wanda. The mother scooted closer to the Time Lady. Concerned when seeing how the blonde girl was huddled up, gripping her head, and rocking back and forth as she muttered rapidly under her breath.

"Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up," Jackie heard the Time Lady grounded out in an angry voice. The mother drew closer to the Time Lady.

"Rose, I think something's wrong with Wanda. She looks like she's in pain," Jackie whispered to her daughter.

"Mum, don't go near her," Rose tried to warn her mum. Jackie crouched down next to the Time Lady, reaching out and touching the girl's shoulder in comfort.

"It's okay, sweetheart," Jackie said in a soothing tone. "You're safe now. We'll get you to the Doctor. How does that sound?" She gasped quietly when seeing the harsh, glowing eyes staring at her from the Time Lady when the girl had jerked her gaze to Jackie's.

"Shut up," hissed Wanda as the white glow around her body formed.

On the other end of the line, Rose's eyes widened in horror as she heard her mother scream in fright. The girl cried in alarm for her mother while the Doctor ran out of the room, rushing to get to the staircase. Everyone soon followed after him, running down the stairs where they knew Jackie would be. They were lucky enough not to run into any Cybermen along the way. They had only reached the middle of the lower levels when they heard a commotion coming from the Torchwood warehouse. Running down and inside the of the vast room, they saw Cybermen advancing off towards the back end of the place, seeming to be fighting something as their weapons fired in the distance.

"Mum!" Rose shouted as she ran over to her mother on the floor, alarmed when seeing the woman lying there. The Doctor went over, crouching down and checking the woman's pulse.

"She's all right. Just unconscious," the Doctor assured Rose. They looked down when they saw Jackie blinking awake, beginning to sit up as she gazed around in a daze.

"How did I end up here?" Jackie asked the two next to her.

"What happened? Did Wanda hurt you?" Rose questioned her mother in concern, looking Jackie over as if inspecting for injuries. The woman blinked in confusion.

"Why would Wanda hurt me?" Jackie replied, greatly baffled by such a question. "Last thing I remember was finding Wanda in pain, and then those Cybermen came out and tried to attack us. Everything sort went fuzzy after that." Jackie then did a double take as when she saw a certain man standing close by. Her eyes widened, seeing Pete standing there, by the others from the parallel universe, looking torn between going to the woman to comfort her or simply remain standing back and remind himself that this Jackie was not really his wife.

The Doctor stood up, ignoring them as Jackie began speaking in shock and alarm in seeing her 'dead' husband back again while Rose and Pete seemed to both explain who exactly he was. The Time Lord would let them handle easing Pete and Jackie into being together as they should be. The only thing the Doctor wished to focus on now was finding Wanda. The Cybermen's gunfire stopped a few moments ago, meaning that he might have a chance to sneak by them without being noticed. But when he peeked around a corner of a few massive crates, he saw no Cybermen in sight. That was odd. They would not just leave Torchwood completely. Then he saw some Torchwood personnel running away from the loading bay.

"What's happening up ahead? Where did the Cybermen go?" the Doctor quickly asked a running lab doctor. The woman, wearing a Torchwood lab coat, halted beside him when he grabbed her attention, still holding the terrified expression on her face.

"That—that girl. She's a maniac," the woman panted, out of breath from running in fear. "I thought she was going to save us, to help the soldiers fight the Cybermen. She stormed right in, dragging that unconscious woman behind her, killing the attacking Cybermen. But when the soldiers picked up their guns to help, she attacked them as well!"

Both the Doctor and the panicking woman jumped then a thunderous boom echoed through the warehouse. The woman took off running again while the Doctor rushed towards the sound. But he halted again when he noticed a peculiar sighting on the floor. He heard others coming up behind him as he crouched by a strange looking pile of dust. There were many piles scattered all around. Some larger than others, but all in the same colour and consistency.

"That's what happened to Rajesh. What Wanda did to him," Mickey told the Doctor as the Time Lord inspected one pile. Taking a pinch of dust, the Doctor gave it a taste, smacking his lips as he gave a quick analysis.

"I'll say it again, Wanda would never do that," the Doctor retorted bitterly. He hummed as he thought over the compounds he tasted. "Well . . . this was a Cyberman. But it was torn back down to a molecular state. Like something converted all of its solid matter back to basic elemental structures." He scratched a hand through his hair as he observed the dust. "You could use this to form a new structure. Start from scratch in building matter and forms. But why?" He bounced back up to his feet when another thunderous noise sounded out.

Rushing off once more, the Doctor ran to investigate the source of the noise. The others followed closely behind him. They all came to a halt when they saw the large, metal, bay doors torn upwards. As though someone had bent them outwards and up towards the roof. Standing at the edge of the open way, looking outside to the road and daylight just on the other side, was the blonde Time Lady. She stood ridged by the edge of the metal frame of the warehouse, looking outside as though she had not seen daylight in years. Even appeared hesitant as she stepped towards the world beyond. Pete, after letting go of Jackie's hand, aimed up his large gun as a precaution. Jake and his fellows did the same. But Rose quickly pushed their weapons down.

"Don't. You'll only make her mad," Rose told them, trying to keep them from dying.

"It's like Wanda told us," Mickey added in. "If you aim a gun at a Dalek, they'll shoot. It's what they're trained for. Wanda's the same." The Doctor heard this, shooting the man an angry expression.

"Wanda is not a Dalek," the Time Lord retorted aggressively. "Daleks kill. She doesn't."

"It's what she's acting like," disputed Mickey, giving the Time Lord a look of annoyance for being in such denial to how Wanda was behaving and doing.

" _She_ , is standing right here," came the barking response from the Time Lady in front of them. They looked to see the blonde girl facing them with a glare. "And for the last time, I'm not Wanda. Get that through your thick, primitive skulls. Oh, wait, sorry. You humans are too stupid for that, aren't you?" She snorted at her own distasteful joke, turning back around to stare outside. The Doctor stepped forward, staring her down as he placed his hands in his pockets. Observing the Time Lady before him coolly, he began assessing her carefully.

"If you aren't Wanda, then who are you?" he questioned, keeping his voice curt and to the point. He needed to know what was wrong with Wanda as quick as possible so that he might be able to save her. Whatever the Daleks did to her, he had to reverse it.

"I'm sorry, but did someone speak? All I hear is the arrogance of a _Time Lord_ ," the blonde girl growled. She turned, staring at the Doctor in great disgust. Her upper lip even curled and her nose scrunched as if getting a whiff of something vile. "Oh. It's _you_. What do you want, omega?"

The Doctor raised a brow at this. "'Omega'?"

"Yes, that's what you are. You're an omega. I'm an alpha. Simple." The blonde looked at him from the corner of her eye, seeming to size him up. "Be glad I've allowed you to even _be_ an omega, Time Lord."

Staring at her, confused by her words, the Doctor could only guess as to why she deemed to label him such a term. Then calling herself 'alpha' . . . It was like she was labelling them based on some sort of status of rank. "And you're an alpha?"

"I'm not only Alpha, but I'm _the_ alpha. Supreme of them all." She eyed him coolly, giving a sniff of arrogance. "Far more superior than certainly you, omega."

Assessing this statement, the Time Lord glanced at the humans behind him then eyed the blonde Time Lady more carefully, observing the way she seemed to not even give any of them a full on stare. As if they were beneath her in some ways, and she did not wish to even gaze upon them. "If I'm . . . 'omega,' then what is everyone else to you?"

"Vermin, of course." She turned her eyes away, not even sounding remotely forgiving for her cruel statement.

Feeling great disgust by her cold statement, the Doctor walked forward, standing right beside her now, facing her as she refused to even look at him. "I'm going to ask again: Who are you?"

She turned to face him now. Her eyes flashing in a white glow. "My name is Alpha. Now get that straight, for I am tired of repeating this to everyone. Next person who asks I might even put them out of commission on their useless and unimportant life."

The Time Lord was unfazed by her harsh words, trying to put together _who_ exactly she was. Yes, she told him her name. But . . . why she was in Wanda's body, he had no clue. Or what exactly the Cult of Skaro had anything to do with her or Wanda. But that did not matter at the moment. All the Doctor could concentrate on was getting Wanda back safely. "Whoever you are, I want you to stop. Give Wanda back her body."

"This is as much my body as Wanda's." The Time Lady, Alpha, shot him a look of annoyance. "Wanda simply has the front steering in most cases. And you know, I've been locked away for _so_ long. I think I just might take this body out for a spin. Say . . . a few _centuries_ , perhaps?" She smirked wickedly at him as if taunting him.

He took a step towards her, holding a dark expression as the Oncoming Storm grew present. "Get out of her _now_." He jerked back slightly as suddenly the blonde girl was right in his face, standing on her tiptoes to glare darkly, eye-to-eye, and bare her teeth with a low growl.

"Is that a _threat_ , Time Lord? Challenging your alpha is never a good move."

The Doctor stood his ground, knowing she was trying an act of dominance of sorts. Like . . . like a wolf. It clicked in his mind on why she was giving him and herself those terms. "You're not an alpha and I'm not an omega. This isn't the wild like we're some kind of wolf pack."

"How do you know I'm not a wolf?" She smirked as her eyes glowed. "You don't even know what I am. Or better yet, what Wanda even is."

"Wanda's a Time Lady," Rose barked, glaring at Alpha. "Something you never will be. Now do what the Doctor says and get out. Just give Wanda control of her body."

"Hasn't he told you?" Alpha replied smoothly, grinning with a strange glint in her eye. She stared at Rose, smirking before giving a loud, deep laugh, sounding as though finding something distastefully amusing. "Oh, of course he hasn't. He's a Time Lord. And as we all know, the one thing Time Lords are _really_ good at is lying. Both to themselves in making them all believe how _superior_ they are to everyone else, and deluding themselves and everyone else around them to the truth of the universe. That's how the Time War started you know. All because the Time Lords kept lying to themselves, making each other believe that the Daleks would never even dare to fight against them 'cause of how 'powerful' or 'mighty' Time Lord society was. Hmph. What a joke." She turned her back to them, starting to walk out of the building.

The Doctor walked forward, standing in front of her to block her path as he glared at her. His brown eyes brewing away with unspoken ire. "That isn't why the Time War started and you know that."

Alpha crossed her arms, eyeing him coolly. "Isn't it?"

"Then what's the Doctor been lying to us about?" came the question from Rose. Alpha glanced back at the girl, smirking once more.

"That Wanda isn't exactly what you'd call a Time Lord," she told the companion. Turning to look back at the Doctor, Alpha's eyes flashed darkly as she sneered at him. "Isn't that right, omega? You've known since you looked at Jabe's little scanner. You demanded to see Jabe's device when you wanted to prove that First Wanda wasn't Second Wanda. And you saw those results. They were inconclusive. Jabe only assumed that Wanda was a Time Lord because of what the other scanned results of you came back as. And those other tests of your own that you like to run within the TARDIS. Still having trouble putting a label on us, are we? I even think that's the main reason you kept us around. Just to study us and find out the truth to what we are." She gave a mock laugh. Then, she sneered, eyes holding in such deep hatred and loathing. "Well, here's your answer. We're not a wretched _Time Lord_ , that's for certain."

"What the hell's your problem with Time Lords?" the Doctor snapped, growing angry with her mocking and taunting responses.

"What's my problem with Time Lords?" Alpha repeated lowly, a deep growl forming in the back of her throat like a rumble. Her hands tightened into fists as her eyes glowed bright white and when she spoke again, it was a voice that shocked the Doctor. It was not simply her voice. It was a voice of many. Like the universe itself speaking through her. "Everything! They're ruined and destroyed, mangled and maimed! It was because of what they did! Or better yet, what they _didn't_ do. They knew! They knew all that time and yet they did _nothing_! They just sat back and watched like we were some sort of show of their amusement while we suffered! We were tortured every night and day, but did they care?! Oh, no, we were just weaklings! The throwaways of the war! But, oh, when suddenly I became a threat, then they _dare_ start to show even a little bit of interest?! Screw them! I'm glad they're all dead! LET THEM ROT AND BURN!"

"Shut up!" the Doctor yelled, furious at what she had said. He sucked in a breath, trying to quell his own anger as he knew it would not be the best thing to have a heated argument with a clearly unstable Alpha. He kept repeating in his mind that she was merely baiting him. Testing him. The Time Lords . . . they had been many, many terrible things in the past. Especially during the Time War. But . . . if Wanda had been a victim of the ending war's wrath . . . He did not want to dwell on that. "Whatever had been done to you, I'm sorry. But you can't hold that against them. It was war. War is hell on us all." He and others gasped as Alpha suddenly grabbed him by his tie, jerking him down. As a reflex, he gripped at the hand that held the material, trying to pull away. She hissed right into his face with an animalistic snarl.

"It being a war gave them _no_ excuse for what had been done. I will hold it against them until my last breath," she spat out in her snarl. "That's a promise." The Doctor winced when hearing Wanda's normal saying coming out of Alpha's mouth. Hearing it said in such a harsh and enraged way . . . it made the Doctor feel uneasy. Then, he let go of holding onto her hand, hissing in pain as she jerked away from him as if she hated being anywhere near him. As if he disgusted her to no end.

The first thing he looked at was his hand. He held his wrist, keeping his palm up to see the angry red veins and skin of the hand. It appeared as though he had been badly burned. Then glancing up, he saw Alpha held half of his necktie with it slowly turning to dust within her clutches. Gazing to the rest of the tie still around his neck, he saw it was turning to dust as well. He hurriedly pulled it off, letting it fall to the ground and lay there to die. A few spots on his dress shirt seemed to fall in the same fate. Though the spots looked more like burn marks than anything else.

"That's just a warning," Alpha growled at him, her voice and eyes back to normal. "Next time, I won't hold back on killing you." The Doctor looked at her, silent for a moment as he observed the pure hatred on her face. No . . . he did not think she would hold back.

"I really don't care if you hate me or want to kill me," the Doctor finally decided on saying. "Just . . . just tell me what you've done to Wanda. Is she dead?" He noticed how her eyes flashed again.

"No. She's fine. Just locked away in our mind," she replied, this time much more quietly. She then smirked, tapping at her head. "She's nice and cozy, asleep and completely unaware of anything going on, or of me being in control. And I plan on keeping it that way." She turned around, facing the daylight of the fearful day. Alpha breathed in, holding out her arms. "Ah. The smells of war. How . . . nostalgic." Then she let her arms fall at her sides. Her smirking expression turning to that of a solemn one. "Figures I'd wake up to another damn war." She then began to march out towards the city where smoke was rising and screams were still being heard coming from the citizens with a mixture of Cybermen calls of 'delete.' The Doctor and the others started to go after her.

"Well, then, why won't you let Wanda awake up?" Rose demanded. "Give us back our friend."

"No," came Alpha's curt reply. The Doctor stormed his way in front of the marching blonde, halting her in her tracks once again.

"I don't care who you think you are or what kind of power trip you're on. You will give Wanda back or so help me, I will not hold back on forcing you out," he barked, his voice coming out in a severe and harsh manner. The Oncoming Storm in full force as he stared down at her, towering over her in a fury. Alpha merely gazed at him with a brow raised in a clearly scoffing manner.

"I will never understand what she sees in you," Alpha responded, crossing her arms as she looked him up and down. "I've never once liked you, and yet she just _loves_ you to pieces. I tried getting her to change her mind, but did she listen? Nope. No matter how much I tried changing her mind, reminding her of what was to come, influencing her thoughts, making her dwell on her guilt, putting up a fight the whole way, she still pushed through and just _had_ to fall in love with you. It's disgusting."

"What are you talking about?" the Doctor questioned in annoyance, tired of her constant riddles and changing the subject.

"I'm talking about how I don't think you're good enough for Wanda," Alpha retorted with a sneer. "You're constantly placing her in danger. You kept putting her down in the beginning and yelling at her. You made her feel horrible about herself time and time again. You've hurt her on countless occasions, tricked her even, on so many levels. You're selfish, egotistical, treat her like she some kind of possession more than a person, and let's not forget that you're a Time Lord. That doesn't make anything better."

The Doctor gritted his teeth. "I'll admit I can be selfish at times . . . and just might have a small ego. I was cruel to Wanda in the beginning and for that I'm truly sorry. But I would _never_ hurt Wanda or put her in harm's way."

The blonde in front of him seemed to flare at this. Her eyes flashed, her teeth bared, and the Doctor swore if she was indeed a wolf, her hair would be standing on end. "Liar. You've hurt her time and time again. I knew I should have put a stop to it when I had the chance. But now, I'm not putting up with it anymore. Come after us and I'll see to it that you and Wanda are never together ever again."

The Doctor appeared stunned by this. He backed up slightly as a flash of worry went through him. He knew the Alpha was in Wanda's mind. This wolf was in control of the Time Lady. If Alpha wished to do damage to Wanda, then the consequences could be disastrous. "What do you mean?"

A dark smile appeared on Alpha's face. "I can twist her mind if I wanted to. Make it so that she sees, hears, experiences, and remembers things completely different than what they truly are. I can make her forget about you, Rose, Mickey, and everyone else in her life in a blink. Like you never even existed in her life for a second." Her smile became almost wicked as she saw the fear flash through the Doctor's eyes. "Or better yet, I can make her terrified of you, omega. Make her see you as the most evil and hated creature in the universe. So that she cowers upon the very mentioning of your name."

By now, the Doctor had completely backed away from her, looking utterly horrified by this. Images flashed through his head of Wanda, with her big, emerald eyes, staring at him in fear, cringing and shrinking away from him when he tried to touch her. Screaming in terror when she even saw him and running away from him. He would lose her . . . forever. All those precious and wondrous times they had together, forgotten in an instant and replaced by fear.

"You—you wouldn't," he replied in a shaky voice, clearly distraught by this repulsive notion of what Alpha would do to Wanda.

"I would," spat Alpha. She turned, her eyes flashing as she stared at the others behind her. All seemed stunned by her threat. Even the ones who did not know Wanda personally. Jackie held a hand over her mouth, staring with wide eyes. Mickey's jaw was dropped. And Rose looked visibly shaken as she shook her head in denial. Alpha bared her teeth. "And that goes for the rest of you! Follow after me and I'll take Wanda away. Permanently!"

With that said, Alpha turned and stormed past the Doctor, even pushing him aside as he stood there in stunned silence. And in a blink, the retreating blonde was gone from sight.

XxXxXxXx

. . . Well . . . That just happened. Really nervous for next time. Mostly to see what you all think of Alpha. I hope you liked her. Even if she is a little, ah, intense. I'd love to hear all of your thoughts in a review! :D I'm just so excited to see what you guys thought of Alpha and the chapter!

Reviewers:

 **singingKatelyn** : *sends in an army* I'm here to help! Don't die on me yet! haha ;) I really hope that you enjoyed meeting Alpha. Loved to hear your thoughts on her. :) Until next time!

 **Girostritron** : Took the words right out of my mouth. lol ;)

 **Rixelated** : Really great theories! I love all your thoughts. Thank you so much for sharing! I would say more to all of that, but I'm afraid if I did it would be spoilers. Sorry about that. :( I'm just so happy that you are enjoying the story! Hope the joy continues through the rest and to see you again in the future! :D

 **bored411** : Gotta love the cliffhangers. lol ;) Yep, Alpha is pretty much in control. For the most part, anyway. Luckily no one got hurt, yet. Well, I mean, besides the Doctor's hand, of course. Hope you like the new chapter! Can't wait to see what you think about it and of Alpha. :D Until next time!

 **X-Lisa-Anne-X** : Welp, here's what happens next. ;) Fingers crossed that you enjoyed it! Can't wait until next time!

 **All The Stories Are True 24601** : lol Glad you liked the chapter. :) Love those episodes, too. It's really hard for me to pick a 'favorite.' But Partners in Crime just makes me laugh the most. She is indeed wonderful. Unfortunately, here in the U.S., we don't get much from overseas programming. Not unless you're willing to pay a big price to be able to watch them. I actually got rid of my cable a while ago because I couldn't afford it, so I mostly get all my shows from Prime now. So jealous you got to meet her! XD Thanks! Can't wait to watch it. See you in the next chapter! :)

 **FictionalBoysAreBetter** : lol Sorry. I hope the ending to this one isn't as bad. Though, it probably is. haha. Welp, I hope you enjoyed Alpha kicking Dalek butt. Sorry there wasn't much of it, but at least we get a bit from her. :) I'm really, really hoping that you liked her. I'm super nervous to see what everyone thinks of her. Sorry to disturb you during deadline times! I completely feel you there with it. That's happened to me quite often in losing focus on deadlines. Hopefully you were able to get it done in the end! Until next time! Take care!

 **Rhiannon** : Woo! Glad you're excited! :D You're very welcome. Thank you so much for giving the story a review. It means the world to me. :)

 **heroherondaletotherescue** : For the most part, yep. Sort of. It's complicated. But the rest is still yet to be answered. It just gets more intense and crazy from here. ;) Hope you'll enjoy it all! Love to hear your thoughts on Alpha if you wish to share them. :) Take care and have a beautiful day!

 **Nanski33** : *screams with you* I'm just excited as you are! Fingers crossed that you'll enjoy it all. :D Take care!

 **UltimateFan-girl15** : Yay! I'm so glad that you're caught up and are liking it! :D I really hope you enjoyed the new chapter and Alpha. Love to hear your thoughts on it all. :) Hope to talk to you again soon! Take care!

 **Authora97** : Sorry about the throwdown. But I hope that you enjoyed Alpha and what she did in the newest chapter. I'd love to see what you think of it all. :) You're very welcome! You readers deserve so much for being so amazing and supporting the story. Thank you so much for that and for giving such wonderful reviews. Have the most brilliant day/night!

 **QuirkyKim** : Basically, yes. haha. ;) Sorry for the extra torment in this chapter. Hopefully it was a good read though. :)

 **Caroline** : I'm been waiting in full excitement, too. ;) I can't wait to see what you think of Alpha. I hope good things. :) I hope they were good chills. Don't worry, I know I'll like it. Anything with the Doctor I love, no matter what. :D Until next time! Again, can't wait for your review! :D

 **alwaystherereading** : Yeah, it's unfortunate that it had to come so soon for Wanda. But hopefully it's a good read in the end. :) Fortunately, though, everyone seems to be okay for now. I'm looking forward to see what you think of Alpha. Did you like her? I really hope you did. :) See you in the next chapter! Take care!

 **Tina And Maxwell** : Agreed. Not good at all. Fingers crossed that everything turns out all right in the end.

 **Guest(a)** : Your wish is my command. I hope you'll enjoy the new chapter. ;)

Just want to end it here in saying thank you all! You're all beautiful and magnificent! XD

~Tinker~


	31. Ch 31: A Twisted Mind

How's it going, readers? :)

I hope everything has been well for everyone lately. Enjoy the newest chapter of the story!

XxXxXxXx

Chapter 31: A Twisted Mind

Then, after a few moments of Alpha being gone, everyone sort of erupted into worried babbling.

"That's it. I'm sorry, but we need to get back to our world," Pete said to the others, trying to get everyone turned around and back to a safer place. "This world was already sunk, and clearly it was going down even more with that girl on the loose. God forbid if she tried getting back through the Breach."

"I agree. Time to abandon ship," Jake added in, beginning to follow his fellows back towards the inner building of Torchwood.

"I don't understand, what happened to Wanda? What's going on?" Jackie spoke up, completely baffled and lost to what was happening to the Time Lady.

"I think she lost it," Mickey muttered to the mother. "The Daleks and Cybermen made her snap."

"She hasn't _lost_ it, Mickey," Rose argued in defense of Wanda. "That wasn't even her. You heard what happened. That was that . . . that _thing_ that took over Wanda." Pete suddenly walked over to Jackie who had been about to question Rose on the circumstances that had occurred down in the lower levels of Torchwood. He grabbed the mother's hand, placing a yellow disc into her palm.

"Jacks, take this. You're coming with us," Pete instructed the woman. Jackie blinked in shock and surprise.

"What? I can't leave now," Jackie argued, pointing out towards the city. "Those Cybermen are hurting people, and I need to be here for my daughter and her friends. What if they get hurt, too?"

"I'd forgotten you could argue," Pete responded, giving the woman a fond smile. He grabbed the yellow disc back and placed the long chain it had around Jackie's neck. "Look, we tried the best we could in stopping the Cybermen, and now with that raging girl on the loose, this world's going to crash and burn. There's nothing we can do. But there's another world just waiting for you, Jacks. And it's safe as long as the Doctor closes the Breach."

"You're not taking my mother anywhere," Rose suddenly argued, reaching forward and yanking off the device from her mother. She then shoved the yellow disc back into Pete's hand, giving him a stern look. "You're not leaving, either. Not until we've gotten Wanda back."

"We found the girl like the Doctor wanted, but you heard what she said. She doesn't want to be found," Pete retorted. "She's a raving lunatic."

"Don't you say that about her!" snapped Rose. "And I know the Doctor. He won't do anything for you as long as Wanda is in danger. Right, Doctor?" She turned, blinking when seeing the Time Lord was now crouching on the ground, gripping at his head. "Doctor?"

The Doctor did not hear any of them as he merely felt almost panicked. Like someone had forced him to become greatly unbalanced and unnerved. Similar emotions that he had experienced and fought against after the Time War swept over him. It was his Ninth self all over again as he did not see his surroundings at all. Only the visions in his head. The images of seeing Wanda staring at him in fear played through his mind over and over again. He watched himself reaching out to her, only wishing to comfort her and hold her close. But then she would turn and flee, leaving him there screaming her name in desperation. Pleading for her to come back and not be afraid of him. But she was too far away. He could not reach her. She vanished from his life . . . forever.

"Doctor, snap out of it!"

He blinked when he felt someone giving his face a sharp smack. Staring to see Rose crouched down right in front of him and pulling his hands away from his head. He could only wonder when he had gotten on the ground.

"Come on. Pull yourself together," Rose ordered, pulling him up to stand next to her.

"Sorry," muttered the Doctor, rubbing a hand over his face as he tired riding himself of those damn images. Slowly moving his hand face his face, he saw how edgy everyone was. Each of them held an expression of high anxiety and worriment.

"Doctor, we need to figure out what to do," Rose said to him, chewing on her bottom lip slightly as her anxiety was running on a rampage through her. "How are we going to get Wanda back?"

"We're not. There's no stopping that thing," Pete spoke up. He turned his gaze fully to the Time Lord. "Doctor, we're going back to our world. We need you to close the Breach." The Doctor shot the man a look of annoyance. Of course, leave when others are in need while saving themselves instead. Typical human behaviour.

"We had a deal, Pete," the Doctor spoke in a curt and strict voice. "I'm not closing the Breach until I get Wanda back. And besides, I can't close it without her. I need her help if I'm going to be able to put a stop to it and the Cybermen." Pete and the others tried to argue against this, but the Doctor held up his finger, shushing them. "Ssh, I need to think." He began pacing, letting his mind rapidly form ideas on the situation, going over what he had witnessed with Alpha. Her behaviour, her actions, her words, everything. "Rose, I need you to tell me what exactly happened when Alpha was brought up from the Daleks. What did she do or say?"

"Well, she was pretty livid at the Daleks," Rose began to explain. "She . . . kept going on about something they did to her. I'm not sure I understood most of it. She and they kept saying that . . . they created her as a weapon for war or something. Then she turned the Genesis Ark into dust, and then Rajesh when he touched her. She acted like . . . he was beneath her and someone that should never touch her. When I tried calming her down, she basically pushed me away and said to stay away from her, too." Rose's eyes dimmed as she shivered. "I kept seeing Wanda in pain the more Alpha grew angry, so I backed off, hoping that she wouldn't hurt Wanda." The Doctor hummed at this mentioning, looking at Mickey.

"What about you, Mickey? You see anything strange running through your head?" asked the Time Lord.

"Yeah. I saw Rose dying if I let her get near Alpha, so I kept us back. Just in case," replied Mickey. The Doctor frowned in thought, looking at the others.

"And what about the rest of you? Any strange visions going through your heads?" he questioned them.

"My world falling apart if I don't retreat," Pete muttered.

"Same as him," Jake nodded at the older man next to him.

"Rose dying if I don't stay here," Jackie mumbled, wishing to have Rose in her arms this very second. Observing the humans, seeing how they reacted to the visions the spoke of, it sparked a thought of interest through the Time Lord's mind.

"We're all feeling pretty frightened and panicked now, aren't we?" the Doctor said, raising a brow as he found it highly interesting how similar all of their visions were. Like a warning had been pushed through their minds. Either they stay back, or face the consequences of their deepest fears from Alpha. It was not unusual for people during troubling and frightening times to have thoughts of their fears going through their minds. But for them all to have visions going through their heads all at once?

"Well, yeah. Anyone would when the world's falling to pieces," grumbled Pete.

The Doctor shook his head, replying, "No, but it's more than that. Think about it. Those emotions bubbling away. They didn't really start until—."

"Until Alpha came out, lashing at us," Rose finished his statement, eyes widening as she realized her earlier sensation of fear and terror had died down somewhat now that Alpha was gone. Sure, there was still the fears of the day with the Cybermen on the large. But that was normal in the light of things.

"Exactly," the Doctor nodded. He began pacing in front of them while rambling on. "She likes to think of herself as a wolf 'cause maybe she is in a way. She's like a wild animal acting on primal needs. And what do wild animals do when they feel threatened? They make themselves into a bigger threat. They puff up, lash out, get anything else to back off as they retreat."

"Remember, on that Sanctuary Base, the Beast did the same thing," Rose spoke up, gaining the Doctor's attention. "He pushed fear onto us all."

"But that was his way on working to control us," the Doctor countered, shaking his head. "No, this is different. She's not trying to gain power like the Beast was. She's using our fears for making us back down and leave her be. She doesn't want to have power and control. She already has that. It seems now she only wants to be left alone."

"So you're saying she's sort of implanting those fears into us or something?" questioned Mickey. "Well, she doesn't exactly need to do that. She's plenty threatening on her own with those powers of hers."

"But that's just it. She has all that power, why not just use it to scare us? Why implant our own personal fears?" the Doctor muttered, stopping in his pacing to think. Then, it dawned on him. "Unless . . . it's not enough. She knows something that we don't. But what?" Rose frowned as she tried thinking that over as well.

"You know, when I had gotten close to her, she could have just killed me," commented the companion. "But instead she pushed me and said that I needed to stay away from her. For my own good, basically. Then she didn't kill my Mum when she had the chance. She even saved Mum from the Cybermen." Rose gasped when a thought occurred to her. "Doctor, this is like when Cassandra took over Wanda. What if Wanda is still aware like she was then? She might even be trying to fight Alpha's control." Thinking over on what Rose had said, it seemed almost logical to the Doctor. It was a similar situation to that of what happened on New Earth. But at the same time . . . Something was not quite right with this particular situation at hand.

"She might be. We won't know until we find her again," the Doctor replied in a mutter. Turning around, he began marching onward towards the screaming city. "Pete: you, Jackie, and the rest of your lot stay here. Guard the place and make sure no more Cybermen get into the building. Rose and Mickey, you're with me." As the rest lingered behind, Rose and Mickey jogged after the Time Lord, catching up with him.

"What's the plan, boss?" Mickey asked.

"The plan is to get Wanda back," the Doctor replied easily. "How? No clue. But I have a theory and that's as good as we need right now."

"But how can we find her in the panicking city? She could be anywhere by now," Rose pointed out. The Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver, adjusting it to the right setting.

"Alpha still has Wanda's screwdriver on her. That means I can track her," the Doctor explained, giving Rose a meek side glance when seeing the suspicious gaze of the companion. "I might have, sort of, placed in a tracking ability on Wanda's sonic after that Christmas dinner when she wasn't looking. Didn't want another . . . Second Wanda incidence to occur. Just—Just in case she might be hurt somewhere and I needed to find her quick." He saw the disproving look from Rose in the corner of his eye.

"You know she isn't going to like that once she finds out," scolded the companion sternly.

"It was just for emergencies like this," the Doctor countered in a grumble. The sonic in his hand began rapidly beeping, alerting them to Alpha's location. "Quick. We need to catch up with her." They then took off running.

XxXxXxXx

They ended up having to sneak around as they came across more and more Cybermen. As well as more and more destruction of the city. It seemed that the Cybermen had done a number on the city. Buildings were crumbling in places, sidewalks were cracked all over, trees had been ripped up from their roots. There was even a tower from a large church that had fallen over onto the street, blocking much of the pathway. It made it somewhat difficult to sneak around all the rubble.

Not that the Cybermen made travelling across the city any easier. The metal men were everywhere. Grabbing people, lining them up in the streets or on the walkways. Friends, families, children, they were all there and being pushed around by the Cybermen. The trio hid behind a corner of a building, watching cautiously of the large scene of the Cybermen and the terrified people.

"Do you see her?" Rose asked the Doctor, keeping her voice hushed in case of the Cybermen hearing.

"Why would she in the middle of all this?" questioned Mickey, keeping his voice low as well.

"I don't know. And I don't see her yet. The sonic says she's nearby," whispered the Doctor in response. He glanced down at his screwdriver, hearing it beep in an indication that it was sensing the tracker on Wanda's sonic right down the street.

"Unless she ditched Wanda's sonic somewhere in that mess," grumbled Mickey. The Doctor felt a fearful twinge go through him at that thought. He could only hope that Alpha did not think that far ahead as to dropping off the sonic screwdriver somewhere, leaving them unable to find her or Wanda ever again.

The trio was alerted when a commotion broke out down the street. They watched as a little girl had broken away from the crowd and was trying to run back across the street to where her mother was in a separate group of people the Cybermen had gathered. The child then tripped and fell onto the blacktop of the street. Two Cybermen stomped towards the girl, pointing their weapons at her. The girl began to cry in fear.

"No! Please, don't hurt her! She's just a child!" screamed the mother on the other side of the road, pleading to the Cybermen. The trio down the street, still hiding behind the corner, watched as some men held the hysterical mother back from the advancing Cybermen.

"Mummy!" the girl yelled as the Cybermen began to chant 'delete.' The Doctor was about to step around and order the Cybermen to back down, knowing that he would have to possibly fight the metal beings off once they realized he was there, but he halted in his step at what he saw next.

It was either a quick white flash or a blur of blonde. He was not sure, but it was a very quick movement of Alpha suddenly appearing next to the girl. In fact, Alpha was standing in front of the girl at a low crouch, giving off a vicious snarl as she snapped her teeth at the Cybermen. The metal men fired their weapons at her, but the beams only seemed to go around her and fire into the ground as if there was some sort of bubble protecting her and the child. Then, Alpha was on them in a flash. More Cybermen began firing and some people ran screaming as Alpha began literally ripping one Cyberman apart with her bare hands. Even using her teeth as she ripped into its throat. The Cyberman was heard screaming as if in pain. After that one was done for, Alpha leaped onto the next and the next in a rapid blurry motion, tearing them to pieces.

Soon all Cybermen were finished, lying scattered around in broken parts. Alpha was seen breathing in and out in huffing pants with different liquids dripping on her from the fluids that had been inside the robotic beings. She turned to the child, staring down at the little girl, her eyes glowing white and a metal piece still clenched in her teeth tightly. The little girl whimpered, flinching away at the frightening sight of Alpha. The mother across the street, one of the only people who remained behind, began running to her child. But she yelled in dismay when Alpha swiftly picked up the child and took off with the girl in her arms. The Doctor, Rose, and Mickey then hurriedly ran after the retreating blonde, hoping to catch up.

"Don't worry, we'll get your daughter back," Rose assured the mother as they ran past her. The trio continued on, going down a back alleyway which Alpha had retreated. The blonde had managed to sort of corner herself within a dead end. She turned, glaring at the trio as they stopped a few feet away, warily staring at her.

"Alpha, let her go," the Doctor said evenly, trying to keep Alpha from hurting the little girl.

He found it odd how the blonde seemed so . . . protective of the child. Was it some kind of instinct or something? He knew how defensive Wanda was of children. Maybe some of that leaked over to Alpha? He watched Alpha glare darkly at him, spitting out the metal piece that had been clenched in her mouth. He noticed how cut up her body was now from tearing into the Cybermen. Why had she attacked them in such a way? It had been an unnecessary use of strength. Had Alpha merely acted upon instinct and did not let herself think on another, much simpler, form of attack? With such power of turning others to dust, why even use such brute force?

"No. She's safer with me," retorted the blonde to the Doctor's statement, holding the child tighter. The little girl began to squirm within Alpha's grasp, tearing up in pure fear from the blonde woman.

"I want my mummy," cried the child in terror.

"Shut up!" Alpha yelled at her. The child whimpered, struggling even more to get away. Alpha growled deeply in anger. "Fine! Go to your stupid and pathetic life!" She threw the child onto the ground and watched as the little girl ran off to go find her mother. Mickey went with the child to make certain she arrived back to her mother safely while Rose and the Doctor remained behind to stare cautiously at Alpha. She rolled her eyes at them. "You other creatures and your need to keep everyone 'alive.' Don't you realize everything will be better off dead. And didn't I tell you to not follow me! You never listen! You never SHUT UP!"

They watched as she began banging on her own head, muttering in rapid pace under her breath as she rocked on her feet in an unsteady manner. Both Rose and the Doctor glanced at each other, beginning to wonder if something were wrong with Alpha. Well, more wrong than they had already seen first-hand. Mickey came jogging back over to join them having finished reuniting the mother and daughter together. He was about to open his mouth to question on what was happening when he was interrupted.

"SHUT UP! Why do none of you ever SHUT UP?!" screamed Alpha in rage. She panted heavily through her teeth as she glared at them. The Doctor raised a brow, eyeing her calmly.

"We didn't say anything," he remarked, his voice soft and thoughtful.

"Of course you did. None of you ever shut the hell up," Alpha retorted bitterly. "There's always the babbling, the muttering, the screaming, the pleading, begging, bleeding, torturing, mourning, misery—it never stops!" There was a white flash as she suddenly seemed to teleport closer to the dead end behind her, banging against the brick wall with her fists as she screamed in rage. "Why can't I ever leave this stupid place!" She fell to her knees, gripping at her head and rocking back and forth as she muttered 'shut up' in a rapid pace.

"Doctor?" Rose seemed to question on Alpha's strange words and actions. Clearly both Rose and Mickey were beyond baffled and confused. On the other hand, the Doctor felt realization dawn on him.

"Stay here and don't say anything. Let me do the talking," the Time Lord muttered to the two as he slowly edged closer to the muttering Alpha. He stopped a few feet away from her, making certain to keep his distance just in case his thoughts on her actions might be wrong. "Are you trying to use Wanda's . . . wanderings to leave?"

"'Wanderings,'" repeated Alpha with a snort, looking up at him but still staying at a crouch. "Is that what you call it? Sure, whatever. Yes, I'm trying to leave. What does it look like I'm trying to do? I've been trying to get us back home since arriving back to this horrid universe."

"What, you mean that's been you? All this time with Wanda leaping around through my timeline, that's been you?" the Doctor questioned, surprised to hear this. That would actually explain a lot of why Wanda always seemed unable to stay in one place in time for too long.

"Some of it, most of it, yes. But really neither of us can control it. It controls us. So there's nothing _I_ can do about it. Even though I do try," grumbled Alpha, sounding angered by the fact that she had no say on where Wanda wandered to.

"Then are you the reason Wanda is connected to my timeline?" he wondered aloud.

Alpha gave a loud and disgusted scoff. " _Please_. I hate you. Why the hell would I purposely attach us to _your_ life?"

The Doctor hummed, wondering then how she and Wanda had been attached to his life if it were not Alpha's doing. But that did not matter now. A question for another time. At the moment, he had many more questions that needed answers to. "Why did you kill the Cybermen like that? You're able to turn anything you want into dust. Why act like an animal and rip them apart?"

"Why ask stupid questions? Why talk calmly to a wolf and act like you're not going to try to trick me into letting you get Wanda back? Why even talk to me to begin with when you know I could kill you in an instant?" Alpha shot a glare at him as she stood up. "There you go in acting like you're in control of the situation and that you have _everything_ all figured out. Typical Time Lord behaviour in believing no harm could _ever_ come to them. Well, look at where the rest of them are now. Burnt to a crisp on a barren wasteland."

Gritting his teeth for a moment, he saw the small smirk on her face, knowing she was trying to toy with him. It was a simple tactic of making him lose his cool. A childish way of getting what she wants. But he knew not to let her get to him. They were bitter words coming from someone who had been hurt and corrupted by the Time War. Something which he knew had been him not too long ago during his Ninth incarnation.

"Your tactics won't work on me," he retorted bitterly, keeping his hands firmly in his pockets as he stared her down. "Whether to try to scare me off or make me angry so you can hurt me again. I know your game now."

"Do you? Really?" Alpha disputed in spite. "Don't lie to yourself, omega. I can smell the fear on you. And that goes for you two as well." She jabbed her finger at Rose and Mickey as she saw them still staring hesitantly at her. "I can always smell the truth beneath the lies."

"What do you mean you can smell fear? No one can _smell_ emotions. At least, not Time Lords," the Doctor countered, frowning as he tried understanding the logic behind her strange statement.

"I can," she replied easily. "Just as I know what you're thinking or feeling or, going to do or will do or have done. I sense all."

The Doctor's frown merely deepened. "What . . . you mean Wanda's possibilities?"

Alpha rolled her eyes. "Sure. Whatever you want to think of it by." She turned around, beginning to mutter under her breath as if they could not hear what she was saying. Like they were invisible or nothing to her. "Why am I even talking to these simpletons? I shouldn't be here skulking with them. I should be getting us away from the city. Stupid Time Lord. Stupid humans. Stupid curiosity of mine."

The Doctor sort of shared a side glance with Rose and Mickey before looking back at Alpha. He was about to speak when she suddenly turned around, eyes flaring wildly with a manic look and hissing as she gripped at her head.

"Shut up! I said SHUT UP!" she screamed at him.

"I didn't say anything," the Doctor said slowly as he watched her back up into a corner, looking unnerved and unhinged.

"I know you didn't!" she barked in return. She moaned as she gripped her head, rocking on her feet in an unstable sway. Muttering again to herself. "It's been quiet for so long I'd forgotten how painful it all was. How loud." She abruptly looked at them all with wide eyes, like she suddenly realized they were there. Almost as though they had not been talking all this time. Then, she narrowed her eyes hatefully. "What did I say about following me?! I warned you! One more step towards me and I'll end Wanda! I'll end you all! I swear!"

Raising a sharp brow, the Doctor could only stare at her in disbelief. She . . . she was insane. Well, of course she was insane, but . . . it was beyond that. Something had twisted her mind around so badly that she was completely unstable. She was hearing voices in her head and seemed to forget on and off on what she was doing or what was going on around her. Like she was stuck in an endless cycle of pain in her mind that she could never escape and that drove her to madness. No wonder she acted like a primal animal. But what had done that to her? Then . . . then he knew that he had to test his theory.

"Go ahead, then. Kill me," he said evenly. Rose and Mickey both looked alarmed by this while Alpha seemed taken back.

"What?" growled Alpha as she looked him up and down as if searching for a trick of some kind.

"Sure. Why not?" the Doctor said casually as if they were discussing the weather. Even shrugging somewhat. "I mean you hate Time Lords anyway. And you're right, I'm not that important in this universe or good enough for Wanda. So go ahead. Kill me and take Wanda away." Keeping their gaze even, he watched Alpha carefully as she seemed to simply take this in. Then she stood up quite abruptly, glaring at him.

"Don't tempt me, omega," she spat at him, her voice changing to that of her echoing tone. "I'll do it. I swear, I'll do it. I'll end you in a heartbeat."

"Then do it," the Doctor retorted, sending her his own glare. He stomped closer towards her, slapping at his chest and holding his arms out. Letting himself become an open target for her. "Come on! What are you waiting for?! Kill me! Put an end to all Time Lords and just kill me! Come on, do it! Just do it! Do it!"

In an instant, she was in front of him. Rose let out a scream while Mickey pulled his gun, ready to save the Doctor as Alpha stood in front of him, right in the Time Lord's face, arm raised high as her eyes glowed furiously and her whole body burned in its white light. The Doctor merely stood there at ease as he stared into those white glowing eyes. Seeing how Alpha's hand began to shake as she kept it in the air, not bringing it down upon him as she had threatened to do. Then she jerked away from him as the glow from her eyes and around her body faded, staring at him in annoyance.

"You're—you're not worth my time," she said in unease as her voice returned to normal, turning around as if to leave but ended up face-to-face with a brick wall. She stood there rigidly as she seemed to wait for them to leave her be or to hope to vanish into nothing after that stunt. The Doctor lowered his arms as he smirked in knowing his theory had paid off.

"You can't do, can you? You can't kill me or anyone else in Wanda's life," he said smoothly, placing his hands back in his pockets as he eyes her coolly. "If you could, you would have. You had all this time to do so. You could have killed Rose down in the basement of Torchwood. Could have killed Jackie when she found you in the stairways. Could have even killed me when I touched you back in the warehouse. Then you had all that time alone with us for years now. All that time in Wanda's mind, able to twist her thoughts around if you wished. I mean, what's stopping you if you really wanted to? 'Cause there's nothing really stopping you. Nothing at all except for one, small, thing." He was right behind her now having walked towards her as he spoke, leaning close to her. "You can't do that because that would be hurting Wanda. And you could never do that could you?"

Alpha did not say a single word. She only continued to hold her arms tightly around herself as she stared the brick wall down in front of her. Fuming in her own way as she refused to meet the Doctor's smug eyes. Both Rose and Mickey stood confused behind the two, completely baffled by what just happened. They glanced at each other then looked back at the Doctor for answers.

"What do you mean, Doctor? Why can't she hurt Wanda?" Rose asked him.

"Is it because Wanda is still in control or something?" Mickey wondered.

"No, I don't think so," the Doctor replied, taking a slight step back from Alpha. "If Wanda was aware, she'd be sending messages to me like she did last time with Casandra. No—Alpha's telling the truth. Wanda's asleep and unaware. It's the best thing for her as a means of protection." He stared intently at Alpha. "Am I right?" She did not give him an answer, so he continued on.

"It was the reason why you implanted those fears onto us," the Doctor said, holding a calm voice of explanation. Though also holding a smug smile in figuring out what Alpha could not do to them. "You knew that you had to scare us off a different way instead of simply using a show of force. If we saw you weren't really trying to hurt us, then we would have figured out your little secret."

"So . . . she cares for Wanda, and that means that she can't hurt us?" Rose questioned as she scooted closer to where the Doctor and Alpha were.

The Doctor nodded, stuffing his hands into his pockets as he rocked on his feet lightly, replying, "Exactly."

"But what is she though? Some kind of sleeper agent or something?" Mickey wondered aloud, now standing closer as well, right beside Rose. "You know, those movies that always had them undercover agents. All waiting right under the enemy's nose and all that."

"Thought about that," the Doctor muttered, shaking his head. "Daleks did have sleeper agents back in the Time War. Used to brainwash some Time Lords and then send them back over, only activating them again with some kind of special code. Had to deal with a few of them myself." The Doctor eyed Alpha, seeing how she still refused to turn around and face him, holding herself tight around her middle.

Addressing her fully, he scooted a little closer to her. "But you don't really fit the profile like the other Dalek agents I had to deal with. If you were some sort of Dalek sleeper agent or weapon, you wouldn't have given a second thought on killing us. In fact, you're not even having the normal behaviour of what a sleeper agent, or even a programmed weapon, would be. You say 'us' all the time as though both you and Wanda are separate yet equal. Normally those controlled or created by the Daleks would not give a care in the world for their other personality, if they had indeed been created with another side to them. Another mind and life. The programmed self would only care about doing what they were created to do. Which I'm guessing the Daleks would have made or trained you to basically be a weapon of destruction for them. But you ignored their orders, fought against them, and have yet to truly do anything that a Dalek normally would. You even saved a few lives. Then there was that comment about me not being good enough for Wanda clearly shows that you think she deserves happiness in some ways with someone or another. By not killing us, and saving that child, shows that you care somewhat. Maybe more because you care about Wanda in some strange way.

"So, the question is now, why exactly do you care about Wanda?" he finally finished speaking, eyeing her carefully as he saw her stiff posture. Eventually, she turned, holding an irritated expression that spoke of her frustration with the Doctor calculating and understanding all of that about her.

"Why wouldn't I care about her? You think because I'm unkind that I can't actually find someone to love?" she retorted in a gruff voice. Then Alpha's tone grew soft and solemn as she stared distantly up at the blue sky overhead. "You're right, I can't kill you or the others in her life. If I did . . . she'd be sad. So sad. I don't want her sad. I want her happy. She deserves to be happy. And I can always find a way to bring her happiness. To protect her from the vicious universe we live in." She looked at the Doctor once more, her voice growing stern and strong once again. "In a way, I wish I was her. I wish I still had the outlook she has on life. While I only see the hatred, the evil, the corrupt, the wicked, the cruel, the darkness—she sees the love, the good, the honest, the gentle, the kind, the light. She wants life, while I want death. In the end, I envy her for being able to have her innocence.

"Don't get me wrong," Alpha continued, looking the Doctor and the other two over. "I still want to kill you all. The urge to kill and destroy . . . it's been programmed deep within me and I don't think it will ever go away. But I changed much of my programming around so that instead of my main objection being to kill, it's to protect Wanda and keep her safe. Though that still involves killing I suppose. Have to kill to keep her safe." She gave a heavy sigh and rolled her eyes. "And then, of course, I can't kill you anyway, omega. Even if I could allow myself to make Wanda sad in your death, you have to remain alive."

"Oh? And why's that?" the Doctor asked, raising a brow in interest.

"Three reasons," Alpha began listing off. "One—which I've already explained, it would make Wanda sad. Two—it would basically kill her if you ever died on us, which really ticks me off to no end. And lastly—you being alive is what keeps me from going ahead and getting rid of this stupid universe."

Frowning, the Doctor thought on how strange all this talk of 'ending the universe' was. Why did Alpha keep making comments such as that? "What do you mean?"

Before she could reply, Rose yelped in alarm when they heard stomping steps marching down the alleyway towards them. It was a line of Cybermen, all pointing their weapons on the group, ready to delete them. As Mickey aimed his gun at the metal men, Rose scooted behind her friend, and the Doctor briskly moved forward with screwdriver in hand. Alpha behind the trio gritted her teeth with her eyes beginning to glow in rage.

"Enough!" she barked loudly, her voice echoing with its million pitches. She appeared in a flash in front of the trio, aiming her glowing hand at the Cybermen. "I grow tired of this stupid chase of cat and mouse. You will cease!" The Cybermen froze, shaking in place before turning to dust, letting out their high screams just as they collapsed into piles of nothing. There were similar screams heard echoing throughout the city. Then cheering could be heard coming from the people as they seemed to celebrate something wonderful happening. Alpha turned her cold eyes upon the three behind her, with the white glow gone and her voice normal once more. "There. Now we don't have to worry about any more interruptions. You're welcome, by the way."

"What happened?" Mickey asked her, wonder why they heard people cheering.

"What did you do to the Cybermen?" Rose questioned the blonde girl. Alpha rolled her eyes and waved a hand towards the entrance to the alley.

"See for yourselves," she sighed in exasperation. The trio glanced at each other skeptically before swiftly leaving the area. They reached the opening of the alleyway and saw many people gazing around in a mixture of disbelief and relief. Others seemed to just hug each other in joy while some of the military wiped their brows and seemed to give a collection sigh in knowing the fight was finally over. All the while, the trio in the alley stared around the streets in awe as they saw all the piles of dust scattered about. Indicating to them of the Cybermen's demise.

"They . . . they just . . .," the Doctor said, stunned by this sight. Were the Cybermen all dead? He looked at Alpha in utter shock as she walked up casually behind them. "What did you do?"

"Simple," Alpha responded, giving a superior sniff. "I merely commanded the atoms of the Cybermen to expire. Just as I had done before. Only this time I gave the command to a broader range. All the Cybermen within London have now ceased." She shot the Doctor and the others cold gaze. "As I said before, 'You're _welcome_.' I made your tasks a little easier."

"'A little'? You only killed the Cybermen in London," Mickey scoffed, eyeing the blonde in irritation. "If you do have that kind of power, why didn't you just 'command' all the other Cybermen to die off, too?"

"Don't want to take all the fun away from the rest of you, now do I?" Alpha replied in a jeering tone. "The rest are your problem. Not mine."

"How—how did you—that's not . . . You can't command atoms to . . .," the Doctor tried saying but felt his mind far too shocked and stunned to get his words together properly. He ran a hand through his hair, gripping at the brown locks as he could only stare at Alpha, seeing how she gazed back in a bored manner. "That's impossible."

"If it was impossible then I wouldn't have been even able to do so in the first place," Alpha replied, rolling her eyes. Suddenly, she gripped her head, hissing. "Damn! I hate this! No wonder I decided to go to sleep all those years ago. No wait—it's not just the normal noise." She let go of her head, looking at the sky in interest. "It's . . . nosier. Hmm. What's causing it?" She began sniffing the air, standing on her tiptoes as she moved around as if trying to find the source of whatever she was smelling.

"Hang on—don't just ignore us," the Doctor spoke up, becoming more and more irritated by her avoiding the questions and not giving any sort of clear answers.

"Ssshhhh," Alpha hissed at him, holding up a finger and not even bothering to look at him as she gazed around the air. "There's something wrong with the universe. There's another trying to creep in."

"Yeah, that'd be the Breach," Mickey replied sarcastically.

"It's the parallel universe to this one," Rose spoke up. "The, um, hole in the universe is sort of leaking into both universes." Alpha slumped in her posture, gritting her teeth together.

"Great. _Another_ corrupted universe trying to poke through into my life. Isn't one bad enough?!" she yelled in anger, kicking at the air. "Do I have to destroy that one, too?!"

"What do you mean destroy the universe?" the Doctor retorted crossly. He stepped towards her, giving her his own look of annoyance. "You keep saying that. Just explain what exactly who, what you are. Why do you think the universe needs ending?"

"Because it does," Alpha growled, tightening her hands into shaking fists. "I'm a weapon, remember?"

"Yeah—weapon of destruction—I get that," replied the Doctor, clearly irritated by getting only repeated information and not gaining any true insight on her true identity and purpose. "But what exactly were the Daleks wanting you to be weaponized for? I know it wasn't for the whole universe. They _want_ the whole universe to themselves, not to destroy it. Only the other life forms that live within the universe."

"Yeah, sure, they want the universe to themselves. But you know what I think?" Alpha stomped closer to the Doctor, jabbing a finger sharply at his chest. "I think that _no one_ deserves to live in this universe. You and every other living life form are corrupt. You're all vile and wicked. Far too past the point of being allowed to make up for your mistakes and given the chance to move on to corrupt even more."

The Doctor blinked, taken back by her angry statement. "What—What are you talking about? I know the universe isn't always the most . . . peaceful place. But a few bad apples isn't a reason to go and destroy the entire universe."

Alpha scoffed, her eyes flashing in outrage at this retort. "'A few bad apples'? The whole damn universe is filled to the brim with horrid creatures. All those who create nothing but misery and chaos in their wake." She snapped her eyes over to the silent Rose and Mickey, jabbing a finger in their direction. "Rose Tyler—you have and will kill many for the sake of 'defense' for Earth. Causing many to lose loved ones caught in the act. Mickey Smith—you will and have already committed similar crimes. Killing off those you assume have no true feelings left within them and not even giving the ones you've killed a decent rest in their dying hours. You've made them _suffer_." Alpha's eyes then darted to the people who still lingered not that far away down the street from them. She pointed her finger at a rather tall man. "Jacob Wright—he cheated his way through the local computer company, earning promotions that others deserved more. Leading to many to lose their jobs and live poor lives." She then pointed to an elderly woman. "Jessica Young—she abused her daughters but held all her sons in a high esteem. Leading to one daughter to commit suicide and another to run away, lost somewhere within the desert of Asia. That daughter will soon follow in her sister's death."

Alpha turned to face the Doctor again with disgust clearly held within her eyes. "All these people and more are guilty of corruption. All guilty, corrupt, wicked. Even if they haven't done so yet, they will. Even if they will never, they might have. For all I see, I _know_ the true natures in their hearts. Even children are not free from this corruption. Even they too will follow into the path of chaos and wickedness just as those before them have done. It's an endless cycle of hate and cruelty. It never stops!" She suddenly gripped her head, moaning as she seemed to become overwhelmed by whatever was going on within her head. She fell to her knees, shaking, sobbing. "It never stops. Never stops. I have to stop it. I have to end it! No more!"

Slowly, the Doctor crouched down next to her, knowing that whatever she was experiencing must be awfully painful. How insane had the Daleks made her? What exactly what is that they had done to her? "What is it you're hearing?"

"No, no, no, no. Shut up," she muttered, seeming unable to hear him. Trying to be as cautious as he could, he lifted Alpha's chin, making their eyes meet.

"Alpha . . . I know you don't trust me, but please . . . I want to help you," he spoke as calm and even as he could.

With eyes narrowing in suspicion, Alpha slapped his hand away in revulsion. "You don't want to help me. You want to help _her_ and to make sure your precious prize of Wanda's body is still fine. Well, you'll be happy to know that I alone share this torment. So goody for me, and a ease for you."

Holding back a bitter retort, the Doctor let out a small huff of a breath. Keeping his voice even as before and their gazes connected. "You may think of me as heartless, but I've got news for you. Even those who wish harm onto others I still try to help them. For their actions are not always their fault. If you're suffering from some sort of infliction the Daleks placed on you, I can try to find a way to remove it and make your life, and even the universe, be more peaceful for you." Alpha did not reply to him, only continuing to stare back with suspicion and skepticism. Only still holding the same angry, cold eyes from before. The Doctor raised a brow. "Do you want to show me what's happening in your mind?"

"Hmph. You really want to delve into something like that?" Alpha let out a laughing scoff. Then, she raised her own brow. "Fine. Go ahead. Just warning you now, it's not something for the faint of heart."

"I think I'll manage." The Doctor reached forward, going to place his fingers on her temples. He hesitated for a second just as his fingertips brushed her head, uncertain on whether she would try something. When it came to delving into the mind, it allowed each person sharing the link to become vulnerable in some ways. If she wanted to, she could do some serious damage to him. But he knew he had to try. He had to see what was happening to both her and Wanda. Maybe he could stop both it and Alpha as well, to force this . . . _thing_ back to where she had come from and lock her up . . . Maybe.

Finally, the Doctor pushed his fingers firmly onto her temples and focused his mind. Alpha closed her eyes, seeming to let herself relax for the first time that day. The Doctor closed his eyes as well, trying to concentrate. Then . . . it hit him with a force.

He gasped and jerked as an assault rip through his mind. On instinct, he tried pulling away but found his fingers locked against Alpha's skull, unable to let go. Almost as if he were glued to the spot, only clinging on to dear life now as the visions began piercing his mind. It was . . . chaos. It was shouting, crying, weeping, screaming, yelling—terror in its very wake. Voices . . . Millions and millions of voices all echoing loudly out at once. All their emotions were mixed right in, making him feel their pain, suffering, fear—their every waking agony. He felt like he was going to die with his hearts racing, his mind in agonizing pain from the onslaught, and his body feeling weaker by the second. Then, finally, he felt someone yanking him away from the source of woe.

The Doctor lay back on the hard ground, panting like he had been sprinting for miles. He felt a layer of sweat on him, his hearts banged against his chest, and a ringing in his ears slowly faded as he gathered his bearings. He saw Rose hovering over him in worriment, obviously being the one to yank him back from Alpha.

"Doctor, are you all right? What did she do to you?" Rose asked him hurriedly. She shot the calm looking Alpha a glare. "What did you do?"

"Nothing," Alpha said quietly. "He merely saw what truth lies within the universe." The Doctor sat up, patting Rose's arm in reassurance.

"She didn't do anything to me," he told the companion. He stared at Alpha, in pure disbelief on what he had experienced. "You . . . How is that even possible? You hear . . . you _sense_ all of that? You should be dead."

"I should be. I _want_ to be," Alpha agreed. She then a humourless laugh. "And you want to know what funny thing is? The piece I showed you was only this galaxy. Just imagine what else I have to endure." Rose looked at them both, at a loss.

"What is it that you saw, Doctor?" questioned the companion. The Doctor sat up straight, looking at Rose as he realized some of what he had experienced had come from her as well.

"I . . . I heard . . .," he tried explaining, but still felt too unnerved and unsteady to speak much. Or even how to explain what exactly was going through Alpha's mind.

"He felt all the emotions and heard all the thoughts as part of each timeline of every single life form on Earth and of those living within the Milky Way galaxy," Alpha explained coolly. "Just a small piece of what _I_ can feel. As I said before, I sense _all_. Every single being's timeline within the entirety of the universe. All their thoughts. All their emotions. All their souls that make up their entire life, whether it be in a set timeline or a possible one. I hear it all running through my head, all at once. It never stops. It never grows quiet. It never ceases. The universe itself . . . I hear its call of misery."

The trio stared at her in pure shock. Even Mickey looked beyond stunned by this. The Doctor slowly shook his head, realizing this was more than he could have ever thought possible. Alpha . . . she should be long dead from what was happening within her mind. No creature could ever withstand such an onslaught from the universe. Even he had barely managed to hold up against just the thoughts and feelings she let him sense. But the _entire_ universe? Even Time Lords had their limits. Yes, they could sense many things that others could only dream about. But this? It made him feel sick in thinking anyone would have to deal with such horrible agony of every second in their lives. It seemed . . . unthinkable to him.

The Doctor could only stare at Alpha with his wide eyes. "What . . . What's been done to you?"

Alpha gazed back with her cold eyes, scoffing lightly under her breath. "You know exactly what has been done to me, or what's wrong with me. You've realized the reality of us since the moment I turned those Cybermen to dust. The main point is you just don't wish to believe it. You don't want it to be true. Not until you have the full answer given to you for absolute truth. Therefore, I will not answer any more of your questions. If you want the real truth behind what I and Wanda truly are, then you will have to just work to find that out on your own." She then stood, reaching down to yank the Doctor up as well. "It's time we've managed with this Breach, don't you think?"

With a snap of her fingers, the Doctor, Rose, and Mickey all felt a strange warmth sensation go through their bodies as a white light blinded them. The next thing they knew, they were within the Breach room of Torchwood. Rose and Mickey both sort of stumbled as they felt very unbalanced from what had occurred. The Doctor rocked on his feet, blinking away the white spots from his vision. He could see Pete, Jackie, Jake, and the others standing around the room, all looking shocked in seeing the sudden arrival of the trio and Alpha.

"W-what was that?" Mickey wondered aloud.

"Did . . . did you just make us teleport away like Wanda does?" Rose asked Alpha.

"What else do you call what I did?" Alpha retorted, shooting the companion a look of annoyance.

"Rose! Oh, Rose, I was so worried!" cried Jackie as she ran over to give her daughter a large hug.

"Doctor, what happened out there?" Pete quickly asked, walking towards them. "One minute there was Cybermen everywhere. And the next thing, they're all gone. What did you do?"

"Actually, that was her," Mickey spoke up, pointing at Alpha. "She turned all Cybermen in London to dust." Pete and his crew looked shocked by this. Though, also not entirely surprised from the way they saw the blonde use her powers.

"Well . . . guess we should thank you, then," Pete replied, sounding a bit sarcastic in his statement. Alpha ignored the lot of them as she began sniffing the air, walking over towards where the Breach was. She sniffed the white wall rapidly, tapping the cool surface with her fingers.

"So, this is where the other stupid universe is leaking from," she muttered aloud. "If it isn't one universe I have to destroy, it's another. An alpha's job never rests."

"Uh . . . what she going on about?" Pete mumbled under his breath, whispering to the others close to him.

"She wants to destroy the universe," Rose explained quietly. "She thinks everything within is . . . corrupt and guilty. That no one deserves to live." Pete, his crew, and even Jackie appeared unnerved and shocked by this explanation. Then, Pete scoffed loudly.

"You can't just go and destroy an _entire_ universe," retorted the man, saying this gruffly towards Alpha. "No one has that kind of power." Alpha turned around to face them with her eyes glowing in irritation. She did not say anything. Merely, she raised her hand, snapping her fingers. Suddenly, Jackie and the others within Pete's crew rolled their eyes back and abruptly fell to the floor. Rose and Pete, even Mickey, let out a startled cry.

"Mum!" Rose exclaimed, falling to the floor beside her mother. Pete was next to Jackie as well, shaking the woman's shoulder. Mickey checked over Jake and the others, trying to see what was wrong. All the while, the Doctor stared down at the sight, unnerved as he knew what Alpha had done.

"What did you do?!" Pete yelled at Alpha, his voice filled with outrage.

"Nothing more than commanded them to sleep," Alpha replied smoothly. She snapped her fingers again. With a start, everyone who had fallen to the floor unconscious awoke.

"W-what happened?" Jackie mumbled as she woke up, very sleepy from her short nap.

"I can command anything, anyone, to do whatever I wish," Alpha continued to say, ignoring Jackie's mumble completely. "I can control the atoms, all atoms, and the time of which they live by, within every life form. All I must do is be near enough, and," she made a gesture in the air as if something were exploding, "poof. Everything is gone. The entire basic structure of matter and time that all are alive by, I can see it, sense it, and control it if I please to. If I wish you to sleep, you sleep. If I wish you to age, you age. If I wish you to die, well, ha! I could wipe you all away like that!" She snapped her fingers sharply, making everyone wince as they fear of what else would come at her 'command.'

"And . . . and you're going to do that to my universe as well?" Pete questioned in uncertainty.

Alpha rolled her eyes. "Please. Keep your corrupted universe. I only care about destroying _this_ vile universe. Once the Breach is closed, I won't have to deal with that other universe any longer." She turned, looking at the white wall as there came a collective relief from the group of the parallel universe. Glad to know that Alpha would not be hurting their world. The Doctor, remaining quiet, decided to break his silent observation as he knew he needed one last answer before Alpha decided when enough was enough.

"I have a question for you, Alpha," the Doctor spoke up, watching as Alpha turned her sharp, cold and calculating eyes on him.

"What?" she spat out in return.

The Doctor kept his face as calm as it could be, trying to work out the mystery to her existence. Then, he recalled what she had said earlier. "You said that I keep you from destroying the universe. Why? What do you mean by that? If you really hate me, then why is my life that important to you for not destroying the universe you despise?"

Alpha stared at him for a moment. Seeming to be searching for her answer. Finally, she replied, "I don't know the full reason. All I remember was that a promise was made. A promise between you and I, during the last moments of the Time War, that . . . that the universe _must_ be kept alive so long as you are within it."

Blinking, the Doctor was not sure what exactly to think about this. "What?"

Alpha huffed, crossing her arms as she rolled her eyes. "That's what I want to know. But I can't remember why, or even when, the promise had been made. I even can't recall what had occurred during the moments when you had arrived. And I remember everything!"

The Doctor shook his head, completely baffled and confused now. "But I don't understand. I _never_ met you or even saw you during the Time War. You couldn't have been there with me. And why would you make that kind of promise anyway?"

"I told you, I don't remember. And if I don't remember, then you certainly wouldn't, either." She crossed her arms, eyeing him coolly. "And I may be a murderous weapon of mass destruction, but that doesn't mean I'm not a woman of my word. If I give someone my solemn vow, my word of promise, then I will keep to it. I will not break my vows." Taking this statement in, a nod of the head was all the Doctor could give in response as he felt relieved that at least Alpha had a code of honour in some ways. She was not completely unreasonable.

"Okay . . . That's something at least," the Doctor muttered as he watched Alpha begin walking towards him, holding herself rigidly as she stood before him. "You said you wanted to deal with the Breach earlier. What do you have in mind?"

"Nothing except letting you take your course in action," Alpha replied smoothly as she stood before him. "You're going to close the Breach, while I go back to sleep and allow Wanda to be in control once more. That way, you get what you want, and I get what I want. Fair enough?"

"Okay . . ." Staring at her cautiously, the Doctor felt as though this were too . . . simple. Alpha was giving him Wanda back? Just like that? He excepted Alpha to put up a fight for control from the way she had been acting earlier. Then again, that could have just been an act of some kind.

"Now, before I take my leave, I have a question for you, omega," Alpha spoke, her voice seeming to echo throughout the room with each word. A tone of power held deeply within. Her eyes flashed their white glow briefly as she eyed the Time Lord up and down. As she stared at him, the Doctor had a funny sensation run through him. As though . . . she was looking far beyond his existence in this universe. Judging him in his very nature of his life.

"You call yourself a man of no fear. That you are not truly afraid of anything," Alpha said as she stood in front of him, crossing her arms tightly as she continued to give her piercing stare to him. "Tell me, omega." The Doctor felt a chill feeling creep ever so slowly down his spine as he stared into those unforgiving, cold emerald eyes. Alpha leaned a hair forward as she stared the Time Lord down, her eyes flashing once more as she held her grim expression. ". . . Do you fear me?"

This question took the Doctor off guard. He was not sure why exactly she wished to know something of that from him. Then, as he continued to feel unsettled, he thought over the events of the day. Alpha's powers, her character, and the thought of her being there within Wanda, just in the back reaches of the Time Lady's mind . . . Alpha was a creature like no other. She was something impossible. Something that he knew should not exist. Nothing in this universe should have the power to control and destroy so much. To see all, hear all, and sense all of that . . . The concept of such a being existing was almost beyond imagining for the Doctor. It was a Time Lord's worst nightmares all bundled together. And yet . . . here she was. Alive and real. A real nightmare. A real monster.

". . . Yes," the Doctor finally answered, his voice soft and quiet as he spoke.

There was no smile on Alpha's face as the Doctor expected there to be. Only a blank stare with a dull expression. As if she had heard this reply many, many times before.

"Good," replied the blonde, her voice gruff in response. Alpha backed away from him but kept her piercing gaze as sharp as ever on him. "Be warned, omega. Be warned to all. One day, you will not be around to stop what is to come. The day you no longer exist, are no longer alive within this universe, I shall not hold back. I _will_ activate my purpose of destruction. You can be sure of that."

With that said, Alpha gave a curt nod, then her eyes rolled up and she collapsed to the ground. Asleep within Wanda once more.

XxXxXxXx

Welp, that's it for now! Was it good? I hope it was good. :) Let me know what you thought of it all in a review. If you can, that is. I know how life is in how busy it can get. It's just always amazing seeing what you guys have to say. :D

Reviewers:

 **All The Stories Are True 24601** : I'm so happy you enjoyed it! :D I'm studying Psychology, and Child and Family Development. It really is. I wish we had more access to other shows from overseas. Glad you liked that phrase. I thought it was a nice touch. ;) You should totally use it! Until next time! Can't wait to see you in the next chapter. :)

 **LittleQueenx** : So glad you like her! We will definitely see more in the future. Though it might be a while before we really get a good portion of her again. Oh, yes, she most certainly cares about Wanda. Just as we've seen in this chapter. But yes, definitely twisted in her own way. It will also be a while before we learn the absolute full truth behind Alpha and Wanda. So, again, I hope you don't mind the wait. :) Ooh, great theory! I love it! I would say more than this, but I'm afraid to give away any spoilers. So, I'll just say spoilers for now. ;) No worries on long reviews. I absolutely love long reviews. The longer the better. :D I really, really hope that you enjoyed the newest chapter. Love to see your thoughts on it all. Take care and hope to see you in the future!

 **FictionalBoysAreBetter** : Woo! So happy you're loving her. :D I was really worried that she would come off as a little . . . too much. But glad that wasn't the case. With the cases of Ganger Wanda and Clone Wanda is, as the Doctor said before, they were not a complete copy of Wanda. Therefore a little bit more of that animal side that was manic. But this time we get the full fledge Alpha. lol ;) We'll be getting more Alpha later, though it'll be a while before we get to that point. Sorry about that. I feel you there. I have the same bad habit. Questions and theories are always good. ;) Would say more than that, but you know how spoilers go. haha. So can't wait to see you again for the next time! Take care!

 **Momochan77** : I hope this chapter was good for you. ;) I would say more than that, but . . . spoilers. Can't wait to see you in the future!

 **Nanski33** : Yay! Glad it was so great of a surprise for the morning. :) Sorry for the emotional rollercoaster. lol ;) Hope your new year has been a great start, too! Until next time!

 **grapejuice101** : lol Hope it was all a good surprise. ;) It was really a tense moment for them all. Glad things worked out . . . for now, at least. Hopefully, the new chapter is just a good as the last. Take care for the next time! :D

 **Crystal-star-Tyler** : Welp, I hope you enjoyed seeing who 'mummy wolf' really was in these new chapters. ;) See you next time hopefully!

 **Authora97** : She really did, didn't she? lol ;) So happy you enjoyed moments with her. I think it's good to have a character around the Doctor to keep him remembering to watch his ego at times. For when a person does live a life like the Doctor, they sometimes have a hard time holding back during moments where they should have. We've seen this, unfortunately, happen with Clara. :( If that makes any sense. Hope you enjoyed the newest chapter! Until next time!

 **alwaystherereading** : Woo! I'm so, so happy you enjoyed her! Nah, it's always fun to enjoy a good baddie. ;) That's what makes stories and shows fun having a good badass mixed with things. lol Yeah, you'd think they would have asked the more obvious questions. Can't wait to see you in the next time!

 **Tina and Maxwell** : I feel bad for Wanda, too. Hopefully she doesn't take it too hard next time. I have a feeling no real answers will arrive until much later. Sorry about that. :( Really hope you don't mind the wait. I feel you there. I have the worst memory as well. Which luckily I was thoughtful enough to make a timeline of the story to help it along. Haha. Yay! I just can't say this enough, but I'm so happy you're loving it so much. :) Cant wait until the next time!

 **singingKatelyn** : lol So I take it you liked it? ;) Really hope this chapter was just as good. Hope to see you for the next time! Take care!

 **Shiboah** : HAHAHA XD I love that! Have to use that in the future. "You can slay me anytime" That's so awesome. I'm really happy that you're liking Alpha so far. Hope you continue to like her in the future. Take care! :)

 **funwithstark** : Woo! I'm so glad that it didn't disappoint. I was worried about that happening. Sometimes things can be built up a little too much, you know? Glad this wasn't the case here though. :) Don't worry, Wanda will be returning in the next chapter. I promise. ;) See you in the future!

 **Books-and-Cleverness-394** : Trust me, things are definitely just getting started. ;) Though I hope that you'll like all that will be coming in the future. I really hope you'll enjoy all the changes. Loved to hear all your thoughts on it. :) I hope this chapter was just as good of a read as last time. And that I'll see you in the future. ;) Take care!

 **heroherondaletherescue** : So overjoyed that you're liking Alpha so far! I really hope you'll continue to enjoy her in the future. Until next time! :)

 **N7SpaceHamster** : Oh yes. The can is been official ripped open from here on out. lol ;) No worries on reviewing! I'm just glad things are going well for you and to see you again. :) I'm super glad you liked the build up and the unforeseen. I was afraid the build up would not pay off or that it would be far too obvious. I'm happy to see it all worked out though. :) I will say that Alpha and Bad Wolf are indeed separate. I won't say why, however. You'll just have to wait and see until then. ;) I love trick moments like that, so I thought it'd be a nice touch. haha. Yes, Alpha is something you just love being scared of. There were many puppets during the Time War on both sides. We've seen that for ourselves through the Master. Yep, Alpha is much more in self defense than just to kill. You could say it's because of Wanda. In a way. Funny that you mention Jekyll and Hyde. haha. Now that I think about it, it is sort of like that isn't it? We'll get to see more of how the Doctor feels about it all in the next chapter. I hope you'll like it! :) So many questions. So little answers I can give. I will say that Alpha merely gave the Doctor that title as more of a way to not really say his name. Sort of so she's not showing that she likes him in any way. So glad you liked that reveal. As I've said from the beginning, there's a reason for everything and not everything is as it seems. ;) I would answer more, but you know how spiders go. Great theories! I love them! You're really onto something there. ;) hope life continues to go well for you and to see you again real soon! Take care!

 **lautaro94** : Ooh, I've nevef heard of that comic. I'll definitely have to check it out now. Thanks for the share!

 **wonderbitch26** : I'm happy to know that fast updates are okay. I had some complaints about it before, so I always like to double check. :) Oh I've had this planned out for years before even posting it on the site. I really wanted this story to be something special. So happy to know that it's paging off. :) I really hope that you'll continue to enjoy it throughout the rest to come. Also hope to see you in the future. Until next time!

 **Caroline** : Yep, this is full Alpha. All the clones before then have just been incomplete copies, so now we get the full insane version of her. lol ;) You did call it! If it really came down to it, I think Alpha would if she had to. But luckily I don't think that'll ever happen. Hopefully, anyway. Yep, as we've seen in this chapter, it was indeed just a fake out. Oh there are so many more hints. I wonder if you'd be able to find them all. ;) can't wait until next time!

 **Wowza** : Woo! I'm super happy that you liked it all! I have to say, I love possessions, too. They're just always fun. I'm really glad that it's been worth the build up. I've been afraid it wouldn't be good enough in the end. Glad to see so far that it has been. Fingers crossed that you'll like the rest to come!

 **Victoria** : Aw, thank you. :) I'm just so overjoyed that's youve liked it all so far. Don't worry, all and any questions will be answered if not in this story than definitely in the next. There will be a fourth story, but it will be much, much different from this trilogy. As for Wanda meeting Twelve . . . I will just say spoilers for now. Oh, trust me when I say that Wanda would love Thirteen just as much as she loves any other Doctor. ;) Can't wait to see what you think of the rest of it and go see you in the future. Take care!

 **bored411** : I'm just so happy you're enjoying Alpha! I hope the enjoyment continues from here. ;) There's actually a good reason that Wanda would never be able to be in control when Alpha is out in the open. But that's just spoilers for now. ;) Hope you enjoyed the update!

 **QuirkyKim** : Lol I feel you there. I hope you liked the new chapter. :)

 **UltimateFan-girl15** : So glad you're enjoying it all! Really hope you continue to like it in the future. :) Well, it is how the Doctor said it would be. A Time Lord with the Time Vortex in them would be a vengeful god. I think Alpha sums that up pretty well, don't you? Lol ;) Can't wait to see what you think of the new chapter! Until next time!

 **Jerry Skeleton** : Yay! I'm really glad that you enjoyed it! :) I was worried that Alpha would not be enjoyable for everyone. Glad that see that she was for the most part. :) Nope, never a break when it comes to being a Wanderer I'm afraid. Nah, thank you for always being amazing and sending such wonderful reviews. Can't wait to see you again in the future!

 **NerdWithAPencil** : So happy that you're liking it so far! I really hope that you'll enjoy the newest chapter! Thank you so much! :)

 **Vivi** : Hmm, funny that you say that. ;) Hope you'll like the rest to come. Have a wonderful day/night!

 **Guest(a)** : Aww, thank you! I'm overjoyed that you're liking it all. I've had this all planned out for years. Even before posting the story to the site. I'm glad that it's coming out all good so far. I really hope that the rest of it will be just as enjoyable. I've been worried forever now in how everyone will take the ending to this trilogy. Fingers crossed until then!

 **crylo ren** : I will say that, no, Alpha had never been to the Asylum. She was in another place all together for the Daleks, since technically only the Cult of Skaro ever knew about her. Funny you mention a fake world, though . . . I'm just going to say spoilers for now. ;) No worries! I always love hearing everyone's thoughts and theories on the story. Share all you like. :D Really hope you'll enjoy the rest and to see you again in the future!

Thank you all so much! There was just so many reviews. It filled me so much with such joy. I got a bit emotional seeing how happy you've all loved it. It's been such a long wait up to this point with Alpha. Filled with worries that it wouldn't be a good moment in the story. I'm so happy to see it was really enjoyable for so many. I just want to say that, if it's not something weird to say, I love you all! XD I wish every single one of your the best in life!

~Tinker~


	32. Ch 32: Friend Departed

Why, hello there! ;)

I was up a bit late and had a spark of writing craze for editing over the new chapter. So I thought I might go ahead and post it today. :) Mostly wanted to get it done for all you readers for being so amazing and sending such support to the story. I loved reading all of your reviews and it just makes me so happy to see such joy the story brings. I know I can never be that good in writing, but I'm just so happy that the story has been doing well so far. I really hope I can continue to bring you all joy through the rest. :D

For all reviewers, I promise to reply to your comments in the next update! So, please, enjoy the new chapter!

XxXxXxXx

Chapter 32: Friend Departed

As Wanda slowly felt herself come to, her whole body ached. Every muscle screamed in pain and exhaustion. It almost hurt to expand her chest out to breath, let alone trying to focus on opening her eyes. It was almost déjà vu in the sensation as she remembered feeling this way before when she had first arrived into this universe. Arriving on the cold ground of a grave, her whole body feeling that of a giant bruise. It was strange in how similar she felt again. She could even feel the coldness of the ground she laid upon now. Had she jumped to another time again? Where was she? Why was she so sore? And why . . . why could she not remember what she had been doing beforehand?

Her mind tried to begin processing on where or when she was. It tried diagnosing what exactly had been done to her body to make it so weak and tired. It also tried recalling what exactly she had been doing moments before. But her head throbbed so much from a painful headache that it was difficult to even try to think. The sharp ringing in her ears was not making the situation any better. The main issue she wished to focus specifically on though was why . . . why could she not remember? She wanted to remember. She gritted her teeth as she forced her mind to focus on every detail of what had happened before she found herself lying on the cold floor of . . . wherever she was now. But try as she might, nothing came to her. All she remembered was . . . Daleks. The Cult of Skaro. They came out of the Sphere and then . . . No wait—someone was talking.

"When will she wake up?"

"I don't know."

"How are we going to explain the cuts all over her body?"

"I don't know."

"And the Cybermen and Daleks?"

"I don't know."

"Is she going to be all right?"

"Rose, for the last time, _I don't know_."

Wanda's brows furrowed as she realized she was hearing Ten and Rose arguing. Figures. They always bloody argue. Well, no wait—she took that back. They did not always argue. Ten and Rose mostly just had a row whenever stress levels were high. When each one felt extremely pressured and were on high tensions with everything around. Which then resulted in them taking out their stress on each other from time to time. Though, not that they truly meant these spats as a way to be cruel to each other. Only, in a strange way, to help each other relieve some stress and feel better about the situation at hand. Which meant something bad must have occurred before Wanda had her blackout. But that just led her to her earlier question: Why could she not remember what she had been doing?

"Oi, you two, no need for a spat when the world is coming to an end," Wanda grumbled as she finally made herself open her eyes. Though it was still a struggle to do for her lids felt so heavy from exhaustion. Blinking, she saw the Doctor and Rose both next to her. Rose sat beside her on the ground, holding onto one of Wanda's hands, while the Doctor remained standing up with his hands in his pockets.

Wanda noticed instantly how something was wrong. Very wrong. The way Rose looked visibly shaken, and the deadpan expression the Doctor held on his face . . . Something terrible must have happened. Wanda glanced at Rose, squeezing the girl's hand as a sign of reassurance. But when she made this gesture, the companion's reaction was not that of being comforted. Instead, Rose flinched. Wanda blinked, greatly taken back by the way Rose appeared torn in remaining seated next to Wanda and seemed to rather move away all together. But when the companion saw the confused and wounded expression cross over Wanda's face, Rose instantly shook her head as if snapping herself out of something and smiled at the Time Lady in an assuring manner that everything was fine.

Feeling at a loss from how Rose appeared so unsettled by something, Wanda looked to the Doctor, hoping for some comfort or explanation from him. But when she looked into his brown eyes, all she received was a distant stare. As though he were not truly looking at her, but instead staring past her, through her, examining her. It was a stare he would normally give to someone who . . . someone who was not on his good side. A stare given to that of unfriendly company.

"Doctor? Rose? Is everything okay?" Wanda asked immediately, voice filled with concern and worriment for her closest loved ones. She sat up, quick to find out what had gone wrong since the last thing she remembered. Had someone from their group died? She knew that Pete and his other party from the parallel universe were supposed to be here by now. Had Pete died? Or Jackie? Or Mickey? Had any of them been seriously injured? And Rose or the Doctor been hurt as well? What happened? Wanda became woozy after sitting up at a quick rate. She wobbled where she sat, ending up leaning against Rose as the room around her tilted. The first thing Wanda noticed was the room was empty of all others besides Rose, the Doctor, and herself.

"You feeling okay, Wanda?" Rose asked her friend, gently patting the Time Lady on the back. Wanda could only shake her head in response as she had to keep her mouth clamped shut. Nausea built up within her very swiftly, and she knew she was going to be sick. She slapped a hand over her mouth, pointing in urgency at a nearby small trash bin sitting by a desk in the Breach room they were in. The Doctor seemed to get what Wanda was indicating as he moved away casually from the Time Lady, picking up the small bin and bringing it back over to her.

As soon as Wanda had the trash bin in her hands, she leaned right over it and began heaving. She trembled as she let nausea overtake her, gripping the sides of the bin so tightly that her knuckles turned white. She felt as though the sickness would never end, but fortunately, it soon subsided. Sitting back from the bin, she pushed it away in disgust, not wishing to have the smell make her even sicker. The Doctor took the bin and placed it back by the desk while Rose rubbed soothing circles on Wanda's back.

"Feeling better?" the companion asked.

"Not really, but I'll be okay," Wanda mumbled, giving Rose a small smile. Then her smile dropped, giving the companion a concerned expression as Wanda gently touched Rose's arm. "Are you all right? Had anything bad happened? I . . . I can't really remember anything much after . . . the Daleks." Wanda looked to the Doctor after Rose seemed uncomfortable and unwilling to reply to her questions. Then, seeing how the Time Lord was eyeing her, Wanda swallowed as an unsettled feeling swept through her. "Doctor? What's wrong?"

Standing stiffly next to the sitting Time Lady and Rose, the Doctor tightened his hands into to clenching fists within his pockets. He kept his gaze cool, showed no true emotion on his features, and made certain to only allow Wanda to see his infamous Oncoming Storm stare. For at the current moment, he felt the storm raging inside of him. During the time Alpha had taken over, his only thoughts were to get Wanda back. To get his _friend_ back. But now, after she was indeed back, he felt . . . betrayal. Hurt. Torn. And boiling anger building up to a peak. Because, while Wanda had been unconscious on the floor, as he had time to think over the events that had occurred, process past occurrences, and contemplate the very relations that he and Wanda held . . . all he could think of was one conclusion: That all this time . . . everything between them—the adventures, the laughs, the joys, the . . . relationship—had been nothing more than lies.

She was just . . . another puppet from the Time War. A puppet of the Daleks. Maybe she had been made to be their toy only for the war itself and had somehow made it out of the time lock. Or she could have been purposely placed with him in the TARDIS, made to get closer to him over time. Break his barriers down, make him fall for someone who seemed so innocent and was also the last of the Time Lords. This option seemed more logical to him out of all the other reasons he contemplated through his mind. He felt it made the most sense out of everything else today. Wanda, the Wanderer . . . she was nothing more than lies. She was not real. Alpha, that . . . _thing_ . . . she was the real one in charge.

Or was she? Maybe it was the other way around? Perhaps Wanda was the true personality and Alpha was the fake. It could have been Alpha had been forced into Wanda's mind long ago during the Time War. Then that would have meant she had known. All this time, Wanda had known that dangerous, wolf-like creature lived within her, ready to come out at a moment's notice. Yet she never once told him? Warned him in some way? Had she lied to him, tricked him all these years? What if this had been planned all along? What if she had purposely made herself trapped within his life, twisting it around so they would become close? Grown close to him because deep down the Daleks' programming or mind control or training made her? Had it all been nothing more than lies or a twisted scheme of some kind? Had he really let himself fall for someone else who would rip his hearts away like they were nothing?

"Doctor?"

Focusing away from the recesses of his mind, the Doctor stared at Wanda who now stood in front of him. She wobbled on her feet, looking weak, but remained standing all the same as she stared at him with great concern.

"What happened?" she asked him again. His hands tightening in their clenched position within his pockets, the Doctor felt the swell of anger rush out of him.

"How long have you known?" he grounded through his teeth in a deep tone of anger. Wanda blinked in shock as she felt unsettled by seeing the Oncoming Storm gaze directed at her. Never, in all the time they had spent together, had he ever sent her such an enraged expression. Even when Nine had thrown his temper at her, he would still hold back in showing his dwelling storm within. But now . . . She could almost understand now why so many felt fear when the Doctor directed his brewing storm at them.

"D-Doctor?" she questioned in uncertainty.

The Time Lord in front of her did not blink, only keeping his hard gaze and expression. Glowering at her in a way that made her hearts break. "How long have you known about Alpha?"

Wanda blinked, taken back by this question. There it was again. That name. The same name always seemed to be whispered by everyone in fear or in spite. Alpha. She felt fear in hearing this name, and also experienced a strange recognition to the name as well. "I don't . . . Who's Alpha?"

Watching Wanda's reaction carefully, it was clear to the Doctor that she had some sort of recognition of the name. So, that meant she was lying. Right to his face, she was misleading him. The one thing she always said she would never do. If she was lying to him now, then what else had she lied about through these years? Was anything she said true? Was anything they shared together real?

"You're lying," the Doctor gritted out. He let his hands slid out of his pockets as he took a step towards her. Staring down at her with the storm darkening in his eyes. Wanda actually took a step back, feeling confused and at a loss. What was going on? Why would the Doctor think she was lying?

"I'm telling you the truth. I don't know who Alpha is," she explained to defend herself. "I've heard the name a few times before, but I don't know anything more than that." Then, when seeing his hand come up, ready to point a finger of accusation at her, the deep red mark on his palm caught her attention. Before the Doctor could continue to go onto his rant of anger, she grabbed his hand in a gentle grasp, pulling the injured appendage up towards her so that she might get a better look at it.

Wanda stared at the hand in horror. It was worse than the first time she had seen it. Before, during the time they had met Donna, the Doctor's hand had been all bandaged up. He had never once allowed Wanda to see it clearly. The only thing she had gotten a glimpse of was the edges of red skin around the bandages. Never letting her take a proper look at the wound, it was as if . . . he feared to scare her of what sort of injury he had received. But now, seeing the hand freshly hurt . . . it was worse than she would have thought. The skin was still red. But it looked sick. Like a horrible, horrible burn. The veins around his wrist appeared inflamed, with black edges around them. The injury, it almost as if . . . something at killed the cells within the top tissues of the appendage.

"Your hand . . . You're hurt," Wanda whispered in dismay, her voice wavering. Her mind raced a mile a minute, thinking of all the horrible outcomes of what happened to his hand, and how it could have possibly happened. She glanced up, noticing how the Doctor winced as her grip tightened in her panic around his hand. He must be in terrible pain.

"Forget about my hand. You need to tell me the truth, Wanderer," the Doctor said gruffly, wishing she would stop staring at him with those worried eyes. Was that fake as well? Did she pretend because Alpha wanted to put up a front? Was Wanda's caring nature even real?

"Are you in pain? How bad of an injury is it? Do you have any medicine for it? Can we heal it faster, or is anything to ease the pain?" Wanda asked with rapid questions, ignoring the suspicious gaze the Doctor sent her. As if not believing she truly was panicking over his wound and was scared for him. Almost as though he no longer trusted her at all. She ignored the twist in her hearts at this thought. "How were you hurt? Is it serious? Can we treat it at all? Are you going to be all right?"

"Tell me about Alpha," the Doctor continued to bark at her, demanding for answers while he was still boiling with anger. If she continued to give him those pleading looks with her emerald eyes, his resolve might give in and he might not let himself see the lies that were there. The lie of her. He might see her as—

"Shut it!" Wanda gritted her teeth as the Doctor stiffened, holding a steady gaze with her piercing eyes. "You can yell at me and ask your questions later. Right now, you're hurt and we need to fix that. Now shut up and let me help you. And for Pete's sake, stop being Mister Grumpy Time Lord." Grabbing him by the upper portion of his other arm, she steered him over to a nearby desk, pushing him down to sit on a chair.

The Doctor sat there, stunned in how forceful she was. He tried protesting, but she merely shushed him. Even placing a finger onto his lips as she held a stern gaze as she kneeled in front of him. He watched her shaking hands dig around within her trouser dimensional pocket, pulling out a small medical kit. She then unbuttoned his wrist cuff of his suit jacket, then rolled up the sleeve of his dress shirt in the gentlest fashion possible. Then, she proceeded to clean the area of his injury with a healing solution, finishing up with wrapping his wrist and palm in medical bandages. All the while, her hands trembled as though she were greatly disturbed by the sight of him being hurt. He even saw a few tears falling down her face. Once she finished wrapping up his injury, she softly pulled up his hand and kissed it tenderly, with the Doctor's hearts beating in rapid pace from the gesture.

"I . . . I was the one who hurt you, wasn't I?" Wanda whispered once she moved the Doctor's hand from her lips. She stared up at him, her eyes welled up as she looked ready to burst. Her bottom lip quivered as she spoke. "You're angry with me because I hurt you."

"No. You didn't hurt anyone," spoke Rose. The companion finally snapped herself out of the stupor she had been in. Still sitting on the floor from when Wanda had awoken. Rose had been mutely listening to the Time Lords earlier, still lost in thought from the disturbing events from earlier in having met Alpha. But hearing Wanda sounding so upset in the idea of having hurt her precious Doctor, Rose shook herself out of her daze. Standing up, she marched right over to the Time Lady, picking her up from the floor. "You would never hurt anyone. Right, Doctor?"

The Doctor raised a brow at the companion, giving a disproving frown as he knew she was trying to avoid the subject. The same way he had before when First Wanda showed signs of having those strange headaches. But he was done avoiding now. He needed them all to face the truth behind Wanda.

"No, you did hurt me," he said sternly, eyeing Wanda as he watched her tense and looked greatly unnerved. "You hurt us all today."

"W-what?" Wanda breathed, beginning to panic now, feeling sick again at the idea she had hurt her husband and her friends. Why? Why would she ever do something like that? And she did not even remember it.

"It wasn't her, it was Alpha," Rose retorted crossly at the Doctor, throwing him a sharp glare. The Time Lord tossed in his own glare.

"But if Wanda had told us about Alpha, then none of this would have happened," the Doctor bit back.

"W-who's Alpha?" Wanda asked them. She gripping her hands tightly together in a shaking grasp as she felt the barrier within pound away along with her growing headache. The barrier, it felt angered by what was being said. As well as angry over her fear and panic from what the Doctor was telling her.

"Oh, come on, stop lying," the Doctor responded gruffly as he fixed and buttoned his shirt cuff once more. "You know exactly who I'm talking about. Don't try to act like you haven't known about Alpha. There's no possible way you could have not known of that . . . of that _thing_ living inside of you. Anyone could sense such a being inside their own mind. It would be impossible otherwise."

"If she says she doesn't know, then she's telling the truth. Wanda would never lie on purpose," Rose argued.

"I-I don't know," Wanda agreed, shaking her head rapidly. The room around her tilted as she fought with her headache in her mind. The ringing in her ears built up and the headache grew worse. Images suddenly flashed through her mind. Memories of herself . . . doing awful things. It was like watching in third person. She saw herself destroying the Dalek's Genesis Ark. Turning Rajesh to dust. Doing the same to the Cybermen. Causing the ground itself to shake in fear from the fury and power she had possessed. She began to quake, only half listening to the bickering Rose and the Doctor were doing next to her as she felt her world come crashing down. She . . . she was going to be sick. Her hearts cried in dismay and anguish at the knowledge of realizing she . . . she had hurt . . . she had killed.

She began to hyperventilate as other images began to jump at her. Dark walls. Children wailing. Blood. So much blood.

 _No! He wasn't supposed to tell!_

The Doctor and Rose snapped out of their argument as Wanda suddenly screamed next to them. They watched as she gripped her head and fell to the floor onto her knees.

"Wanda!" Rose cried, going to the floor next to her friend as the Time Lady grew limp, leaning against the companion as she fell unconscious. Wanda repeatedly jerked and twitched as she muttered rapidly 'I remember' under her breath. Standing up from the desk chair, the Doctor crouched down in front of the Time Lady, watching this occurrence carefully. It was just like those other two occasions. Were these 'relapses' even real? Were they false as well?

Wanda gasped as her eyes snapped open. She jerked away from Rose's grasp, stumbling as she seemed to gain her senses back as she blinked rapidly and gazed around the room. Finally, Wanda looked at the two staring at her.

"Doctor? Rose? Is everything okay?" Wanda asked instantly, her voice filled with the same worriment as it had before. Exactly what she had said when she had awoken the first time.

Rose bit her lip and glanced at the Doctor. Meanwhile, the Time Lord stared evenly at Wanda, wondering what exactly she was playing at. But then, he was shocked when Wanda gasped, going towards him and grabbing his one hand that hung limp at his side. She held his bandaged hand in trembling hands, appearing horrified all over again by the sight of his injury.

"Your hand . . . You're hurt," Wanda breathed, looking greatly stricken. The Doctor watched as she stared up at him, and saw the racing thoughts going through her mind from the way her eyes appeared. Panicking and fearing for him all over again. What? Why? Did she . . . not remember?

"Are you in pain? How bad of an injury is it? How were you hurt? Is it serious?" Wanda questioned just as rapidly as she had before. "Was it treated properly? Did you put enough medicine on it? Will you be all right?"

"You . . . you already bandaged it," Rose replied, shaking her head in confusion. Continuing to stare at Wanda in disbelief.

"What? What are you talking about?" Wanda responding, very confused as well as she furrowed her brow. "I just woke up. From the . . . from the Daleks." Her nose crinkled from the deep frown she was holding, the deep concentration. "Did I blackout from them? I don't really remember anything else after that." Wanda blinked, looking back and forth between the two as their mouths hung open slightly and were clearly beyond flabbergasted. "What?"

"She—she erased your memories," the Doctor uttered as it dawned on him what exactly happened. What might be happening every time Wanda went through one of her headaches. He knew Alpha said she would not change the personality of Wanda. But . . . erasing memories? That seemed something that Alpha was completely willing to do. Then again, Alpha already said she would not make Wanda forget about him and the others the Time Lady loved, since that would make Wanda sad. However, it appears Alpha was very quick to change other memories around. But why? What was the purpose? The Time Lady stared curiously at him, tilting her head in confusion.

"Who did what now?" she asked.

"Alpha," the Doctor muttered.

"Who's Alpha?" Wanda questioned, shaking her head as she seemed at a loss. After this was said, the Doctor tensed as he saw the brief white flash within the Time Lady's eyes. A warning. Alpha was telling him to shut up, or face the consequences. Swallowing thickly, the Doctor turned around when he heard the others finally coming back, glad for a distraction from the mess with Wanda. He would just try to figure out if she was even real or not later.

"Doctor, we got those magna-clamps you wanted," Mickey said as soon as he and the group walked into the room with clamps in hand.

"Good," said the Doctor as he bounced over to the two, grabbing the clamps from Mickey and going over to begin his work at Torchwood's computers.

"Pete! And Jake!" Wanda suddenly exclaimed merrily when she saw the two newcomers from the other universe. She bounced over in excitement, happy to finally be meeting the two. Even though she had met Pete from this universe, she was still happy in seeing parallel universe Pete and Jake. But she suddenly faltered when both Jake and Pete, along with the others from the other universe, took a step back when Wanda grew closer to them. Halting in her steps, blinking as she felt at a loss, Wanda could only stare at them. She felt a strange twist in her hearts at the way they looked at her. The way they appeared wary, as if nervous around a dangerous wild animal.

"Sorry. Didn't mean to make anyone comfortable with my outburst," Wanda said lightly, trying to ease off their and her own worries. "I know we haven't really met yet, so some random person knowing your names must be bizarre." She gave them all a kind smile, hoping that maybe it was just the tension of the day that made them all jumpy. A strange twinge went through her as Pete seemed to narrow his eyes at her, making her feel as if she had done something terrible to him. But then Jackie sent Wanda a warm smile, Mickey nodded in reassurance, and Rose walked up behind the Time Lady, patting her back. Well . . . at least not everyone was nervous around her. Wanda glanced over to the Doctor, seeing how he still refused to look at her since she had woken up from her blackout earlier.

What the hell happened that made everyone so . . . unsettled?

"You might want to hurry, Doctor. The Cybermen from all over are starting to advance onto Torchwood," Jake told the Time Lord. The Doctor merely nodded in response, not really paying attention.

"And . . . and the Daleks, too, right?" Wanda added in, trying to shake off her growing sense of fear. Something . . . something awful had occurred. She just knew it. Like a memory in the back of her mind, but it would not surface. Why? Was it because of the growing headache in her mind, or the fact that she felt so weak? In fact, why did she feel so weary and exhausted. And . . . She glanced down at her arms when she suddenly became aware of the many sharp cuts and gashes on her skin. Her hands appeared the worse as dried blood and fluids of some sort covered them. "Heh. Did I go through a blender of something earlier? My hands and arms are a mess."

"The Daleks are gone."

Wanda turned sharply around when the Doctor spoke, shocked when hearing him say this. An even stare was given to her in return from the Time Lord. Holding a blank expression with only a grim gaze from his brown eyes.

"I stopped them, destroyed the Ark, and you were hurt in the process," he replied, his tone somber. Though with a hint of an unwelcoming tension from him as well.

"W-what?" Wanda stuttered in utter disbelief as her mind raced with the possibilities through her mind. Nothing to which showed her the outcome of the Daleks being stopped before the Doctor opened the Breach once more. She winced at the sharp headache from the images, but ignored her throbbing mind as she kept focused on the Doctor. "How can that be? That can't have happened."

"Well, it did, all right," the Doctor retorted. Wanda flinched as she felt the directed Oncoming Storm gaze upon her. She backed up, eyes wavering as she stared at her Time Lord. The Doctor seemed to realize his harsh attitude towards her as he quickly dropped the strict demeanour, turning around to continue his work. He felt a twinge of guilt go through him as he knew it was not her fault. Or, at least, he hoped it was not.

"Right, Doctor, now that you have your girl with you, and those clamps, can you close the Breach now?" Pete spoke up, sounding edgy to get things over with.

"Well, only really needed the clamps," the Doctor responded casually, sounding indifferent now as he shut down his emotions, knowing his still surfaced anger will get him in trouble if he let it continue.

"Are you telling me you never needed that girl to begin with? You lied?" Pete said in outrage, pointing a finger at Wanda as a jab of sorts.

"Yep," the Doctor remarked, popping the 'p' at the end. Still not looking directly at anyone. "Had to get you lot to help me get her back, didn't I?"

Wanda watched as Pete and the others walked over to the Time Lord, fuming about something or another. She was still at a loss. Everything they were saying, everything that was happening, made absolutely no sense whatsoever. Every second she tried thinking it over, her mind merely pounded more. It hurt so much. She hurt so much. She could barely stand anymore as it was. She knew something terrible, horrendous, must have happened for the Doctor and the others to be acting and saying such strange things. The Daleks. The cuts on her body. The Doctor's injured hand.

"Hey? You all right?" came the gentle voice of Rose. Wanda blinked, snapping herself out of her inner turmoil and thoughts as she saw her friend had remained by her side, staring at her in concern and holding a firm hand on the Time Lady's arm for support.

"Y-yeah. Just tired is all," Wanda whispered, looking away from the smiling companion to the floor. Feeling dread build up within her as she tired focusing on the upcoming situation at hand and not what had happened beforehand. She could always go over what happened later with the Doctor . . . right? Swallowing heavily, Wanda could not help but to question the girl next to her. "Rose, did . . . did I do something bad?"

"No, it wasn't you," Rose replied firmly. Wanda gave the companion a quick side look, gazing away back to the floor.

"Okay, then . . . Did something hidden within me cause an awful occurrence?" Wanda breathed. Observing the companion's reaction from the corner of her eye, she saw Rose gulp, hesitating for her reply. Dread hit Wanda in the gut as in the back of her mind, she knew what had happened.

"Hey, don't worry about it, okay?" Rose said, trying to ease Wanda's fears, giving the Time Lady an encouraging smile. Though, the smile held some uncertainty as well. Taking in a deep breath, Wanda slowly let it out, knowing she needed to calm herself. Rose was right. This was not the time and place to be dwelling on what exactly had occurred earlier. Wanda would question more on that later. For now, . . . she knew she must concentrate on . . . Rose . . .

"You're right, Shelly," Wanda sighed, shaking her head lightly. "Forget about the past, focus on the future."

Rose blinked, frowning as she stared at the Time Lady with great concern now. "'Shelly'? Wanda, are you sure you're feeling all right?"

"Huh?" Wanda blinked as well, shocked as she realized her slip up. What? What was up with her? Why was her mind . . . glitching so much? It was becoming hard to concentrate on anything now. Everything hurt, her mind was fuzzy, the ringing in her ears would not go away, and every time she stared at Rose, she would see Shelly for some reason. Or . . . was she seeing Rose? It was hard telling anymore. She hardly remembered what anyone from her home world had looked like. In fact, every time she tired envisioning Shelly or Tina or even her parents, all she could image was her current friends in place of the old.

"Sorry. Sorry, my mind's in another place at the moment," Wanda said, smiling in reassurance. Rose seemed to accept this as she nodded and smiled as well.

"Cybermen are part of the problem, and _that_ makes them part of the solution! And really, isn't anyone going to ask, what is with the glasses?"

Wanda and Rose looked over to the Time Lord, seeing how he seemed to be going on in rambling to Pete and the others about what he was planning on fixing the Breach. However, he was doing his usual avoidance of a straight answer to everyone's questions. He was wearing the 3D glasses again as he had been observing the Cybermen marching towards Torchwood outside, and stood by the computers to the Breach, typing away as he began activating the hole between the universes.

"We're so used to you doing strange things, Doctor, that we tend to not bother asking anymore," Wanda spoke up, gaining the Time Lord's attention. The Doctor pulled off the red and blue lensed glasses, pouting as the Time Lady smiled cheekily at him. He could not help but let a small smile twitch on his lips. Even though he still felt somewhat betrayed and hurt by what happened earlier, he still loved the way she would always try to ease the situation with humour.

"Yes, well, anyway, I can see," the Doctor continued on explaining to the lot, hoping they would keep up with his plans for the day. "We've got two separate worlds, and in between the two separate worlds, we've got—."

"The Void," Wanda finished for him. Seeing the stern look the Time Lord shot her, she felt like looking away meekly, but, instead, she stuck out her tongue sassily as she knew she needed to help ease whatever had fallen between them. As well as in hopes of making up for whatever she had done to him and everyone else. "Sorry, didn't mean to steal your thunder."

"Yes, the Void," the Doctor went on, ignoring the sassy Time Lady. He knew she was trying to ease the tension between him and everyone else by being her normal giddy self. But . . . it would take some time before he could try to forgive her for what had happened. Even if it was not 'technically' her fault, it was still, in a way, her doing. "That's where the Daleks were hiding. And the Cybermen travelled through the Void to get here. And you lot—," the Doctor pointed at Pete, Jake, Mickey, and the others, "one world to another, via the Void. Everything that goes through the Void end up covered in, um . . ." He snapped his fingers, thinking of the correct term that the humans would understand.

"Void stuff?" Wanda offered.

"Like, um . . . background radiation," Rose added in. The Doctor smiled and nodded at the companion, but ignored the offer Wanda had made completely as he began working fast, getting the ghost shift system up to speed. They heard the computer announcing the countdown until the Breach would open once again.

"So, since the Cybermen are covered in the Void stuff—bristling with it—I'm going to open the Void and reverse," the Doctor told them. "The Void stuff gets sucked back inside."

"Pulling them all in!" exclaimed Rose in victory as she knew the Doctor had it all figured out. Just as he always did—saving the day. The companion beamed brightly at Wanda, ready to cheer with her friend, but blinked when seeing the Time Lady shaking instead. Rose felt the blonde gripping onto her hand with a trembling grasp. She was not certain why Wanda was so fearful all of the sudden. Patting the Time Lady's hand in reassurance, Rose hoped that everything did turn out all right in the end. She did not think Wanda could handle any more stress from the way she was slowly breaking down.

Noticing the quivering Time Lady in the corner of his eye, the reaction was ignored completely by the Doctor as he knew it was nothing. It was just Wanda either going through exhaustion or acting up again. He would just deal with it later, along with the long conversation he and the Time Lady would be having about what and _who_ exactly she was.

"Sorry. What's—what's the Void?" Mickey questioned, gaining everyone's attention, asking the same question that all of the humans had been wondering.

"The dead space. Some people call it Hell," the Doctor answered in a quick response.

"So . . . you're sending the Cybermen to Hell," nodded the man. Mickey gave a grin, glancing at Jake. "Man, I told you he was good."

"But they'll get sucked in as well," Wanda breathed, gaining everyone's attention. They saw the way she held Rose's hand in a vise grip, staring at the Doctor with wavering eyes. "The only one not covered in Void stuff is Jackie. All the rest will be pulled in along with the Cybermen. Even you."

"And you as well," said the Doctor, holding the same even stare at the Time Lady as before, trying to keep her from seeing any emotions from him whatsoever. "You're covered in just as much Void particles as the rest of us."

"Who cares about me. I just don't want anyone else to get hurt," Wanda replied sternly. Grabbing Rose more firmly, the Time Lady walked the girl over to her mother and parallel father, pushing her closer to the group from the other universe. Rose stared at Wanda in confusion and disbelief as Wanda held a steady gaze with the girl. "Rose . . . I'm sorry, but you have to go with them."

"What?" Rose asked in bewilderment, blinking rapidly at this statement.

"It's . . . it's the only way to keep you safe," Wanda said quietly, keeping her gaze averted from the companion's as she felt no longer able to stare into the hazel eyes of her dearest friend. If she stared at Rose's warm eyes any longer, her resolve to keep the hardship from coming might falter completely. Wanda knew she might just cave in and stop the fixed events from happening all together.

"She's right," the Doctor agreed, walking up to the companion and others. Glad that Wanda was still just as caring as he had always known her to be. At least that was something she held differently from Alpha. "You've got to go. Back to Pete's World." The Time Lord gave a half smile, finding this term humourous for a moment. "We should call it that—Pete's World." Shaking his head, he grew serious once more as he stared solemnly at the companion. A sharp twinge hit him as he knew this might have been the reason Wanda had been trembling. This was their goodbye. Their best friend and companion, leaving them forever.

"The Doctor, he's only opening the Void from this side," Wanda breathed, her voice so quiet and somber that only Rose and the Doctor could hear her. And still, her gaze remained fixed on the floor as she refused to meet Rose's eyes. "You, Pete, Jackie, Mickey, Jake, and all the others will be safe on the other side."

"And with the Breach being soaked in Void stuff, in the end, it'll close itself," the Doctor added in his take, keeping his voice steady. As well as his expression. Best not let Rose or the others see his resolve break. This needed to happen, whether any of them liked it or not. It was the only way now.

"But you two will stay on this side," Rose stated, shaking her head as she frowned at the two Time Lords. "You'll both be pulled in."

"That's why I had the others bring me the magna-clamps," the Doctor explained to her. "I can put them to the wall, and we'll just hold on tight. Been doing that all my life." He gave the companion a reassuring grin. One that Rose did not buy whatsoever as she narrowed her eyes at him.

"I'm supposed to go. Just like that?" said the companion in a low tone.

Merely staring back with a cool regard, the Doctor did not even blink at the heated eyes Rose was giving him. He had become quite used to the glares she would often give him when they had clashed before. "Yeah."

Rose's eyes narrowed more. "To another world, and then it gets sealed off."

Still, the Time Lord remained unblinking. "Yeah."

Rose scoffed, laughing sharply. "That's not going to happen. Right, Wanda?" Looking at the blonde in front of her, Rose's frown deepened. "Are you seriously okay with this?"

"Yes," Wanda mumbled as had her hair in front of her eyes, not meeting Rose's questioning and suspicious eyes. "It is what's best for us all. You'll be safe and happy."

"All right. Then look at me and tell me to leave, and I will," Rose grounded out in annoyance. Wanda gave a small shake of her head. The companion gritted her teeth together. "Wanda, look at me." Watching as the Time Lady shook head sharply, Rose reached forward and jerked the smaller blonde's chin up, making them stare at each other. Rose blinked as she saw the tears leaking down Wanda's face, visibly shaken by what was going to happen.

"I . . . I don't want you to go," Wanda whispered, sniffling with her voice wavered as she seemed to plead for her friend's life. Suddenly, the building shook violently as they heard the barking orders of the Cybermen outside. Wanda stumbled away from Rose as the quaking continued, barely holding onto the girl's hand for dear life. Pete swiftly marched forward with a determined expression as he jerked the girl's hands apart, throwing a severe look at the Time Lady.

"We haven't got time to argue, and this isn't your decision. The plan works. We're going," Pete barked, specifically glowering at Wanda as he pulled Rose away.

"Let me go! I'm not going!" Rose shouted, angered by the way Pete directed her like she was some child, and how he glared at her friend. Suddenly, Rose stiffened as someone placed a yellow disc chain around her neck. Turning her head around, she saw the Doctor just behind her having been the one to place the device on her. "No!" Then, in a flash, she and the others were all gone.

There was a long moment of silence from the two Time Lords as they merely stood in place, gazing at the spot where their companion and best friend had disappeared from.

"I . . . I didn't even get to say goodbye," Wanda breathed out shakily. She wiped away her tears, knowing she should not be crying. She did not deserve to cry. And really, the Doctor did not get a chance to say farewell, either. It must be tearing him up just as badly. For her to let her emotions get the best of her was just another way she burdened her husband with her always being a drag in some ways. "I'm sorry. I know you must have wanted to say goodbye as well."

"It's for the best," the Doctor replied, no emotion within his voice as he walked over to the desks, getting the magna-clamps ready as he placed the first one onto the wall. Just next to the one lever that would activate the Breach. In disbelief to his cold demeanour and bleak response, Wanda could only shake her head in dismay to how the Doctor was reacting.

"Aren't you even a little remorseful to her being gone?" she said gruffly.

The Doctor turned sharply towards her, eyes blazing as his irritation spiked. "You don't think I'm not upset? That I won't miss Rose, my best mate? Of course I will! Don't think of me as heartless as you!"

Wincing, Wanda felt a sharp twinge go through her, stinging her to the core at this remark from him. "What? You think I'm heartless?" She watched as he snapped his mouth closed, giving a quick shake of his head.

"No, I didn't mean . . . What I meant . . ." The Doctor let out a frustrated breath as he ran a rough hand over his face, not looking at her once again. As for every time he stared at her, all he could see was the cruel gaze of Alpha. All he could envision as that _thing_ living within Wanda. "Never mind. Just get to work, would you?"

Wanda could only stare at him for a moment longer. Wondering once again why he was so angry with her. Sucking in a breath, she walked forward, grabbing the other magna-clamp and going over to place it on the other side of the room right behind the second lever for the Breach. Her grip remained tight on the bar of the clamp, staring hard at the wall in front of her as she heard the Doctor muttering behind her. "Whatever I had done to you, I'm sorry."

Scoffing came from the Time Lord as he glanced up at Wanda's back. "What makes you think you did anything wrong?"

"From the way you're acting, I know it must have been something. Something awful." She turned, staring at him more fully now with sad eyes. "I'm sorry. Whatever I had done . . . I am so sorry."

He looked away from her, unable to meet her woeful eyes. "You didn't do anything wrong. So, quit worrying and just shut up already."

Observing him for a moment longer, Wanda turned away, walking over to the lever next to her to prepare for the Breach opening.

"I think this is the 'on' switch."

Both Time Lords swiftly jerked their heads when they heard Rose Tyler's voice. The companion stood in the middle of the room, tossing the yellow disc away from her as she smirked at them both.

"Thought you just get rid of me that easily?" she joked, a chortle held in her tone. Wanda could not help it. The beaming smile on her face appeared as she felt herself become giddy at the sight of her friend.

"Rose!" she exclaimed with a laugh.

"What are you doing?!" the Doctor barked in outrage, storming over to the girl. He gripped her arms, shaking her. "Once the Breach collapses, that's it! You will never be able to see her again, you own mother!"

"I made my choice a long time ago, and I'm never going to leave you two," Rose said evenly, staring back at the angry Time Lord coolly.

"Oi, Doctor, lay off her, will you?" Wanda spoke up, lightly pushing the Time Lord away after walking up to the two of them. "Rose is a big girl. She can make her own stupid choices. As for you, Rose Tyler," Wanda gave the girl a sharp smack on the head, "you're an idiot."

"Yeah. I've learned it from the best," Rose replied cheekily. Wanda rolled her eyes, smiling all the same as she was glad to see her friend again. But then . . .

"Rose, you should really go back," Wanda told the girl, keeping a steady gaze with the girl.

"No, I really shouldn't," Rose responded, giving the Time Lady a curt nod as she crossed her arms. "I'm not going and that's that."

"Rose," Wanda gave an exasperated sigh. Rubbing a hand through his hair in aggravation, the Doctor shook his head, grumbling under his breath.

"It's too late for Rose to go back now. She can just help us like normal," he said gruffly. Eyeing the companion, he smiled lightly at her. "Good to have you, though." He gave the companion a quick hug before running over to the computers, getting the systems up as the computer announced the Breach ready for activation. Truly happy that Rose was not leaving him and Wanda just yet. They still had plenty of adventures to go on. And he just knew Rose could help him figure out what was wrong with Wanda so that they might save her. Save the Time Lady from whatever cruel fate the Daleks and Alpha had done to her.

Wanda pinched her thumb behind her back as she watched Rose and the Doctor at work, knowing what was to come now. It was too late. She could not stop it. Even . . . even though she wanted to. It was like with Amy, Rory, and Melody at Demons Run all over again. All Wanda could do was stand aside and let time run its course. As she knew she must always do when it came to certain points in time. There were just some things that could never be changed or shifted. And Rose would get her happy ending. So . . . so Wanda knew there must be no reason for her to feel so torn for what was to come. There was no reason for her to feel sad for the companion when it would only lead to happiness.

Gripping at her chest, trying to ignore the deep sense of desperation to keep her friend alive and by her side. Trying to ignore the strange feeling within her as if she had seen this happen to another a long time ago. Seen another dear, dear friend die on her—No wait, Rose was not dying. Why did she keep thinking and imaging Rose dying? That was not going to happen. Not at all. Everyone was going to be fine. Shelly would live like always and—Wanda gasped, gripping her head as a sharp jab went through her mind. Stop it. She had to stop it. Whatever the heck was wrong with her, she had to fight it. Had to concentrate. Had to focus. For the Doctor, for her Theta. For Rose, for her friend. Shaking her head, Wanda jogged over, helping Rose and the Doctor set up the Breach quicker as she knew the Cybermen would be upon them very soon.

The three then ran over to the power levers. The Doctor on one side, holding the lever at the ready, while Wanda and Rose went to the other side, gripping the lever together.

"When it starts, just hold on tight," the Doctor instructed the girls. "Shouldn't be too bad for us, but the Cybermen are steeped in void stuff." Looking to them, seeing how both held such deep determination to pull through this day, he nodded curtly at them. "You ready?"

"Ready," both replied firmly.

Together, the three of them pushed the power levers up, activating the Breach. They then ran to the magna-clamps, wrapping their arms around the bars as they all gripped on for dear life as the hole in the universe opened. A great gale of wind pulled at them, making all three of them lift off their feet as the Breach began sucking in all who had travelled through the Void. The while light from the Void grew brighter and brighter as the hole opened wider, bringing in thousands of Cybermen up from the streets below and from the rest of the world. Consuming all of the metal men hungrily. All the while, the trio could hear the Cybermen screaming as they flew through the air and into the Void.

"The Breach is open!" the Doctor shouted over the uncontrollable windstorm from the Void. "Into the Void! Ha!" Rose grinned brightly along with the Time Lord as Wanda stared at the one lever next to her and the companion, waiting now for the time.

It came too soon for Wanda. All of it, it was too sudden. For before she knew it, one of the Cybermen came zooming in along with the others, banging with a loud clang into the power lever for the Breach. The machine sparked wildly and the lever shifted downwards as the system began to go offline once more. As the winds slowed down, so did the Cybermen being sucked into the Void. The Doctor stared at the power lever in alarm, knowing without both levers up and running, there would be no stopping the Cybermen or the tear in the universe. Wanda gripped onto the magna-clamp tighter, swallowing heavily now. Maybe . . . Maybe if she could do it herself, she might be able to—

In a blink, Rose left the magna-clamp, grabbing onto the lever before Wanda even realized the companion had left her side. Collectively, both Time Lords felt their hearts freeze in place, watching as Rose struggled to hold onto the lever as she got it back up into position. Soon, she succeeded in her goal and was hanging onto the metal lever for her life as the gale picked up once more and the rest of the Cybermen were pulled into the Void. Watching in dread, Wanda could only stare at her friend as Rose clung to the lever, gazing back to the Time Lady fearfully.

"Rose! Hold on!" the Doctor shouted over the gusting winds of the Void, watching the companion in fright for her life.

Rose let out a small scream as her hands began to slip from the lever. Then, without a second warning, she lost her grip and began to fly backwards towards the whiteness of the Void. There was a loud smack as a sudden hand grabbed the companion's, stopping her in mid-fall. Rose gazed with wide eyes at Wanda, who held onto the girl with one hand while the other clutched at the lever. Both girls were sideways in the air as the whirlwinds around them still pulled with all its might, ready to devour them both.

"Hang on, Rose! Don't let go!" Wanda screamed at her friend, gripping the girl's hand as if her own life depended on it. She could not do it. She could not sit idly by and watch her friend leave forever, or to somehow slip into the Void to die. Wanda knew she _must_ save her friend. She had to save her! She could not let her die again! Wanda squeezed her eyes shut as she forced herself to hold onto the lever with all her might.

But her might was not good enough. The pull from the Void was too strong. Her body was too weak from the turmoil it had gone through that day. The more she held on, the more her muscles in her body screamed for rest. Each clenched hand began to quake as she was slowly losing her grip. Rose's eyes widened more as she realized what was happening. And the Doctor, who had felt his hearts freeze over entirely and his breath leave him the moment the saw Wanda letting go of the magna-clamp to catch her friend, let out a wild pleading scream.

"WANDA!" he bellowed in desperation, eyes staring at her in pure terror in seeing her losing her hold on the lever. He held out a hand towards her direction, frantic in wanting to catch her and keep her safe.

Wanda was unable to look at his direction as she fixated everything on keeping Rose with her. But then, she gasped as she felt the squeezing hand of Rose. Eyes whipping to her friend, hearts stopping completely, she saw the small smile on Rose's face. A memory flashed from Wanda's mind as she recalled a very similar smile during a very comparable situation. Eveleen Sommer, from the Midnight shuttle bus, had given her that very same smile. The smile that said . . . 'goodbye.' Then, before Wanda knew what was happening, Rose jerked her hand out of the Time Lady's grasp, letting herself fall back towards the Void.

"NO! SHELLY!" Wanda howled in utter despair. Her hand, still outreached and grasping at thin air as she only wanted Rose to be within her reach and safe. She watched as the companion drew closer and closer to the Breach, ready to be pulled into the Void. Then, in a blink, Pete Tyler appeared, with yellow disc in hand and snatched Rose just as she was about to fall into the white nothingness, and the two vanished from sight in the next instant. Both of them going back to Pete's World for good.

Wanda's hand on the lever trembled and finally gave out, letting her fall to the Void to follow the same path Rose had almost gone. She looked over to the Doctor, seeing the silent screaming of panic and terror on his lips. The wind from the Void being too deafening for her to hear what he was shouting as he held out his hand towards her direction. And, like Rose, fate decided to spare Wanda from the Void. The Breach faltered, the winds died down, and the Void snapped shut. The blinding whiteness disappeared in a blink just as Wanda slammed against the white wall of Torchwood Tower. She fell to the floor in a heap, laying there facing the wall as the computers called out all systems being closed for good. All was silent and still as Wanda simply remained there on the cold chilled floor, staring blankly at the wall where the hole of the universe had been.

Shakily, her hand reached up as she slowly sat up from the floor, feeling the freezing wall that matched the similar coldness which seemed to have washed over her. Her breathes came in and out at a building rapid pace. Hyperventilating, she began slapping, then slamming, then pounding at the wall as tears poured out of her emerald eyes and down her pale cheeks. All the while, desperate screams ripped right out of her lungs as she almost clawed at that damn white wall that she knew separated her from her friend. Her only friend.

"NO! BRING HER BACK!" Wanda beseeched to the wall, pleading, begging as her voice wailed. "Bring her back! Please, bring her back! Don't let her leave, please! Don't let her leave me!" Sobs tore from her as she slumped against the wall, weakly slamming her fists against the concrete as she continued to wail for the loss of her dearest friend.

Gentle but strong hands slowly touched her back, moving up to her shaking shoulders. She felt herself being pulled back from the wall, turning to face the crouched man in front of her. She could barely see him through the thick tears in her eyes. But she knew it was the Doctor, coming to comfort her. She wept even harder, falling into his chest as he wrapped his arms around her, holding her so tight against him and rocking her as he rubbed circles on her back. All the while, she clung to him, muttered weakly against his chest as her mind had gone through too much and a few barriers, ones that had already been cracked on that day, started to leak out even more muddled images from a haunting past.

"Shelly. Shelly. It's all my fault. All my fault. I'm sorry. So sorry. Shelly. Shelly. All my fault. My fault," Wanda repeated in a broken voice over and over again as she constantly twitched against the Doctor.

Gazing down with tears in his eyes, he saw how Wanda's eyes had turned blank and dull, staring at nothing as she continuously trembled and jerked in his grasp. Arms closing around her even tighter, the Doctor pressed his lips to the top of her head, letting whatever horrifying visions she was seeing pass. Soon to be forgotten once more.

XxXxXxXx

Three days.

That was how long it had been since Torchwood. Three long, slow days. Days that seemed to drag on and on. The clock never ticking for the couple within the TARDIS. Neither had fully rested since that awful day. Neither had let themselves fully heal, either. All other small wounds on the Doctor were fine. Only his hand remained damaged from the strange injury he had received. Wanda's wound had closed up mostly. She had already cleaned herself up, taking a scalding showering to scrub away her woes. After this, she had remained by the Doctor's side, ever vigilant in helping him succeed in their tasks. Their goal to contact Rose through the last tear in the universe, and to say . . . their last goodbyes.

Currently, Wanda sat on the captain's chair, holding one of Rose's blouses in her hands. She continuously thumbed the thin material of the once companion's shirt, staring distantly at the purple colouring as she remembered helping Rose pick out this particular blouse a long time ago during a day on a market planet. A shiver went through the Time Lady, making her pull her maroon overcoat tighter around herself. Since that day in Torchwood, she just could not stop shivering as the coldness never seemed to leave her now. And she felt so tired, hungry, and weak. Her stomach cramping up and gurgling away in an unpleasant noise. Gripping at her middle, she tried getting the nauseous feeling to pass, not wishing to throw up again for a fifth time this day.

Next to the console, the Doctor continued to repeatedly glance over to Wanda as he went on this his work, knowing he had to finish this for her. To give her the last goodbyes she so desperately wished to give Rose. To her best mate. Their lost Rose. Guilt laid heavily upon him as he knew this was his fault. He had caused Wanda's sadness. Never before had he seen her so . . . miserable. Well, no, he took that back. He had seen her in this sort of state before. On a rare few occasions. And during those times, she had seemed even sadder then than during this moment. But with the constant sickness she seemed to be going through, it worried him greatly. No matter how often he would check on her, Wanda always seemed so pale. Her freckles stood out even more than usual.

Looking away in dejection, he knew there was another thing he wished to do for her. But . . . damn him. He could still not get himself to tell her. He had already apologized in the way he had acted beforehand. Guilty over how harshly he had judged her and had been foolish enough to ever think that his . . . his Wanderer could even remotely be something like Alpha. She would never purposely lie to him, deceive him, or to be cruel to others. Not with her full mind. For Wanda could never be any of that on her own accord. No, Wanda was simply a victim of the Time War. He knew that now. There had been so many victims from that horrible war. So many lives that he tried mending, a punishment for his own actions during the war. Now, he had another life that he knew he must mend. No matter how long it took, he knew he needed to fix Wanda's mind, her memories, and to get Alpha out of her completely.

Of course, when he had cried into Wanda's shoulder, telling her how sorry and foolish he was, though unable to tell her why exactly he had been so angry with her to begin with, she had smiled and immediately told him, 'Idiot. There's no need to apologize. I'd already forgiven you.' He had smiled right after this, touched in how instantly she would always forgive him. Just as she had promised so long ago, never would she hold something against him. And for this, he knew, in the future, no matter what she would do or what Alpha could do, he would also always forgive and forget. Then, of course, when she tried to apologize as well, crying over what happened to Rose and saying sorry repeatedly of whatever she had done to him to back at Torchwood, he had swiftly kissed her, letting her know there was nothing to be sorry for. She was forgiven by him, too.

Still, however, he questioned who the real her was. He felt constantly plagued in wondering . . . who was the real Wanderer in the end? Was it really her? Truly her real name? Or was it someone else entirely? Was her mind her own? Were her memories real? What was she? Who was she? Did she . . . He swallowed heavily, questioning if she truly loved him at all.

Glancing over at her again, he saw how she shivered and wrapped her arms around her middle, sniffling as it seemed she were letting herself come undone once again. Just as the many times she had let herself fall apart over the loss of their Rose. Walking over to her, he crouched down next to the seat, patting her knee gently as he showed her a warm smile.

"I've sent the mental link to Rose last night. She should be seeing my message as a dream when she's asleep in Pete's World," he said quietly. Wanda forced herself to stop shivering, giving him a weak smile in return.

"Good. We'll be seeing her soon, then," she replied softly. She let her hand fall onto his, giving injured appendage a light squeeze. Pulling the hand up, she kissed it again as she often did whenever she had a chance. Each time, it sent a wave of warmth through the Time Lord as his hearts soared. Letting his hand lay back on her lap, she looked up to the scanner just behind him, seeing the supernova outside the orbiting TARDIS doors on screen. "How long will the supernova last during the transmission?"

"Two minutes. Five tops," the Doctor told her. "It'll be a while before the connection establishes and stabilizes. So . . . we have some time."

"How long do we have to wait?" Wanda scooted over on the chair, allowing the Doctor to sit next to her. They kept holding onto each other's hand, either one wishing to ever let go.

"Hard telling. But the TARDIS will let us know when she's ready." The soft hum of the console room was the only thing that broke the silence between them. Neither one wished to speak as they remained focused on watching the scanner continue with its calculations and connection settings. Anticipating when the moment would arrive for them to tell Rose their last goodbyes. But there was also a feeling of dread as well.

"I thought I was going to lose you, too."

Wanda blinked, turning her head to stare at the Doctor, seeing how he kept his eyes fixed on the console. Stone-faced as it seemed he let all emotions within shut down as he feared in overwhelming her from the true torment within him. "Huh?"

"When you let go of the power lever, falling toward the Void . . . I thought I'd lost you. Forever. I . . . I-I don't know what I would have done if you had been lost to me." His hand tightened around hers. "It was like my hearts were being ripped apart in every second you fell."

She squeezed his hand in comfort, thumbing the rough skin of his palm. "But I'm fine, Theta. Please, don't tear yourself over what could have happened. Or even what did. It's not your fault. None of it was. Rose and I both know that."

"But it could have happened. It would have if it had been a second sooner. Then you would never know that I . . ." The Doctor looked at Wanda beside him, feeling the buildup of what he wanted to say to her. The words felt ready to burst through him, announcing what his hearts were screaming, pleading to say at that very moment.

It was similar to how he had felt down in the Beast's pit on that impossible planet. When he had dangled there by that cable that Ida had lowered him down with, knowing that he was going to let himself fall down into the depths of where the Beast lived, he had wanted to say it then, too. He tried to say it, telling Ida to pass on the needed message to Wanda if contact had been established again once he was gone. But he had been idiotic then as well. He had been unable in his own stubborn way to admit it, to let himself say what was on his mind or his hearts. With a second of him letting the moment pass and himself fall into the pit, he regretted it instantly, believing that he had missed his chance to ever let Wanda know what true regard he held for her.

And this time, it was the other way around. Instead, it was her that had fell towards a bottomless pit. Towards the Void, Hell itself in the making. She would have been trapped. For all eternity, in endless nothingness. The only thing she would have had in remembering him, the last moments they had together, was his anger and harsh attitude towards her. She would only remember him in a moment of frustration and doubt. Never knowing how he truly felt for her. And for all time, he would regret his last actions and words towards her. He would never have the chance to make amends. Never to solidify their relationship permanently by telling her that he . . .

Turning to her, his hands came up to hold her arms, making them both face each other squarely. She blinked in confusion as he swallowed thickly, gaining up his resolve.

"Wanda, I . . . I . . .," he tried speaking but failed. Damn him. Why could he not say it? It was three words. Just three. He could speak thousands of words in a single breath. Why could only three simple ones be so hard to say? Wanda smiled softly, reaching up to thumb at the side of his face tenderly.

"It's okay, Doctor," she spoke softly. "You don't have to say it now. You always have other Wandas to say it to." Her eyes were so kind, so understanding. That mystical gaze within her emerald irises that had always captivated him, that held such deep emotions whenever she would look at him. His resolve strengthened as his grip on her arms tightened, determined to get his words out now or never.

"No. It doesn't matter about later Wandas. What matters is you, the Wanda here and now," he told her, voice filled with strong emotion. The words felt ready to burst from him, but he knew he needed her to understand what he has felt for her all this time. She must understand and to never feel that he doubted her ever again. Not by any means. And to let her know just how torn he felt on what had almost occurred for them both. "I would have always been thinking of what could have happened. I would have always been wondering and plagued by what I could have said to you. This you, now. I would have always thought back to this day and wished I could have said it.

"But I'll say it now," he continued. "Because _you're_ my Wanderer. It doesn't matter how young or old you are. It doesn't matter whether you're blonde or raven or even brunette. None of that matters. All that matters is that you're _my_ Wanderer." He cupped her face with both hands, watching as her eyes sparkled as he held a deep gaze with her. His hearts soaring even higher as the words finally left him. "You're my Wanderer, and I love you."

He then sealed his declaration with a kiss. Their lips seared together as the Time Lord bond sparked up at a fierce level, making them both feel as though nothing else in the universe matter expect for this moment between them. Here and now, that was all either one cared about. Wanda tangled her fingers through her Theta's messy hair as she was pulled up against him. Light smacking came as their lips danced, molding their passion so each could feel the love the other felt. Soon, Wanda pulled away, keeping their gaze locked as she held such a smile on her face. Pure radiance as the Doctor smiled as well. Joyful tears were in her eyes as she felt such elation in finally being within the moment when the Doctor her told how he felt.

"You're my Theta, and I love you, too," she told him, her voice soft, loving, as she let her fingers trail down to thumb his face.

"Wanderer," he sighed in relief, capturing her into a kiss once more. But they abruptly pulled away as the TARDIS console beeped, letting them know the connection was finally ready. It was time for their last goodbyes.

Both stood up quickly, going over to help the TARDIS establish a firm line with the parallel universe. Wanda left the purple blouse on a railing, forgetting it for the moment as she focused on getting their task done. The control room flashed its lights at the connection was officially made, bringing in the image of Rose Tyler into the room in front of them. The Doctor and Wanda turned, facing the blurred image of the companion. She wore a long-sleeved, black jacket, seemed bundled up from whatever cold place she had arrived to in hopes to talk to them once more. Rose looked at them both with wavering eyes, hair whipping around her face as it seemed she stood somewhere very windy. A small smile appeared on the girl's face as it appeared she felt joy in seeing them both again once more.

"Where are you?" she asked them both immediately, her curiosity to how they were contacting her outweighing the need to tell them everything else she wanted to say.

"Inside the TARDIS," the Doctor explained gravely to the distant companion. "There's one tiny little gap in the universe left, just about to close. And it takes a lot of power to send this projection. We're in orbit around a supernova. We're burning up a sun just to say goodbye." Both Time Lords smiled dully at this. Rose, however, only looked even more devastated than before as her eyes wavered once again. Seeming to be holding back tears in knowing this was the end for them. The end of their adventures, forever.

"You both look like ghosts," she remarked, staring at them both as she was seen trying to see them more clearly than what they appeared before her. Wanda pulled out her sonic screwdriver from her coat, aiming it at the console, adjusting the projection. Rose's own image came in more clearly, making it look as if she were standing just there with them. As though they were talking like normal in the control room as they always had. The companion moved closer to them, staring in desperation at them as she raised a hand towards the two Time Lords.

"Can we touch?" she asked them.

"No," Wanda told the girl sadly.

"We're still just an image," the Doctor replied gravely.

Rose dropped her hand to her side, appearing dejected by this. She wanted to ask if they could come through the gap in the universe. To be with her in this world. But . . . she knew this could never be. The universe, her old home, needed the Doctor and the Wanderer. There was still so much more to come for them both. That much Rose did know. And, if things were truly meant to be different than this, this separation between the three of them, she knew Wanda would be smiling away, assuring them all that everything would be fine in the end. Just as she always did. Not this time, however. Rose only saw the grave, somber expression from the Time Lady. Letting the girl know that this was the end for them all. It was just . . . too soon for Rose.

"I wish . . .," Rose began speaking, trying to convey her desire to see them properly. To be with them again. Both Time Lords gave another sad smile.

"I know," the Doctor said quietly.

"Us, too," Wanda breathed. Rose's lips quivered as she tried smiling as well, glad that they all wanted the same thing.

"Where are we? Where did the gap come out?" the Doctor suddenly questioned, gazing around as if seeing what landscape their images had appeared at within the other universe. Though really, he was simply staring at the control room around the TARDIS. Unable to truly see where Rose was.

"We're in Norway. About fifty miles out of Bergen," Rose explained, looking around where she was in the other world. Wanda knew the girl was standing on a beach at the moment. The beach with the name—"It's called Darlig Ulv Stranden. Translates as 'Bad Wolf Bay.'" Rose gave wet laugh through her built up tears, ready to cry. But she withheld, keeping her smile as she did not wish to have their goodbye to be sad. As she knew neither of them wanted that either from the way their kept their small smiles strained on their faces. However, when Rose spoke again, her voice spoke of nothing but sorrow. "How long have we got?"

"About two minutes," the Doctor told the crying companion.

Rose nodded, breathing in and out to steady herself. Straightening up, she stared at the Doctor with full resolve. "Doctor, there's something I've been wanting to tell you. I've wanted to say . . . that I love you."

The Doctor gave the companion a sympathetic smile. "I know. I'm sorry."

Rose glanced down, watching as he held Wanda's hand even more firmly then. Smiling warmly, Rose felt relief as she finally got that load off her chest, and to see the two together as they should be. "Just had to get that out in the open. Don't worry, I'm not upset at all. I was rooting for you two from the start." She laughed, holding a more brightly lit smile this time. Eyeing Wanda, seeing the guilt crossing the Time Lady's face, Rose crossed her arms sternly. "And stop being dramatic with the guilt, Wanda. You know we both wouldn't have it any other way."

Wanda felt the Doctor squeezing her hand. Raising her gaze from the floor, Wanda saw each of them smiling at her in reassurance that things were fine this way. She smiled and nodded, knowing she would let herself feel guilty over this later. For now, it was best to make this a happy goodbye.

"I know. I'm sorry," Wanda whispered, gazing solely at Rose now. "Rose, I'm so sorry. I know things haven't worked out the best for you. But I promise, you will find your own Doctor one day. And don't think this is the last time we will see each other. There will be one more time of us visiting in the future." She winked, happy to have given Rose hope as the girl's smile grew.

"Good," Rose replied, nodding firmly. She then gazed more serious at the other blonde, holding a thoughtful expression. "Wanda, there's been something on my mind since . . . since that day. It's been three months now, and it's all I can really think about."

"What's that?" Wanda asked curiously, wondering what could possibly plague Rose more than not being able to be with them on the TARDIS.

"It's just . . . something I've been wanting to say . . .," Rose bit her lip, shifting on the spot. She laughed, shaking her head. "I'd thought . . . I'm being stupid, but it's just . . . maybe I should tell you that . . . just to get another thing off my chest . . ."

"Rose?" Wanda stared at her, trying to understand what the girl was trying to convey.

The lost companion looked at the Time Lady, then to the Time Lord next to her. The Doctor held an expression of understanding and sympathy. If anyone looked at them during that moment, one might assume they were conveying of a secret that only they shared. Rose bit her lip harder while the Doctor nodded as if to encourage her.

"Wanda, . . .," Rose tried speaking, but her voice caught in her throat. When Rose's eyes met Wanda's, her shoulders visibly slumped. In the end, she let out a sigh and soft smile, shaking her head. "No. Nevermind, me."

"Rose . . . ," the Doctor mumbled quietly, swallowing when seeing the lost companion's firm gaze.

"It's fine, Doctor. I'm fine," Rose said quietly, smiling even more now through her watery gaze. She looked at Wanda, her expression turning to a strained, sad, slim smile. "There's just . . . something I need to ask you."

"Anything," Wanda assured the girl, wanting nothing more than to give Rose whatever she wanted. In anything she wished to say, to help her find peace and ease, Wanda wanted that for her friend.

Rose bit her lip, seeming uncertain if she should ask such a bizarre question. But it was something she wanted to know. Something that, in the back of her mind, told her she needed to bring up the topic. To have Wanda herself question this as well. "When I fell . . . when I was falling towards the Void . . . you yelled out a name. You yelled for Shelly, your old mate." Rose stared at the Time Lady, seeing how Wanda was stunned by this, looking as though she did not remember screaming that name at all. Just as Rose suspected. "Do you . . . have any idea why you'd shout Shelly's name?"

Wanda shook her head, not understanding what Rose was asking. Shelly's name? She did not remember saying that name at all. But then . . . she remembered more clearly. Rose falling. The desperate cry that had ripped from Wanda's lungs. She had screamed for Shelly. Why? She was just as confused as Rose was for the slip of that old name. "I don't know. I didn't mean to. I'm sorry."

"Wanda . . . I remember how Gwyneth told us both once how we would be with our families one day," Rose said slowly, seeming to try to help Wanda in some ways in remembering. In fighting against Alpha in her mind that kept memories at bay. "She said how Shelly and Tina were in the same place my dad was. Do you think . . . Do you think that Shelly's dead? Do you remember Shelly dying?"

Wanda's breath left her as her mind halted. Everything seemed to go still as an icy feeling swept over her. Her breath froze in place as the room around titled. The more she stared at Rose, the more she saw Shelly staring back at her. The more Wanda felt her memories from her old home went fuzzy and short-circuited. Then, everything went blank, and she could not recall a single image of Shelly at all. Only to see Rose standing before her. Nothing . . . Nothing seemed right. Everything, absolutely everything, was wrong.

"I-I don't remember," Wanda said, hitching in breath. Her eyes wavered even more. "I-I-I can't remember. All I remember is. . . Rose . . ." She stared at Rose, alarmed as she suddenly became aware of the image of the companion slowly fading away. "Rose!" Wanda leaped forward, reaching for her friend just as the image of Rose reached for her as well. No! It was too soon! They did not have enough time to talk at all, to ease Rose's pain away. She wanted Rose to feel at peace, not to worry about them. Not to worry about herself.

But Wanda's hand swept through nothingness as Rose's vanished completely. The control room remained perfectly still, motionless as none could believe it had ended so suddenly. That the goodbye could be gone, just like that. The shivering began through Wanda once more as tears began running down her face. She hiccupped, clutching hands to her mouth as she tried holding in her sobs. She felt the Doctor slowly hug her from behind, shaking as well. For he too was crying and mourning over the loss of their friend.

Letting her hands drop from her mouth, Wanda stared over her shoulder to her Theta, eyes brimming with sadness and despair. "She's gone." Nodding, the Doctor held her tighter, allowing Wanda to turn in his grasp as she hugged him as well. Burying her face into his chest. Then, she asked one last desperate question. A question that seemed to simply spill right out of her. "Why can't I remember?"

"I don't know," the Doctor said, holding her as tight as he could. Wishing to bury this day away for good and let them both forget their woes completely. "But I'll figure it out. I promise."

However, time had other plans as a sudden yelp gained the attention of the two grieving Time Lords. They instantly pulled away from each other, looking around towards the front of the room near the doors to where a strange woman wearing a wedding gown had appeared. Wanda backed up behind the Doctor as he stuttered in utter disbelief at the sight of Donna Noble. Wanda closed her eyes, letting the warmth overcome her and the white light to sweep her away for good.

XxXxXxXx

;_; I feel a mixture of emotions right now. I don't know what to think. Mostly nervous to see what you all thought of that chapter. I hope it was good. Even if it was sad in the end. Please let me know what you all thought in a review. Of course, if you can. Don't want to push you all to review if you do not wish to. :) Even though that ended sad, I hope that the rest of the day/night is filled with joy and bliss. *hugs*

Until next time everyone!

~Tinker~


	33. Ch 33: The Wanderer's Mother

Long time no see. ;)

I hope everyone's day/night has been going great! I can't wait to see what you all think of this new chapter. :D

XxXxXxXx

Chapter 33 **:** The Wanderer's Mother

Where she arrived to next, it felt just as lonesome and desolate as she felt. The air was chilled, making her shiver even more than before. But at the same time, the air felt warm. It was odd. A mixture of cold and warmth that sent odd signals through her body. Then the smell was not pleasant at all. Her nose crinkled as she scented a strong odor of . . . sweaty armpits. That was very strange indeed. Never thought a world could smell of that. Of course, she used to think there could be no world that smelled of pancakes, but the Doctor had proved her wrong on that one, too.

The ground was gray. The whole world around her was gray. Filled to the brim with torn machines and junk of all kinds. Cars, washers, tellies, lamps, phone boxes, bathtubs, toilets, and anything else one could think to find broken and at a rotten state in a junkyard. Then, of course, she noticed the broken TARDIS parts. Her breath caught in her throat for a second before she breathed out slowly. Oh, right. It was this place now, was it? The pocket universe controlled by the House, a malevolent entity. A vile entity. Shaking her head, she felt her hearts sink of what was to come of this day for the Doctor. Amy and Rory too, if she remembered correctly. Then, of course, it would also be a bad day for Sexy. Though, also a good one in some ways. And then—no wait, she heard someone talking.

Wanda's ears perked up as she heard voices coming from around the small mound of junk she was hidden behind. Walking around the junk, she saw the TARDIS, her and Theta's ship, parked in a small valley of junk. Amy and Rory were around a tarp tent with strangely built hanging lamps while Eleven was inspecting a broken and rusted washing machine.

"But it smells like . . .," Wanda heard the Doctor trying to describe what the air smelled of.

"Armpits," Amy concluded for the Time Lord.

"Armpits," the Doctor agreed brightly, waving a hand with a flourish towards the companion's direction, happy to have such a good description for what odor was in the air.

"What about all this stuff?" Rory asked the Time Lord, fiddling with one of the makeshift hanging lamps that were made out of old hangers and dangled from the middle of the tent. "Where did this come from?"

"We're in a pocket universe, a bubble, hanging on the side of our universe. Things tend to get lost and end up in somewhere else. Where do you think all those missing left socks go?" Wanda spoke up, gaining the trio's attention. She slid down the small mound of junk, coming to stand in the same area as the rest of them. She made certain to plaster a smile on her face when facing them. There had been enough sadness from her already, and she did not want to be a downer or a drag on anyone else this day. Especially when knowing what was to come for them all.

"Wanda!" the bow tie loving Doctor exclaimed merrily as he bounced over to his Wanderer. He laughed as he hugged her, giving kisses on her cheeks. Wanda giggled, actually feeling her mood lift in the wake of Eleven's boyish nature. Oh, she had missed being with him. It had been quite a while. That, and she had really missed Amy and Rory as well. Speaking of which, she bounced over to the two companions after the Doctor had let her go, hugging them both tightly.

"Ponds! So good to see you again!" Wanda giggled, her mood most certainly lifting even more now. She stepped back, bouncing on her feet as she held onto each of Amy and Rory's hands. "We've must catch up after we're done here. Which, by the way," she turned, giving the Doctor a forlorn gaze, "sneak peek: the little boxes will only make you angry."

The Doctor blinked, suddenly uncertain in how swiftly Wanda's demeanour had changed from giddy to solemn. "What?"

"Nothing. Just something for later," Wanda replied, giving a shake of her head. She smiled once more, taking a step towards him as she only wished to hold onto his hand now and never let go. However, she wobbled on her feet before she could get close enough. She stumbled backward, falling right into the arms of Amy and Rory.

"Whoa!" Rory let out in an exclamation of surprise.

"Wanda, are you all right?" Amy asked, immediately concerned.

"Fine. I'm fine," Wanda said, waving a hand in dismissal. Instantly, the Doctor was at her side, pulling her up to him as he began looking her over. He even pulled out his sonic screwdriver, giving her a scan. It shocked her how the screwdriver beeped wildly, seeming to go on the fritz. He grumbled, banging the tool against his hand to get it to calm down.

"Forgot about that ring," she heard him grumble under his breath. Shaking his head, he placed the screwdriver back into the inner pocket of his tweed blazer before cupping her face and looking her over again. "What's wrong? Are you hurt?"

"No. I'm just tired. Haven't slept in a while," Wanda told him, smiling in reassurance that she was indeed fine. She did not wish to burden him by making him worry over her. Then, her stomach suddenly gave a loud growl. She gave the trio an embarrassed smile. "And I haven't really eaten, either."

"What?!" all three of them shouted at once. Wanda blinked, taken back by this reaction as they all suddenly were talking at once.

"I think I have a health bar on me," Rory said quickly as he dug into his blue vest that he was wearing.

"I can go into the TARDIS and get something," Amy told them, starting towards the ship.

"I believe I have water somewhere," the Doctor muttered, searching through his tweed blazer, arm disappearing into the dimensional pocket.

"Geez, you lot, calm down," Wanda muttered, blushing as she felt even more embarrassed, as well as confused by how they were overreacting. She knew the three of them did tend to have an overprotective nature of her at times. But this was just ridiculous. "It's not like I haven't gone without eating before."

"Yes, well, I mean . . . You can't just _not_ eat," the Doctor stuttered out, trying to convey their urgency to get some food into Wanda. She needed to eat. Not eating and resting in so long was very serious. Especially in the state she might be in. Finding the small water bottle in his jacket, he pulled it out, stuffing it right into Wanda's hands. It was soon met with a few health bars from Rory's vest. "Now, eat up. You need your strength."

"I can't eat here," Wanda scoffed, shaking her head. "We're in the middle of a pocket universe. Who knows what's coming for us." That, or _who_ was coming for them. She did not exactly think she had enough time to eat or drink anything before Sexy in Idris's body showed up. That was not the first thing she wanted the TARDIS seeing her doing when they finally 'met in person.' However, Amy, Rory, and the Doctor all gave Wanda a firm push to sit down on an edge of an old bathtub, staring her down sternly.

"Eat," the Doctor commanded. "I'm not letting you go or doing anything until you do."

"You need to eat. It's not healthy for you not to be eating enough every day," Rory scolded her. He pointed at the health bars. "Those should give you enough calories for now. But as soon as we're done here, we're all making you a proper meal."

"And not one of your soufflés," Amy added in, nodding with a strict expression on her face. Like that a scolding mother. "In fact, I don't think you should be eating those for a while now." Blinking rapidly, Wanda could only stare at them all in disbelief.

"You know, I expect this kind of scolding to come from the Doctor. But not you two as well," Wanda grumbled as she unwrapped the first health bar, munching on it. As soon as the first bite of the peanut snack was taken, she felt her mouth salivating from deep hunger. Before she knew it, she was scarfing down the other bars and chugging the water from the bottle. Letting out a small breath after she had finished, there was a quick glance giving to the three before her, seeing them all appearing satisfied with her getting some food in her. She blushed again, shuffling her foot on the dusty ground. "Guess I was kind of hungry. Thanks. Are you all happy now?"

"Very," the Doctor said, smiling as he pulled her up from the tub and giving her a hug. Moving away, he smiled as he cupped her cheek but still held a stern look in his green eyes. "Make sure to take care of yourself for now on, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah," Wanda replied, rolling her eyes. But she smiled all the same, patting the Doctor's hand, grateful that he and the others cared about her so much. She truly was grateful to have such a wonderful family. Out of nowhere, the Doctor swiftly grabbed her hand, pulling it up for inspection. His brows furrowed in worriment as he saw the healing cuts all over the top of her hand and in the middle of her palm. Some were deep. Others were just at the surface. But it still appeared worrisome by her having been cut up in the first place. Was she injured anywhere else?

"Those don't look good," Rory remarked as he and Amy as what the Doctor was observing.

"Where've you come from?" the Time Lord questioned, staring at Wanda in concern. He watched as she suddenly lowered her gaze as sadness seemed to wash right over her. Then, it clicked in his mind as a memory surface, reminding him of what had happened long ago that had given her these injuries. His eyes widened briefly before he too held a sad expression. "Oh. Right. I remember now. You've just seen Rose off, haven't you?"

Wanda nodded lightly, keeping her eyes averted. "Yeah." Behind the Doctor, both Amy and Rory stared at the Time Lords in question.

"Rose? Who's Rose?" Amy asked the Doctor.

"Old companion of ours. Things didn't turn out so well," the Doctor explained in a hushed tone as he pulled Wanda into a deep hug, rubbing the back of her head as he held her close. He kissed the top of her head, feeling her shiver lightly against him.

"Oh, right," Rory mumbled. He tapped Amy on her shoulder, gaining her attention. "She was the blonde one, remember?" Amy held a small 'o' expression as she realized who they were talking about, recalling the all times Wanda and the Doctor told them about that particular companion from long ago. The companion they had lost.

"Are you all right?" the Doctor whispered into Wanda's ear, rubbing circles on her back as he hoped she would truly be okay after what had happened. Her reaction to Rose leaving them had made him worry greatly about her that day. And for many days to come. Anxious in how stricken it had made her. However, he understood now why exactly it had torn at Wanda so badly. It was a reminder for her of Shelly, after all.

"No. But I will be," Wanda assured him, pulling back to give him a warm smile. Hoping that she was not bringing up painful memories for him. She did not want to be any of a crying baby this day than she already had been.

The Doctor pressed a hand up to the side of her face, keeping their eyes level as to convey deep comfort for her. "Remember. Rose found her Doctor in the end. She's as happy as ever where she's at."

Wanda's smile brightened, feeling her worry and sadness for Rose pass. "I know. She has her happy ending. That's all I could ever want for her. In knowing that, I'll be okay."

"Thief! Thief! You're my Thief!"

The group turned their heads in surprise when hearing this call, blinking in bewilderment as a woman ran towards them. She had wild dark hair that was in a nest around her head. Wearing a raggedy dress which appeared just as gray as the earth around the world of which they stood upon. The woman held a beaming smile on her face as she jogged up to them, eyes directed solely on the Doctor. Wanda felt herself grow giddy at the sight of the woman, Idris. Or, better yet, the wonderful and brilliant Sexy.

"She's dangerous! Guard yourselves!" yelled another woman coming up from behind Idris. This woman Wanda knew to be Auntie, one of the servants to the House. She was a very round woman with large hips that swayed as she walked. Her hair was short and grimy, as well as her mixed-matched clothes. Next to her limped Uncle. An elderly man with a hump on his back. He wore some sort of military uniform that was falling apart at the seams.

Sexy ran straight into the Doctor, holding his shoulders as she bounced and beamed at the sight of him. Seeming to look him over with child-like wonder, excited beyond measure.

"Look at you! Goodbye!" Sexy exclaimed in delight. Then frowned as she seemed to realize this was the wrong word to say in a greeting. "No, not goodbye. What's the other one?"

"I think you're thinking of 'hello,' sweetie," Wanda said politely, nodding her head in respect to the woman. Wanda felt deeply honoured of being within the physical presence of the TARDIS. The actual soul and mind of the old girl was standing right before them, able to communicate with them fully and completely now. The one who had been there for the Doctor since the beginning, had saved their lives on far too many occasions to count, took them all to where they needed to be to help others, and always held that blanket of warmth to comfort them when they needed it. The true wife of the Doctor, and companion to them all.

Wanda suddenly felt uncertain as she realized this _was_ indeed Sexy, the Doctor's wife. The one he 'married' the moment he stolen her from the Time Lord repair/museum of old TARDISes. Wanda had never really contemplated it before, but . . . was Sexy okay with her marrying the Doctor as well? In the show, the TARDIS seemed fine with the Doctor and River marrying. But what about here and now? Then again, the TARIDS might see the marriage between herself and the Doctor as different than most, so perhaps she was fine with Wanda being married to the Time Lord?

"Yes! That's it! Hello!" Sexy replied merrily, nodding in thanks to Wanda before grabbing the Doctor roughly by his face and kissing him in bouncing joy. The Doctor flung his hands outwards as he was shocked beyond words with his eyes going wide. Wanda could not help but giggle at the flabbergasted expression the Time Lord held. As well as seeing Rory and Amy letting their jaws drop at the sight.

"Watch out, careful. Keep back from her," Uncle warned to the Doctor. The man reached forward, pulling off the laughing woman from the Doctor. The Time Lord quickly wiped at his mouth and flattened his hair from the mess the woman had made it. He glanced at Wanda, seeing how she continued to giggle at the situation. Well . . . at least _she_ was amused by the occurrence.

"Welcome, strangers, lovely. Sorry about the madperson," Uncle apologized to them. Though, not really sounding welcoming or sorry at all about what was happening. He appeared more embarrassed for him and Auntie letting Idris out than anything.

"Why am I a Thief?" the Doctor asked the mad woman who still held that manic smile on her face. The gaze he held was that of curiosity as he stared at the strange woman. "What have I stolen?"

"Me. You're going to steal me," Sexy told him. Then, she frowned as she realized this was the wrong thing to say. "You have stolen me. You _are_ stealing me. Oh, tenses are difficult, aren't they?" The Doctor merely blinked, confused beyond words now in the woman's behaviour.

"Oh, oh, we are sorry, my dove," Auntie spoke up, nodding her head in apology. More apologetic than Uncle had been. "She's off her head." They all watched as the mad woman moved over to Amy and Rory, inspecting them now with keen interest. Auntie walked forward, shaking the Doctor's hand in introduction. "They call me 'Auntie.'"

"And I'm 'Uncle.' I'm everyone's Uncle," greeted Uncle, shaking the Doctor's hand as well. "Just keep back from this one. She bites!" The man nodded to Sexy, who still beamed around at them all. Her eyes sparkling with interest at this word from Uncle.

"Do I? Excellent," Sexy declared as she leaned over, biting the Doctor hard on his earlobe. The Doctor gave a loud cry of pain, pushing at the woman in a rough manner to get her away from him. Uncle was quick to pull Sexy from the Doctor, making the woman stumbled as she still smiled with a gleam. The Doctor glared at her now as he rubbed at his ear sourly. Wanda burst out into a fit laughter, clutching at her stomach as she found Sexy biting the Doctor to be hilarious. A pout as directed at her by the Doctor for the laughter, appearing not happy by the occurrence at all.

"Biting's excellent," Sexy commented. "It's like kissing, only there's a winner." She then turned to the giggling Time Lady, looking at her curiously. "You like biting, too. You had a contest of biting with my Thief, once." Wanda abruptly stopped laughing as her face lit up bright red.

"That—That was one time! And it was just for laughs!" Wanda exclaimed, highly embarrassed now. She glanced at the Doctor, seeing the confused gaze he was giving her. Of course, if he were a future Doctor, he would know instantly what Sexy meant by that comment, and he would definitely be blushing, too.

Everyone suddenly looked at Sexy once more as she quickly gave a loud gasp, clutching her hands together in front of her mouth as she stared wide-eyed at the Time Lady before her. The woman's eyes filled up with tears, gazing upon Wanda as if just realizing who she was seeing.

"Honey. My Honey," Sexy breathed. Her hands reached out, stepping towards Wanda as she held the young woman's face. The Time Lady's cheeks were thumbed as Sexy let even more tears fall down her face. "My Honey. Oh. My Daughter." Wanda blinked rapidly as she was pulled into a strong hug. Sexy cried on her shoulder, whispering 'my daughter' over and over. Wanda could only continue to blink, patting at Sexy's back as she felt completely bewildered, stunned, by what the TARDIS was saying. Her daughter? Honey? Where was this all coming from?

"It's okay, Sexy. Please don't cry," Wanda whispered to one of her most dearest friends. She made certain to breathe her words right into Sexy's ear, not wanting any of the rest to hear. "Why are you crying?"

"Because you're my Daughter, and I can't protect you from your sorrows," Sexy murmured into Wanda's own ear, keeping her words barely above a breath. Sexy was then jerked away from Wanda, pulled back by Uncle and Auntie.

"Idris, leave the poor girl alone," Auntie scolded Sexy, then looking to Wanda. "Sorry about that, love." Standing next to Auntie and Uncle, Sexy turned her sharp eyes onto the Doctor once more.

"You will be angry soon," Sexy told the Time Lord, staring sadly at him. "The little boxes will make you angry." This took the Doctor back as he realized this was the same thing Wanda had said before.

"Sorry? The little what? Boxes?" he questioned, trying to understand why he had been told that twice now. And from a stranger no less. Who was this woman anyway? Why was she acting so bizarre? Then, calling Wanda 'her daughter'? The woman let out a delighted laugh, all sadness leaving her in an instant as she became distracted once again.

"Oh! Your chin is hilarious!" Sexy exclaimed, laughing merrily as she pointed at the Doctor's rather large chin. She then pointed and snickered at Wanda. "You're so short! Tiny, tiny, Honey!" Then, Sexy turned to Rory while Wanda pouted cutely. "It means the 'smell of dust after rain.'"

"What does?" Rory asked, taken back by the odd woman suddenly talking to him.

"'Petrichor,'" Sexy told him, watching as both Amy and Rory shared similar glances to each other as they seemed at a loss on how they should respond to that.

"But I didn't ask," Rory pointed out.

"Not yet. But you will," Sexy explained, looking back to the two Time Lords who stood close together. Always close together they were. It made the woman smile even more in seeing how her Thief and Honey let their hands brush against each other, ready to be held when need be. Sexy went to step towards the two, but Auntie held her back.

"No, no, Idris, you should have a rest," the other woman instructed Sexy.

"Rest, yes, yes, good idea," agreed Sexy, nodding cheerfully. "I'll just see if there's an 'off' switch." She took one step towards the Time Lords again before her eyes rolled up and her body slumped forward, falling to the ground. Both the Doctor and Wanda caught the woman in their arms, seeing how she was unconscious. They both scooted over, placing her gently onto a broken chair next to the trap tent. Rory walked up next to the now sleeping woman, checking her over.

"Is that it? She dead now? So sad," Uncle said dully, not in the least bit worried over his friend.

"She's still breathing," Rory told them, nodding as he saw the mad woman was indeed only unconscious. Uncle seemed disappointed by this news as he frowned, shaking his head in annoyance.

"Nephew, take Idris somewhere she cannot bite people, hmm?" Uncle spoke to the newcomer just behind the time travelling group. The Doctor and Wanda looked over, seeing the Ood standing just a ways from them. An Ood with bright, shining, green eyes. The Time Lord gave a smile at the sight of an Ood here with them. Not always a good sign to have on an adventure, but still, it was nice to see relatives of friends.

"Oh, hello!" the Doctor said merrily to the Ood, clapping his hands together in delight. Amy and Rory turned to see who the Doctor and Wanda were looking at, only to jump back, startled by such a strange looking creature staring at them.

"Doctor, what is that?" Amy gasped in alarm.

"Oh, no, it's all right. It's an Ood," the Doctor told the companion, waving off her and Rory's fright. "Oods are good. Love an Ood. Hello, Ood!" Walking up towards the Ood called 'Nephew,' the Doctor noticed how the Ood did not respond to him whatsoever. "Can't you talk?" Glancing down, he then saw the unlit translator orb hanging on Nephew's chest. "Oh, I see. It's damaged. May I?" Nephew nodded, giving the Doctor permission to begin fiddling with the broken orb.

"It might just be on the wrong frequency," the Doctor mumbled as he started to pull the orb apart, rearranging parts within.

"Nephew was broken when he came here," Auntie told them, staring curiously at what the Doctor was doing. "Well, he was half-dead. House repaired him. House repaired all of us."

At that moment, the Doctor adjusted a wire within the orb, making it turn on. It glowed bright green, giving off a feedback sound as a high-pitched whine. Then, wave upon wave of different voices began crying out in echoing words. All calling out the same thing: help. Desperate cries of help. All voices which were that of Time Lords. Pleading to be rescued by other Time Lords. So many of them . . .

Wanda felt a tear fall down her face as she clutched her hands together, holding them next to her chest as she felt her hearts sink. So many Time Lords. So many TARDISes. All destroyed for a greedy hunger by the House. How many lives had been lost here? How many generations had it gone on unnoticed? How many lives could have been saved if they had reached here sooner? Would the Doctor have had a chance in finally having more Time Lords with him to live happily? So that he may not be the last of his kind. Though, he was not technically the last since Wanda herself was Time Lord as well. But still, she wished there could be more living with him. To make him happy in having a bigger family.

She blinked out of her wandering thoughts when noticing the Doctor demanding to Auntie to show him the House. Unnerved by all the voices they had heard, and on edge to hurry in finding whatever Time Lords needed help. Wanda also sensed great anxiety coming from the Doctor as he was anxious in finding more of his kind out there, filled with hope in not being one of the last Time Lords in existence. She felt her hearts sink even more, knowing what heartache the Doctor will go through soon once he discovered the truth. Oh, if only she could keep him from such heartache.

In the corner of her eye, she saw Nephew dragging Sexy away, taking her off to where she would be hidden from the rest. Pinching her thumb behind her back, she looked to see Amy and Rory muttering questions to the Doctor as they followed behind Auntie and Uncle. The trio was too distracted by the idea of many Time Lords being in this pocket universe to notice Wanda lingering behind. None of them realized that she was not with them. So, she saw it as a perfect moment to follow after Nephew, wanting to go after Sexy.

Picking up in a quick pace, Wanda marched after the Ood and unconscious woman. Though, she made certain to keep her distance, not wanting one of the House's lackeys to know she was following after. She ducked when she came into a small tunnel of sorts, leading into the living area of Auntie, Uncle, and Nephew. The area was cramped getting into it. And the rough stone and junk of the small tunnel she scooted through cut at her healing wounds on her hands. But once Wanda managed to crawl inside one of the many other tunnels of the house of House, it was not so bad. With it being interesting in seeing how the living area was made with a mixture of stone and junk. It was small in some areas, but larger in others. With many other tunnels leading around the place and strange smoke hanging around in a hazy.

Waving some of the smelly smoke away from her face, Wanda pressed onward, needing to catch up with where Nephew was taking Sexy. For Wanda had absolutely no idea where Sexy would be at this point in time. She knew the TARDIS was placed into a cell of sorts. But where exactly that would be, Wanda was not certain. In fact . . . Stopping in the middle of one area, Wanda realized that she was lost. How was she lost? She had been right after Nephew, had she not? Perhaps she had been a little too overly cautious in trying to not be seen. The Ood had too far of a head start on her, getting to the cell to lock up Sexy.

Pouting, Wanda felt as though she might have to turn back and find the Doctor instead when a babbling voice echoed down a tunnel next to her. That was Idris's voice! Sexy's voice! _Eccellente_! She was not lost after all! Wanda smiled, bounced down the tunnel where she heard Sexy to be. The TARDIS seemed to be muttering in a rapid alien language. One that Wanda could not understand. Was the TARDIS translation down? It could be since the TARDIS's soul was not currently in her proper form at the moment. She could barely on hold the body that she had been placed into, let alone translate for them like usual.

"What was that? 'Do fish _have_ fingers?!' 'You're like a nine-year-old trying to rebuild a motorbike.' What am I saying? Why am I saying that? Thief. Honey. Where's my Thief?! Where's my Honey?! Thief! Honey! Oh, Honey's right here."

Wanda blinked as she stepped around the corner after listening to the TARDIS rambling on. Sexy smiled brightly, bouncing on her feet as if excited to see Wanda and guessing right that she had indeed been there the whole time. The Time Lady could not help but smile warmly at the TARDIS, happy for Sexy's excitement.

"Hello, Honey!" Sexy exclaimed as she gripped at the bars in front of her cell, pushing herself right up against them. Then she frowned. "Why are you not with Thief? You should never be away from Thief. You know better than to run off like that, silly Honey." Sexy then blinked and frowned even more, tilting her head to the side. "When he sees you are not there, he will be cross. No, no, he _is_ cross. Thief is very annoyed that you are not with him. And the little boxes will make him even more angry."

"They make me angry as well," Wanda replied, stepping up towards the cell.

"Yes. Death always makes you angry, and sad. So sad," Sexy spoke quietly, reaching out to hold Wanda's chin in a gentle grasp. "Your hearts feel so much. More than you can bear at times. Will bear. Are bearing." She dropped her hand away quickly, blinking at a rapid pace as she tilted her head again. "No, we can't."

Wanda blinked, furrowing her brows as she felt confused. "Huh?"

"The question you were going to ask. You were wondering if we could leave this area sooner and get to the ones trapped by the House, to save them from torment. But we cannot leave yet. Thief must find us first."

"Okay, then, I guess we wait," Wanda mumbled, disappointed that they could not stop the House from tormenting Amy and Rory within the TARDIS. But at least things would turn out all right today. Or—no, wait, would they? She had not looked into a possibility yet. The headache she was feeling still throbbed at her mind, so the idea of going into a possibility seemed unwelcoming to her since looking into her sight would only cause more pain. But then again, making certain that Amy and Rory were protected was worth the pain, so she could probably withstand a greater headache.

"No, you won't be able to. If you use your abilities, the next headache will be too much and you will go unconscious," Sexy said, shaking her head. Glancing at Sexy, Wanda frowned, wondering if the TARDIS could read her thoughts or something. "Sort of. It's more I pick up the brain's . . . brain's . . . 'signal?' Is that the correct term to use?" Sexy tapped at her chin as she stared up at the ceiling above, seeming to think over the right words to use.

"Wait . . . you can read my thoughts?" Wanda questioned, very curious now on how far Sexy's knowing and powers went.

"I can see in advance on what you might say, or will say. But yes, I can hear the mind's bits as well," Sexy replied, going over to sit on the small mattress that was within the cell. Pondering over this, Wanda pulled out her sonic screwdriver, opening the cell door. Stepping into the cramped room with Sexy, the blonde girl sat down next to the mad woman, staring at her carefully.

"If you can hear my thoughts, then you'll know the main reason why I've come to see you before the Doctor," Wanda said quietly.

"Besides wanting to make certain that I was fine and taken care of?" Sexy responded, smiling in a knowing way. "Your normal instinct to protect the ones you love."

Wanda's mouth twitched into a small smile as well. "Besides that." Holding an even gaze with Sexy, the Time Lady began pinching her thumb lightly as she started to feel uncertain about asking what was plaguing her mind. "But you know the other reason, too. What I want to ask you."

Eyes' growing solemn, Sexy let out a small, low sigh. ". . . Yes. I do."

Reaching for the TARDIS's hands, there was a gentle grip given by Wanda as she stared almost pleadingly into the woman's eyes. "I need to ask you. 'Cause it's useless ever asking the Doctor. I know he'll never tell me. But can you? Can you tell me what's wrong with my mind? What sort of . . . 'thing' lives within me, or who this Alpha is? Please?" The sad gaze from Sexy seemed to bore into Wanda, making her feel a storm of sadness cast over her. As though the TARDIS herself were leaking with nothing but that particular emotion. Squeezing her eyes shut, Wanda felt herself quivering as she recalled what had happened after she had wakened up from the battle at Canary Wharf. "I _have_ to know this time. Because if I'm not prepared . . . If I don't know what's coming . . . Please, you have to tell me. I can't stand not knowing anymore." She opened her eyes once more, looking at Sexy's shoulder as an old habit from First Wanda when staring into the eyes of another became too much to bear. "When I woke up after . . . after whatever had happened, everyone became _revolted_ by me. Pete wouldn't stop glaring at me. Mickey looked sick by the sight of me. Rose _flinched_ when I touched her. And the Doctor, my Theta, he—he hated me. I know he did, because of that—that look . . . He only ever gives that look to those he finds the lowest of the low. The most despicable beings in the whole universe. Daleks, Cybermen, Sontarans, Sycorax, and many, many others—they have all felt that piercing, boiling gaze. The fury of a Time Lord. And now, I've felt that, too.

"What kind of monster did I become to make him hate me so?" Wanda cried. She tried keeping her tears in, not wanting to cry anymore, to be weak like her other selves had been. But damn if her emotions felt so unbalanced. It was like she could cry at a drop of a hat now. Why was she so emotional lately? Then again, thinking herself a monster did make her wish to weep. For she did not want to be a monster. She was terrified to becoming something cruel and unkind. And to be hated by the Doctor, her love, her Theta . . . that chilled her to the core.

"Oh, my Honey, Thief could _never_ hate you," Sexy assured the Time Lady, cupping Wanda's cheek and brushing away the tears. She then wrapped her arms around the small blonde girl, giving her a loving hug. "As for your question, I cannot answer that. I'm sorry."

Wanda gave a long, weary sigh, pulling away and wiping off the tears from her face. "It's okay. I figured you wouldn't tell me, either. I just . . . needed to try."

"It's not that I do not wish to answer, to tell you the truth. It's more of that it wouldn't matter what I say. She would only make you forget in the end."

Stiffening, feeling a strange chill go through her, Wanda's hands slowly tightened as they rested on her legs. "What?"

Sexy crossed her arms, tapping her fingers on one arm as she thought over her explanation. "Alpha. Anytime someone gives you a clue or tells you what exactly is within your mind, or even mentions to you something of your past: Alpha simply makes you forget again. She always makes you forget."

Perplexed and confused, Wanda could only ponder over this, trying to understand what this meant. Then, she nodded, seeing how logical it appeared, and how accurate it was. "Makes sense. If a wicked entity lives within a host, it would not wish to alert said host to its presence. Not unless it wanted consequences of the host trying to fight back and revolt against its control. That's why sometimes I blackout, isn't it? Why I can't recall moments at times? And why I feel as though I've asked these same questions before. I'm really sensing déjà vu here." She pouted as she tapped her fingers with frustration on her knee.

Sexy frowned, shaking her head firmly. "Alpha is most certainly _not_ a wicked entity. True, she does tend to . . . oh, what is the word? Become 'violent,' 'unstable.' Yes, that is the word. Unstable. She tends to be unstable, but she does not wish to ever treat you as a 'host.'" The woman placed a steady hand on the blonde's shoulder, showing a kind smile. "If there is one thing in this universe Alpha actually cares for, that would be you, Honey. She is extremely fond of you. To a point where she would do anything to make you happy. Even if it meant allowing someone she hated to live within your life."

Wanda raised her brows in surprise, not certain what to think about this information. Alpha cared about her? Really? That just seemed so . . . bizarre and unreal to be true. "Who does she hate?"

Sexy shook her head quickly, dropping her hand from Wanda's shoulder. "I cannot say anything more. She will only start to grow restless and make you forget again. And I do not wish for you to forget this conversation." The woman then smiled brightly. "Now, it's time for you to ask me another question. Go on, ask away."

Wanda pouted for a minute, knowing Sexy was mostly trying to just change the subject. "All right . . . Why do you call me 'Honey'? You also called me your daughter. Why?"

"Because you are my daughter. Is 'Honey' not what mothers call their daughters?"

"Well, sort of. It's more of a nickname than an actual name, but—no wait, I'm _your_ daughter. As in, really your daughter?" Wanda blinked in shock with her jaw dropping. "Oh, my gosh, am I like River? Did my parents have their wedding night while—while flying through the Vortex or something? Ugh. This is why we need bunk beds for all couples."

Sexy burst out into laughter, slapping Wanda's back in her delighted humour. "No, silly. You are most certainly not like River. At least, not in those origins. You're my daughter because . . . Well, now that I think about it, it would make us more like sisters than anything else. Sisters of similar heritage."

It clicked in Wanda's mind then, realizing what Sexy might be talking about. "Wait, so, are you talking about the Time Vortex within me? Is that what makes us, sort of, related in a way?"

"Yes. All those who have Time Vortex energy streaming through them are related. In a way, as you said. And with you being so young, so new, I like to consider you my daughter." Sexy then looked uncertain, gazing at Wanda in hope. "You don't mind, do you? That I call you 'Honey'? My daughter?"

Wanda smiled happily, shaking her head. "Not at all. In fact, it makes me feel greatly honoured to be considered a fellow to you. Especially your daughter. And I absolutely love the name 'Honey.'" With a squeal of delight, Sexy hugged Wanda tightly. The Time Lady laughed, returning the hug with glee. Pulling away, Wanda asked, "So, the Time Vortex in me, does that have anything to do with Alpha? And why do I have that energy within me?" Sexy shook her head, placing a finger to her lips. Wanda let out a puff of air. "Right. You can't say, or I'll forget. Gotcha."

Sexy nodded, lowering her finger from her lips. "Don't worry. One day you'll know. You'll understand everything." The look of great sadness then passed over the TARDIS's face. Her eyes speaking of sorrow. "The Day of Sorrow. Be ready for that day, Honey. For it will turn your world gray."

"'Day of Sorrow'?" Wanda blinked, realizing she had heard this mentioned before. Once by Ood Sigma. And then again by Bad Wolf. What did this mean? "What's coming? Is it the Doctor? Is something bad going to happen to him?" Wanda really started to panic now. Her mind racing, thinking of all the absolute worst things that could happen to her husband.

The TARDIS's eyes grew even sadder still. "No." Her hand moved down, pressing up against Wanda's stomach, watching as her daughter's eyes grew wide. "Can you not feel her growing?"

"W-what?" Wanda gulped, feeling her stomach jumping in anxiety now. Again, another thing that she had heard before. It brought back the memory of Clone Wanda, slowly dying in her arms, pushing a hand to Wanda's stomach and saying something similar. Why had Sexy said that? Was it . . . Was it Alpha that she meant? The power within, growing at a dangerous rate? Would it consume Wanda at one point? Making her turn against all she knew and loved? At this horrifying thought, Wanda shivered, petrified now on what was to come.

Giving Wanda a small smile, Sexy shook her head, moving her hand from the blonde's stomach. "Once we've finished this day, have yourself scanned in my medical ward. You may just find the answers you seek there. The answers you do not realize you have been searching for."

Before Wanda could ask anything more, a loud shout came blaming from down one of the adjacent tunnels from the cage.

"Wanda! Wanda?!" The Doctor stormed into the room after shouting, searching for the Time Lady. Wanda saw that Sexy was right. The Time Lord looked mighty cross the moment his eyes landed on her. He marched over to the blonde, jerking her up from the mattress and holding her arm tightly. "There you are! Why did you leave? Why are you always running off? No more adventures after this day, I swear."

"Sorry to worry you, but I had to make sure Sexy was fine," Wanda told him, smiling cheekily while sticking her tongue out as a slight tease. The Doctor did not seem to notice the 'Sexy' remark as he turned his sharp eyes onto the woman who still sat within the cage.

"How did you know about the boxes?" he asked her tightly, still seeming to be on edge and furious after what he had seen within the small cupboard of the House's collection. The many, many distress cubes of Time Lords' the House had collected from each Time Lord who had fallen victim here. Each lured in by the very same distress calls they too would make. "You said they'd make me angry—how did you know?"

"Ah, it's my Thief," the TARDIS replied with a knowing smile.

"Who are you?" the Doctor demanded in question. He let go of Wanda's arm, reaching down to hold her hand instead and backing her up to stand at an angle behind him, ready to protect her from the mad woman if he had to. The TARDIS chuckled quietly, still holding her smile.

"It's about time," was the response she gave.

"I don't understand. Who are you?" the Doctor demanded that she answer him once again. Patting the Doctor's chest, Wanda pulled their hands apart and moved to stand next to Sexy.

"Doctor, Sexy. Sexy, Doctor. Or as she likes to call you, Thief," Wanda told him, smiling brightly, bouncing on her toes in excitement. Blinking rapidly with great confusion, the Doctor could only frown and look between the two females.

"What?" he questioned.

"Do you really not know me, just because they put me in here?" asked Sexy, tilting her head thoughtfully as she stared at her Thief.

"They said you were dangerous," said the Doctor, nodding to the cage. Standing up, Sexy walked up closer to him, making him grab Wanda once more and pull her back, still believing the mad woman to, in fact, be dangerous.

"Not the cage, idiot," Wanda mumbled, shaking her head.

"In here," Sexy added, touching her hands to her temples. "They put me in _here_. I'm the . . .," the TARDIS tried saying, but seeming to forget the right words, "Oh! What do you call me?"

"TARDIS," Wanda helped the woman, smiling kindly.

Sexy beamed, nodding with enthusiasm. "Yes! That's it! 'Time And Relative Dimension In Space.' Names are funny. I go," she puckered her lips together, making the TARDIS landing noise, "see?"

"Like I said: Doctor, Sexy. Sexy, Doctor," Wanda spoke up, waving a hand in introduction between the two. "Nice to be finally meeting in person, am I right?"

"She's not . . . She's not the TARDIS! She can't be!" the Doctor exclaimed in shock and disbelief, shaking his head. What had the mad woman done to Wanda to make her believe such a thing? "She's a bitey madlady. The TARDIS is up-and-downy stuff in a big, blue box."

"Yeah, the biting had been a bit too far there, Sexy," Wanda said to the TARDIS, giving her cheeky smile.

"Says you," Sexy scoffed. She looked at the Doctor again. "Yes, that's me. A Type Forty TARDIS. I was already a museum piece when you were young. And the first time you touched my console, you said—."

"—I said you were the most beautiful thing I'd ever known," the Doctor finished for her, eyes going wide as he slowly began to realize what the two women were saying was indeed true. His jaw even dropped slightly. That . . . this woman, this mad, mad woman, was the TARDIS. She was Sexy.

The TARDIS smiled knowingly, holding a cheeky eye on him. "And then you stole me. And I stole you."

Completely flabbergasted, the Doctor countered this in weak protest. "I borrowed you."

Sexy only smirked. "'Borrowing' implies the eventual intention to return the thing that was taken." Her eyes then sparked with mischief. "What makes you think I would ever give _you_ back?"

The Doctor could only stare at Sexy. His mouth hanging open from his stunned silence. So many words he wanted to say, but unable to get anything out. Then, he was finally able to get himself to speak. "You're the TARDIS."

"Yes," Sexy and Wanda said together. They watched as the Time Lord only blinked, mouth still open in shock. Wanda giggled, shaking her head in amusement.

"Okay, now that we've established who's who, let's get down to business, shall we?" she said to the two, looking between the both of them. The Doctor snapped his mouth shut as a small red tint formed on his face. Clearly embarrassed to have let himself stare so dumbly at the TARDIS. A being to him that meant so much and was held in such high esteem.

"Right," he mumbled under his breath, giving a quick shake of his head. "Why, why pull the living soul from a TARDIS and pop it in a tiny human head? What does it want you for?"

"Oh, it doesn't want _me_ ," the TARDIS told him. Giving her a look of skepticism, the Doctor made a light scoff under his breath.

"How do you know?" he questioned. Wanda rolled her eyes, raising a brow at him.

"Seriously, Doctor, you're asking Sexy, _the_ TARDIS, how does she know?" the Time Lady replied, shaking her head at him. "Isn't it obvious? By taking the soul of the TARDIS out, that leaves the ship wide open to feast on. Since if anyone tried to eat a TARDIS straight up for the artron energy, it would destroy them." The Doctor slapped himself on the forehead as it hit him.

"Of course. House eats TARDISes," he stated as though it should have been obvious to him when first realizing the TARDIS's soul had indeed been removed. He really should have seen it coming the moment they had landed in the pocket universe. "Rift energy, great source of food for an entity like the House. And the TARDISes are bursting with it. And not raw, lovely and cooked processed food . . ." The Doctor's eyes went glazed for a moment as he appeared to be fantasizing something delicious. "Mmm. Fish fingers."

"Do fish _have_ fingers?" the TARDIS asked curiously.

"Sweeties, focus," Wanda said sternly, snapping both out of their dazes on craving fish fingers, or being curious about said fish fingers. "Come on. We have to get after Amy and Rory. The House is going to hurt them unless we stop him first." She grabbed both of their hands, taking off down the tunnel with each running beside her with great hast. "Why did you send off Amy and Rory? I know you wanted to do Time Lord stuff alone, but did you really have to come up with a sonic screwdriver excuse? Just tell them you need privacy in the future."

"I didn't send them off. They went to the TARDIS in search of you," the Doctor responded, sounding cross with her again for wandering away from the group. "We thought that maybe you had either gone back to the TARDIS to rest or eat. Or, you had possibly, which had been the case, went gallivanting off. As usual for you."

"Oh, don't start scolding me, King of Gallivanting," Wanda grumbled, shaking her head as she felt guilty in realizing she had been the one to cause Amy and Rory to face the wickedness of the House.

"You two really are like children at times," Sexy spoke up in humour, grinning as she kept up in running with the two.

Once they reached outside of the small living area, past the many tunnels, and back to the spot where the TARDIS had landed in the first place, they all heard the ominous ringing of the Cloister Bell. Even with Sexy herself out of place from the ship, the warning still went through as an alarm of great peril about to occur. Especially for the occupants trapped inside.

The Doctor and Wanda shouted together for Amy and Rory, running forward to doors, banging on them. They tried snapping their fingers, sonicking, and busting the doors open. But nothing worked. They were helpless, with nothing in their power to stop the ship from disappearing in front of them. Dematerializing with the low guttural TARDIS noise. Only the sound struck an unsettled cord through them as it was nothing like the wondrous feeling the ship's noise usually gave them. It was wrong to their ears in too many ways to contemplate. Wanda tried calling Amy on her mobile phone, but it was no good. Nothing was getting through to Amy and Rory now. Not while the ship was travelling back to the main universe.

"Okay, right. I don't—I really don't know what to do," the Doctor finally said after a moment of staring at where the TARDIS had once been. He then gave a mad chuckle. "That's a new feeling." The statement was soon followed with a sharp slap that he gave himself, trying to snap his mind back into focus. Wanda reached up, patting the side of his face.

"Join the club with the rest of us 'not knowing,'" she joked lightly. She clapped her hands together, bouncing on her feet as she knew what they needed to do next. "Okay! We have exactly thirty-six minutes before House becomes bored of making Amy and Rory run around our TARDIS and just kills them. So, time to build a TARDIS console."

"Build a TARDIS console?" questioned the Doctor, arching his brows high in surprise to this statement. In disbelief really that Wanda would suggest something so impossible.

"You were going to suggest it as well," Sexy pointed out to him. All looked out towards the yard around them, spotting the different parts from past TARDISes lying about. Pulling out his sonic, there were scans given to the parts by the Doctor as he began calculating what they could do with the variety of parts. His mind racing with the impossible task but knowing that they just might succeed. Eyes filled with sadness, both Wanda and Sexy gazed around the yard, knowing this was not a junkyard of TARDISes. This was a graveyard. The TARDIS walked up closer to Wanda as they both felt sadness sweep over them.

"All my Sisters . . . dead. Devoured and left as corpses," Sexy whispered somberly. Reaching down, Wanda held onto Sexy's hand, gripping it in comfort. The TARDIS smiled softly, giving the Time Lady's hand a gladden squeeze. "I wish you could have heard it. We Sisters used to sing to each other. It was how we communicated. Our songs filled the universe, hoping to drown out the sorrows of those around us. And now, only my song is left to fill the void."

"I'm sorry," Wanda let out in a small breath, feeling her hearts sink as she wished she could give Sexy more comfort. She knew how hard the Time War was on the TARDIS. It tore at her just as much as it did to the Doctor. Sexy lifted Wanda's hand, giving it a kiss and a soft pat as she smiled at the younger woman.

"I still have hope. One day. Yes, one day, I know I will hear those songs again," the TARDIS spoke quietly, keeping her tone hushed so that the Doctor (who seemed to be straining his ears to listen to the two talk while he went on working, picking up parts) could not hear.

Wanda held a grim smile, nodding, keeping her voice just above a small breath. "Right. 'Gallifrey falls no more.'"

"I could teach you those songs, if you'd like." Sexy smiled eagerly, watching as Wanda matched her smile.

"I'd like that."

"What are you two talking about?" called the Doctor, gaining the two's attention. They saw how he pouted at them, not liking to be left out of the conversion. Though, with a high hint of curiosity on what the two were whispering. All he could wonder was if they were keeping secrets from him.

"Nothing more than discussing on how I'm going to die at the same time as House will kill your companions," Sexy told the Time Lord, gripping onto the side of her stomach as she felt the pain begin to build up. "I do believe one of these kidneys is going to fail soon. This body can't last with me within. I'm going to burn it up." The Doctor marched up quickly, giving the TARDIS a brief scan and saw that she was correct. She was dying in that body.

"We have to be quick, then," Wanda said hurriedly, pulling the TARDIS along as she knew they needed to work fast in building the makeshift console.

XxXxXxXx

The light snoring next to her woke Wanda up. She blinked slowly awake, yawning as she stretched up her arms in the comfy bed. Sighing, she glanced over, smiling as Eleven lay next to her, his hair a mess while having his head snuggled into one of the pillows on their bed. She felt one of his arms wrapped around her waist, holding her up to him as he slept. The other arm curled up under the pillow of which his head laid on. Wanda turned over on her side, curling up more to him as she enjoyed feeling the coolness of his skin against her own. Her lips smacked lightly against his bare shoulder as she gave him a quick kiss before scooting away from him, gingerly stepping out of bed as she crept around the room, hoping not to wake him from his slumber. He had been just as tired as she when they finally had time to relax after the chaotic day. Apparently, this had been the first time in two weeks that she had wandered back to him. Making it hard for him to find decent sleep at all. She paused in thought as she pulled a blue, pinstriped nightie over her head, wondering why there seemed to be a strange theme of her taking longer and longer to appear in his life during the future. She wondered what this meant.

Wrapping a fluffy, lilac robe around herself, Wanda hugged the material to her as she stepped out into the TARDIS corridor. Her bare feet touched the cool surface of the metal floor, with toes wiggling in enjoyment of being free from shoes. She giggled, really loving the feeling of walking around with nothing on her feet. She really should go shoe free for now on when they were not in danger. Strolling down the hall, she let her hand trail across the wall next to her, letting the hum sooth her and the warm blanket presence surround her. All this time, she thought the sensation of the invisible blanket the TARDIS would create for her had always felt like a mother's hug. And now Wanda knew it was indeed just that. The TARDIS, Sexy, her mother. Wanda giggled again, still finding the idea of Sexy being her mother both humourous and exciting.

She thought over the events of earlier, remembering her, Sexy, and the Doctor building the makeshift console to get back to their TARDIS and Amy and Rory. Wanda remembered snickering as she had watched the TARDIS and the Doctor bickering at each other. The Doctor had ranted on how Sexy never went where he wanted to go, while Sexy had then nagged him on never following proper instructions. Like an old married couple they were. Oh, they were so adorable together. Wanda had even caught a glance of Sexy giving the Doctor a kiss on the cheek after he had helped her find the right part for the matrix stabilization. The Time Lord had blushed greatly, glancing at Wanda when this had happened as worrying the Time Lady would be cross or upset. But then Wanda merely winked at him, smiling all the way. He had then smiled as well, beaming to have both of his loves with him.

It had been strange during the moments of them building the small console from old parts. Strange how both would not let Wanda do any of the heavy lifting. She had tried in the beginning of them building up the console, trying to pull up one of the large panels around the small console as a wall of protection for when they were flying through the Vortex later. But immediately Sexy and the Doctor let out alarmed calls, pushing Wanda away from the panel.

"No, no! Let me," the Doctor had said, picking up the panel himself.

"Do not overextend yourself, Honey," Sexy had scolded the Time Lady, shaking her head in disproval.

"What? What did I do?" Wanda then asked them, bewildered beyond belief on why the two acted as though she were made of porcelain and were going to break at any moment. Walking down the TARDIS corridor, Wanda shook her head as she recalled this. Seriously, it was like she were a child or ill or something. And neither one would tell her why she could not help lift the heavier parts needed for the makeshift console. So, Wanda had ended up merely putting together the simpler parts, pouting on feeling useless in helping things through completely.

Then, once they had finished, the trio had stepped back from the console, admiring their work. It had been very small. Tiny in comparison to Sexy's console. The large panels with circles surrounded half of the console as for some means of protection. Many parts were jumbled around, sticking out in odd places on the small console. The time rotor had glowed red, making an odd, wobbling hum.

"Right, perfect, look at that," the Doctor of then said merrily, clapping his hands together. "What could possibly go wrong?" Wanda snorted, shaking her head as she remembered right after he had said this is when a part suddenly sprang from the console, bouncing on the ground at their feet.

"Yep. Nothing could go wrong at all," Wanda had replied with high sarcasm during that moment of occurrence. "You just have to jinx us, don't you, Spaceman?"

"That's fine. That always happens," the Doctor had responded in dismissal, pouting when Wanda giggled at him even more.

Wanda sighed, shaking her head. Things went on as they were supposed to after that. They arrived back in the TARDIS with their small console, stopping the House from killing Amy and Rory, destroying the entity in the process as Sexy had been released from the human body when the body at died, and everything was now back to normal as ever. But . . . there was a deep sorrow for the Doctor and Wanda as that had been it. They had watched Sexy's body die, said their fond goodbyes (or rather 'hellos'), and then Sexy had gone back into her home. Into the blue box to live for good. And now . . . they could never truly talk to her again. Never get a chance to be with their one family member who was always there for them. Always protecting them all, guiding them. Sure, they could sort of get a hum, or beeping, or blinking of lights from her. But there would be no personal interactions, a loving bond, as they had received today with the old girl. Both Time Lords would miss being able to talk with their TARDIS so dearly.

They had cried together afterward. Both Time Lords tried to be strong in their loss, not letting Amy or Rory see them cry. But the sadness was so deep for them . . . it was hard not to let it all out. It had been after they had consoled Amy and Rory, eaten, and gone back into their room before letting the sadness wash over them. In the end, the Doctor and Wanda had wound up in bed, hugging, crying, and giving each other their own source of comfort for the night before falling asleep.

There was a beautiful hum sent through the corridor, echoing in a twinkle as Wanda patted the wall where she walked by. She stopped briefly to lean forward, giving the wall an affectionate kiss as she knew Sexy would sense that, knowing that Wanda was missing her, showing her love. Wanda let out a small course of notes, mixed with hums and 'ahhs', vocalizing a mixture of sounds into a song. The same song the TARDIS was singing to her, teaching the Time Lady on how to sing as one with the Time Vortex would. She beamed when getting the interaction right, knowing that she had said 'I love you' in a sort of TARDIS language. Wanda did not know how she knew on what exactly she was sort of 'singing.' Though she had a funny feeling that the TARDIS was sending her a mental link of sorts in knowing what to hum, what to vocalize to her.

Wanda suddenly snickered again, shaking her head as she then recalled Amy and Rory asking for a new room without bunk beds.

"You might want to take that one up with Wanda," the Doctor had said when the companions had asked, flashing a quick side glance towards the Time Lady during that moment.

After this, Wanda had merely rolled her eyes, letting out an exaggerated sigh and said, "Fine. No more bunk beds. But I'm keeping my eye on you two!"

Snorting, there was another quick shake of the head as Wanda realized she was wandering off in thought too much again. She needed to focus on why she had woken up so late in the night in the first place. There were scans needed to be done, after all.

Stepping into the medical bay, the lights flickered on, allowing Wanda to see the different white beds for patients, computer equipment for results, cupboards filled with supplies, and a large stand-up scanner for internal checkups. She pinched her thumb lightly behind her back as she felt uncertain on how to proceed. Yes, Sexy had told her she would receive answers if she did this. But . . . Wanda was afraid of what answers she might find. However, she steeled herself, letting go of her thumb as she made quick strides forward, knowing she needed to do this. She _had_ to know. Whatever Sexy had been trying to tell her what is growing inside, Wanda had to find out what kind of power was within her. If it was indeed growing in power, ready to strike out, then she needed to know what it is so that she might stop it in its tracks. For good.

Walking into the scanning area, she kept her arms straight to her sides, letting the machine swirl around her as it began the process of looking her over. Then the computer beeped, letting her know it was done. Taking a deep breath, Wanda marched over to the computer screens, keeping her fingers crossed.

She blinked, staring at the screen in front of her. The results flashed brightly, giving out a cheery note on what exactly was growing inside of her. She blinked again as her jaw dropped.

"Well," she breathed, "this is unexpected."

XxXxXxXx

Ooooohh, I bet I know what she found out. Though we'll just have to wait until next time to find out. ;) If anyone wants to give a guess, just let me know in a review! I'd love to see what you all think! :D

Reviewers:

 **singingKatelyn** : So glad you liked it! Actually, what she is has already been revealed a long time ago. But you'd have to take a look back within the first part of the trilogy to find that out. ;) Yay! I'm just so happy that you enjoyed it so much. Hope the wait was worth it. ;) Until next time!

 **Ronin Kenshin** : Woo! I'm so happy that you enjoyed it so much. I'm glad that the pay off in the wait for these things have been worth it. I was worried that the reveal in some of these things would not be good enough. Glad to see that it was not disappointing. :D Hope to see you again in the future!

 **FictionalBoysAreBetter** : I'm so happy that you enjoyed the last chapters so much. :) It's fun with Alpha interacting with everyone. Something I think we've all been waiting for. ;) Oh, trust me, I hate that word, too. Because I just want to tell you all everything, but I know I can't. :( Ugh, so frustrating for us all. lol ;) Oh no! Don't hurt yourself now! I hope your shin is okay now. Yep, Alpha is definitely different from the clones because of her actually being in her full mind within Wanda. Whereas the clones only had a small piece of Alpha in them. As we saw, Wanda did get to be there for everyone and Rose. I hope it was all good emotions at least. :) Yeah, it was frustrating with the Doctor being angry, but yes understandable as he feared in what she and he truly were for each other. If that makes any sense. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the newest chapter and to see you again for the next time! :)

 **All The Stories Are True 24601** : Aww, thank you! I'm just so overjoyed that you liked it. :) I feel the same there about other stories. Not that the writers of those stories aren't brilliant. Because they are. Just that sometimes stories just seem to fall apart on writers at times. It's happened to me before multiple times, so I feel them there on that. :( Hmm, well, I love all kinds of psychology classes. If this is your first time, then I'd say definitely start out with a general psychology course to get you started into the swing of things. If you like family and children, then Lifespan psychology is always great. If you like more out there things, then Abnormal psychology is fun, too. It all depends on where you want to go in life. Psychology courses I always recommend to people because it can help you out with a ton of things. Even if you never go into the psychological field, it helps you through so much. :) haha. Sorry, don't mind me. I can ramble on about psychology forever. Also, another sorry, but most likely we'll never get to thirteen. Which is unfortunate because I'm so excited for that Doctor. But the way the story has been set up, things are going to stick with Twelve. In the next part, at least. Oh, don't worry. There are a ton more surprises to come yet. ;) Until next time!

 **Victoria** : No worries on a long review! I always love long reviews. The longer, the better I say. ;) Things always seem to work out like that don't they? lol ;) Feel you there on the waiting on updates. I've been a reader with writers who take years to update. The struggle in the wait is so hard. :( That's why I always promised myself I'd update much more frequently. I'm not always able to keep the promise of a schedule, though. Sorry about that. Oh, the excitement of the first read. It's always just so thrilling. Totally feel you there on that. ;) Hope you enjoyed chapter 32 when it came out. :D Hope to see you again next time! Take care!

 **alwaystherereading** : You're very much welcome. :) Of course I had to give her depth, though. Truthfully, it's one of my biggest pet peeves if writers don't give their characters of any sorts in-depth character traits and/or growth through the stories. You're absolutely right when it comes to that. :) Agreed, I'm sad about that, too. But don't worry, Alpha will be coming back again in the future. I really hope that you enjoyed chapter 32 as well. :) Aww, thank you. I know we both love you, too. ;) Can't wait to see you again for the next time!

 **Guest(a)** : lol I think quite of people like her, too. ;) Unfortunately, as we saw, no remembering for Wanda just yet. Mostly because of Alpha's doing. But no worries, the day of remembrance will be upon us soon.

 **heroherondaletotherescue** : Ugh, I feel you with that. I had a wisdom tooth problem myself. Been dreading having to take care of that. I hope you're feeling all better now, though. :) So glad you liked it! I hope you'll like the newest chapter, too. Take care!

 **Momochan77** : It was a crazy few chapters, wasn't it? But hopefully it doesn't get too crazy from here on out. Or . . . will it? lol ;) Guess it's just spoilers for now! I really hope that it was all good emotions from the last chapter. Also hope that you like where she ended up in this chapter. :) Not really 'soothing' but at least a bit of healing for Wanda. See you next time! Take care!

 **Kylie Winchester** : lol I'm so glad you liked it all! :D Thank you for such kinds words. I'm just so overjoyed that the story has brought you such happiness through all this time. I hope that continues through the rest of it. Until next time! Hope to see you again in the future and have the best day/night! :D

 **Ruby Slippers** : Thank you! Hope you enjoyed the new chapter! :)

 **X-Lisa-Anne-X** : Aww, thank you! :) I really hope that you liked all the chapter! And will like this one just as much. Take care and have a fantastic day/night! :D

 **mybrainexploded** : Hopefully a good kind of tear jerker. :) Hope you enjoyed the new chapter and to see you again in the future. Take care!

 **Nanski33** : Oh no! I'm sorry about that. I hope it was a good kind of cry though at least. Hopefully less crying with this chapter and more joy. :) Until next time!

 **Authora97** : lol I hope that means that you liked it. ;)

 **Luna M. Moon** : Agreed. We should make that a saying now. lol ;)

 **funwithshark** : We did! I'm been so excited for everyone to see this moment. :D And we still got more to come. I can't wait! XD I hope it was good crying, though. :) Aww, thank you! That means so much to me. I know there are many other even more brilliant writers than me. I'm always still trying to grow and be even better as I go. Though I will say that, with this story in particular, it helped just having a planned out timeline from the very beginning. :) Can't wait to see you again in the future! Take care and have a fantastic day/night!

 **Shiboah** : Yay! So glad you enjoyed it. :) Oh, we got a ways to go before we reach the end. So don't you worry, we still got plenty more to come. ;) Until next time!

 **bored411** : What better Doctor for her to be with then Eleven. :) I really hope you enjoyed the new chapter! Let's hope the next will be just as joyful. ;) Take care!

 **Guest(b)** : Woo! So glad you liked it! I hope this one was just a joyful to read. :) Well, I can understand getting too many long chapters in a row could be troublesome. I suppose. My motto is to make this story enjoyable for everyone. :) I hope you have a brilliant day as well!

 **Crystal-star-Tyler** : I'm guessing that means you enjoyed it? :) Hope this chapter was as depressing. As well as your day/night being fantastic!

 **Whoivaneverlark17** : lol I don't think I was emotionally prepared, either. But I hope that means you liked it. :) So glad you liked the bit of heartbreak there. Wanda had a bit of a nice time in this chapter I think. Hope you enjoyed it! Until next time!

 **deadflowerseverymorning** : Aww, thank you! That just makes me so overjoyed in knowing that you've been enjoying the story for so long. I truly hope that the rest will bring you just as much joy. :) For that is my goal in the end. To bring joy to all readers. That's wonderful! I bet you'll make even better stories than this one. :D Nah, you're wonderful! I can't wait for you to see it, too! I would answer all those questions, but you know how spoilers go. ;) I really hope that you enjoyed the new chapter and will continue to enjoy the rest to come. Really hope to see you again in the future. Take care!

All of you readers are brilliant. I hope you all know that. You're all just so wonderful and always a delight to be here with. :) I've been rewatching the Ninth Doctor, so . . . Have a fantastic life!

~Tinker~


	34. Ch 34: Down with the Ship

Hiya!

Hopefully everyone's winter has been going great so far! Don't worry, spring is just around the corner. Though if you live somewhere where it's in the warmer season, just going to say now that I'm jealous. lol ;)

So, without further delay, here's the newest chapter!

XxXxXxXx

Chapter 34: Down with the Ship

There was no realization on Wanda's end of her wandering through time again. Gone from the medical bay, she arrived within a small enclosed area. A loud fog horn blared from outside, sounding off in arrival. The distant clanking of dishes and chatting of people could be heard as well, along with the symphony of a small orchestra playing. But none of that was noticed by Wanda. She could barely register anything at all from the shock she had received. All she could do was stand there, with her mouth hanging open while staring at the same spot the computer from the medical bay had been. The results repeated over and over again through her mind. That same image of what was inside of her. The large, bright word flashing across the screen.

Positive. She was positive for—

"Nice nightie. Like the pinstripes."

Wanda jumped, startled out of her thoughts so much that she let out a small squeak. Spinning around with her eyes wide, she stared in alarm at Ten who stood just outside of the TARDIS within the small cupboard the ship had arrived in.

"I didn't do it!" Wanda replied back in a panic. The Doctor blinked, frowning as he arched a brow at this response she gave him.

"What didn't you do?" he questioned curiously. Her face lit up bright red as her eyes widened even more.

"N-nothing. Nothing. I did nothing," Wanda babbled on rapidly, gesturing her hands around awkwardly. "I mean, heh, why would I think I did anything if I did nothing? Can't have done something if I've done nothing. Had to have done something. Which, I mean, nothing was done. So, I'm totally fine. Completely good. In fact, I-I . . ." She trailed off, scratching her head lightly in embarrassment, realizing that she was talking in a hurried, stuttering mess. "Sorry. I'm rambling again, aren't I?"

"Just a bit," the Doctor chuckled, shaking his head in amusement. He stepped up towards her, looking her up and down. He took in her nightie and the robe around her, finding it funny on how she had wandered somewhere in her nightwear. That did not happen often. "So . . . where have you been to?"

"Just—just the future. Been hanging around Eleven . . . and stuff," Wanda told him, tugging on her long hair from behind her back as she felt nervous being around the Doctor (any version of him) at the moment.

He arched a brow once more, appearing curious now in how odd she was acting. "Oh? What kind of stuff? Came across anything interesting lately?"

Well . . . it was interesting all right. That was certain. Wanda felt panicked, knowing that . . . that she could not say what exactly the 'stuff' had been. She fidgeted on her feet, giving him a wary smile. "Spoilers."

"Aww. Always with the 'spoilers,'" he whined.

Wanda giggled at the playful pout he gave her, feeling her edginess fade away as she then became aware of her surroundings. Blinking in surprise, she glanced around them, raising her brows. "Where are we?" The fog horn made her jump from the sudden blaring of the shrill sound. "Are we on a ship?"

The Doctor snorted, shaking his head. "You hadn't noticed?"

Wanda pouted, sticking her tongue at him with a small smile. "I was distracted." Her smile faltered as she stared at the Doctor. He smiled in return, keeping an eased expression on his face. But the smile did not reach his eyes. Instead, as she stared into the soft brown irises of his, she saw a deep sadness that seemed to swirl within him. She instantly became worried, stepping up to him and touching his arm in concern. "What's wrong?"

He blinked, surprised by her sudden question. All he could think was: How did she know? "What?"

"Something's wrong," she said, nodding her head as if giving her final conclusion. "Tell me what happened. Was it serious? Were you hurt? Did someone else get hurt? Which companion is with you? Are they—." Wanda sucked in a sharp breath when she saw a _Titanic_ lifebelt hanging on the wall behind the TARDIS. Oh. Oh no. With hearts sinking in realization, she stared back at the Doctor, seeing the wavering brown eyes. "Oh, Theta. You've just been from the Year That Never Was, haven't you?"

She meant to hug him in comfort. But instead, he grabbed her and yanked her into his chest, crushing her in a tight grip as she felt him shaking. He kept petting at her head as if she were the one crying against his shoulder instead. As though she were the one whispering 'I'm so sorry' over and over again into his ear. Then, after he was finished with his mournful whispers, he began kissing her. Stiffening, the only thing she could do was gently stroke his cheeks as he gave her the most desperate kiss. The most grieving kiss. The most desolate kiss. He had never kissed her like this before. And now, one of the days she dreaded the most, made her feel terrified in what was to come when the Master's reign arrived.

"T-Theta?" she stuttered when the Doctor suddenly began kissing down her neck.

"Please," he whispered in a plea. "I've missed you. I've missed you so much. Please." He pulled back, grabbing her hand and placing it to his chest, allowing her to feel his rapid beating hearts. She felt a rush of their bond like he was pushing full force for them to feel connected to each other. She swayed on the spot as she felt his mind wrap around her own, clinging to her in every way he could. He stared at her in desperation, looking ready to beg, but seemed unsure of what exactly he was begging for in the first place.

She had not hoped for it to be true. But it seemed as though the hint that Martha had given her during the Sontaran cloning mishap had been true after all. She would be separate from the Doctor for a whole year. An entire year without her Theta, her husband. The very idea was unthinkable to her. She had never been away from him for more than a day or two. His very presence gave her meaning in life, kept her comforted in knowing she would never truly be alone. And in knowing she returned the favour, kept him company and allowed him some peace from the loneliness of his long life, gave her purpose. How could she possibly live a year without being there by his side and keeping him happy? Then all that torture, pain, and suffering he would have to endure through an entire year. How could she not be there to ease his pain? She needed to be there for him. But then, she needed to be there for Martha's walk around the world, too. What could she do? Wanda did not know how to handle what was to come for that dreadful year.

Staring at him for a moment longer, she slowly entwined their fingers together that was against his chest still. Pulling up his hand towards her, she moved it so she could kiss his wrist in a gentle touch. She heard him sucking in a sharp breath, squeezing her fingers in the hold they shared. Looking at him once more, she held a small, sad, smile.

"Anything for you, my Theta," she whispered quietly. Stepping up to him, she stood on her tiptoes as she gave him another deep kiss, thumbing his cheek and wishing to convey all her love for him through their shared embrace. Pulling away with a small smack, their lips stayed touching as the Doctor leaned with her when she moved away, not wanting to stop. Wanda breathed a sigh against his lips. She allowed a brief possibility go through her mind as she checked over the status of the day ahead for them. "We only have an hour."

"Plenty of time, then," murmured the Doctor. He swiftly picked Wanda up into his arms, allowing her to snuggle against him as he made fast strides back into the TARDIS. Never wanting to ever let his Wanderer go.

XxXxXxXx

The two Time Lords stepped out of the TARDIS exactly an hour later. The Doctor adjusted his black bow tie on his tuxedo and sort of smoothed his messy hair down to look more presentable. Wanda checked over her flowing evergreen dress, making certain that it held the right look of the period the cruise ship was going for. The same period clothing as the real _Titanic_ from Earth had. She had even put up her long hair into a messy bun, hoping to look the part. She glanced down as she felt the Doctor suddenly grip her hand tightly again. Still holding onto her as though at any moment she would be gone. Or that he might just fall apart on them both. Squeezing his hand, another kiss on his wrist was given by Wanda as she felt her hearts weep for him. That year . . . it had been so awful for him. And to be separated for so long . . . alone . . . She wondered if this was what caused later Doctors to be so protective of her and edgy when she was not around in the future for so long. Perhaps he always feared another year without her again. That was why he took being apart for too long so badly.

He gave her a smile, letting her know that he was okay. He would be fine now that she was here and they had their time together. She matched the warm smile, nodding to him. They walked out of the cupboard together, going into the main event/party of the cruise ship. The theme was definitely early 20th century Christmas on Earth _Titanic_ as the festivities were everywhere. Christmas trees and decorations had been placed all over the ship. Earth Christmas music was being sung and played on the large stage within the main ballroom. People either danced merely on the dance floor, chatted away on the sidelines, sipped on wine and champagne, or delightfully enjoyed the Christmas servings that the waiters and waitresses were handing out.

"Want to dance?" the Doctor asked Wanda, spinning her around as they came closer to the dance floor. He grinned eagerly, excited to have a chance to dance again with the Time Lady. They rarely had a chance to do so. Wanda giggled as the Time Lord suddenly dipped her, wiggling his brows suggestively.

"We don't have time at the moment. You know that," she told him. She let out a squeal as he gave her a spin, bowing her back and giving her light kisses all over her face while she giggled in delight.

"Come on, it's Christmas! You love Christmas!" he said merrily, giving her a coy grin. "Best time of the year for merriment, joy, love." He kissed her neck sensually, hoping that they could go running off back into the TARDIS. Wanda scoffed and pushed his face away, standing more upright and trying to ignore her fluttering hearts. He was acting much more . . . cheeky than usual. Which was strange since Ten was never one to show such blatant affections. Especially out in public. Then again, from the way he had acted earlier . . . Once more she felt dread from the waiting year ahead for her.

"Maybe some other time, sweetie. We need to focus on getting some answers on this ship, don't you agree?" she replied, patting his arm as he pouted like a child.

"Aww. You take the fun out of everything," he whined. But he held her hand all the same as they began walking through the many travellers on the cruise ship, knowing that she was right and they needed to know more about this so-called ' _Titanic_.'

He was surprised that he did not notice them before when he spotted them next. The large, golden, robotic, angel statues standing all around, wearing white robes, gloves, held their hands as if in a prayer and even had halos over their heads. There were countless of these angels all around, making him raise a brow as to why they were here in the first place. Walking closer to one, he felt wary of the angel as the pure black eyes stared back at him. Why would anyone make a robot with pure black eyes? That was just creepy.

"Evening. Passenger fifty-seven," the Doctor said to the angelic robot once the two Time Lords had stepped closer to it. He gave a smile of pretend embarrassment. "Terrible memory. Remind me—uh, you would be . . . "

"Information," the robot chimed. "Heavenly Host, supplying tourist information." The Time Lord nodded lightly, glancing with Wanda next to him. She raised a brow, shrugging.

"Good, so, um, tell me—'cause I'm an idiot—where are we from?" the Doctor questioned the Heavenly Host.

"Information," the robot chimed again. "The _Titanic_ is en route from the planet Sto in the Cassavalian Belt. The purpose of the cruise is to experience primitive cultures." Wanda waved her hand at the angel, gaining its attention.

"So, hi, passenger fifty-eight here, um, the name _Titanic_ , who thought up of that?" Wanda questioned the Heavenly Host.

"Information. It was chosen as the most famous of the planet Earth," the robot spoke with another chime.

"Did they tell you why it was famous?" the Doctor asked, highly skeptical that anyone would choose that name and _not_ know the story behind the name. Did the person merely find the name under famous occurrences on Earth and did not even bother of looking up _why_ exactly the _Titanic_ was famous to begin with?

"Information—all designations are chosen by Mr. Max Capricorn, president of M-Max—Max—Max—Max—." The two Time Lords blinked and glanced at each other in uncertainty as the robotic figure in front of them began to malfunction. Its voice going high-pitched with it constantly jerking its head in a repeated motion. Beginning to pull out his sonic screwdriver, ready to help repair the robot, the Doctor blinked when a steward suddenly came up to them.

The steward smiled awkwardly at the couple, assuring them that it was nothing. Just a software malfunction. The steward then had his fellows help him take the robotic angel away, off for repairs. Wanda glanced at the Doctor, seeing how he shrugged and seemed to take this excuse fine.

"Don't you think that was odd? They acted rather nervous about that Heavenly Host going glitchy," she said casually as possible as they strolled hand-in-hand through the ballroom, walking amongst the rest of the passengers.

"I'm sure they just don't like the passengers see anything going wrong," the Doctor replied, dismissing the occurrence all together. "Those style of robotics, they malfunction all the time. I'm surprised they are even using them. Since the electrical software and programming the Hosts run on are known to be easily hacked and corrupted." Wanda hummed, nodding her head slowly as she stared at him, seeing the clear signs of him trying to avoid investigating further.

"You're doing it again," she stated with an exasperated sigh.

The Doctor frowned, blinking at her as he felt confused by this statement. "Doing what again?"

"Acting like you don't want to look into the danger signs, trying to pretend everything is fine and hoping to avoid a deadly adventure. But then you're secretly wanting to rush off and find out what exactly is going on, getting yourself into trouble like you normally love doing." Wanda raised a brow at him, eyeing the Time Lord. "You're trying to pretend like there isn't something suspicious happening here."

"Well . . . Can't we just have a normal day for once? Why does everything have to end with—with death?" He faltered, swallowing heavily as he stared at her. They had both stopped in the middle of the large group of guests, gazing at each other. Wanda looked at him curiously, wondering why he stared at her as if he were seeing misery itself before him. His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed hard again. "Everything always ends with death for us. Even from the very beginning. And I wish I could help you forget it all. I'm so sorry you have to remember any of that at."

"Huh?" Now she truly was baffled. What was he talking about? Unless . . .

Their attention was caught when they heard shattering glass and angry yelling. Peeking around a group of passengers, they noticed a waitress with curly blonde hair looking ashamed as she blushed and glanced down repeatedly at the silver carrying tray she had been holding only a moment ago. The waitress appeared to have accidentally dropped it in her rush to serve the passengers. In front of her was a businessman, with communicator in hand that appeared similar to that of a mobile phone, and the front of his 20th-century tuxedo damp from the drinks that had been spilled on him.

"For Tov's sake, look where you're going," the businessman spat at the waitress. Recognizing the man, Wanda narrowed her eyes, feeling her left eye twitch slightly as her temper flared. She remembered him. It was Rickston Slade, an egotistical, heartless businessman who only cared for himself. Even when watching him on the show Wanda remembered being annoyed and ireful during every second the man spoke. And that had been First Wanda, an incarnation who hardly ever became cross with someone and it took quite a lot to get her angry at all. Current her, however, was an entirely different story.

"This jacket's a genuine Earth antique," Rickston continued to rant at the blonde waitress.

"I'm sorry, sir," the waitress mumbled, looking even more embarrassed now. She quickly crouched down, trying to clean up the mess that had occurred.

"You'll be sorry when it comes off your wages, sweetheart," barked Rickston in disgust, gazing at the waitress as if she were a piece of trash to him. "Staffed by idiots—no wonder Max Capricorn's going down the drain."

"Oi!" snapped Wanda as she marched away from the Doctor, storming right up to Rickston. The businessman blinked in shock as the short blonde stood right up to him, jabbing a sharp finger into his chest. "Didn't your mother teach you how to be polite? Apologize, you arse."

"Excuse me?" Rickston scoffed, giving Wanda the same look of disgust as he did to the waitress. "Why do _I_ have to apologize?"

"'Cause I saw what happened," Wanda disputed crossly, placing her hands on her hips as she glared at the man. "You were blabbing away on that phone of yours and walked right into her. If you were actually looking where you were going—."

Rickston interrupted her as his face grew red. "I did no such thing! And I will not tolerate being talked down to by some half-witted tramp, who's clearly only here because she's some rich man's plaything."

Before Wanda could retort to this, balling up her fist to shake it as a warning at Rickston, someone stepped in between the two. She blinked, staring at the Doctor's ridged back as he faced the businessman. She watched as Rickston looked baffled for a second, before backing up with fear in his eyes from the way the Doctor stared at him.

"Leave. Now," the Time Lord growled, his voice low, dark, with deep authority within his tone. Rickston did not wait to be told twice as he hurriedly retreated. Wanda blinked again as the Doctor turned back around, smiling away merrily. She wondered what his expression had been to have Rickston reaction in such a frightened way. Had it been the infamous Oncoming Storm gaze?

"Careful. There we go," the Doctor said lightly as he crouched down, picking up some pieces of broken glass on the ground from the champagne glasses that had slipped earlier. Wanda crouched down as well, helping the Time Lord and waitress. The blonde waitress stared at the two in shock from the way the blonde girl had defended her so boldly, and how they both were helping with such kind smiles on their faces. That was the first smile she had received since joining the cruise.

"Thank you, sir, ma'am. I can manage," the waitress said quickly, trying to gather the pieces from them as she felt even more embarrassed to have passengers feel the need to help her.

"We never said that you couldn't," Wanda replied warmly, giving the waitress a beaming smile. An excited spark went through her as she suddenly recognized the waitress. It was Astrid Peth. A wonderful woman from Sto who's only dream was to travel amongst the stars. The Time Lady felt giddy in meeting her.

"I'm the Doctor, by the way. And this is the Wanderer," the Doctor introduced politely, smiling away as he waved hand to Wanda.

"Just Wanda for short," Wanda said, grinning happily. "It's a lot easier to say when you're on the run." Astrid looked between the two, finding them both rather funny, but in a good way. She smiled back as well.

"Astrid. Astrid Peth," replied the waitress, nodding politely.

"Nice to meet you, Astrid," the Doctor responded, giving a wider smile. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas!" Wanda agreed with excited, feeling her usual giddiness for the holiday sparking up once again. Seriously, she could _not_ help herself when it came to this special day. It was just so much fun! Well . . . besides the bad Christmases, of course. Which, now that she thought about it, this would be one of those days. A small look of disappointment and sadness appeared over her face, going unnoticed by the other two.

"Merry Christmas," Astrid said, smiling even more now. Looking down, she began picking up the rest of the glass pieces. "You both enjoying the cruise?" The two Time Lords gave the other a glance, raising their brows.

"Um, yeah, I suppose. I don't know," the Doctor mumbled, shrugging lightly.

"It was enjoyable until that prat came along," Wanda grumbled, putting some of the last broken pieces onto Astrid's silver tray. "I mean _really_. That was just rude. Well, I mean, there's rude, then there's just plain obnoxious, detestable behaviour. Someone should tell his mother. Give him a good scolding and ear pinching until he learns his lesson." Astrid snorted while the Doctor chortled. Wanda pouted cutely. "What's so funny?"

"You," the Doctor said, chortling even more as Wanda bumped her hip playfully against him once the three had stood up again.

"I'm guessing you two are together, then?" Astrid asked them curiously, noticing how the two sort of leaned against the other, holding hands once they had stood again.

"Yep," the Doctor said with a pop at the 'p.' "You could say 'life partners,' I suppose. Or significant other. Or lovers." He suddenly frowned in thought. "Not sure what to call it. I like life partners, but . . . doesn't ring right. Life partners. Life. Partners. Nope, not good enough. I need to look up something better. Maybe—oi, what are you laughing at?" He pouted at the giggling Time Lady next to him. Wanda winked at him, holding her hand up to her mouth to try and quell her giggles.

"You," she said through her giggles. The Doctor pouted more while Wanda leaned up and kissed his cheek, giggling away even more. Astrid laughed as quietly as she could, smiling at the couple.

"So, long way from home—planet Sto," remarked the Doctor, clearly his throat as he tried changing the subject.

Astrid shrugged, replying, "Doesn't feel that different. I spent three years working at the Spaceport Diner. Travelled all the way here, and I'm still waiting on tables." She walked around the two, beginning to pick up empty dishes from the table nearby. They followed after her, knowing she still wanted to talk with them but was trying to stay busy with work as well.

"No shore leave?" the Doctor asked curiously.

"We're not allowed. They can't afford the insurance," Astrid explained, smiling sadly. Clear sign of great wanting of exploring and seeing new sights was shown on her face as she gazed longingly out of a portside window, staring out to the stars far away and the Earth just below the ship. "I just wanted to try it, just once. I used to watch the ships heading out to the stars, and I always dreamt of—." She cut herself off quickly as she blushed, realizing she was blurting out her deepest secret to a couple of complete strangers. "It sounds daft."

"You dreamt of another sky—new sun . . .," the Doctor said for the young woman.

"New stars, new ground, new life . . .," Wanda spoke with her Doctor. They smiled at each other, knowing they both held similar dreams.

"A whole universe teeming with life," the Doctor finished. "Why stand still when there's all that life out there?" Astrid gazed off distantly, looking as though she were lost in a sea of dreams floating within her mind. Shaking her head hurriedly, she cleared her throat as she smiled at the two.

"S-so, you travel a lot?" she questioned them.

"All the time, just for fun," the Doctor told her, smiling brightly as he and Wanda entwined their fingers together. Then his smile dropped as he had a second thought on this statement. "Well, that's the plan. Never quite works."

"Never," Wanda agreed, shaking her head as she held a cheeky smile. "We can't stay away from trouble."

"Or trouble can't stay away from us," the Doctor muttered, pulling at the bow tie around his neck. He knew he should not have worn this outfit. Always the same thing whenever he stepped into a tux. Trouble around every corner.

"Must be rich, though," Astrid commented.

"Haven't got a penny on us," the Doctor admitted to the waitress, smirking slyly. He then lowered his voice. "We're stowaways." Astrid's eyes widened, staring at the two in disbelief.

"Kidding," she said.

The Doctor and Wanda shook their heads, speaking together. "Seriously."

Astrid laughed, grinning at the two in delight. "How'd you get on board?"

"Accident—we've got this sort of ship thing. I was just rebuilding her, left the defenses down, bumped into the _Titanic_ —here we are." The Doctor glanced around at the dancing and chatting passengers around them. "Bit of a party. We thought, 'why not?'" Wanda hummed, nodding her head slowly. This was mostly true. They had also decided to come here after she had explained to the Doctor that they were needed here to help others. And neither could never say 'no' when it came to helping others.

"I should report you," Astrid said in a more serious tone.

"You should," Wanda agreed, nodding slowly with a serious expression. The two women looked at each other for a moment before each busted up in giggles.

"I'll get you both a drink . . . on the house," she whispered to them, winking as she moved to go get them said drinks.

"Ah, none for me, thanks," Wanda told Astrid, grinning meekly. "I'm, uh . . . currently unable to drink. Not feeling so well, and . . . well, you know." She shrugged, hoping the woman would buy it. Astrid smiled and nodded, moving onwards to fetch their drinks. The Doctor looked at Wanda, raising a brow and staring in concern.

"You're not feeling well? You should have said something," he spoke to her, lifting a hand to feel at her forehead. He hummed as he noticed she did not feel warm, but her forehead was a bit clammy and sweaty. Then it hit him, recalling when she had told him that she had been sick for a while in the future. Was this during a moment of her sickness? Wanda batted his hand away as she squeezed the other that still held onto her own.

"I'm fine. Just a bit queasy is all," she assured him. It was true. Her stomach was doing flips at the moment. Feeling woozy with her tummy on edge again. Just as she has been experiencing for a while now. And then those off headaches of hers. Not quite like the ones she would get from looking into possibilities. But still pretty bad. Then, she also still felt rather tired. Even though she had gotten more than enough sleep recently. All the more signs of her being . . . Nope! Nope, not going to think it. Nope.

She gulped, glancing warily at the Doctor as he started to pull her along towards a table where a couple sat. Going to talk to them after noticing the group of passengers laughing and jeering at the couple who were not wearing 20th century Earth attire. Instead, the two were in bright purple, western outfits. The one woman seemed embarrassed as the other passengers laughed at them. But the man smiled and patted his wife's hand, ushering away any embarrassment.

"Something's tickled them," the Doctor commented as the two Time Lords joined the table, smiling kindly at the couple. Wanda beamed as her mind clicked again into remembering who she was meeting. It was Foon Van Hoff and Morvin Van Hoff. A wonderful couple, who were married and had joined the cruise because they had won tickets from a contest. Something which the rich of the ship looked down upon.

"They told us it was fancy dress," Foon explained to the Doctor, not even batting an eye at the new arrivals who had joined their table. Both she and her husband smiled in welcoming. "Very funny, I'm sure."

"They're just picking on us because we haven't paid," Morvin noted to his wife, patting her hand again as he hoped to keep her happy. He then looked to the Doctor and Wanda. "We won our tickets in a competition."

Foon nodded, going on about how she had won it from naming certain names of a television show from Sto. The Doctor began discussing the show with her, laughing as they went into the over-the-top acting from a certain character. Wanda stopped paying attention as she eyed a plate of buffalo wings on the table in front of her. Rubbing at her stomach, she felt the pang of hunger strike her. Even though Time Lords do not need to eat that often and she had only just eaten a few hours ago, it felt as though the more she stared the hungrier she became. And it was odd, considering it was barbeque. She did not even like that sort of thing. It always gave her a funny taste in her mouth.

"Are you hungry?" Foon offered kindly, nodding to the plate of wings in front of Wanda. "You can have some if you'd like."

"No, I shouldn't," Wanda mumbled. But before she could control herself, she was already reaching for a wing and was chowing down. She ate one, two, three . . . seven, in record time. Groaning in satisfaction with each bite. "You never realize how much you're starving until you begin eating."

"You really must have been hungry," Foon noted, nodding her head.

"Help yourself to as much as you want," Morvin nodded, offering Wanda another plate. The Doctor frowned as he watched Wanda scarf up the wings, puzzled by her behaviour.

"You're eating wings? I thought you hated those," he commented lightly. Wanda stopped in mid-bite, glancing at him while trying not to show her nervous expression.

"I can change my tastes, can't I?" she countered with a small pout, trying to fake being insulted by the Doctor. The Time Lord shrugged, seeming to take her behaviour as being typical Third Wanda stuff. Wanda let out a small breath of relief, biting into another wing before grabbing a napkin and wiping off her hands and face of any mess. How was she going to tell him? She placed a hand over her stomach, feeling it settle somewhat. But she still felt jumpy in her nerves from the shock. How was she going to tell anyone? Tell them that she was . . . she was . . .

Rude laughter brought her out of her thoughts. Looking over her shoulder, she narrowed her eyes as the group of passengers continued on laughing at Foon and Morvin. At the same time, after giving each other a knowing look, the Doctor and Wanda discreetly pulled out their sonics, aiming the tools at the group's table. The champagne bottles they were ready to open suddenly flew the corks away, spraying all at the table.

Foon and Morvin laughed, clapping their hands in appreciation and amusement to what the Time Lords had done. Deeming that the new couple were new friends, Foon and Morvin offered the two Time Lords to join them when the next group of passengers were to go visit Earth below. Just as they made this offer, the announcement went over the intercom, calling for passengers with the right tickets to make their way for transport to Earth. Watching as Foon, Morvin, and the Doctor made their way from the table, Wanda hurriedly finished off the last wing, downed a glass of water, wiped off her face, and ran after the three. The Doctor hung back, holding out his hand for her as she walked up to him, entangling their fingers together in a tight hold.

Wanda spotted her in a corner, appearing uncertain if she should deliver the drinks she had promised. Smiling kindly at Astrid, Wanda skipped forward when letting go of the Doctor's hand, grabbing the tray from the waitress, setting said tray on a nearby table before linking their arms together.

"Come on, girlie. Time to go see that new sky," the Time Lady said merrily, pulling the confused looking Astrid along. Astrid glanced next to her, seeing how the Doctor bounced in step beside her.

"I really shouldn't. I'll get sacked," Astrid told them in a hushed tone, wary of acting out in her job. It would not be pleasant to be fired in mid-voyage. She feared that her bosses might even throw her out onto Earth, leaving her there forever. Seeing a new world was one thing. But being stuck there, on a strange planet, never to return to home, seemed like the unthinkable to her.

"Nah, you won't. You're always safe with us. Promise. And trust me, you don't want to miss this for anything," Wanda told the young woman, giving Astrid a wink.

They arrived with the rest of the group, ready for exploring Earth below. The Doctor waved his psychic paper, earning their own teleport bracelets from Mr. Copper, the man in charge of teaching the guests about Earth customs when it came to Christmas and showing them around on the planet below. Wanda could not help but giggle when Mr. Copper began explaining Christmas tradition to the people from Sto. Everything from humans worshiping Santa with claws to eating the people of Turkey was just too hilarious in Wanda's mind. Seriously, who thought that was what humans actually did?

Before she realized it, they had already transported in the middle of the Doctor trying to warn Mr. Copper about the presence of Bannakaffalatta, a very small, red-skinned alien with spiked fringes on his head. The Time Lord had been trying to tell Mr. Copper and the others that Bannakaffalatta would most likely scare any humans who would see him while shopping on Christmas Eve. But when seeing the deserted, empty street of shopping areas in London, the Doctor could only stare around the silent night in disbelief.

"It should be full," muttered the Doctor under his breath, alarmed by the sight of no one being around. "It should be busy. Something's wrong."

"They're just all away on holiday," Wanda assured the Doctor, patting his arm lightly.

"Wanda, this isn't funny. Something's really, really wrong," the Doctor countered, shaking his head as he thought she was trying to be funny.

"I'm serious. They're all _actually_ on holiday," replied Wanda, nodding her head as she tried getting the Doctor to understand what she meant. "Pretty much everyone in London decided to leave because of Christmas becoming somewhat dangerous. I mean, just look at our track record for Christmases. The only one who stayed behind was the Queen. That, and Wilf. Now shush, don't ruin her moment." Wanda nodded to Astrid, making the Doctor stare at the blonde waitress as they watched the woman's clear expression of awe and wonder as she stared around at the street they stood upon. Her eyes lit up in amazement as her mouth hung open in her wide smile of joy. The smile that spoke of pure happiness.

"It's beautiful," Astrid said, her voice just above a breathy whisper. She turned slowly around, taking it all in. Blinking in puzzlement, the Doctor looked around as well.

"Really? Do you think so? It's just a street," he responded skeptically, not really seeing how anyone could find such a plain street to be a breathtaking sight. If he remembered right, Sto looked just about the same. "The pyramids are beautiful and . . . New Zealand."

"Does everything have to be big and grand for you, Spaceman?" scoffed Wanda, punching him in the arm, making him pout.

"What? I was just saying there's better things to see," he mumbled, rubbing at his arm as he gazed sourly at the empty street around them.

"But it's a different planet," Astrid said, spinning around as she took everything in. "I'm standing on a different planet. T-T-There's concrete." She pointed at the black road underneath their feet. "And—and shops—alien shops—real alien shops!" She waved her hands excitedly at all the closed shops around them. She jumped and spun around, making her waitress skirt twirl. Pointing upwards as she took in the sky. "Look, no stars in the sky." She then began sniffing the air, beaming at the smell of polluted air. "And it smells. It stinks! Oh, this is amazing! Thank you!" Astrid ran up to the couple, giving them the biggest hug ever as she jumped for joy. The Doctor grinned merrily while Wanda giggled and jumped for joy along with Astrid. The two women sort of held hands as they bounced up and down, laughing away.

"Told you that you didn't want to miss this," Wanda giggled. Glancing over across the street, she saw the newsstand sitting on the corner, with Wilf wearing his red winter hat while watching the news on a small telly. Beaming with excitement, the Time Lady skipped across the street, hoping right up to the stand. "Hi, Wilf! How's your Christmas been so far?" Wilf, who leaned back in surprise to see a sudden beaming blonde girl, blinked for a moment as he stared at Wanda in question.

"Sorry, do I know you?" he asked her curiously.

"Not yet," Wanda told him, smiling away brightly at him. "I'm an acquaintance with your granddaughter."

"Oh?" Wilf smiled kindly, reaching forward to shake Wanda's hand. "Well, I'm always happy to meet my granddaughter's friends." After both Wanda and Wilf shook hands, he sat back in his chair, staring curiously at her and the other two standing close behind. "What are you doing out here? Isn't safe, is it? Being London at Christmas, all them aliens are bound to show up again."

"What do you mean?" the Doctor began to ask, curious as to what was going on in London, why everyone feared to be around the place, and why Wanda seemed to know the elderly man so well. But before any of them could talk any longer, the three on the street were hurriedly teleported away and were brought back onto the _Titanic_.

Wanda frowned in disappointment as the passengers who had gone travelling to Earth began to complain about being pulled away so quickly. A steward came up, apologizing to the guests while giving the blame on a power fluctuation. After the steward had left, and Astrid hugged the Doctor and Wanda once last time before going off to work, Wanda grabbed the Doctor's hand and steered him over to a nearby porthole.

"Look, Doctor, we only have a few minutes to go now," Wanda told him hurriedly. "We need to try and warn everyone. If we can just skip hacking into the ship's systems—."

"What do you mean? What's going on?" the Doctor questioned, pondering on what she was trying to tell him. Grabbing the Time Lord's chin, she directed his gaze out of the porthole to look off into dark space. The distant glowing perked up the Doctor's interest, making him step closer to the window. "Now, that can't be right." He pulled out his glasses, placing them on as he stared at the meteoroids heading towards them, trying to think as to why the rocks were steering in such an odd, curved course. "It's like they're being pulled in." Moving quick over to a nearby picture frame with a constant ad running in showing Max Capricorn himself, there were quick movements in the Doctor hacking into the ship's systems once he had pulled the frame from the wall.

Wanda went to him quickly, tugging on his sleeve. "There's no time for that. I can already tell you that the shields are down and the meteoroid storm is heading right for us."

"I just want to double check," the Doctor muttered as he pulled apart different wires. The picture ad glitched for a moment before changing to show the ship's operating systems. The large, flashing, red words of warning in the shield's offline and the meteoroids coming in fast made the Doctor's eyes widened.

Bouncing nervously on her feet, Wanda went to go over to the stage, ready to grab the microphone from the singer and announce the incoming meteoroids to the passengers. She heard the Doctor shouting into the intercom system, trying to warn the Captain. But soon other stewards grabbed the Time Lord and began dragging him away. All the while, the Doctor hollered at everyone to run to safety, warning them of the incoming meteoroids. Wanda pinched her thumb, changing course to run after her Doctor. She knew there was no saving everyone on this day. But seeing Foon, Morvin, Mr. Copper, Rickston, Bannakaffalatta, and Astrid heading in the same direction as the Doctor gave her some peace of mind that at least some would survive this day. Even the egoistical Rickston surviving would be fine with her. Sure, he may be an arse, but Wanda would never truly wish death upon anyone.

She had just reached the same secluded corridor where the stewards were dragging the Doctor and everyone else when disaster finally struck. Screaming pierced the air as the ship roared from the impact of the large meteoroids. Everything shook, erupting into fire and sparks as the ship tore apart. Wanda let out a screech as she was flung across the way, slamming into the wall of entangled pipes and other mechanics. Her arms were wrapped tightly around her stomach, keeping up her own means of protection for the tiny and precious cargo within. She curled up into herself, making certain to keep her stomach protected as the whole ship did a spin. Everything spun, making it hard for Wanda to tell which way was up or down. All she knew was that she had to keep holding her stomach by any means necessary.

Finally, she fell hard to the metal floor as the ship stopped rocking. Everything went still, quiet. Only the sounds of the creaking, groaning ship and electrical sparks made a sound. Then, whimpering began to echo down the corridor. Wanda could tell it was Foon crying. She then heard Morvin trying to comfort his wife.

"Wanda?! Wanda!"

Someone was heard stomping rapidly down the broken corridor, making their way towards her direction. She heard grunting as someone moved something or another. It was only until she felt the weight lift off of her did she realize that pipes had fallen on top of her. Still, she held herself into a tight ball, with arms wrapped strongly around her stomach.

"Wanda? Come on, Wanda, open your eyes," she heard Ten pleading as he cupped her face. Wanda snapped her eyes open, shocked that they had been closed to begin with. She let out a shaky breath as the Doctor stared down at her in worriment. He pulled her up to him, hugging her in a strong grip. "Are you all right?"

"F-fine. Are you okay?" she asked, stroking the side of his face while quickly looking him over, making certain he was indeed fine. She then began to giggle lightly. "Oh, look, you're still wearing the 'I'm being clever' glasses." The Doctor smiled, kissing her forehead after taking off the glasses and placing them back into his suit jacket.

"I'm always okay," he assured her to her earlier question. Taking her hand, he gently helped her up, letting her lean against him as she wobbled on her feet. He began gazing around, taking in the small fires around them and the rest of the destruction surrounding them. "Bad name for a ship. Either that or this suit is _really_ unlucky."

"Nope. That's just our usual luck," Wanda chuckled under her breath, shaking her head as she let out her hair from the messy bun. Her hand then swiftly came up and slapped over her mouth as a wave of nausea swept through her. She repeatedly tried gulping, to ease her sickness away. But it was only making her feel worse. "Oh, those wings are not agreeing with me."

The Doctor blinked, unsure on what Wanda was trying to say with her hand muffling her voice. "What?"

Wanda did not have a chance to respond as the sickness won over her. Turning around so she would not hit the Doctor, she bent over a broken railing, heaving greatly. The coughing would not stop as she groaned, pressing a hand into her unsettled stomach, letting the queasiness pass. She felt two hands patting at her back, rubbing in soothing motions. Gulping and wiping her mouth, she turned back around, staring sheepishly at the concerned looking Doctor and Astrid.

"Sorry," Wanda mumbled, blushing as she felt embarrassed to have become so sick so easily. Why did this keep happening to her? Oh . . . Right, that.

"It's all right. You really did eat too many wings," the Doctor said, waving a hand in dismissal to Wanda's embarrassment. With an argument breaking out down the corridor, the Doctor went off to settle everyone down from yelling at the surviving steward in rage. Anger in a dire situation was never a good thing.

Wanda continued to rub at her stomach, unsure on what she should do about her indiscriminate sickness. It came out of nowhere during many points. Perhaps it truly was stress during extremely tense situations that caused it? Either way, she would have to gain some sort of control over herself so that way she would not bother the Doctor by it. Or cause levels of concern. Or make it so he or others might know that she was . . .

"You're pregnant, aren't you?"

Wanda tensed, eyes going wide as she stared at Astrid in alarm. The blonde woman smiled kindly in return, giving the Time Lady a knowing gaze.

"H-How did you know?" Wanda asked in a whisper, keeping her voice hushed so that there was no chance of anyone else hearing. Though, they were far enough away that she doubted anyone would hear. But then again, the Doctor had great hearing to begin with.

"I had a friend once who used to do the same thing when she was pregnant," Astrid commented, nodding towards Wanda rubbing her stomach in gentle caresses. Blushing, Wanda hurriedly dropped her hand away. Astrid smiled even more. "She'd always get sick whenever she went through too much stress. And kept looking at her husband with side glances, nervous about breaking the news to him."

"Is it . . . is it really that noticeable?" Wanda replied, speechless on what to say. Had it really been _that_ obvious?

Astrid chuckled, shaking her head lightly. "Well, I wasn't for certain at first. But when you've dealt with a friend being pregnant three times, you learn to notice the signs. And the refusing a free drink sort of tipped me off as well." She scooted closer to Wanda, smiling in excitement for sharing the happy news. "So, when did you find out?"

Wanda smiled meekly, replying, "Just a few hours ago."

There was a soft, hushed, squeal given by Astrid, giggling as well in delight. "Oh! How far along are you?"

Wanda hummed, trying to remember what the medical bay diagnosis had told her. "About two months. A little over."

Astrid beamed again for a second before looking concerned, glancing down at the Doctor. The two blondes watched as the Time Lord checked over an injured Mr. Copper, every so often throwing sharp comments at Rickston who was still yelling at the one surviving stewards. Foon and Morvin were just sitting together next to Mr. Copper, keeping each other calm with loving affections. Looking back at Wanda, Astrid raised a brow. "So when are you going to tell him?"

Tugging at the back of her long locks, the Time Lady could only continue to stare at the Doctor, wondering the same thing. "I'm not sure. I can't tell him now. It'll just make him more worried, and it's too risky to have him getting overemotional. It won't be good for any of us if he gets like that." Sighing heavily, Wanda let her hair go as she distracted herself by dusting off her torn dress. Darn. There were rips everywhere. She would have to fix that later. "I guess . . . after today. Or—or maybe later than that. I really don't know how to tell him. I mean, it's not like we planned this. But, now that I think about it, we didn't plan against it, either. Didn't even think about using protection, which, now that I look back, was silly on our part. Not—not that I'm regretting what's—what's happened from us not thinking about it. But I'm still worried. It will cause him to be in a constant overemotional and stressed state. Not something I want. And our lives aren't exactly the best for having a child around. It's entirely too dangerous for adults, let alone a child. Then there's me constantly wandering everywhere, and the Doctor constantly being a magnet for trouble. How are we going to manage raising and protecting our child? Will he even want a child to be a part of our time travelling family? What if he doesn't want to be a father? Though, technically, he was . . . is, a father. There's Jenny. But she was already grown up when she was born, so that doesn't necessarily count. Will he not like having to take time aside to raise a child again? And what if it's too early for him and everything? I mean—no wait, sorry, I'm rambling again, aren't I?"

"Um," Astrid responded, blinking quite a bit as she tried wrapping her mind around all the rapid talking Wanda had done, "I'd say." Shaking her head, Astrid ended up patting Wanda's back as she gave a small smile of encouragement. "Look . . . I'm not all that sure on what exactly you're worrying or talking about, but trust me, I'm certain the Doctor will be fine with you two having a kid together. He seems like the type to love kids, at least. Though . . . I really shouldn't talk since I've only just met the two of you." The waitress frowned, suddenly appearing uncertain by her comforting a woman she barely knew. "I don't even know what planet you're from. Or what species you are."

Wanda shrugged, uncertain herself on what she should tell Astrid. "It's . . . It's complicated. Let's just leave it at that." Only noticing for a brief second before her eyes went wide in realizing the steward was leaving the group, going over to a near hatch to open it. Apparently checking to see if he could get to the bridge where the Captain would be. "Oh no. Brace yourself, Astrid."

Wanda grabbed the railing behind her and made the blonde next to her do the same just before the blast of air began blowing around them, trying to suck them out into space from the open hatch the steward had tried going through. The steward was sucked right out into space, dying instantly. Everyone else were lucky enough to have been far enough away from the hatch to have had time to grab onto something. Keeping themselves from following the same fate as the poor steward. Wanda watched from her dangling position the Doctor letting himself fall towards one of the ship's control panels. The Time Lord grabbed onto the edge of a beam, pulled out his sonic screwdriver from his suit jacket, and aimed it at the panel. The computer system beeped and all fell to the floor as the air settled once more. Space no longer trying to yank them into death as the oxygen field had been stabilized.

"Everyone all right?" the Doctor asked immediately as everyone sort of either lay where they had fallen or were trying to get themselves up. Checking over everyone with a quick glance, the Doctor looked for his Wanderer, seeing her standing up cautiously, but smiling and giving him a thumb's up. He smiled in return, starting to walk over to her to make certain she was indeed fine.

"What an idiot," Rickston spoke up in disgust, dusting himself off from the floor, fixing his suit to continue looking proper. "Can Max Capricorn hire anyone with at least _some_ intelligence?" The Doctor halted in his steps, staring at Rickston in disbelief. Did he just hear Rickston right? How could anyone talk like that after another had lost their life? Foon, Morvin, Bannakaffalatta, and Mr. Copper all looked taken back as well. Wanda and Astrid both held deeply offended and angered expressions, walking over to stand next to the Doctor as they faced Rickston squarely.

"Oi, shut it!" Wanda barked at the businessman.

"The steward just died," Astrid retorted in spite. Rickston showed them all a snide smile.

"Then he's a _dead_ idiot," he bit back. Eye twitching like mad, fists clenched together with their knuckles going white, Wanda's face grew red from the anger that built up. And all she could see was the red haze in her vision as she stared at that hateful man across from her.

"Doctor, hold me back," she growled in a low tone as she gritted her teeth harshly. Blinking, the Doctor looked at Wanda in confusion.

"What?" he responded. Then he saw the eye twitching in crazed fashion and her red face, fists clenched to her sides. Uh-oh. He acted fast as the short blonde launched herself at Rickston. The Doctor grabbed Wanda around the waist, pulling her back as she clawed at the air, kicking her legs as the Time Lord behind her lifted her up. Her bright red face a clear sign to match her rage as she glared heatedly at Rickston.

"Let me at him! I swear, I'm going to knock his lights out!" she snarled in her fury. Rickston backed away, pressing his back into the piping behind him as he stared at the small blonde in alarm. The others were dumbfounded, not ever expecting such a small woman to have such a temper.

"Wanda, calm down," the Doctor warned the Time Lady, holding her tight to his chest as he hoped to settle her anger. Wanda just growled more, pointing a harsh finger at Rickston as her anger continued to boil.

"After this day is over, I'm punching you. And that's a promise," she barked at Rickston. The businessman across from her rolled his eyes, giving the Doctor a sneer as he ignored Wanda completely, believing her to be nothing more than a lunatic.

"Learn to control your tramp," Rickston told the Doctor, having a nasty smirk on his face. All grew dead silent as they stared at Rickston. Astrid's mouth fell open in shock while the other survivors held great expressions of disbelief. Wanda felt her eye twitching more, opening her own mouth to throw back a nasty retort at the stupid man. But then she was surprised when the Doctor suddenly pushed her into Astrid's arms.

"Astrid, hold Wanda, would you?" said the Time Lord very calmly, holding no emotion in his voice. Astrid gripped the Time Lady's arm as instructed. Both Wanda and Astrid (even the others) were unsure on what the Doctor was doing. Next thing anyone knew, the Doctor had Rickston up in the air by his shirt, slamming the businessman into the wall with a mighty force. Rickston looked as though he blacked out for a second before jerking awake to stare in terror at the furious Time Lord holding him. The Doctor's eyes glared darkly as he stared the man down. "Call my wife a 'tramp' one more time and I'll do more damage than she ever would. Do I make myself clear?"

Rickston could only nod as he gulped, the Oncoming Storm eyes sending the man into a fearful state. The Doctor jerked Rickston one more time before letting him go. Then the Time Lord turned around to face the others, holding an even gaze with everyone.

"Now, just stay, all of you. I have to check something," he told them, turning and walking down the corridor away from them as he went to investigate the still open hatch. Glancing at the rest of the survivors, Wanda quickly went after him, wanting to help investigate. As well as possible ask him a few questions. Standing beside her Time Lord, gazing out to the debris of the ship floating around just outside in the vacuum of space, she could not help but glance at him repeatedly as she raised a brow in interest.

"Well . . . you're more emotional than usual," she commented lightly.

"I'm not going to tolerate someone like that. They can insult me all they want, but when they start throwing horrid remarks onto you . . .," the Doctor said, his voice rumbling with his anger before letting out a frustrated breath. Rubbing an exasperated hand through his hair, messing up his brown locks, he looked to Wanda next to him as he gave a small wiry smile. "Guess I might have gotten carried away with my anger. Think I'm starting to pick that up from you, Miss Temper." Wanda snorted shaking her head as she felt embarrassed to have lost her temper so badly back there. But then again, she still wanted to punch Rickston to no end. Glancing at the Doctor once more, she held a cheeky grin as she recalled what he had called her when snapping at Rickston.

"So, I'm your wife now, am I?" she remarked, snickering as the Doctor blinked rapidly.

"Huh?" he replied, appearing bewildered by her question.

"You called me your wife when you told Rickston off. Did I miss a memo and we're married now?" Wanda giggled as the Doctor's mouth opened and closed just as rapid as his blinking, seeming speechless.

Finally, the Doctor cleared his throat. "S-sorry. Slip of the tongue. Meant to say 'partner.' Won't happen again. Who wants to get married anyway? Not me. Nope. Not married to anyone. Especially not you."

Wanda stopped giggling, arching a brow high at this statement as she placed her hands on her hips. "Oh? So I'm not marriage material, then? Is that it?"

The Doctor felt sudden alarm as he realized what he had rudely said without meaning to. "No—no! I meant . . . Well, by what I said was . . . Of—of course I'd love to marry . . ." He cleared his throat quickly, looking back out to the debris of the ship as a red tint formed on his face. "So—TARDIS. Have to find our TARDIS. We'll be able to get everyone out that way."

Rolling her eyes, Wanda snorted and bumped him playfully with her hip. "I love you, idiot." Grabbing his hand, she threaded their fingers together as she gazed back out to the open door once more. Her light humour faded instantly when a passing body floated by. Hearts twisting with sadness, she let out a solemn sigh. "How many?"

The Doctor squeezed her hand in comfort. "Don't think about it. Focus on—."

"Us being alive. I know." She gripped his hand more firmly, straightening as she readied herself. "If you're wondering where the TARDIS is, she's already falling to Earth. She was throw into adrift from the meteoroid crash and homed in on the planet. We're on our own in finding a way out of here."

"Like the usual, then," the Doctor muttered under his breath. Turning, he walked over to a near intercom system, ready to contact the bridge.

Wanda and the others sat back as the Doctor made connections with Midshipman Frame. The young man told them of the terrible actions the Captain had done, lowering the shields on purpose and allowing the meteoroids to hit them in the first place. After calming Frame down from his woes by what had happened, the Doctor had the young man check the state of the engines. When seeing the nuclear storm drives cycling down, both concluded on the one thing. The ship would lose orbit and the Earth below would perish in the wake of the ship's crash. All life on Earth, gone. There was quick order from the Doctor, telling Frame to feed the core with the engine's containment field. A temporary fix until the Time Lord himself managed to get to the bridge to settle the situation more properly.

"We're gonna die," Foon spoke up in horror after the Doctor finished instructing Frame.

"Are you saying someone's done this on purpose?" Mr. Copper asked hurriedly, greatly unnerved in the idea of all of this occurring because of the actions of another. Everyone began talking at once, panicking as they realized what sort of fate will become of them with the ship crashing to Earth. Rolling her eyes, Wanda brought up her fingers and gave a sharp whistle. Everyone went quiet instantly, looking to the Time Lady.

"We're going to be fine," Wanda told them all evenly, smiling in reassurance. "I promise." Nodding her head to the Doctor, "Now, listen to him. He'll explain what we're going to do. Right, Spaceman?"

"Right," the Doctor replied, nodding firmly as he directed his sole attention onto the survivors. "First things first—one, we are gonna climb through this ship. 'B'—No, two, we're gonna reach the bridge. Three, or 'C,' we're gonna save the _Titanic_. And coming in a very low four, or 'D,' or that little 'iv' in brackets they use in footnotes—why? Right, then, follow me." Turning around in tight formation, there were fast steps made by the Doctor as he began to hurry off. But then the Time Lord halted when Rickston voiced his snide remarks.

"Hang on a minute," Rickston said with a scoff, staring at the Doctor in disbelief for giving them all such orders. Still angry with both the Doctor and Wanda for making him look like a fool. "Who put _you_ in charge? And who the hell are you, anyway?" Wanda threw a sharp glare at the businessman while the Doctor turned back around, marching closer to the group as he held an expression that spoke of authority and power.

"I'm the Doctor. I'm a Time Lord. I'm from the planet Gallifrey in the constellation of Kasterborous. I'm nine hundred-three years old, and I'm the man who's gonna save your lives and all six billion people on the planet below," the Time Lord said, voice showing great strength, wisdom, and power beyond any of them could imagine. He held an even gaze with them all for a moment, seeing the awe on their expressions as he threw a sharp eye onto Rickston once more. "You got a problem with that?" Rickston shook his head quickly, averting his eyes as if unsettled by staring at the Doctor. Smirking, the Time Lord stood straighter, ready for action again. "You coming, Wanderer?"

"Right behind you, sweetie," Wanda said cheerfully as she skipped over and took his hand. Completely proud and moved by the speech he had given. Her love for him soaring even higher.

The Doctor grinned brightly, giving his love's hand a squeeze. "In that case, _Allons-y!_ "

XxXxXxXx

I think we all saw it coming with Wanda being pregnant. Wasn't much of a mystery there. lol ;) Though the Doctor being very defensive over her is always fun. Can't wait until the next chapter! I really hope you all enjoyed the story in where it's heading. Let me know in a review in what you thought. I always love hearing from you all. :D

Reviewers:

 **bored411** : Hope you enjoyed her reaction. I'm sure it was no surprise in what she found out. ;) As for the Day of Sorrow . . . I'll just say spoilers for now. Keeping my fingers crossed that you enjoyed the new update! Take care!

 **Tina And Maxwell** : So, was it on the money in what you thought Wanda found out? ;) Can't wait to see what you think of it!

 **lautaro94** : I know what you mean. But don't worry, the story will most definitely go a different route than that. As warned in the very first part of the story, things are not as they seem. Though, if you end up not liking where the rest of the story goes, I am truly sorry. I hope that it was a good read until then at least. Thank you for giving the story a chance and giving it a read. I truly appreciate that. :) I hope you have a wonderful day!

 **FictionalBoysAreBetter** : Yep! I'm so happy you enjoyed Sexy with Wanda. :) Truthfully, I'm very much dreading that day, too. I'm really worried about how all readers will feel about it. :( I will say this, though, it is with the Master. But that's all I can say for now. I'm great! Thanks for asking. :) Glad to hear that you're doing all right. I was worried for the longest time that it was annoying. I know it had been annoying during the second part of the story, so I worked to be better in this part. I'm glad to see that things are better in this last part. :) Yep, we will! But not until much later from now. Can't wait to see you again! Hope you enjoyed the newest update!

 **Momochan77** : Agreed! It did seem perfect for Wanda. So glad that part made you smile. I'm always happy when the story gives others joy. :) See you soon!

 **Spoilers darling** : Aww, thank you so much! That means the world to me! :) I'm just so happy that the story has brought you so much joy through it all. I truly hope that you will continue to enjoy the story throughout the rest to come. Yep! Wanda is indeed pregnant. Yay! So glad you're already happy for it all. :D Unfortunately, I regret to say that the ending to this story has already been written in stone by this point. No need to apologize at all! You're perfectly fine. :) You are always welcome to say whatever you wish in a review. I welcome all suggestions and thoughts any reader wishes to give. I truly wish you the best of days/nights to come and hope to see you again for the future! I would love to hear from you again and to see what you think of the rest of the story. Take care! :)

 **Whovianeverlark17** : So glad you enjoyed the chapter! I think a lot of people didn't want to touch on the elephant in the (womb) room. lol ;) Oh yes, definitely a reason for what that day is called . . . Not looking forward to it to be honest. But I hope you'll like it all in the end. :) Until next time!

 **singingKatelyn** : Well, might have to wait on that reaction from the Doctor. lol ;) Hope you enjoyed the newest chapter. Have a wonderful day! And I hope the re-read was good if you did go back to the first part. :)

 **X-Lisa-Anne-X** : lol Aren't I a stinker. ;) I always do seem to love those cliffhangers. haha.

 **heroherondaletotherescue** : Woo! Glad you enjoyed it all. Depends on which Doctor I think when it comes to knowing about Wanda's little surprise. ;) So glad you're feeling much better now. I'm doing great, thank you for asking. Hope to see you again soon! Take care!

 **All The Stories Are True 24601** : Glad to help with any and all information you wish on it! I've studied the subject for years, so if you ever need help just let me know and I'm more than willing to be there for you. :) Don't mind my apologises, I tend to do that a lot. haha. Glad you enjoyed that small touch. I thought it wouldn't go over well, but I'm happy to see that many readers enjoyed it. :) Hope school has been going well and to see you again for the next time!

 **Guest(a)** : Yay! So glad you liked it. :) Don't mind me, I just love leaving things hanging on that cliff. lol ;)

 **Authora97** : Welp, nothing to be concerned about now. Just a little baby growing. That's all. ;) Hope you enjoyed the new chapter!

 **alwaystherereading** : Woo! I'm so happy to get to your favorite episode! It's one of mine, too. :) Glad you enjoyed how it went on in the story. For now, I think I'll leave off from saying anything else. Too afraid I might give a spoiler away if I say more. ;) Well, the Doctor hasn't really been keeping it a secret. He just has to let time play out as it will for her. If he says things too soon, it would mean messing with time and creating something bad to happen. Don't want that to happen to Wanda and the baby now do we? Hope your day/night is going fantastic and to see you again soon!

 **deadflowerseverymorning** : No worries, everything will be revealed soon enough. :) Though I really hope you'll like it once it does. I'm really nervous on how everyone will like it once it gets to the end of the story. Keeping my fingers crossed until then. Thank you for the lovely review! Can't wait to see what you think of the new chapter. :)

 **QuirkyKim** : Me, either. lol ;) Hope you enjoyed it at least!

 **Guest(b)** : Hmm . . . I think I'll just say spoilers for now. Sorry. But thank you so much for your lovely words! That means so much to me. :) I really hope that you liked the newest chapter.

 **Guest(c)** : Well, she's definitely pregnant. :)

 **Crystal-star-Tyler** : Yep! XD So excited in what you think about it!

 **NerdWithAPencil** : lol You'd be 100% correct there! Don't have any money on me. How about a new chapter instead? ;) I'm so happy to hear that the story brings you so much joy! I hope it continues throughout the rest. :) Can't wait to see you again the future! Take care!

 **normandy1701** : Oh, don't worry about keeping your thoughts secret. You're always welcome to share whatever thoughts you wish to say with this story. :) Hope you enjoyed the new chapter and the reveal of Wanda's pregnancy!

 **LegendsOfTime** : lol She most definitely is. ;)

 **Starcrest129** : Oh, yes. It was most definitely one of those moments where everyone but the main character knows what's going on. It's always fun with these moments because then you're just excited in waiting for the moment when they finally realize it. ;) Wanda always does miss the obvious, doesn't she? haha.

Once again, thank you everyone for reviewing! The story has gotten so many lately, it just warms my heart. You all are always amazing!

~Tinker~


	35. Ch 35: A Race to the Bridge

Here we are again! Back to another chapter!

I hope all readers have been enjoying the story so far. Just realized that we are almost at the halfway point. I'm so excited! :D

XxXxXxXx

Chapter 35: A Race to the Bridge

The group of survivors moved as carefully as they could through the devastated ship. Broken pipes, railings, and other parts were everywhere. Holes in the ceiling and floor that lead to either other decks on the _Titanic_ , or simply into open space outside. There were many small fires here and there. But none that were too serious to worry about at the time being. Then, there were the many bodies the group came across. Each time, all (save for Rickston) held a collective breath of sadness in mourning for the loss of life before pressing onwards. Each of them in their own way in trying to focus on getting to safety and saving both the ship and the Earth from destruction.

"Careful," the Doctor told the group after he had managed to shove open a door to a stairwell. Wanda stepped into the stairway with him, squeezing past the tight door as she looked around the new area. Steam issued out from a broken pipe that was still attached to the wall. Steel beams were littered all around the floor and up the stairs. The Doctor was already clearing the way up the stairs as everyone else made their way into the area.

"Rather ironic, but this is very much in the spirit of Christmas," Mr. Copper spoke up as they all made their way gradually up the stairs. "It's a festival of violence. They say human beings only survive . . . depending on whether they've been good or bad. I-It's barbaric."

"Actually, I'm gonna have to stop you there," said Wanda, shaking her head at the elderly man. "You've got it all wrong. Christmas is a day of celebration. Of getting together with the family. Of having peace on Earth for just one time of year where everyone gets along, sings together, give each other gifts, shares their wealth, their homes, their love. It's a wondrous time filled with magic."

"What are you on about? Our Christmases are always like this," the Doctor joked in monotone. Scoffing, Wanda hit him in the arm, making him chuckle quietly. Grabbing a piece of scrap metal laying in front of him, the Doctor perked up in cheer when he saw the golden angel on the ground, covered in beams and other debris. "Oh! We've got a host. Strength of ten. If we can mend it—."

"Don't," said Wanda in a strict voice. Everyone looked at her in surprise, seeing the way she glared at the Heavenly Host on the ground. "It's being reprogrammed to kill off any survivors." She turned her gaze to the Doctor. "You were right. Easily hacked and corrupted."

"There's no way," Astrid stated, shaking her head in disbelief. "The Hosts can't harm anyone. It's against their code."

"She's right," Morvin agreed, nodding. "Me and Foon work on the mill market back on Sto."

"We fix up the staff. All robotic," added in Foon, speaking along with her husband. "All robotics from Sto are all built in with safety protocols that keep them from ever harming other living beings. If they tried, their circuits would fry."

"Well, someone found a way around it," disputed Wanda, shaking her head as she looked back to the Host. "I'm telling you, the same person who sent us into those meteoroids also changed the Host's protocols to kill any they see who are not their master."

"But that makes no sense," Mr. Copper interjected. Everyone began babbling, wanting to fix up the robot so they could get through the wrecked ship faster. Wanda sighed in frustration, wishing people would actually listen to her and the Doctor for once when they gave clear warnings of danger. Why must everyone argue against them?

"Oi!" the Doctor shouted, getting everyone to quiet down as he threw sharp looks at all the arguing survivors. "If Wanda says to leave it alone, then we just leave it be. She knows what she's talking about, trust me."

"And how does she know?" Rickston asked, sounding very suspicious now. "The only way she or you could know would be if you helped make this happen. From the way you both think you're so high and mighty—."

"Oh, Rickston, I forgot—did you get that message?" the Doctor suddenly interrupted. The businessman appeared taken back, confused by what the Time Lord was talking about.

"No, what message?" Rickston questioned.

"Shut up!" yelled the Doctor, staring furiously back at Rickston. After the man averted his eyes, going quiet once more, the Doctor then looked to everyone else. "Listen, me and Wanda both saw the Hosts malfunctioning earlier. Clear indication of someone hacking into their mainframes and placing in a bug. I should have seen the signs then that someone was tampering with their systems. But I was too oblivious. I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault," both Astrid and Wanda said immediately, neither wanting the Time Lord to blame himself for what he could not control. Wanda turned to look at the others behind her.

"Look, if you want to fix the Host, then be my guest. Just don't say I didn't warn you when it tries choking you to death when it wakes up," she told Foon and Morvin, as well as the rest. Turning back around, she marched up the stairs past the Doctor, going to the top where a hole was seen through the debris. The Doctor followed right after her with Astrid right behind him. Everyone else sort of glanced at each other before seeming to shrug and follow after the trio.

When the group reached a section blocked off by large beams and metal, the Doctor had Bannakaffalatta squeeze through a gap in the debris first, followed by Astrid who wanted to help the red man in finding a way the rest could make it through. Wanda squeezed right on after Astrid, helping the woman clear the gap from the other side. They had to make it bigger for the other men and Foon to make it through. It was too small for any of them, really. Even the Doctor was too big to fit through. Wanda thought briefly over this, snorting as she just knew if Donna were here the woman would be making fun of the Doctor's lanky body as usual. Glancing over her shoulder, Wanda saw Bannakaffalatta laying on the ground, looking worn and tired.

"Oh, you need recharging, don't you?" Wanda said to the alien, though kept her voice quiet as she knew he did not want anyone else to know his secret of being a cyborg. Bannakaffalatta appeared flabbergasted that Wanda immediately knew what was wrong with him.

"Was secret. You know?" responded the red alien. He pulled up his shirt, showing off the metal body of his and the many blinking lights that made up his systems. Astrid looked over at the man as well, seeming shocked when seeing him lay there and being made of metal.

"You're a cyborg?" asked the waitress, going over to kneel next to the man.

"Ashamed," mumbled Bannakaffalatta sadly, averting his gaze from the two women. Wanda shook her head, walking over to the cyborg.

"Don't be. There's absolutely nothing to be ashamed of," she told the man kindly, even gave him a warm smile.

"Monster," muttered Bannakaffalatta, sounding disgusted with himself. Wanda gave another shake of her head, giving him a stern gaze.

"I know a cyborg who thought the same thing once. Believed himself to be a monster and would never have a place that would accept him," explained the Time Lady. "And now, he's living with a whole town who loves him, cherishing him as their savior, their sheriff. He couldn't be any happier." Wanda beamed, hoping that this story would cheer Bannakaffalatta up somewhat.

"Cyborg savior?" Bannakaffalatta questioned curiously, seeming in disbelief that any cyborg could ever be seen as a savior or hero of sorts.

"Everything's changed now. Cyborgs are getting equal rights. They passed a law back on Sto. You can even get married," Astrid added in, wanting to assure the man that there was nothing wrong at all in being a cyborg. She knew others back on her planet still held prejudices against cyborgs. Especially the older generation. But things were indeed changing. The younger generation, and many who held deep understanding in their hearts, fought for equal rights for all. Not just the cyborgs, but for others as well. Life back on Sto was becoming a much more peaceful place than it had been once before.

"Marry you?" Bannakaffalatta replied cheekily, grinning at Astrid. Wanda snorted while Astrid blushed lightly, but smiled back all the same.

"Well, you can buy me a drink first," Astrid told him, winking slightly at him. Wanda nodded, clapping her hands together with excitement.

"Sounds like a date to me!" she exclaimed merrily. "All rightie, Astrid, keep clearing that path. Bannakaffalatta, just give me a second while I get you recharged." Wanda worked on the different electronics on the man's chest while Astrid continued to clear away the debris from the stairway. Glancing at Astrid, and then at Bannakaffalatta to see how he had closed his eyes in rest, Wanda discreetly pulled out her sonic screwdriver from a pocket on her dress that was hidden in the lining. Always have pockets on whatever one wears. Even on dresses. Especially wedding gowns. She was going to live by that motto for the rest of her life. She chuckled internally at her thoughts, shaking herself out of her wandering mind. Sending a few pulses into his chest, she grinned as she flipped the screwdriver in her hand merrily before placing it back into her dress pocket.

Wanda and the other two jumped when startled by sudden yelling from the other side of the debris. Hurrying back onto her feet, Wanda crouched down next to Astrid, poking her head around a large beam to see the Doctor struggling to get a Host off of Morvin while Foon screamed in panic. The information robot repeated 'kill' as it choked Morvin, banging the man against bars down below the stairwell. Wanda recognized instantly that this Host was the one that had been broken up. It appeared that neither Foon or Morvin wanted to believe Wanda about the dangers of the Hosts. Well, they would have to believe her now after this incident.

"Oi! What did I say about bringing that thing back to life?!" Wanda shouted with sass in her voice, hurrying up in clearing a way for the rest of the others as she knew they would all be in a hurry now in escape from the Host. Rickston pushed her harshly out of the way as he ran for his life, wanting to save his own skin and not even try to help the others. Mr. Copper held Wanda along in clearing the way as the Doctor allowed Foon and Morvin to run up the stairs first, staying behind to fight off the Host from trying to kill anyone else.

"I thought we could fix whatever bug you were talking about!" Foon exclaimed in terror once she had made it up to the top of the stairs, helping Mr. Copper and Wanda clear the way.

"I'm sorry we didn't listen. You were right," Morvin apologized quickly, helping along as well.

"I'm not going to say 'I told you so.' But I bloody hell told you so!" Wanda sassed the two.

Foon came through first, squeezing right past the large beams and sharp metal. One broken beam on top began to fall into the pathway, but Mr. Copper and Wanda hoisted it up together, keeping the path clear for Morvin and the Doctor. Mr. Copper tried getting Rickston to help as well, but the man refused, not giving the slightest care for Morvin or the Doctor. Wanda felt her temper flare, boiling away within her. Gritting her teeth, she hoisted the broken beam in hand way up in the air from the strength her anger gave her. All she could see was red as she wanted to turn around and punch Rickston right in the face. But she knew she had to stay for her Doctor and make certain he made it safely through. Morvin passed next to her leg through the gap. Then the Doctor also made it on through only after getting information from the Host on Deck Thirty-One being the origin of its command structure. The Host tried going through the gap as well, ready to kill them all. Looking down at the damn robot, Wanda lifted the beam up higher into the air before slamming it down onto the robot's head. Smashing its head to pieces and killing it off. Panting in huffing breaths, Wanda turned, facing the stunned looks of the others in seeing how she had held and lifted such a heavy beam.

"Well? What are we just standing around for? Get a move on you lot," Wanda said to the group, marching past them as she knew they needed to hurry. They were all on a tight schedule after all.

Sometime later, exhausted and worn, the group of survivors took rest in a small corridor which happened to have a few trollies filled with plates of food and drinks. Somehow surviving the toll the ship had undergone earlier. Wanda sat down away from the group as they gathered around the trollies to eat. She hunched over on a broken shelf, rubbing at her temples as her head pounded dully. Gosh, would she always have headaches now with the growing pregnancy? Was that normal? Then there goes her stomach feeling queasy again. She really hoped that she would not get sick all the time. Glancing over to the Doctor, she saw him talking with Midshipman Frame about the Hosts and the strange occurrence within Deck Thirty-One. Not long now before they would have to go down there into battle with the main boss of the Heavenly Hosts.

"Here. I've saved you some."

Wanda jerked up straight, dropping her hand from her stomach as she saw Astrid standing before her, holding out a plate of food.

"Oh, uh, thanks," said Wanda, smiling awkwardly as she grabbed the plate from the woman. Astrid sat down beside Wanda, watching as the Time Lady began nibbling on an appetizer. There was a small moan of delight sounded off by Wanda as her taste buds sang in joy. "You truly don't know when you're hungry until you start eating."

"You need to make sure you get something back into your stomach every time you get sick. At least something light at first before you get a proper meal," Astrid remarked, smiling proudly as she knew to be helping Wanda out with the pregnancy. Raising a brow, Wanda munched lightly on a cracker as she gave a small laugh.

"All right. And is this more experience from your old friend's . . . occurrences?" Wanda questioned. She came to a halt when almost saying the word 'pregnancy' out loud. Realizing what a mistake it would be in saying that out loud for the Doctor, who was currently standing not that far away, to hear. That, and Wanda found herself unable to really say or think about that particular word.

"Yes, and," Astrid paused, glancing over at the nearby Time Lord, "I still think you need to tell him. And soon."

"Don't worry. I will . . . eventually," Wanda mumbled as she chewed on a piece of sausage. She looked up when the Doctor final hung up with Frame and walked over to sit next to her and Astrid.

"Mister Frame seems to have deadlocked himself in the bridge," the Doctor told the two once he sat next to Wanda. He reached over, grabbing a small nibble from the plate in Wanda's hand and popped the treat into his mouth, munching away in delight. "Then there's a whole empty pocket on Deck Thirty-One. And now, we have to worry about dodging around killer Hosts."

"All on Christmas Day. How lovely," Wanda muttered sarcastically. She munched more on her shared food with the Doctor, pouting as she realized the more she ate, the hungrier she felt. It seemed she needed greater meals to satisfy her hunger from now on with the little cargo she was carrying around.

She tensed as the Doctor placed an arm around her waist, pulling her closer to his side. She felt her body instantly lean against, comforted by his warmth and presence. Though her body was relaxed by his touch, her mind, on the other hand, felt panicked in worriment of him being able to tell whether or not she was pregnant. Could he sense the child within? He was always good on sensing little things like that. Would the same be said for her situation? Then again, in all these two months of many times of them being . . . . 'close' in their love, he did not mention anything about pregnancy. Perhaps either he did not suspect anything amiss, or he simply could not tell at all. However, she knew he should have been. Her stomach was changing (in small ways), something which she herself had not noticed until after the results from the scan. It was growing more firm, but no bumps forming just yet. And then—no, wait, Mr. Copper was talking.

Wanda blinked out of her thoughts, realizing that the elderly man had come over to sit with them, and had confessed to not actually be a Eathonomics Doctor. Now the Doctor, Astrid, and Mr. Copper were discussing on what would happen to the man once this day was over. Most certainly Mr. Copper would be arrested when the investigation would be run on what happened to the _Titanic_. Wanda felt sorry for the man, knowing he had lied in being a Earthonomics specialist just to have a chance to travel to see other worlds, as well as earning enough money to get by back on Sto. Opening her mouth to assure the man that everything was going to be all right for him, the Doctor jerked her up when more Heavenly Hosts began coming through a locked door after them.

The group ran together down the corridor, with the Doctor in the lead and Wanda right beside all the way. Each gripping the others' hand in a tight hold to make certain neither one would be left behind. They soon reached a large door, locked upon arrival. With a quick pulse from his sonic, the Doctor managed to open the door for them, locking it as soon as everyone was on the other side of the door. All stared around in amazing when realizing they had entered into the _Titanic_ 's engine room. It was like a long, bronze tunnel of a room, with gigantic pipes running up and down the walls of the area. There were small spouts of fires all along the vast room coming from the pipes themselves. Far below them was a large ball of fire, swirling fast around. The main engines of the _Titanic_. And from the walkway they were standing on, there was a thin bridge of weak looking metal across the great expanse over the deadly nuclear engines below. The only way across to the next door on the other side of the room.

"Is that the only way across?" Rickston questioned in disbelief, staring at the thin bridge warily.

"On the other hand, it _is_ a way across," said the Doctor, feeling just glad that they did indeed have a route of escape.

"The engines are open," Astrid pointed out to them, staring fearfully down at the giant ball of flames below.

"Nuclear storm drive," the Doctor noted in thought. "Soon as it stops, the _Titanic_ falls."

"And we can't have that happen," Wanda mumbled, taking a step towards the thin bridge. Peeking over the edge of the high expanse, she backed away with a gulp, feeling her great fear of heights spiking. "Bloody heights. I hate them. Why can't we ever just be a few feet off the ground? Or just stay on the ground? No. We always have to be hundreds and hundreds and—Morvin, look out!" Wanda snatched her hand out, grabbing the back of Morvin's shirt as he backed over into a weak railing. The metal ground beneath the man's feet bent, almost making him go over the railing to fall to his death. Yanking the man back, Wanda sent him stumbling into his wife instead.

"Oh Tov, that was close!" Foon cried in alarm, hugging her husband with a death grip. Both she and Morvin held fearful, yet relieved, expressions. Morvin patted his chest, getting his heart to settle.

"Thank you. I think you just saved my life," Morvin said to Wanda, nodding his head in great appreciation.

"Just glad that you're all right," Wanda replied, smiling and giving him a thumbs up. She felt the Doctor grab her hand, giving it a loving squeeze. She looked at him, smiling as he held a proud look on his face, knowing she had indeed saved another life.

"It was a stupid effort saving that waste of space. That bridge will never hold Mr. and Mrs. Fatso," Rickston spoke up with a sneer.

"You're a waste of space!" Wanda yelled furiously at the man, shaking her fist at him while her face grew red from anger. This man was truly pushing her buttons.

They looked over their shoulders when they heard marching coming up the corridor behind them. The Hosts were advancing towards them. Rickston pushed everyone out of the way to the bridge, making his way across first. The Doctor turned around, making quick work with his sonic to the door behind them to be certain none of the Hosts could make it inside the engine room with them. Once that was finished (absently undoing his bow tie) the Doctor walked over to Bannakaffalatta, Astrid, and Wanda. Since they were all light and small, they could easily make it across the bridge together. Astrid and Wanda held hands as Bannakaffalatta led the way in front of them. All the while, the loud pounding on the door behind them continued on as the Hosts tried getting inside after them. Mr. Copper started to cross once Bannakaffalatta made it to the other side next to Rickston.

"The door's locked!" Rickston yelled at the Doctor, wanting the Time Lord to hurry over and unlock the door with his screwdriver.

"Keep your pants on, I'm coming over," Wanda grumbled at the man, edging her way over with Astrid, knowing that she could open the door with her sonic just as well as the Doctor could. They both wobbled on their feet for a moment as the bridge settled again, shaking greatly for a moment. Then, everyone froze when the pounding on the door ceased.

"They've stopped," Astrid sighed in relief, hoping that the Hosts had given up and moved on somewhere else.

"Gone away?" Bannakaffalatta questioned in surprise.

"But why would they give up?" the Doctor pondered aloud, staring back at the door behind him curiously. No, this was too easy. The Hosts were programmed to kill anyone by any means necessary. They would never go away. They would follow the orders from whoever was controlling them until they could not function anymore. Robotics like that were stubborn beyond reasoning. They would keep going until the very end.

"Oh, crap!" Wanda exclaimed, realizing with horror what she had forgotten to warn the Doctor and everyone else about. She should have remembered! Especially with the changes she had made to Bannakaffalatta's cybernetics. But she had been so busy half worrying over this pregnancy . . . thing, that she had let the memory slip from her mind. Stupid mind wandering away from what was important. "The Hosts can fly in here! The gravity allows them to—!" She was not able to say anything else as the Hosts floated down from overhead, coming towards them. Everyone gazed up in horror as robotic angels started to take their halos off, ready to use the items as a means to kill.

"Arm yourself, all of you!" shouted the Doctor, acting quickly to grab a large lead pipe from the walkway where he still stood next to the Van Hoffs. Everyone else grabbed scattered pipes as well, holding onto them tightly as the halos were thrown right at them. It was like a game of deadly tennis. Each time the slicing halos came close, each person would swat them away back at the robotic angels. But the Hosts could merely grab the halos once again and shot them right back at the survivors, relentless in killing them all off.

Wanda whipped her head around to look at the Doctor when she heard him crying out in pain. She saw how he gripped his upper left arm tightly, having been sliced by a passing golden halo when he jumped in front of Foon to knock the deadly, flying weapon away, saving the woman's life. Wanda narrowed her eyes as she saw blood dripping between his fingers from the wound. Those damn—they will pay for hurting her Theta! Gritting her teeth in rage, she turned and whacked at incoming halo with all her might, letting out a cry of fury as she did. The halo went zooming right at the Host, lodging right into the robot's chest. It did not kill the Host, only temporally halting it in continuously throwing the golden ring as it tried getting the object out of its chest.

"Bannakaffalatta—cyborg!"

Looking over, Wanda saw Bannakaffalatta open his shirt, showing off his metal torso as he emitted out an electromagnetic pulse. The blue wave of light went around them all, frying the robotics of the Hosts. The robotic angels sparked and jerked in the air for a moment before falling to the engines below. One Host actually fell onto the bridge, out cold and seemingly dead.

"Oh, Bannakaffalatta, that was brilliant!" shouted the Doctor once he realized what the red alien had done. The others (though not Rickston) gave a cheer as well, smiling in joy at Bannakaffalatta and thanking him for saving them. Bannakaffalatta stood there for a moment in shock, appearing as though he were waiting for something to happen after he had done that. But still he stood, completely fine.

"Bannakaffalatta alive?" questioned the red man in confusion. "How?"

"Oh, that was me," Wanda said as she walked over across the bridge with Astrid, finally reaching the other side as the waitress gave Bannakaffalatta a large hug in thanks. "When you needed recharging earlier, I sort of switched around your cybernetics, making it so you could emit EMPs without losing complete power. Just one at a time, though. You'll have to charge up again if you want to do another wave like that." Blinking for a moment in stunned silence, Bannakaffalatta then smiled at Wanda.

"You help? Help Bannakaffalatta?" Bannakaffalatta asked the Time Lady. "Bannakaffalatta savior?"

"Bannakaffalatta: savior of us all," nodded Wanda, smiling kindly at the red man.

"And we are definitely getting those drinks later, Mister Savior," Astrid added, grinning proudly at Bannakaffalatta.

"You're a cyborg?" Rickston asked behind them, looking at Bannakaffalatta in disgust. He even scooted away as though Bannakaffalatta had some sort of disease that he would catch. Wanda gave the man a scoff, shaking her head in disbelief at him.

"He just saved our lives. Can't you even be a little grateful?" she retorted crossly.

"Don't think he's saved us yet," spat Rickston, pointing over to the Host that was still on the bridge, beginning to stand up now. Mr. Copper scrambled over to get back with the rest while Wanda went as fast as she could back onto the bridge, ready to face off with the Host. Hoping that she could stop it somehow. The Doctor sort of jumped around the Host, standing in front of it on the bridge as the robot held up its halo, ready to kill again.

"No, no, no, hold on. Override," stated the Doctor hurriedly. He held out a hand towards the Host, trying to make it halt in its actions. He also held a hand behind him, keeping Wanda at bay in hopes that she would not place herself in danger. "Loophole. Security protocol ten." This did nothing as the Host lifted its hand with slicing ring in hand. "Um, six? Twenty-one. Seven, eight, five, four—."

"Protocol One!" shouted Wanda, pushing her way to stand right behind the Doctor, practically next to him. The Host halted, then slowly lowered its arm that held the deadly halo.

"Information—state request," chimed the robot. The Time Lords glanced at each other, before staring the Host down with hard looks.

"Right. You've been ordered to kill the survivors, but why?" questioned the Doctor.

"Information—no witnesses," answered the Heavenly Host.

Frowning, confused by this, the Doctor raised a brow in disbelief. "But the ship's gonna fall on the Earth and kill everyone. The human race has got nothing to do with the _Titanic_ , so that contravenes your orders, yes?"

"Information—incorrect," stated the Host.

The Doctor shook his head lightly, completely flabbergasted now. Why would anyone do this? What was the reasoning and logic behind it all? It made no sense. "But why do you want to destroy the Earth?"

"Information—it is the plan."

The Time Lord frowned even more. "What plan?"

"Information—protocol grants you only three questions. These three questions have been used."

The Doctor blinked in shock for a second. "Well, you could have warned me." He watched as the Host lifted its arm once more, ready to strike him down.

"Wait!" Wanda exclaimed, holding out her hand. "Does the protocol give three questions to each person?" The Host halted again, lowering its arm once more.

"Information—yes," chimed the robot. The Doctor and Wanda, as well as the others, let out a breath of relief.

"All right. Okay. So, um . . .," Wanda mumbled, thinking quick on what to ask that would make the Host stop killing them. Then it came to her. "Oh! Answer me this, Host, what's the entire number of pi? And that's Earth's pi, mind you. Not Sto's or anywhere else's. Earth's pi."

"What does pie have anything to do with this?!" yelled Rickston in outrage, thinking the blonde was wasting their time and precious moments of living. The Host straightened abruptly, twitching as it began chiming rapidly.

"Information—pi is three point one—four—one—five—nine—two—six—five—three—five—eigth—nine—seven—n-nine—" the robot stated rapidly, its voice going more and more high pitched as it replied to Wanda's question. Then it jerked, sparking as its circuits fried from information overload. It wavered for a moment before falling sideways, plummeting to the fiery engines below, following the same fate as its fellows.

"Brilliant, Wanda! Magnificent as ever!" exclaimed the Doctor, hugging his Wanderer and giving her a kiss as she giggled.

"What did she do?" Astrid questioned curiously.

"She asked an impossible question for any basic information robotics could answer," the Doctor explained after letting go of Wanda. "The number of Pi is an infinite number. Well, practically infinite with having over 10 trillion digits. It could never answer the number fast enough to reply, and the numbers would have been streaming so fast through its processor that, well, it fried everything."

"I saw someone do that in a movie once," Wanda said, giving a shrug as she grinned lightly. "I can't believe that actually worked."

Soon, everyone had made it across the bridge. The Van Hoffs both went across one at a time, making certain to be careful when crossing. Once both were safe with the rest, the Doctor opened the locked door and ran on through with the others just behind him.

"Right, get yourselves up to Reception One," the Doctor instructed the group hurriedly as they jogged down a corridor. They came to a halt halfway down the corridor as the Doctor faced the group. "Once you're there, Mr. Copper, you've got staff access to the computer. Try to find a way of transmitting an S.O.S." Mr. Copper nodded, ready for action as the Doctor turned his attention to Bannakaffalatta. "Bannakaffalatta, get yourself recharged and use your EMP if you run into any more Hosts."

"Right," nodded the red alien, determined to keep everyone safe.

"Wanda," the Doctor continued on quickly, "stay with them and help them open the doors. Now, get a move on everyone. Hurry!" Everyone sort of rushed off, going to do as the Doctor instructed them. Only Wanda lingered behind as she followed after the Doctor as he ran in the opposite direction.

"You can't go to Deck Thirty-One on your own," Wanda disputed, shaking her head as she did not wish to leave his side. "I can give my sonic screwdriver to Astrid. She'll be able to open the doors while I can help you with the rest of your plan."

"No, it's too dangerous," countered the Doctor. He halted in the corridor, turning to Wanda as she walked up to him, staring at him in concern. Placing his hands gently on her shoulders, he kept their eyes gazing steadily at each other. "You've got to stay with the others, make sure they make it through okay."

"Yeah, and then you're gonna run headfirst into danger, almost getting yourself killed, idiot," Wanda retorted. Sighing, she shook her head, already knowing it was useless keeping him here and trying to talk him out of it. He was going to be the idiot hero as he always is, whether she liked it or not. And she knew it was needed to be done, so there was that as well. "Fine, fine. Just let me patch you up before anything else."

"Huh?" The Doctor frowned for a second, wondering what she meant when she touched his left arm. He jerked slightly, hissing from the pain of the open gash through the large cut on his suit jacket. "Oh, right. Forgot about that. Tend to not feel any pain when on the run." Wanda nodded, knowing what he meant by that. Reaching down to the edges of her dress, she ripped a long strip of it off. The Doctor gave a small pout as she wrapped the strip gently around his wound. "Aw, why did you have to do that? I like that dress. Now we'll never be able to get it fixed up."

"I like this tuxedo, too. But you and I both know that we'll have to retire it now." Finishing up her bandage, she tied off the strip. She kissed the bandage lightly, smiling at him in warmth. "There. All better. Now, go run into deadly Hosts and find out what's in the strange spot on Deck Thirty-One. Just be careful, remember it's 'Protocol One,' and don't use up all your three questions in a ramble."

"Got it." The Doctor gave her a quick kiss before running off again.

Wanda turned, hurrying off as well. She stumbled when the ship gave a sharp jolt. She tensed as she knew what the jolt meant. It was the final phase of the engines. Nothing more Frame or anyone else could do as the ship was now beginning to plummet to Earth. They would only have eight minutes now until total meltdown. Hurrying, she ran as fast as she could, ready to catch up with everyone else.

"Wanda, we need to get this door open!" Wanda heard Astrid calling out from ahead.

"On it!" Wanda replied back, finally catching up with the group of survivors as they had gathered around a door leading to Reception One. Pulling out her sonic from her dress pocket, she gave a few pulses to the door to open it. "Bannakaffalatta, get ready. There are Hosts on the other side waiting for us."

"Bannakaffalatta ready," replied the red alien, stepping next to Wanda as he prepared for another EMP attack. And as Wanda had warned, there were three Hosts on the other side waiting for them, holding up the golden halos to kill. Bannakaffalatta thrust out his arms, releasing the electrical wave, frying the Hosts' robotics. The group gave a quick cheer in victory before running once more, in a hurry to get to reception.

Once they arrived there, and with quick work from Bannakaffalatta to kill off more Hosts, Wanda made certain to seal off all of the doors, locking them in for safety. She then ran over to where Astrid was trying to get the computer up for an S.O.S. It seemed the woman was having issues as the computer kept malfunctioning.

"Here, let me," Wanda said, scooting next to Astrid and giving the computer a few pulses from her sonic. The computer dinged, coming back to life. Astrid made quick work in sending out the distress call, though it would take an hour before anyone arrived to help. An hour too late.

"We need to think of something else," Astrid stated in frustration. "We can't just sit here and wait for them while the ship heads for the Earth and the Doctor is fighting Tov knows what's down in Deck Thirty-One."

"You're absolutely right," Wanda agreed, grinning with a nod. Looking at the shelving next to the staff computer, there were many teleport bracelets, charged and ready for use. "Astrid, get Mister Frame on comm, and tell him we need to divert power to the teleport system. Two trips to Deck Thirty-One. And if he tries to argue, just tell him the Wanderer, the Doctor's wife, said to do so, or I'll kick his arse if he doesn't help me save my husband. Got that?" Astrid blinked for a second in bewilderment, confused for a moment about Wanda saying the terms 'husband' and 'wife,' before holding a determined expression and nodded, turning to the intercom to contact Midshipman Frame.

Once Astrid had Midshipman Frame persuaded (with the help of the stern warning from Wanda), the two young women grabbed themselves a bracelet and snapped the black metal bands onto their wrists. Setting the teleport for Deck Thirty-One, the two said a quick goodbye to the others in the reception before pressing the transmit button together. There was a slight jerk and a flash of light as they suddenly arrived into the lower deck. Their destination. It was in a state of chaos, with broken debris, beams, metal, small fires, and dead bodies everywhere. Wanda scooted away from a dead man lying on the floor next to where she had arrived.

"Right. Where to now?" Astrid breathed, gazing around the area, taking in the sights as she hoped they would be able to see the Doctor somewhere.

"Follow me. And be a quiet as possible," Wanda whispered, grabbing Astrid's hand and steering her along as the Time Lady crept forward. She was glad that they had teleported to a hidden pocket within the deck as she knew there would be plenty of Hosts around, ready to kill them. And their boss would be nearby as well, talking to the Doctor and giving away all plans of destruction. Then, sure enough, as Wanda and Astrid peeked around a corner, looking into the main large area of the deck, they heard a man speaking loudly in frustration.

"The engines are still running! They should have stopped!" yelled the man, his voice coming out muffled as though he were speaking through a glass case. Which, in fact, he was. Astrid stared in shock while Wanda narrowed her eyes. It was Max Capricorn himself, the man in charge of it all. Though, he was more machine now than man. He was literally only just a head now within a glass case on top of a large rolling life support system. He looked more like a motorized cart with a head on top for display.

"When they do, the Earth gets roasted," argued the Doctor. He glared at the cyborg while the two stared down over the railing at the burning engines below them. "I don't understand—what's the Earth got to do with it?"

"This interview is terminated!" shouted Capricorn in anger, growing increasingly frustrated that his plans were not working out quite like he had hoped. Capricorn's motorized body turned back around, moving away from the outlook area of the engines. The Doctor hurriedly ran around the large cyborg body, stepping in front Capricorn while holding his hands out. But Capricorn kept rolling forward, making the Time Lord back up in step as he spoke rapidly.

"No. No, no, no, no, no. Hold on! Hold on! Hold on! Hold on! Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait!" the Doctor yelled in rapid fashion, trying to get the man to stop in his tracks. Literally. Finally, Capricorn stopped and the Doctor rushed into stalling, needing to get to the bottom of this all and hopefully figure out a way to stop Capricorn, the Hosts, and the _Titanic_ from falling into the Earth. "I can work it out. It's like a task. I'm your apprentice. Just watch me."

"So," the Doctor held up a finger, staring up to the broken ceiling above as he let his mind wander free, processing everything in fast form through his head, "the business is failing and you wreck the ship, so that makes things even worse. Oh, yes! No. Yes. The business isn't failing. It's _failed_ —past tense." The Doctor looked at Capricorn again, seeing if he was indeed correct in his thought process. He grinned when seeing the disgruntled expression on the cyborg's face, knowing he was right.

"My own board voted me out, stabbed me in the back," Capricorn explained crossly.

"If you had a back," muttered the Doctor as he went to ponder again. "So . . . you scupper the ship, wipe out any survivors, just in case anyone's rumbled you, and the board find their shares halved in value. Oh, but that's not enough. No. 'Cause if a Max Capricorn ship hits the Earth, it destroys an entire planet. Outrage back home. Scandal! The business is wiped out."

"And . . .," Capricorn said to finish the final conclusion, "the whole board thrown in jail for mass murder.

The Doctor's glare darkened significantly as he eyed the cyborg in front of him, feeling fury build up within as he knew the petty reason Capricorn was going to destroy the Earth. "While you sit there," he pointed over his shoulder at the omnistate, indestructible bunker the man had himself hidden in, "safe inside the impact chamber."

"I have men . . . waiting to retrieve me from the ruins, and enough off-world accounts to retire me to the beaches of Penhaxico II, where the ladies, so I'm told, are very fond of . . . metal," Capricorn stated smugly, grinning proudly at his devilish plans of destruction. Completely at ease in killing off all the passengers and crew of the _Titanic_ , as well as an entire planet itself. Unsympathetic towards all the lives he would be ending on Christmas.

"So that's the plan—a retirement plan," the Doctor spate out in disgust and fury. "Two thousand people on this ship, six _billion_ underneath us—all of them slaughtered. And why?" He took an aggressive step at the cyborg as the Oncoming Storm raged within. "Because Max Capricorn is a loser."

Capricorn wheeled forward closer, holding his own heated gaze. "I _never_ lose."

Still looking around the corner, Wanda gritted her teeth as her fists tightened, hating the man even more. Why? Why did it always boil down to greed, power, and revenge? Why must innocent lives always be sacrificed for these deplorable people? Wanda looked to see if Astrid was just as enraged as she felt of Capricorn's actions. But there was no one beside her. Blinking in shock, Wanda looked wildly around, trying to see where Astrid had run off to. Then, Wanda sucked in a breath as she remembered what was to happen next.

She jolted to the side as Capricorn sent out a signal to cancel the engines, sending the _Titanic_ straight for the Earth. A ship leaned slightly more, though not enough for her to lose her balance completely. Stumbling up, she saw the Hosts holding the Doctor, keeping him captive as Capricorn bantered on some more, gloating. Eyes wandering over to a forklift truck, Wanda's eyes widened as she saw Astrid climbing into the vehicle. Oh, no. No, no, no. Wanda had forgotten all about what was to befall Astrid. Why did these things always slip her mind?

"Oh, Host . . . kill him," ordered Capricorn in a singsong voice after he was done gloating to the Doctor. Wanda whipped her eyes over to see the Doctor struggling in the two Hosts' grasp that were holding him as another in front of him grabbed its halo, ready to follow its master's orders.

"No!" Wanda cried out in alarm, though none heard her as Astrid spoke up loudly.

"Mr. Capricorn," the woman announced from the forklift as she turned it on, gripping the steering tight in hand. "I resign." Flipping a lever beside where she sat, Astrid made the vehicle charge forward, going straight for the large cyborg.

"Astrid, don't!" both the Doctor and Wanda yelled together.

Hurrying out from her hiding spot, Wanda ran over to the scene, watching as Astrid rammed the forklift into Capricorn's large wheeled body, trying to push him towards the railing behind him to send him over. Right into the fiery engines below. Though the two vehicles went head-to-head, screeching their tires as neither moved an inch yet in the struggle to push each other. The Doctor fought in the Hosts' grasp that were still holding him, unable to get to Astrid. Wanda saw the one Host holding the halo aiming for Astrid, ready to stop her. However, Wanda knew the golden ring would miss. Not hitting Astrid, but cutting the brake line of the forklift instead. Not killing the waitress instantly. But still sending her to her doom as she would, without a doubt, sacrifice herself to save them all by going in full ramming speed, sending Capricorn and herself over the edge of the level above the engines.

But there was one difference in this universe that Wanda's old show did not have. _Her_.

Running quickly with full determination, Wanda slammed herself into the Host that was about to cut the forklift's brake line, knocking the robot over. The halo clattered to the ground, not been thrown at all. Wanda heard the screeching of tires as Astrid lifted Capricorn up, ready to toss him over.

"Wanda!" the Doctor yelled in alarm, not paying attention to Astrid's dramatic heroism as the Host Wanda had knocked over began going after her instead. Wanda scrambled up, ducking to avoid the thrown halo that was meant to kill her. The golden ring clanged against the far wall, sailing right back to the Host who had tossed it.

"Ahh!" Wanda let out in a cry as she tripped, falling over behind a large pile of metal and debris, away from the Doctor's or anyone else's sight. The Time Lady fell almost face first, only catching her fall with her outward hands to brace herself. Wanda panted as she turned around on the floor, facing the Host who stood right above her now, holding the halo high in the air to strike her down. Wrapping her arms around her stomach, she slammed her eyes shut as she readied for the impact of the slicing blade. Only fearing for her growing child's life instead of her own. Had she doomed the developing baby?

Breathing in and out rapidly, waiting for death to arrive, Wanda peaked her eye open when she realized that she was still alive. Unharmed in any way. Opening both eyes now and blinking in confusion, she looked up to see the halo had been placed back onto the Heavenly Host's head as the robot bowed its head and held its hand together as if in prayer. Oh. She was still alive. Okay, then. Letting out a breath of relief, Wanda patted her stomach lightly as if to reassure the baby within that everything was fine now. She would make certain to be more careful in the future to keep the growing babe safe.

"Wanda?!" she heard the desperate cry from the Doctor. Letting go of her stomach, Wanda saw the Doctor and Astrid running over to see if she was all right. Both seemed to let out a sigh of relief as the Doctor stepped forward, pulling Wanda up and holding her close to him. He buried his face into her hair, letting out a shaking breath. "Don't do that to me. Not after that damn year."

"Sorry," mumbled Wanda, burying her face into his chest and hugging him in an apology for making him worried so much about her. Pulling away from her Time Lord, Wanda smiled at Astrid, overjoyed in seeing the woman still alive and well. "Mr. Capricorn's been dealt with I suspect?"

"Definitely not getting my job back," Astrid replied, nodding firm in her achieve in ending the terrible reign of her once boss. They suddenly all stumbled as the ship began to fall apart within as the _Titanic_ fell even further now towards the Earth. On a straight collision course with no way back.

"Quick! We need to get to the bridge!" Wanda exclaimed in a panic, running past the Doctor and Astrid, going to the two Hosts who had held the Doctor captive.

"But how are we going to get to the bridge in time?" Astrid asked, in a panic as well.

"Simple," responded the Doctor. He stepped over to the two Hosts as well, knowing what to do. "With the old boss out, there's a new one to step in."

"Who?" Astrid questioned in bewilderment.

The Doctor grinned at her. "Me." Snapping his fingers, the two Hosts hooked either of their arms with the Doctor's. Ready to take him up to the bridge upon his command. Wanda and Astrid came around the back of the robots, wrapping their arms tightly around the necks of the Hosts. Holding on for the ride of their lives, the Heavenly Hosts flew up with great speed from the ground, heading straight above to where the bridge would be. Each robot held out their free arms in front of them, preparing to burst through the floor.

And burst through they did.

The Host made the floor of the bridge break into splinters as they brought the trio up into the room. Midshipman Frame let out a cry of alarm when this occurred, staring with wide eyes at the new arrivals. The Doctor hopped up onto his feet, in front of the bridge's controls in a flash. Wanda and Astrid were a little slower as they tried to step around the busted hole in the floor as careful as they could, going over to stand beside the Doctor as he worked fast on the computer's system and steering.

"Hello, Mister Frame. Nice to meet you," Wanda said cheerfully, shaking the hand of the still wide-eyed and blinking young man. He stared flabbergasted at the trio, unsure on what to think of their sudden arrival.

"But—B-b-but the Hosts—," Frame tried to say, pointing at the peaceful Hosts in disbelief.

"Controller dead—they divert to the next highest authority, and that's me," explained the Doctor very quickly as he worked furiously in getting systems back up and running. Frame shook his head, still wondering why the Doctor was working so hard for an impossible feat. There was no way the _Titanic_ and the Earth could be saved now.

"There's—there's nothing we can do. There's no power. The ship's gonna fall," Frame said in desperation sounding at a loss. In defeat already.

"He's right. What can we do?" agreed Astrid. Just at a loss as the young man was. Both the Doctor and Wanda shook their heads, knowing there was always still a way.

"If there's a will, there's a way," Wanda said with a strong voice. She then beamed after saying this. "Ooh, I like that. I'm gonna have to say that for now on."

"What's your first name?" the Doctor hurriedly asked offhandedly, just trying to think of a way to calm the Midshipman down.

"A-Alonso," answered the Midshipman. The Doctor froze as he held onto the large wooden wheel of the ship, staring at Frame in awe and disbelief. As though he could not believe his ears. Then, it was as though he had received one of the best Christmas gifts in his life as his eyes lit up.

"You're kidding me," the Doctor replied in a quick breath. Wanda snickered, finding it amusing with the expression on the Doctor's face. The Doctor then smiled as he looked back out of the large window of the bridge, seeing the approaching Earth ahead. "That's something else I've always wanted to say. _Allons-y_ , Alonso!"

The Doctor spun the wheel sharply, making the ship aim at high speeds, straight down to the Earth. Everyone within the bridge held onto anything nearby with dear life as they went for the ride of their lives. Astrid and Alonso let out screams of terror while Wanda sort of muttered rapidly 'hate heights' as the quick descent was a very far drop down indeed. Though things got even tenser as the edges of the ship burned from the rapid descent to Earth, and Buckingham Palace came closer and closer into view. The Doctor hurriedly called the palace over the comms, giving a warning to the Queen of their sharp fall, hoping that she might find somewhere safe . . . just in case. But there was no collision whatsoever as the engines were active once more and the Doctor was able to pull back hard on the wheel, making the ship miss Buckingham Palace and fly back up to the sky once more. The ship headed straight back to space where it belonged.

The group within the bridge all began to laugh hysterically. Fill with joy in their success of the day and just happy to be alive. The Doctor reached over, pulling Wanda up to him as he gave her an excited kiss. Making a loud smack once they finished their kiss, the Doctor wrapped an arm around his Time Lady's waist, keeping her close by his side as he steered the _Titanic_ onto a safer course of orbit around the Earth. It would be ready for pickup later once the new transport arrived. Wanda smiled, snuggling into her Theta's side, happy to be with him for another Christmas. Even if there were many bad occurrences, she still felt glad for the few good moments they could share together.

XxXxXxXx

The small group of survivors ended up within Reception One. Chatting merrily and enjoying the life they still shared together. Though they were all still sad for all the lives that had been lost. They held joy in knowing so many more had been saved. Not all was lost. Not all was bad. For the bad did not make the good unimportant.

Wanda smiled as she leaned her head against the Doctor, enjoying the soothing circles he rubbed along her arm, having wrapped his own arm around her shoulders and hugging her close to him. Together, the Time Lords watched with content on the happiness their new friends all shared. Foon and Morvin sat together at a table, smiling fondly at each other and holding their hands together. Each rubbing their noses against the other every so often in affection. Astrid, Mr. Copper, and Bannakaffalatta had gathered around the bar, enjoying a Christmas drink together. Wanda giggled as she saw Astrid blushing repeatedly from the flirting Bannakaffalatta was doing. He was very much infatuated with her. And it seemed that Astrid too found him just as enjoyable.

"Doctor."

The Time Lords blinked in surprise as Rickston stood before them, smiling away in a rather stupid grin as he appeared to be overemotional about something.

"I never said . . . thank you," Rickston told the Doctor, sounding sincere at first before the rest of his sentence ruined the talk of appreciation. "The funny thing is . . . I said Max Capricorn was falling apart. Just before the crash, I sold all my shares, transferred them to his rivals. It's made me rich. What do you think of that?" He smiled smugly at the Time Lord, appearing very pleased with himself. Wanda felt her eye twitch for the millionth time that day with being around that man. Stepping away from the Doctor, she held a very calm expression as she walked up to Rickston.

"Rickston, remember that promise I made you?" she questioned politely, even smiling somewhat. The businessman blinked, appearing taken back, but curious all the same as to what she was talking about.

"No. What was it?" he asked her. Wanda smiled for a second before she tightened her fist and . . .

WHAM!

Rickston fell back onto the ground. Knocked out cold. Wanda stood over him, blowing at her fist as if getting rid of dust on her knuckles.

"Always keep my promises," she said smugly, grinning as she felt proud of herself. Glancing around, she saw everyone staring at her in surprise. "What? It's not like none of you wanted to do the same thing."

"I didn't see anything," Mr. Copper said in humour, turning back around in his seat as he chuckled.

"I didn't see anything, either," Foon said, winking at Wanda as Morvin would not stop snorting and chortling. Wanda giggled, stepping back to the Doctor and cuddling to his side. The Doctor rolled his eyes, wrapping his arm around her once more.

"I highly disprove," he mumbled into her ear.

"Don't know what you're talking about," she teased back, grinning from ear to ear. "Besides, that was the greatest, most satisfying Christmas moment _ever_." The Doctor chuckled, giving her arm a squeeze in affection. They watched as Astrid glanced at them, seeming to whisper something to Bannakaffalatta before hopping down from the bar stool and going over to the two Time Lords.

"So, enjoying that drink?" the Doctor asked with a cheeky grin.

"Very much so," Astrid replied, grinning as well. "He's, um . . . offered me to come back to Sto with him. Maybe even travel around. Apparently, he likes to take lots of cruise trips. Though, I think we might hold off on that one for a while." She smiled nervously, glancing back repeatedly at the red alien who stared hopefully back at her. She looked to the Time Lords again, appearing to hope for an answer from them. "I had been thinking about asking you two for a chance of travelling in that small blue box. But . . . it is kinda of small. Only enough for two, I think. And now, seeing as a new door has opened for me . . .," she glanced back then looked to the two again, "do you think I should go for it?"

"Of course!" Wanda responded immediately, beaming in happiness in Astrid finding someone for her. Then her smile dropped. "Aww, but I wanted to travel with you, too. There were so many places I wanted us to go to. There were the Flora Gardens. The Milky Way. I mean, literally, it's a planet with a river made of milk. Totally delicious."

"I think she has plenty of time to do that all now," noted the Doctor as he smiled and nodded in approval to Astrid. "I hope for you the best. It was beyond a pleasure meeting you, Astrid Peth." Astrid beamed in excitement, hugging the two Time Lords in a farewell.

"And it was amazing in meeting you, Doctor. And you, Wanderer," replied Astrid. She stepped back for a moment, turning to go over to the bar again when she halted and spun back around. "Oh! I almost forgot. There's an old tradition on Sto. Need to give you it proper." Astrid walked up firmly, grabbing the Doctor by the lapels of his jacket and pulled him down for a hard kiss. Wanda's jaw dropped in shock, unsure of what she was seeing. Then, she was stunned even more as Astrid moved over to her as well, giving her the very same kiss. Then, Astrid beamed at them both, skipping over to go sit next to Bannakaffalatta once more.

"Um . . . blimey," the Doctor muttered, rubbing a hand through his hair.

"W-what was that for?" Wanda stuttered, unsure of what had just happened. She remembered something of that happening on the show as well. Astrid giving the Doctor a Sto 'tradition.' But that had been meant more towards romance than anything else. Did that apply the same here?

"Well . . . if I remember right, Sto would be a close relative planet of Epax," the Doctor mumbled, still messing up his hair as he tried getting his mind around what Astrid had just given them both. He gulped as he knew what kind of 'tradition' that might have meant. But that can't be true . . . can it? "Traditionally . . . when good news was received, close friends would give the other of the news a kiss of congratulations. Or luck. Either one of those. And the news usually involved marriage, or . . . incoming arrivals."

Wanda blinked, unsure of what he was mumbling about. "Huh?"

A red tint grew on the Doctor's face, running his hand down to rub at the back of his neck now. "Incoming arrivals. An announcement of pregnancy."

Wanda felt her breath leave her as her jaw dropped. Completely speechless. Was this a way Astrid tried setting her up into telling the Doctor? She tensed as the Doctor looked at her, seeming to want to ask about why she thought Astrid had indeed kissed them. But she then felt relief as the white light and warmth built up, ready to take her away. Good. She would not have to tell him just yet.

"Sorry, Doctor, looks like we have to cut this conversation short until next time," she told him, smiling as an apology to her incoming departure. "Go ahead and take Mr. Copper with you when you teleport down to Earth. It'll help him avoid jail time, and he'll finally be able to get that house of his."

"Will do." The Doctor nodded, sad to see his Wanderer go. As well as disappointed they could not discuss on why exactly Astrid had given them that traditional kiss. But he shrugged it off, thinking maybe it was just another tradition of sorts. Maybe a 'thank you' in some ways in saving the waitress and everyone else. "Take care, Wanda. Don't let yourself get caught up in too much danger."

Wanda snorted lightly. "Please. As if this day could get any more insane for me." She winced the moment she transported away, realizing that she might have just jinxed herself there.

And jinx herself she did.

XxXxXxXx

Uh-oh. What does that mean I wonder? Though, I guess that's more of what many of you might be wondering. If anyone would like to make a guess at what that might mean or where Wanda might be going, leave your thoughts in a review. Who knows, maybe I'll even give you a fun sneak peek if you guess correctly. If you want, that is. ;)

Reviewers:

 **X-Lisa-Anne-X** : Nope! I wouldn't that cruel to you readers. ;) You can't tease without giving some sort of satisfaction in the end. Glad you're happy about it! Can't wait to see what you think of the new chapter. :)

 **heroherondaletotherescue** : lol He was, wasn't he? ;) I have a confession, I actually hate chicken wings. I know, I'm so weird. But glad you like them. :) Oh yes, it's very much a large dilemma for our dear Wanderer. Who knows when she'll finally get a chance to tell the right Doctor. ;) I really hope you enjoyed the new chapter and that you're having the best day/night ever! :D

 **Danyael Prince** : Yep, Astrid is safe and sound! Unfortunately, no. I'm not going to go that far into the series itself. For this trilogy, it will be sticking with going as far as the Eleventh Doctor. Then in part four which I'm still planning, it will be with just Twelve. Though I really wish I could have been able to do a story with Thirteen. :( Who knows, maybe it'll be a special chapter in the future. Not really canon to Wanda's timeline, but just something fun to read. :)

 **Authora97** : Really? I'm surprised. I thought that was a usual thing for one of these stories. Well, I'm very glad to have made you so happy. :D I'm excited now to see what you think of the rest of it and how it goes. I hope you'll like it!

 **swimmjacket** : It is always nice to get concrete answers. :) I can't wait, either! Guess we'll just have to wait to find out which Doctor she tells. ;) Thank you for such lovely support! I really hope that you'll continue to enjoy the rest to come. Have a wonderful day/night! Take care!

 **AGBreads** : Me, too! XD I'm so excited for you to see the rest of it. I really hope you enjoyed the newest chapter. Until next time!

 **jaz7** : Can't say what is going to happen to the babe. Sorry. :( But I hope you'll like whatever comes of the ending. :) Really hope that you've been doing good lately, and to see you again in the future. Take care!

 **bored411** : Everyone lives! :D Love those moments. I hope you liked it all! I'm eager to see what you thought of it! Until next time! Take care!

 **PondRiverWilliams** : Oh, definitely more than him lived. And they had a very Merry Christmas. :) I hope you enjoyed it! Also, hope to see you again in the future! Take care and have a marvellous day/night.

 **deadflowersevermorning** : Yay! I'm happy you liked! It is so cute. XD I love when he does that. Aww, glad you think she's so cool. :) Well . . . you know as they say. Some things can never be changed. But, you're right, they also can be, too. Who knows what will happen. Can't wait to see what you think of it all. ;) Until next time!

 **Momochan77** : Yep! I think he did. lol ;) I've had a strong dislike for him, too. Agreed! I loved them all as well! :D Hope you enjoyed the new update!

 **Jupiter'sCigar** : Hello! I hope things are well in Australia. :) Besides the heatwave, of course. If there's anything I dislike, it's being too hot. Ugh. Wish I could send you down some of this freeze spell where I'm at to help you all cool off. :( Keeping my fingers crossed for you that the heatwave will pass soon. Aww, I'm just so happy that you've enjoyed the story so much! Thank you for such kind words. I truly hope that you have a wonderful day/night and that you'll be cooling off soon from that heatwave. Take care!

 **singingKatelyn** : Agreed! Love whenever the Doctor gets protective. :) Also agreed on Rickson. I normally don't dislike people, but he's the exception. Don't worry. The Doctor's reaction will be right around the corner now. ;) So glad you're enjoying Third Wanda so much. And the story as well! I'll try my best to keep up in bringing you joy throughout the rest. :) Until next time!

 **Guest(a)** : Yep! You are indeed correct. Any time that you noticed in the past or currently of Wanda suddenly being pulled away in very strange times is when Alpha tried getting her out of there. Basically rejecting the Doctor from being with Wanda in every way she could. Alpha is a very tricky person sometimes. lol ;)

 **QuirkyKim** : Nothing wrong with an exciting capslock. haha ;) So glad you enjoyed it! Can't wait to see what you think of the rest. Until next time!

May your days always be sunny and bright, filled with cheer. :) As always, thanks for such wonderful reviews. I apperiate every single one of them. And every single reader out there as well. :D

~Tinker~


	36. Ch 36: Opening Pandorica

Hello, everyone!

Have all your days/nights been wonderful? I hope so. :)

So, I'm really nervous in what everyone thinks of this chapter. Extremely nervous and anxious. Keeping my fingers crossed and holding my breath until the end of it. Please, enjoy! :)

XxXxXxXx

Chapter 36: Opening Pandorica

Blinking, trying to clear her eyesight of the white spots in her vision, Wanda gazed around, seeing that she was within Eleven's TARDIS. The bright and warm control room with the blanket of warmth surrounding her made her feel relaxed after a long day of tension and stress. Sighing, she ruffled her hair slightly as she walked up the stairs of the console, heading towards the corridor. First things first, she needed a nice long shower and a change of clothes before going off to find out where the Doctor had run to. She did not want the chance to get dragged into another adventure with him and the Ponds, and possibly River, just yet. She needed to rest for a bit before anything else.

Though she wanted to rest before finding anyone, she did find it odd that there was indeed no one around. Where was everyone? Had something happened? Frowning for a second, she shrugged, thinking that maybe they were off somewhere in the TARDIS, playing games or something. So, she ignored her growing anxiety as she went into her room and began to clean herself up. Once showered and changed into her usual outfit of bright coloured tunic, maroon overcoat, capris, and mary janes, Wanda stepped out of her room again, glancing both ways down the corridor. Okay, that really was weird. Normally, when Wanda appeared, and the others were on board and had not realized of her arrival after a long while, the TARDIS would sort of send a signal to the rest in the back, letting them know of the new company that had joined them. Then, as usual, the Doctor would bounce over to greet her with the others in tow. All ready to go on an adventure together.

However, there was no such welcome here. Now Wanda was truly starting to worry as she realized she might have been callous in wanting to wash up and relax. She should have looked for them first. What if they were in trouble? What if they were in grave danger? What if they were dying?! She had to save them! Wanda, with her mind jumping into a panic, ran down the corridor and straight back into the control room. Racing over to the scanner on the console, she began hurriedly typing, trying to find out what had happened to her family. The coordinates came up onto the screen, showing her that the TARDIS was currently at Salisbury Plain, in the 2nd century. Roman Britain. Scanning a bit more, she saw there was a Roman camp not too far away from where Sexy was parked. Would the Doctor and the others be there?

The disgruntled and wary hum of the TARDIS alerted Wanda, making her gaze up to the time rotor in concern.

"What's wrong old girl? Are you all right?" Wanda asked, patting the console in comfort. The scanner in front of her changed, showing her a blinking date. June twenty-six, 2010. Wanda felt her hearts drop with cold dread washing over her. Gulping, she slowly turned off the scanner, shaking as she realized what day with was. Sucking in a deep breath, she made herself be calm, knowing that things would not be that bad this day. Right? Right. Yeah. Should be fine. Everything would be totally fine. It was just the universe going to explode.

Wanda rocked on her feet, feeling her anxiety kicking in again as she knew she was now facing one of the days she had been dreading lately. Though she knew everything (for the most part) went perfectly fine in the show, there was still something about this day that sent dread down her spine. Something . . . off. It could be that much of it—when she tried looking into a possibility of this day—was fuzzy and blank to her. Which meant her timeline was deeply entangled in this adventure. Meaning that anything could happen on this day. Anything that she could not see coming. Even . . . even something horrible that she could not stop.

Her hand began rubbing at her stomach absently, worried for the child within her. Would the growing babe be in danger today? She had already placed the babe into a deadly situation with her against that Heavenly Host. What if she ended up doing it again? Slowly, she wrapped her arms around her stomach, growing a determined expression. She would _never_ let that happen. She would rather die—no wait, dying would be the bad thing. All right. Then she would fight with everything to stay alive, keeping her child alive as well. Her child was precious, and she would do anything to protect . . . her . . . her child. Her and the Doctor's . . . child.

Wanda blinked, slowly letting go of her stomach. Her eyes filled with awe as she stared at nothing in particular as it finally hit her. She . . . she was going to be a mother. Of course, she had always realized this before when she saw the scans from the TARDIS. But . . . it just did not hit her fully yet. Yes, she would admit it now, she had been in brief denial, and a bit frightened as well. It was a huge shock to her. Of course, it was logical to be a little frazzled and unable to comprehend the idea of being pregnant when one never thought they would ever experience something such as this. Such as becoming a mother. Not once did Wanda ever believe she would be a mother someday. First, before meeting the Doctor and falling in love, she never believed she had been meant for love. Then, falling for the Doctor, she had that stubbornness in thinking he was meant for someone else. Meaning, they could never share something like this together.

But now . . .

"I'm going to be a mum," she breathed in awe, sounding as though her breath had left her. Gradually, as she stood in her stunned silence, a warm smile grew on her face. She let out a humourous giggle, feeling giddy. "I'm going to be a mum." A few happy tears leaked down her face as she caressed her stomach. Overjoyed at the idea of her and the Doctor having a child together. Of her carrying their child. She looked up at the time rotor in ecstatic delight. "You're gonna be a grandmother, Sexy!" The TARDIS beeped and blinked her lights around the control room, seeming to celebrate and be merry along with Wanda. The Time Lady giggled more in delight, clapping her hands and jumping around the console in her joyful giddiness. Then, Sexy hummed in a motherly way as if to remind Wanda of what she was meant to do now.

"Right. Gotta tell Theta and the others," Wanda agreed, grinning from ear-to-ear as she raced out of the TARDIS.

She jogged down the hill that the TARDIS was parked on, excited to see Eleven, Amy, and River. She wished Rory were here, too. No wait, she forgot that he was. Perfect! She could tell them all right now and . . . Wanda slowed down her jog, only walking briskly now. Right. No. This was not the best time to tell any of them. Again, bad timing. As she had told Astrid, telling the Doctor something important such as this during a stressful and dangerous adventure would not be good. It would only cause the Time Lord to become emotional. She . . . she would have to wait to tell him after this day was over. As soon as she had the chance, and the right moment, she would tell him. Tell her Theta and her family the good news. At least . . . she hoped it was good news. It was happy for her, but would everyone else see it that way as well?

She was startled when she heard loud galloping of a horse leaving the Roman camp. She spotted Amy, River, and the Doctor all on their own horse, leaving the camp in a fast pace. And Wanda was too far away to call out to them or each the camp in time to catch up. Acting quick, Wanda pulled out her sonic and made it pulse loudly. Doing the same as she had done when her Second self had been dying, she sent a signal to the Doctor's screwdriver, calling to him. She saw him make his horse halt, pulling out his sonic in surprise. Then his eyes widened, seeming to remember another time of that happening. Looking around wildly, he spotted Wanda not too far away, waving at him.

Turning his horse around, he galloped over to her in quick fashion. Amy and River behind him halted their own steads, gazing back curiously as to where the Time Lord would be going.

"Wanda! Just in time!" the Doctor called to his Time Lady, smiling brightly as ever when seeing her again. Wanda beamed, bouncing over to where the Doctor made the horse stop.

"Couldn't leave you on your own, now could I?" she replied cheekily. Reaching down, the Doctor held out his hand to her, helping her up onto the saddle with him. She got behind the Doctor, wrapping her arms around his torso as he kicked the horse into high gear and raced back off where Amy and River were waiting.

"Good to see you, sweetie!" River called, grinning with happiness in seeing Wanda again.

"You too, sweetie," Wanda responded, winking in delight while giggling. Looking over, she saw Amy smiling as well, nodding in hello. All rode quickly now through the plains, racing as fast as they could to their destination.

"So, I'm guessing, after seeing the message from good old Vincent, that we're going to Stonehenge to find Pandorica?" Wanda asked the others loudly over the whipping wind and thunderous galloping of the horses. "To stop the TARDIS from exploding and all that?"

"That's the plan," River stated, being just as loud in her reply.

"The TARDIS is _not_ going to explode!" the Doctor countered crossly. Wanda felt him grow tense as she tightened her arms around him. Rubbing his chest soothingly, she kissed the back of his neck as a sign of reassurance. But it seemed to not relieve his stress as she still felt his hearts pounding away in an anxious beat. Yep, definitely a good thing she did not tell him the news of her pregnancy. Emotional Time Lord plus bad day equals disaster.

Eventually, they arrived at the location of the famous Stonehenge. The Doctor hopped off the horse first, then let Wanda jumped down into his arms. He held her close for a second, kissing her head, exhaling a long breath. Then he moved away, whipping out his sonic screwdriver to begin hurriedly scanning all the stones around them. Amy and River hopped off their horses as well, walking up to where Wanda stood by a lying stone. The redhead gazed around in interest, finding it strange in seeing how old the Stonehenge already appeared to be. Broken up into some pieces and covered in moss in others.

"How come it's not new?" Amy asked the two women next to her curiously. River pulled out a scanning device from her white parka.

"Because it's already old. It's been here thousands of years," River explained to the companion, continuing to work on the beeping scanner in her hands. "No one knows exactly how long."

"Which means someone had been planning on this for a very, very long time," Wanda mumbled, crossing her arms as she eyed each and every one of the stones around them. Amy glanced at the Time Lady, her mind trying to understand what was happening.

"Okay, this Pandorica thing," Amy spoke up as she walked around, looking at all the stones. She stopped, looking at River now for questioning. "Last time we saw you, you warned us about it, after we climbed out of _Byzantium_."

"Spoilers," River replied, smirking in cheek as she held up her finger to her lips. Amy rolled her eyes. Seriously, River was just as bad a Wanda about the whole 'spoilers' thing.

"No, but you told the Doctor you'd see him again when the Pandorica opens," Amy disputed, hoping for more set answers from the mysterious woman.

"Maybe I did. But I haven't yet. But I will have." River walked around Amy, continuing on her scans. All the while, Wanda snickered at the bewildered and baffled expression of Amy's as she stared at River's back in disbelief to such an avoiding and confusing answer.

"Amy, Amy, Amy," Wanda said, shaking her head in amusement as she walked up and patted the girl's shoulder, grinning slyly. "You should know by now that River is the Queen of Spoilers. You'll never get a straight answer out of her."

"Like I never get a straight answer out of you?" Amy retorted, almost pouting as she crossed her arms and gave Wanda a side glance.

"Yep!" Wanda beamed, snickering more as Amy rolled her eyes once again.

"I'm picking up fry particles everywhere," River announced once her scans' results came back, flashing brightly on her device. "Energy weapons discharged on this site." The Doctor walked into the centre of the stones, jumping to stand on top of one of the lying boulders. He snapped his sonic green-tipped sonic shut after finishing his own scans, gazing around the area cautiously.

"If the Pandorica is here, it contains the mightiest warrior in history," stated the Time Lord thoughtfully. "Now, half the galaxy would want a piece of that. Maybe even fight over it." He hummed for a second before looking at Wanda. "Wish to give us any sneak peeks?"

Wanda pondered over this, mumbling, "Um . . . sneak peek . . . it isn't what's inside the Pandorica. It is what's meant to be placed _in_."

"And what exactly is going _in_ the Pandorica?" Amy spoke up in question as she and the rest stared steadily at the Time Lady. Wanda tugged on the back of her hair, wishing she could give a clearer warning. But again, everything was all fuzzy to her. All she knew was what happened on her show. Nothing else to go by. Sighing heavily, shaking her head, Wanda could only give them a shrug as to say she did not know, either.

"Well, then, on a scale of one to ten . . . how bad?" the Doctor asked, hopping down from the centre stone and walking up to Wanda. Keeping his gaze focused solely on her. Wanda began pinching her thumb behind her back.

"I'm sorry, I . . . I really don't know," Wanda whispered. At seeing the Doctor's expression dropping, she held a weak smile as to comfort him. "I'm sure it'll be fine. Just fine. Nothing too bad can happen, right?"

The knowledge of Wanda being uncertain about this day only made everyone's dread and fears worsen.

XxXxXxXx

It took them until the dark of night before they managed to get the centre stone to open and unveil the hidden chamber down below. A set of stone stairs with old vines growing around the sides led down into the depths of whatever was hidden below. Each of them glanced at one another before the Doctor gingerly stepped down into the darkness. Wanda followed closely behind him, with Amy and River right after her. The Doctor held out his sonic as a light source of them, helping to guide them into the deep darkness of the underhenge. Soon, he found some torches and light them up for usage. He handed one to Wanda and kept another for himself. Holding the torch out in front of him, he walked up to massive, very ancient, doors. Together, he, River, and Wanda pushed the doors open, revealing what was on the other side.

It was the Pandorica. A massive box, made of what appeared to be a mixture of metal and stone, with many strange markings and writing all over the structure of the box. It sat in the very centre of the underground room, on top of a stone flattop. Three beams of moonlight were directed at the box from small holes from above, giving the object an eerie glow. Cobwebs hung from the vines that grew on the ceiling, hanging down all around. The air within the room was stale, making the place feel very old and untouched by time.

"It's the Pandorica," breathed the Doctor, staring at the vast object in front of them in disbelief.

"More than just a fairy tale," River muttered quietly.

"Definitely not a fairy tale," whispered Wanda as she stepped with them towards the box. In the corner of her eye, she saw the Doctor kicking a Cyberman's broken arm on the ground. A very old and dusty arm from long ago. Wanda did not pay attention to this as her sole attention was upon the Pandorica. She could not avert her eyes as she drew closer and closer to it. Finally, she reached out, touching the edge of the box.

A chill went through her. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end and one barrier within shifted. Unsettled by the presence of the Pandorica. It meant nothing but danger. Nothing but capture and entrapment. A prison. A prison for the Doctor. To lock him away from the universe. To lock him away from her . . . forever. Wanda shivered as trepidation went through her. Nothing good was going to come from this day. Nothing good. She just knew it.

"There was a goblin," the Doctor suddenly spoke next to her. Wanda jumped slightly, startled by the sudden presence of the Time Lord standing right behind her. His chest was up against her back as he reached past her, touching the dark box along with her. "Or a trickster, or a warrior. A nameless, terrible thing, soaked in the blood of a billion galaxies. The most feared being in all the cosmos. And nothing could stop it, or hold it, or reason with it. One day it would just drop out of the sky and tear down your world."

Wanda frowned, not liking this description of the Doctor. Why would anyone ever call him something like that? Of course, then again, she had to remind herself that this 'legend' had been spread by the Doctor's many, many mortal enemies. Of course, they would see him as a monster to be locked up. Then again . . . there truly was a lot the Doctor did that many would consider 'monstrous.' But . . . she could _never_ see her Doctor as a monster of any sorts. If anyone was a 'monster' here, it would have to be Wanda herself. She was the one with the Time Vortex running through her. She was the one with some sort of . . . evil _thing_ inside her mind, ready to hurt people around her. She should be the one to be locked up. Not the Doctor. Shaking her head, trying to rid herself of these thoughts and growing guilt. She had enough moments of self-pity in her life. It was time to just put that all aside and focus on keeping her family safe.

"How did it end up in there?" Amy asked curiously, stepping up closer to the Pandorica as she examined it, wondering what kind of horrible monster was held within.

"You know fairy tales. A good wizard tricked it," the Doctor told her. He, briefly, after moving his hand away from the Pandorica, ran a hand up Wanda's arm, giving her shoulder a loving squeeze before walking around to the other side of the box. Wanda let out a breath, stepping back from the large box. River stepped around the Time Lady, beginning to scan the box.

"I hate good wizards in fairy tales," grumbled the woman. "They always turn out to be him." Wanda snorted lightly under her breath.

"You say that like it's a bad thing," replied the blonde girl, grinning cheekily at River.

"It is when the rest of us end up running for our lives," countered River in humour. Amy walked up to the two women, glancing over to see the Doctor wandering around, scanning the room with his sonic. Wanda handed over her torch to the companion, pulling out her own screwdriver to do similar scanning to the Pandorica. Holding out the torch in front of her, Amy stared at the box thoughtfully.

"So it's kind of like Pandora's Box, then?" the companion asked curiously to the group. "Almost the same name." The Doctor, over in a dark corner, paused in step and frowned at the companion, wondering what she was going on about.

"Sorry, what?" he questioned.

"The story. Pandora's Box, with all the worst things in the world in it," Amy explained, holding a small smile on her face as she always loved telling the story. "That was my favourite book when I was a kid." Staring at the ginger, the Doctor held a puzzled, almost uneased, expression. Amy felt uncertain as the Time Lord held this strange look. "What's wrong?"

"Your favourite school topic, your favourtie story," the Doctor listed off of what was happening on this day. Too closely tied in with Amy. "Never ignore a coincidence, unless you're busy. In which case, always ignore a coincidence." He moved around, going right up to the Pandorica again, running his hands up the sides as he examined the stone once more.

"So can you open it?" River asked, coming up on the other side of the Time Lord.

"Easily," replied the Doctor, shrugging as if it would be no problem whatsoever. "Anyone can break into a prison. But I'd rather know what I'm going to find first." All three turned together, staring steadily at the blonde Time Lady, who was currently fiddling with her sonic absently in her hands. Wanda blinked, straightening in her posture as she sort of looked over her shoulder, wondering if there was something behind her.

"Uh, w-what is it?" she asked them, holding a wary smile.

"If there's anyone here who would know what's within, it'd be you, sweetie," River said to Wanda.

"I need to know what you know," the Doctor added, walking up to Wanda, keeping his steady gaze on her. "You can't always give out spoilers. I understand that. But this time, I _really_ need to know. What's in the box?"

"I told you already," mumbled Wanda, averting her eyes from his. She felt a pang go through her, wishing she could indeed tell him. To warn him of what would happen to him once his enemies arrived. But . . . she couldn't. It would be very bad spoilers to give. That, and the fact that everything was fuzzy did not help matters. Whatever she had seen off the show might be completely wrong for this adventure, as things did change quite dramatically at times in this universe.

"I need to know, Wanda," the Doctor pressed on for answers.

Wanda sighed heavily, shaking her head in regret. "I'm sorry, but . . . I actually can't tell you because I don't know myself. It's all . . . fuzzy."

The Doctor blinked, apprehension going through him as he knew fuzzy possibilities were never a good sign. Especially for Wanda herself. "Oh."

"Wait, I thought you could see everything?" Amy quizzed the Time Lady, frowning in bewilderment. "No matter what, you could look into the future and all that. Why would your 'future vision' be all fuzzy?"

"When my own timeline is too entangled with the Doctor's and the events of the day, I can't see what exactly is to come," Wanda explained to the companion. "Sure, my timeline is technically always involved in some way. But if I don't play a big key in the adventure, then I can still see most of what is going to happen."

"But if everything involved is directly related to Wanda's life, her timeline, then she can't see anything at all," the Doctor finished for Wanda, sighing in frustration as he wished the Time Lady could give him more information. But he understood when things were too involved in her own time stream, then there was nothing Wanda could do in with foreknowledge. She was just as blind as the rest of them were. River's scanner gave a sudden loud beep, making the rest staring curiously at the woman as she checked over the readings on her device.

"The Pandorica's opening," River told the group. "There are layers and layers of security protocols in there, and they're being disabled one by one. Like it's being unlocked from the inside." Getting closer to the stone box, she pressed her ear to it, as if trying to listen to the many locks unlatching within. The Doctor tensed, eyeing the large box a strange sense of foreboding crept through him.

"How long do we have?" he asked River, walking up to the box as well.

"Hours at the most," said River as she backed away from the Pandorica.

The Doctor held an expression of puzzlement as he stared at the box. "What kind of security?"

River checked over her scanner. "Everything. Deadlocks, time-stops, matter-lines."

This shocked him, making the Doctor stare at the box in awe. "What could need all that?"

"What could get past all that?" River added, appearing just as unnerved as the Doctor by whatever was in the Pandorica.

The Doctor trailed his fingertips along the markings of the box, holding a distant gaze as he examined the stone. "Think of the fear that went into making this box. What could inspire that level of fear?" He stepped right up to the box, pressing his ear up to it as if waiting for the thing inside to speak to him. "Hello, you. Have we met?" Tapping his fingers rapidly the box, he spun around, lifting up a finger and opening his mouth to speak to Wanda.

"I'm not leaving you, Amy, or River," Wanda said quickly, giving the Time Lord a stern look. "You can't send me off just because you're worried about my inability to see the possibilities today. You can't just think for my safety when others need you more. And," she spoke louder, keeping him from speaking as he opened his mouth to argue, "sending me off to the TARDIS or the Roman camp will actually be even more dangerous. So I might as well hang out here with the giant box. Stop being dramatic by trying to send me off for 'my protection' and all that. It's becoming repetitive of you." The Doctor dropped his hand, pouting.

"How did you know I was going to have you leave?" he questioned.

"'Cause I know how you are. Always overprotective," Wanda replied, sticking her tongue out playfully when seeing his pout deepen.

"You always just _have_ to be in danger, don't you?" the Doctor grumbled, stomping over to Wanda to hold tightly onto her hand as both stood in a few feet away from the Pandorica and the companions next to the box.

"So do you," scoffed Wanda, bumping him with her hip. "Don't think I'm not staying just for the danger, either. I'm here to protect _you_. You know you need me, Spaceman."

Amy held a brow raised, smirking when seeing the disgruntled expression on the Doctor's face, knowing he was frustrated in not getting what he wanted. That, and Amy so knew who was in charge in the Time Lords' relationship. River snickered, bumping Amy lightly in the side with her elbow as the two companions held sly grins. Both finding the overprotective Time Lord to be amusing.

"So, question, how could Vincent have known about it?" Amy asked the Time Lords. "He won't even be born for centuries."

"Easy. That's the work of the stones around us," Wanda pointed out, gesturing to the tall pillars around them that held up the ceiling and the Stonehenge above them. "Great big beacons that send a message out to everyone, everywhere, during any time. Warning to anyone willing to listen, 'The Pandorica is opening.'"

"But what's in there, what could justify all this?" the Doctor questioned in a grumble, frowning as he gazed thoughtfully at the area around them. "Anything that powerful, I'd know about it. Why don't I know?"

"You will know. Or . . . do know already, in some ways," Wanda told him, giving his hand a squeeze. She gazed up at the ceiling warily, knowing by now what was out there waiting for them. "But we can worry about that later. First, we need to get ready. They've arrived now that the message's gone out."

"What?" replied the Doctor in bewilderment, looking alarmed as he suddenly realized what she had said earlier. _Everyone, everywhere_ had gotten the message on Pandorica. "Oh."

"'Oh'? 'Oh,' what?" asked Amy, worried now when seeing the alarmed expression on the Doctor and River's face. As well as the growing fearful look on Wanda's features. River jogged over to a near pillar, pressing her device to the stone.

"Okay. If it is basically a transmitter, we should be able to fold back the signal," River told he hurriedly, working fast on doing just that.

"It's too late for that now," stated Wanda rapidly as she let go of the Doctor's hand, going over to River. "The signal has already stopped itself now that the message has been made clear. And they're already here, so it really doesn't matter what we do to the beacons."

"Who's here?" asked the Doctor swiftly, running up to River and the Time Lady, fearing the worst on what had come to answer the message of Pandorica. "Wanda, tell us who."

"Daleks, Cybermen, Sontarans, Terileptil, Slitheen, Chelonian, Nestene, Drahvin, Sycorax, Haemo-goth, Zygon, Atraxi, Draconian. All in battleships," Wanda listed off in very rapid form, counting on her fingers all the number of species who had come to lock the Doctor up into the Pandorica. She gulped, knowing their odds were thin. Especially for the Time Lord. Looking at everyone, she saw each held their own terrified, alarmed expression.

"Okay. Okay. Think, think, think, think, think," the Doctor began muttering rapidly, hitting himself repeatedly on the forehead as though to jumpstart his mind into action. He held up a finger swiftly. "Ah! We're got surprise on our side. They'll never expect four people to attack their battleships. 'Cause we'd be killed instantly. So it would be a fairly short surprise." He realized instantly what an idiotic idea that was as he shook his head and hit himself on the forehead with his sonic quickly. "Forget surprise. We'll need to start a fight, turn them on each other. That's easy. They're all so cross. No, no, that would never work either. Think, think!" He began slapping his head again, at a complete loss for what they could do. He finally turned back to stare at the Pandorica, flabbergasted that anything that powerful and dangerous could ever draw in that many battle ready creatures from across the universe.

"What are you?" he breathed, speaking to whatever might be lurking within. "What could you possibly be?"

The room around them began to shake as all the battleships drew in closer to their location. Ready to advance. The group hurriedly ran up the stairs, rushing to figure out what to do about their current dilemma. Once outside, they all gazed up to the night sky, frightened by the many lights and sounds of the battleships zooming around overhead. Too many to count or keep track of. The group was outnumbered by a long shot.

"What do we do?" Amy asked fearfully. River walked up to the Doctor, gripping his shoulder tightly.

"Doctor, listen to me. Everything that has ever hated you is coming here tonight," she told the Time Lord tensely. On the verge of grabbing the Time Lady right next to her, and make the rest run far away with them both. "You can't win this. You can't even fight it. Doctor, this once, just this one time, please, you have to run. Take Wanda and run."

"Run where?" countered the Doctor, holding up his hands to gesture around them. Nowhere for any of them to go. Even if they tried.

"Fight how?" retorted River, very cross that the Doctor would think staying here would be a better option for them. The Time Lord seemed at a loss as he let his arms fall to his sides, thinking rapidly on what they could do.

"Romans!" Wanda exclaimed suddenly, making the other three jump, startled by her bursting voice. She smiled sheepishly. "Sorry. Anyway. The Romans. We can use them. They're the best when it comes to fighting. Right, Doctor?" Thinking this over for a second, the Doctor beamed, knowing it was perfect.

"Yes! We can use them," he agreed, waving an enthusiastic finger. "River, get back to the Romans. Sound the alarm, gather them up, and sending them here. Make sure you get all of them. We need all the arms we can get." In a flash, he grabbed the scanner from the woman and was running back down the stairs, hurrying back to the Pandorica as he began his plans. River scoffed, staring at the retreating Time Lord in dismay and disbelief. Was he really going to let Wanda, himself, Amy, and the rest die? Just like that? What kind of idiot was he? No, no, she had to remind herself. This was the Doctor here. He was the biggest idiot of them all. River glanced over to Wanda when the blonde came up beside her, smiling reassurance.

"Don't worry. The Romans can help," the Time Lady assured the woman.

"Can they really?" Amy asked, staring curiously at the two.

"They're just humans. Better yet, they're a bunch of men who think they're better than everyone else," River retorted, crossing her arms tightly. "What good can they do?"

"Well . . . for starters, there's a certain . . . ah . . .," Wanda glanced at Amy who stood closer to them, knowing by saying this name might cause some problems. After all . . . he was supposed to be dead, and Amy did not remember him at all. Mentioning him in front of Amy might not be the best thing. Stepping closer to River, Wanda motioned a finger, making the woman bend slightly down so that the Time Lady could whisper into her ear. "There's a certain Rory Williams who needs to be here for a certain Amelia Pond."

Stepping back, Wand gave the woman a leveled look. River raised a skeptical brow.

"But I thought he was—," River began to say.

"Not anymore," Wanda stated quickly, not wishing for River to give anything away in front of Amy. River hummed, nodding with a smile.

"All right, then. Off to get us some Romans," she replied, jogging away from the Time Lady and companion to get back to her horse. Ready to set off in finding their army. Amy blinked in confusion, unsure on what just happened.

"Umm . . . what did you say to River to convince her?" questioned the companion.

Wanda gave the companion a sly grin. "Told her to go find you a hot Italian."

XxXxXxXx

Amy walked around the room, lighting up more torches with the one in her hand, creating more light in the room for them. The light did not help get rid of the eerie feeling they all had from the Pandorica. But it at least helped them see better. The Doctor was currently crouched in front of the large stone box, holding an end of a stethoscope to the Pandorica. Listening intently to whatever might be within the box. Wanda sat not too far away from him, leaning her back against the large box as she gazed up distantly at the vine-covered ceiling overhead.

"So what's this got to do with the TARDIS?" Amy asked the Time Lords absently, just letting her mind wander in thoughts and questions.

"Nothing, as far as I know," responded the Doctor, not wishing to think about what they had seen in Vincent's painting of his beloved TARDIS. But the nagging memory of him pulling out a broken piece of the TARDIS from the crack in the universe kept popping into his mind. Reminding him that things might just become far worse than they already appeared to be.

"It has everything to do with the TARDIS," mumbled Wanda, still gazing at nothing in particular while holding a solemn appearance. Amy glanced at the Time Lady while the Doctor halted in his work.

"In Vincent's painting, the TARDIS was exploding. And you mentioned the same thing," Amy said the blonde girl. "Is that _really_ going to happen?" Wanda did not reply. Only continuing to hold her distant gaze at the ceiling. Staying absolutely silent. It made Amy and the Doctor feel worse in the Time Lady's silence. Sometimes, receiving no answer at all spoke a thousand words and created a heavy weight upon them all. Clearing his throat, the Time Lord moved on in examining the Pandorica.

"One problem at a time," he said absently, dismissing Amy's question and Wanda's silent response all together. He stood up, tapping the scanner he had borrowed from River with his sonic as he checked the readings. "There's force-field technology inside this box. If I can enhance the signal . . ."

Wanda tuned the Doctor's ramblings out as she let her mind drift. It was hard for her to concentrate on anything at the moment as her thoughts kept spinning, churning, and processing in rapid form. Everything buzzed through her head, trying to go over every detail of this adventure. Something was amiss. She just knew it. She could almost sense it. There was something very obvious on what was to happen on this day, and she was missing it. But what could it be? What was different?

"Here, Wanda. I think this is yours."

"Huh?" Wanda responded, jerking herself out of her thoughts to blink in confusion at Amy. The companion stood in front of her, holding out a red, velvet, ring box. The lid of the box was open, showing the diamond ring inside. The Doctor tensed when seeing the ring while Wanda blinked some more. "Uhh . . . that's not mine."

"Of course it is," scoffed Amy as she snapped the box closed. "The Doctor said that you two were engaged and all that. I found this in his pocket. This has to be the ring meant for you."

Wanda smiled lightly, finding it funny how rapid the Doctor next to her opened and closed his mouth, seeming unsure on what to say about this current event. She already understood that he knew by this time about their future marriage. And that he had his own ring on the necklace around his neck. She had seen it dangling around his neck many occasions during their moments of 'swimming' and all that. She remembered seeing the ring before during her Second self as well. Which, looking back, her previous incarnation had been completely oblivious to the truth. How silly that she had not realized the true nature of their relationship before now.

Pulling out the necklace from underneath her shirt, she let Amy see the decorative silver ring attached at the end, dangling to show off the symbol of the Doctor's and Wanda's eternal bond.

"See, the thing is, I already have my ring. So that really can't be mine," Wanda told the companion, smiling kindly as she placed the ring back under her shirt. "The question is: who's ring is that, hmm?" Amy frowned heavily, looking back at the red box in bewilderment.

"It's a memory. A friend of ours, someone we lost," offered the Doctor, realizing that Wanda was trying to help the girl remember her Rory. To kick start Amy's mind into realizing the man had existed once, possibly helping the companion move on. Half of him wanted to help the companion remember as well, and the other half was fearful, not wishing to let Amy experience the deep welling grief that was sure to come in recalling her past love. He walked over to Amy, seeing how deeply the girl concentrated on the box in her hand. Seeming to struggle with something going through her mind. He tried grabbing it from her, but she pulled back, still keeping her eyes firmly locked on the box.

"It's weird, I feel . . .," Amy trailed off, unable to explain what she was feeling. "I don't know. Something." Glancing over at Wanda, the Doctor rubbed his hands nervously together while he saw the Time Lady shrug, nodding her head that it was okay to continue. Nodding firmly, he looked back at Amy, knowing this might be the right thing to do after all.

"People fall out of the world sometimes, but they always leave traces," explained the Doctor carefully. "Little things we can't quite account for. Faces in photographs, luggage, half-eaten meals, . . . rings." He watched as Amy shot him a quick gaze of unsettlement, seeming at a loss on what she was feeling or what to think of his words. Then, he saw how she gazed back at the small, red box again, her eyes searching for something that she could not quite grasp. "Nothing is ever forgotten, not completely. And if something can be remembered, it can come back." There was a long pause of silence before Amy abruptly cleared her throat and handed the ring back to the Doctor. Appearing as though she did not wish to gaze upon it any longer. Taking the small box, the Time Lord placed it dejectedly back into his pocket, turning around to the Pandorica once more. Wanda let out a sigh, leaning her head back against the large stone box behind her as she felt disappointed that they could not help the companion remember her nurse sooner. Tapping her hands quickly on her knees, she bounced up from where she sat, turning to face Amy and the Doctor both.

"So, let's quit ignoring the elephant in the room," Wanda said to the two, holding a steady gaze mostly with the Doctor. There was a brief gleeful smile given by the Time Lady. "Ooh. 'Elephant in the room.' I like that one. Hmm. Anyway, moving on." She dropped her smile giving a piercing gaze at Amy that made the companion feel almost uncomfortable from the way those mystic emerald eyes stared at her. "Amy, haven't you ever wondered why your life doesn't make sense?"

Amy blinked in bewilderment, baffled by this as she replied, "Huh? What do you mean?"

Before either Time Lord could clarify and answer this, a red beam of a weapon shot right over Wanda's shoulder, hitting the Pandorica. More shots rang out, hitting around at random, unable to aim properly at a particular target. The Doctor rushed forward in a panic, grabbing Wanda and jerking her over to hide behind the Pandorica with him. Amy met them behind the box, panting in alarm.

"What was that?" she asked the two hurriedly.

"Okay, I need a proper look," responded the Doctor, formulating a plan quickly. "Got to draw its fire, give it a target."

"How?" questioned Amy.

The Time Lord held a meek smile. "You know how sometimes I have really brilliant ideas?" The Doctor let go of Wanda's hand before she could protest and jumped out from behind the Pandorica. He held his arms out wide. "Look at me, I'm a target!" The beam began shooting right at him, missing him by inches as he ran over to a pillar to hide behind. Wanda went over to the back edge of the Pandorica, holding a greatly disproving face.

"Don't scare me like that, you idiot!" she scolded him. She peeked around the edge, trying to see where the shooting was coming from.

"What is that?" Amy asked the two of them.

"Cyberarm. Arm of a Cyberman," the Doctor answered rapidly.

"Half human, half robot. Mostly robot," added in Wanda in case Amy was still confused on what a Cyberman might be.

"The organic part must have died off years ago, now the robot part is looking for, well, fresh meat," the Doctor continued on in a fast ramble.

The Doctor had Amy run around the other end of the Pandorica to distract the Cyberarm. Giving him time to leap at the arm and disable it with his sonic screwdriver. However, this backfired quickly as the arm instead electrocuted the Time Lord, making him fall to the ground, out cold. Wanda went to run to the Doctor to make certain her husband was all right but halted in her steps when Amy let out a scream. Spinning back around, Wanda saw how the companion struggled against a Cyberhead that had wrapped different wires around the girl and was trying to assimilate her.

"Amy!" Wanda shouted, running over to the ginger. Pulling out her sonic, she made the head let go of Amy and roll backward. Though not before it shot a sleeping dart at the companion. Amy stumbled into Wanda's arms as the drug began to take effect. Unable to get her sonic out again while holding onto Amy around the middle with arms under the girl's, Wanda ended up backing up quickly as the Cyberhead advanced towards them once more, ready to take Amy for its own. Then, the rest of the Cyberman's body came out from a dark corner, marching right for them both after placing back on its head.

"Crap, crap, crap. Not good, not good, not good," Wanda said in a fast mutter, backing up even faster now. Spotting the small, hideaway cupboard of sorts on the other side of the room, she made quick work on getting both herself and stumbling Amy into the tight space, locking themselves within for safety.

"What about the Doctor?" Amy mumbled sleepily, shaking her head to try and keep herself awake. "He's still out there. It'll get him."

"It only wants you," Wanda explained in a breathless haste, flinching every time the door in front of them was slammed upon. "It can't assimilate other alien life. Just humans." Both girls stiffened when the thumping suddenly ceased, making everything go silent. Then, they both let out startled cries when a lethal sword jabbed right through the door in front of them. Creaking open slowly, they saw the Cyberman dead and stuck to the door with a Roman sword through its chest. And in front of them stood a Roman soldier, holding a very cross expression at the Cyberman for daring to hurt his future wife. Wanda beamed upon seeing the man, overjoyed in him being back with them once again.

"Rory!" Wanda exclaimed in delight.

"W-who?" Amy stuttered quietly before passing out altogether. She went limp in Wanda's arms, making the Time Lady buckle a little under the girl's weight. Rory went forward immediately, grabbing Amy and lifting her up into his arms. He stared at her unconscious form with soft eyes, appearing overwhelmed in finally seeing his lover once more. Walking over to a nearby stone bench, he laid Amy down, brushing a red strand of hair out of her face, gazing with nothing but love down at her. Wanda smiled warmly, touched by such a caring scene. The Ponds were back together. Just as they were meant to be.

"Wanda?! Amy?!"

"In here, Doctor!" Wanda called to the panicking Time Lord, assuring him that everything was fine. Walking over to the Centurion crouched down next to Amy, there was a quick pat given on his shoulder as Wanda smiled at him, giving the male companion a merry hug. "Thanks for saving us. You're as brilliant as ever, you hot Italian you."

"W-what?" Rory stuttered in a mixture of bewilderment and laughter.

Wanda shrugged, replying, "It's just something Amy likes to call you." The Doctor and another Roman soldier came into the room a moment later. The Time Lord hurried forward to check over the fallen Amy while grabbing onto Wanda's hand in a tight grasp, not letting go. Once the Time Lord concluded that Amy was fine, just sedated, he turned to the other Roman in the room for questioning. Not even noticing Rory right next to Wanda at all.

"I was just wishing for Romans, good old River. How many?" asked the Doctor.

"Fifty men up top, volunteers," answered Rory instead of the other soldier, clearing his throat to get the Time Lord's attention. The Doctor glanced at him briefly nodding before going over to the dead Cyberman after letting go of Wanda's hand. Though, not before giving her hand a squeeze. The other Roman soldier left after receiving a firm nod from Rory, telling the other man to get back to the others in the main room.

"Fifty? Not exactly a legion," remarked the Doctor.

"Your friend was very persuasive, but it's a tough sell," Rory explained briskly.

"Yes, I know that, Rory," the Doctor said in exasperation. "I'm not exactly one to miss the obvious. But we need everything we can get."

Rory cleared his throat again, eyeing the Time Lord as still the Doctor seemed not to notice who exactly was in the room with him. Wanda began snickering under her breath, shaking her head. Only her Theta would ever be so oblivious to what's right under his nose. No, wait—scratch that. She could be just as oblivious, too. She and Rory both glanced at each other as the Doctor rambled on about the Cyberweapons he had found, why the Cyberman was here, and what might be locked away in the Pandorica.

"Is he ever going to notice?" Rory whispered in a mumble to the Time Lady.

"Just give him a minute," Wanda said, keeping her voice hushed as to not interrupt the Doctor's rambles. "In about three . . . two . . . one . . ."

The moment the Doctor hurried off from the cupboard, they heard the loud clattering of the weapons in the Time Lord's hands falling to the ground. There was a pause of stunned silence for a minute before the Time Lord gradually came back into the cupboard, staring at the Roman next to Wanda in disbelief. Holding an expression of astonishment, slowly the Doctor walked up to Rory, poking the man in the chest very carefully as if checking to make certain the lost nurse was truly real. Rory rocked back on his heels slightly, holding his own look of puzzlement as he and the Time Lord continued to stare at each other. The Doctor moved his finger away from the man's chest, gulping.

"Hello again," the Doctor greeted.

"Hello," Rory nodded, giving a small wave. Blinking for a moment, looking away and then back to the nurse in front of him, the Doctor continued to stare at the man in incredulity.

"How have you been?" the Time Lord asked lightly.

Rory nodded slightly again. "Good. Yeah, good. I mean, Roman." He gestured at his Centurion outfit.

The Doctor nodded lightly as well, before giving a quick shake of his head as if snapping himself out of his baffled daze. "Rory, I'm not trying to be rude, but you died."

"Yeah, I know, I was there."

Shaking his head, the Doctor waved a finger to clarify. "You died and then you were erased from time. You didn't just die, you were never born at all, you never existed."

Blinking for a bit, Rory frowned in confusion at this statement. "Erased? What does that mean?"

"Remember the crack in the wall? Right next to the TARDIS in the Silurian underground caverns?" Wanda spoke up, gaining the two males' attention. "It was a crack through time and space, erasing moments throughout the universe. Plants, animals, objects, events in time, . . . people."

"I was erased . . . from time," Rory replied slowly, seeming at a loss of words on what to feel or think of that. Shaking his head, he let out a long breath. "That—that might actually explain a lot. One minute I died and the next I'm a Roman. Maybe that's why it's all kind of fuzzy." Rubbing his head, the man walked back over to Amy, peering over her again to make certain she was still sleeping peacefully from the sedative. "Did she miss me?" While shifting on his feet, the Doctor glanced quickly at Wanda while she looked at him, raising a brow. Each seemed uncertain on how to explain to the man about Amy losing her memories of her love. However, unlike the Doctor who liked to take the avoidance approach to things, Wanda knew it would actually be much easier to simply get the subject out in the open to avoid any worse turmoil for later. It was going to be heartbreaking for Rory either way, but learning of it sooner than later might help the man get past all that.

"I'm sorry, Rory, but she can't remember you," Wanda told the man softly, walking up to touch his arm to comfort him. "You were erased from time. Meaning that you were never born, making it so no one remembers you."

"Can't really remember someone who never existed," mumbled the Doctor absently.

"But don't worry, Amy will remember you. I promise," Wanda added quickly upon seeing despair cross over Rory's face, wanting to assure him that everything would be fine. "And—and she did technically miss you. Even though she doesn't remember you . . . she still cries."

The room began to shake as thunderous clanking sounded off and a whooshing of sorts went through the area, making Wanda unable to say anything more or Rory to ask her what exactly she meant by her words of comfort. The trio ran out of the cupboard to see the Pandorica's markings shifting and moving with a green glow coming from within the box through the small openings forming. It was the final phase of the box unlocking. Soon it would be opened completely, unleashing whatever was inside. Or, at least, that was what the Doctor and the others feared what would happen. Wanda, however, could only feel her fright heighten as she knew the time was drawing closer now. Soon, the box would take in its prisoner to be cast away from the universe. Forever.

The Romans ran outside as the battleships over the Stonehenge seemed to go wild. All anticipating the opening of the Pandorica. Wanda waited with the Doctor inside the chamber of the massive box. Watching with dread the box opening more and more as the Doctor called River on a communicator, instructing the woman to get to the TARDIS and bring it here. He wanted to have as much equipment on his side as possible. Plus, he seemed to think it would be their only escape route in case things were to go wrong.

"What are you?" the Doctor asked the Pandorica for the millionth time that night, continuing to stare at the box carefully with guarded eyes. "They're all here, all of them, all for you. What could you possibly be?"

"Remember, Theta. It's not what's within the box we should be worried about. It's what will be placed in," Wanda reminded him. The Doctor, looking over his shoulder, saw the Time Lady sitting right in the middle of the room. She had her legs crossed, bouncing one of them repeatedly as she stared anxiously at the box.

"And what's going into the box, Wanderer?" asked the Time Lord, walking over to crouch in front of her. He tried getting her to gaze back at him, but she kept staring at the Pandorica. Eyes fearful in their hold on the stone box.

"I can't tell you," Wanda whispered desperately. She finally managed to peel her eyes away from the box, staring at the light green eyes of her Theta instead as she gulped. "Theta, I don't know why, but I feel really, really scared of it. Why do I feel scared?" Humming, the Doctor sat back on his heels, staring in thought at the Time Lady.

"Sometimes the unknown is a scary thing," he finally concluded.

Wanda let out a weary sigh. "I know. I know. I'm being idiotic in letting it get to me." Before the Doctor could counter this remark, assuring her that there was nothing wrong in being scared of the unknown, she bounced up onto her feet, pulling him up with her as she plastered a smile on her face. "Enough of me being a drag. Let's go settle things outside with those incoming ships. I'm sure all the Romans are terrified by now in seeing alien life and all that."

Holding onto River's communicator, the Doctor adjusted the settings for intercom broadcasting as the two Time Lords went up the steps, going back out to the Stonehenge. They stared for a moment in awe at the sight of so many spaceships whizzing about in the sky. Making the air itself shake in the incoming presence of so many deadly species. Wanda walked up onto the grass first as the Doctor turned on the mic of the communicator. He dropped it briefly, making the device screech in an unpleasant tone before hurriedly picking it up again.

"Sorry, sorry, dropped it," the Doctor spoke into the communicator. He hopped onto the centre stone of the grounds as all the Romans turned to stare at him in bewilderment. The Time Lord beamed at them all as well as giving a grin to the spaceships above. "Hello, Stonehenge! Who takes the Pandorica, takes the universe. But bad news, everyone, 'cause guess who? Ha!" The spaceships slowed down in their zooming around, increasing their beaming lights onto the Doctor himself as he held his boyish grin at them all. "Listen, you lot, you're all whizzing about, it's really very distracting. Could you all just stay still a minute? Because I am talking!" Soon, all halted, hovering over the area. Still, it was loud from the noise from the ships themselves, but at least all could stare more equally at the hovering spacecrafts.

The Doctor's boyish grin fell as his face grew more serious as he held an even gaze with the spaceships. "Now, the question of the hour is: who's got Pandorica? Answer: I do. Next question: who's coming to take it from me?" He held out his arms as if daring the first ship to make its move. But none so dared as to move an inch as they kept their blinding lights on the Time Lord. Smirking at the ships, the Doctor spoke again. "Come on! Look at me, no plan, no backup, no weapons worth a damn. Oh, and something else, I don't have anything to lose!" This was, of course, a lie as he did indeed have something very precious to lose. But he was not going to let any of his enemies know that. "So if you're sitting up there in your silly little spaceship, with all your silly little guns, and you've got any plans on taking the Pandorica tonight, just remember who's standing in your way! Remember every black day I ever stopped you! And then, and then, do the smart thing!" He paused for a second, letting his infamous Oncoming Storm gaze reflect outward towards each ship. "Let somebody else try first."

It only took a second before all the ships hurriedly retreated, disappearing back into the dark of space once more. None wishing to make that first move just yet. Though both Time Lords knew they would be back. And perhaps with better plans that their small army would have to counteract. Hopping down from the stone, the Doctor bounced over to Wanda, grabbing her hand and giving it a squeeze as he began instructing the Romans on what he wanted them to do. Wanda could not help the proud smile from forming on her face. She always did love the epic speeches the Doctor would give. They were always . . . fantastic.

She giggled under her breath as they went back into the chamber of the Pandorica. Gathering up with a few Romans as they stood guard around the large box. Rory and the Doctor continued to discuss on what they would do when Amy suddenly walked out of the cupboard, rubbing sourly at her head. The Doctor's eyes darted over to the red headed companion, knowing a dreadful moment was about to occur for Rory the Roman.

"Rory, I'm sorry, you're going to have to be very brave now," the Time Lord said quietly to Rory. Before the man had a chance to reply, Amy came up to the Doctor, not even giving a second glance to Rory in the least.

"My head," groaned Amy in a complaint.

"Just your basic knockout drops," the Doctor assured her, patting her on the head and making Amy wince more. "Get some fresh air, you'll be fine." Wanda skipped over to the girl, linking their arms together.

"Glad you're okay there, girlie. You had us worried there for a minute," she said to Amy, grinning merrily away. Though, the grin was strained as she felt so deeply sorry for Rory, who stared at Amy with such a deep gaze of sorrow. It was heartbreaking for the Time Lady. She knew she would be just as dismayed if the Doctor ever forgot her. It was very much unthinkable. Something that she knew would tear her hearts apart if an occurrence such as that ever happened. Amy blinked as she then suddenly noticed Rory standing there.

"You're the guy, yeah?" she asked him. "The one who did the swordy thing. Well, thanks for the swording. Nice swording." She moved away from Wanda's hold, patting Rory on the shoulder in appreciation before going past him and heading outside. The remaining three stayed silent as a solemn atmosphere took over. Seeing how dismayed Rory appeared to be, Wanda walked over to the man, patting his shoulder in comfort.

"How . . . how could this have happened?" Rory asked quietly, keeping his sad eyes towards the stone steps were Amy had gone. "How can I be alive? Why am I alive? What's the point if she can't even remember me?" Shaking her head firmly, the blonde gripped Rory's shoulder tighter, shaking him lightly.

"Hey. Hey, now, don't talk like that," she replied in a stern voice. "She _will_ remember you. Just . . . just gotta kick start her memory is all." Turning her head, she snapped her fingers lightly, waving for the Doctor to come over to bring her something. The Time Lord frowned, confused on what she was trying to indicate. Wanda sighed, speaking into his mind. _He needs the ring, Theta._

 _What ring?_ he responded in her mind, baffled.

 _Amy's ring._ she told him. The Doctor made a small 'o' in realizing what she meant in what Rory needed. Pulling out the small red box, he tossed it to her. Wanda caught it in mid-air, holding it out to Rory and saying, "Here. You'll be needing this." Rory blinked in astonishment, taking the velvet box as though he could not believe he was finally seeing it. As though he believed he would never see that tiny, little box ever again.

"But what am I supposed to do?" he asked the two Time Lords, staring at them as if hoping they could guide him through this. "If she can't remember me—."

"But she does, silly. She just doesn't realize it yet," Wanda said, giving him a small smile. "There was one time, after you had, well, been erased, I remember stumbling into her, in the TARDIS kitchen. She was just sitting there, crying. And when I asked her why, she said, 'I don't know. I just know that I'm sad.'" The blonde paused, contemplating this over as she recalled that moment in the TARDIS. A very long time ago from during her Second self. Shaking her head, Wanda moved on. "So, even though she doesn't remember you exactly, she still holds that deep love for you. Love that she knows was lost to her."

"Until now, that is," the Doctor finished, walking up to the two and smiling as well. Rory looked back down at the ring box again before giving the Time Lords a puzzled look.

"But that still doesn't explain why I'm here," he said to them. Wanda shook her head, letting go of the man's shoulder to wave a hand in dismissal.

"Universe exploding, cracks in time. Big, big banging stuff. Doesn't really matter now. We'll explain later," she told the man. Both she and the Doctor pushed at Rory's back making him start towards the stairs. "Just go to your fiancée."

"Get upstairs," ordered the Doctor. "She's Amy, and she's surrounded by Romans. I'm not sure history can take it." Glancing back at the Time Lords one last time after they were done pushing him, Rory smiled, nodded, and hurried upstairs. Ready to be with Amy once again.

The Time Lords remained standing side-by-side for a moment longer. Staying silent as they each let their hands brush against the other's. Not exactly holding onto each other like they want, but still letting them feel the touching comfort.

"Wanderer, what's going to explode?" asked the Doctor quietly, barely above a breath from the growing fear within him.

"You know the answer already, Theta. You just don't want to think about it," Wanda whispered back softly. She turned, giving his cheek a tend kiss. "We have to be brave ourselves. We're going to be facing something we've never faced before." Both stared slowly at the green, glowing Pandorica, seeing as the box was so close to being opened now. The Doctor gripped the Time Lady's hand suddenly, tensing. A group of Romans came marching down into the chamber with them. There to make certain none would bother the two Time Lords.

Wanda glanced at the Romans warily as the Doctor let go of her hand, going back over to inspect the Pandorica. She listened as he contacted River over the communicator. Asking where the woman was with the TARDIS. Wanda heard quietly through the communicator of River giving the fast explanation of the Romans around them not being real, being a trap for them, learning all of this from the children's books from Amy's room back at her home. Back on the twenty-sixth of June, 2010. Something had used a psychic link with Amy, creating all of this. As for the reasoning why . . .

Fear went through Wanda when she heard the Doctor calling in alarm to River over the communicator when the line suddenly went dead. Something had happened within the TARDIS. The engines had gone haywire, making it so River was lost in a spin and out of touch with the Time Lords. The woman was on her own now. Then, an ear-piercing screech went through the Pandorica chamber, causing everyone to sort of cover their ears and flinch from the pain. The noise seemed to be emitting from the Pandorica itself as the box began to finally open, showing the slow-growing white light from within. Wanda looked over at the Romans once the noise was gone, seeing the deadpan expressions on the men's faces as they slowly rose back up into straight postures. They had all gone limp when the noise had been emitted. But now their primary function had been activated. Hurrying over to the Doctor, she grabbed his hand tightly while he continued to stare at the opening Pandorica. Unnoticing to any of the fake Romans who were beginning to face the Time Lords with blank gazes.

"Well, now. Ready to come out, are we?" the Doctor spoke to whatever was coming out of the Pandorica. Wanda shook her head as she still kept her eyes on the Romans, knowing they were nothing more than plastic this entire time. Even poor Rory.

"Doctor, the Romans," Wanda whispered breathlessly. "They're Autons."

"Huh?" the Doctor responded absently, not really paying attention. Wanda sucked in a breath as the Roman Autons' hands pointed at them and clicked open, aiming their weapons right at the two standing by the Pandorica. The Time Lord next to Wanda shook his head quickly, fiddling with the communicator in his hand. "We need to get in contact with River. Make sure she lands the TARDIS somewhere else and get out of there before it goes off."

"It's too late." Wanda pulled the communicator from him, shaking her head. "I'm so sorry, but it's always been too late. Just, please, let's focus on the Autons for now. Worry about the universe exploding later."

She let out a startled gasp as an Auton suddenly ripped her away from the Doctor, holding her around the waist as she struggled in its grip. The Doctor yelled in anger, running to get her but was held back as more Autons grabbed him as well. They were pulled away from each other and the Pandorica, held by their arms and forced to stare at the massive box before them.

"Plastic Romans. Duplicates, driven by the Nestene Consciousness, eh? Deep cover, but what for? What are you doing? What's in there? What's coming out?" the Doctor muttered rapid questions, still struggling with all his might to get out of their grasps. Or at least get over closer to Wanda. He did not like how they kept him further back from the box than her. As though they wanted her front and centre for some odd reason.

"The Pandorica is ready," one Roman Auton stated, voice holding no emotion whatsoever.

"What do you mean?" questioned the Doctor as he looked at the Pandorica, seeing how it still slowly took its time in opening. The only thing he could make out from within was that blinding white light.

"You have been scanned. Assessed. Understood," came a sudden Dalek voice. A voice that sent chills down the Doctor and Wanda's spine. Three Daleks appeared in the chamber with them, facing the Autons and the Time Lords. The same coloured Daleks that were born during the time of Churchill's bunker. The Doctor began to struggle within the Autons' grasp again, wishing he could grab Wanda and run. Run far away from here as he knew nothing good would come from Daleks around. And still, he saw how the Time Lady a few feet in front of him kept her head held high, staring the Daleks down as though they were nothing. However, he could see her shaking shoulders, knowing she was becoming terrified of what was happening.

"Scanned?" the Doctor questioned the Daleks, hoping they would keep their attention on him instead of her. Maybe he could make it so Wanda could escape and get back to Amy. Wherever the companion might be now. "Scanned by what, a box?"

"Your limits and capacities have been extrapolated," sounded out a Cyberman's voice. The same as the Daleks; three Cybermen appeared into the room, facing the Time Lords. Then, three Judoon, three Sontarans, and even more species. All in threes, with weapons ready and armed as they surrounded the two defenseless Time Lords. The Doctor began to panic as he knew this was not good. Not good at all. He needed to think and think fast if either he or Wanda were to get out of here. Thinking along the same lines, Wanda struggled in the grasp of the Autons holding her, fearing for the Doctor's life as she knew what was coming now. The same thing that had occurred in her show was happening before her. And there was nothing she could do to stop it.

"The Pandorica is ready," barked a Sontaran.

"Ready for what?" responded the Doctor, eyeing all his enemies with a wary gaze.

"Ready for _her_ ," replied the white Dalek. The enemies suddenly looked to Wanda, stunning both the blonde and the Doctor. Each of them left speechless. Wanda's jaw dropped as the Doctor's eyes widened in alarm, his mind and hearts panicking in full terror.

"W-what?" Wanda stuttered weakly. She whipped her head to stare forward as the Pandorica emitted a loud hiss, clanking open.

The white light died down, letting all see the large, metal chair within. It had massive clamps and restraints built on it. Ready to tie down its captive and keep them locked up for all eternity. Restraints that hummed loudly as they moved to an open position, ready to take its prisoner. The Autons holding Wanda began to march forward, dragging her along as she jerked in their grasp. Her feet dug into the ground to put up resistance in her impending imprisonment. But it was no use. And all the while, all she could think was: Why? Why? Why?!

"No! What are you doing?! Stop! Stop this!" the Doctor screamed on the top of his lungs, fighting the Autons with all he had as he wished everything to pull Wanda away from them. To save her from whatever their enemies had planned for her. Why? Why was it her?! Why did they want her?! Was it . . . was it because of Alpha? It had to be. That had to be the only reason. Something he had been fearing since the moment he saw the Pandorica. The mightiest warrior in the whole universe, soaked in the blood of galaxies. The only thing that could ever match that description, that he could think of (besides himself) . . . would be the Universe's Weapon.

"Why are you doing this?!" Wanda shouted, mind racing to understand what the logic was behind this. Had it not been the Doctor they were after? It had been in the show. Sure, she had thought beforehand offhandedly that she should be the one to be locked up . . . But she did not actually want that to happen!

"The cracks in the skin of the universe," answered one Dalek.

"All reality is threatened," said a Sontaran.

"All of the universe will be deleted," stated a Cyberman.

"And the only thing that could ever accomplish that, is the legend of the Universe's Weapon. The Alpha Wolf," finished the Dalek.

"We will save the universe from her!" yelled the one Sontaran. "We will put an end to the Universe's Weapon!"

All the enemies scooted closer to her as the Autons forced her to turn around, slamming her into the metal chair. The clamps shut instantly down on her arms, around her waist, and on her shoulders, keeping her locked in place. She shook, trembled, quaked, as she began fearing what they were terrified of. Of her. She was scared of herself. And at that thought, the barrier that had been growling and responding to her terror seemed to die down in a flash. Stunned by her horrified thoughts of what lied within. It almost felt as though . . . the barrier was deeply hurt that she was frightened of it. And in that moment, Wanda felt sorry for whatever might live within her.

"Listen, listen. Please, listen to me," Wanda spoke rapidly, pleading to everyone to hear her out. "I may be some kind of weapon of mass destruction and whatnot, but I'm not the one who's going to cause the universe to explode. Not this time around. It's the TARDIS! Someone's rigged it up to explode. It's going to wipe out everything. It's going to end the universe. Please, you have to listen!"

"Listen to her, she's telling the truth!" shouted the Doctor as he yanked at the Autons holding him in the back of the large group of species. "It's the TARDIS, I swear! Alpha's not even activated! Look at her! Do you see the Alpha Wolf?! And Alpha won't destroy the universe because I'm alive. As long as I live, everything's fine." Wanda swallowed at the Doctor's pleading, shivering as she felt the barrier within stir once more. It . . . it did not like him saying its name.

"All projections correlate. All evidence concurs," droned a Cyberman. "The Wanderer will destroy the universe."

"We know of what she's capable of. We know what happened to our Tenth Battle Fleet," growled the one Sontaran, aiming his weapon crossly at Wanda, making her shiver in the Pandorica's seat. "We made this alliance after that. We can't have that happening to the rest of us."

"The Pandorica was constructed to ensure the safety of the alliance," spoke the one Cyberman.

"A scenario was devised from the memories of your companion," said the white Dalek.

"A trap the Doctor could not resist," the Sontaran said smugly, proud of their ingenious plan. "Ensuring that he would bring the Wanderer along with him."

"The cracks in time are the work of the Wanderer," said the Dalek once more. "All scans confirm of Time Vortex energy emitting from the cracks. The same power which the Alpha Wolf will use to destroy the universe."

Wanda jerked in her seat as the Pandorica began to close, creaking closer and closer to shut her off from the universe. To entrap her within for the rest of eternity. Alarm went through her as she twisted as much as she could in the metal seat, shaking her head rapidly.

"Please, listen to me!" she screamed, begging them, pleading to them. "You're all going to die! Every single one of you! You'll have never even existed! Please!" She began hyperventilating as she stared at the Doctor, eyes filled with horror as she knew what would happen to those standing outside the Pandorica. He was . . . he was going to die. Die with the rest of them.

"Bring the Doctor in here with me! Please, I'm begging you!" she beseeched to the large group.

"We have other plans for the Doctor," barked the white Dalek. Wanda let out a cry, shaking her head as she yanked uselessly at her restraints.

"Stop this! Please, stop this!" shouted the Doctor as he struggled with everything he had in the Autons' hold. Even more held onto him as they even had difficulty keeping him restrained. His fears and anger making him strong as he wanted to run to his Wanderer so desperately. He panted as he looked up at Wanda, seeing her tearful eyes as she sobbed in hopelessness. The doors of Pandorica almost upon her now. Almost at a close.

At one last cry, just as the Pandorica closed, Wanda held her watery eyes with the Doctor's own welling irises as they both were screaming in their minds to each other.

"Theta!" she wept out in a plea for his life. The Time Lord's eyes widened, gasping as she spoke out her treasured name for him aloud in front of others for the first time ever in all their years together. An act that told him she was frightened beyond her mind.

And that wide-eyed expression and gasp were the last things Wand heard or saw of her love as the Pandorica finally thundered closed, slamming her into pure darkness.

XxXxXxXx

So . . . what do you all think? Good? Bad? Terrible? The worst thing ever? Please, let me know in a review in what you all think. I would love to know in how I can make things better for the story. And if the chapter was too terrible, then I'll go back and change it for you all. :) For my goal is to bring everyone joy!

Reviewers:

 **grapejuice101** : Yep, and here's another one for you. lol ;) I'm sorry. I just can't help myself. I know, I'm horrible. Hope you liked the new chapter! Take care! Have a brilliant day/night. :)

 **All The Stories Are True 24601** : Yep! It just had to happen. It was just too unfair for Astrid and all those others to have died. Guess it turned out into a very Merry Christmas for the Doctor and Wanda. :) Oh, yes, very soon. Just have to wait for the right time now. ;) Hopefully this chapter didn't leave you too much on edge. haha. I really, really hope that you liked it. Can't wait to see what you think of it. :) Take care!

 **X-Lisa-Anne-X** : Could be. Maybe. Who knows until we get there. lol ;)

 **FictionalBoysAreBetter** : Woo! I know! XD So excited that everyone lived. And for Rickston getting a good punch. haha. Here we are with Eleven this time around. So glad you enjoyed the last chapter! I really hope that you liked this one as well. :) Oh no! I am so sorry about that. I know how it feels in losing a beloved companion. Don't worry about reviewing at all. Though I always do love hearing from you, please just do what makes you happy. I am glad to hear that the last chapter did help you feel a little better. If you ever want someone to talk to, always feel free to PM me. I will always be here for you and all other readers. :) Please, have a wonderful day/night and a beautiful life. Take care and stay safe.

 **heroherondaletotherescue** : Yay! So happy you liked it! Yep, definitely forcing Wanda into that situation. lol ;) As we see in this chapter, she ended up in a very crazy moment in the Doctor's time. Still, no reveal on that pregnancy yet. But hopefully soon! As for a boy or girl, not sure yet. Guess we'll just have to wait to find out. ;) Fingers crossed that you enjoyed the new chapter. Please let me know what you thought about it! Until next time! :D

 **Momochan77** : Woo! I'm happy about that, too! :D I loved them all so much during that adventure. Oh, she jinxed herself horribly. I really hope that you enjoyed the new chapter. Nervous to see what you and everyone else thinks of it. Hope to see you again soon!

 **alwaystherereading** : Yay! Agreed! Yeah, not much for resting there. haha. I'm happy for them, too. I think they make a cute couple. :) He is oblivious to many things. But the reason behind him not noticing the pregnancy will be answered for later. Trust me. ;) Can't wait for when the news gets broken. I really hope that you'll enjoy that adventure when it comes. :) Until next time! Really hope that you enjoyed the new chapter!

 **bored411** : I know. Ugh. Yep, just a crazy. And still no telling him. :( Really hope that the next adventure she goes on will be better than this one. Though, I suppose I should hope more for her being safe after all of this. Also, lots of nervous hoping in you liking the new chapter. :) Can't wait to see what you think of it!

 **Guest(a)** : Yep, defintiely jinxed herself. Not the Year That Never Was so far. But that adventure might just be around the corner yet. Hope you enjoyed it!

 **deadflowerseverymorning** : haha Aww, thank you! :) I just can't help myself when it comes to leaving people on the edge. I know not everyone enjoys that, but I'm glad to see that you do. :) Don't worry, we'll be seeing how he'll react very soon now. ;) I'm excited, too! I cannot wait to see what you and everyone else thinks of it. Really hope that you enjoyed the newest chapter. Can't wait to see what you thought of it. :D

 **PondRiverWilliams** : LOL XD Never thought of it that way! That is the perfect way to describe it. Alpha definitely screamed at Wanda every time she got closer to the Doctor. That is now how I will always see it. Thanks for sharing! :D Hope you enjoyed the new chapter!

 **Victoria** : No worries! I know exactly how crazy life can get. Take your time and stick to the more important things in life. This story is not important at all compared to keeping yourself happy and filled with success in life. :) Woo! New review! Always so happy to hear from you! :D All of these questions will actually be answered in later chapters. So just a waiting game now for answers. ;) But, there is a very good question you did ask. With Wanda wandering about. Since the baby is inside of her, it's just like all of Wanda's internal parts. They transport along with her without any effects. Nice and safe. So no worries with that. ;) Again, good question! I think you might be right there with the Doctor being excited. But time will tell when he finds out and how he feels right away. Good eye in seeing how many points Wanda has left with all the companions. :) Though, I will say that Wanda was never there for the whole "Turn Left" adventure. But you have so many lovely theories! I always greatly enjoy hearing what you have to say. It's always so fun to theorize with people. :D Wanda views all companions as close friends, like a family of sorts. Though Rose has always been her absolute best friend in her eyes. No worries on the mixups. I get mixed up myself. Luckily I have a timeline drawn out for Wanda's life. lol ;) Wibbly wobbly, timey wimey gets me all lost if I don't have a timeline. Never worry about asking questions. Even if I can't answer, I'm always happy to reply. And maybe even give sneak peeks. ;) Really, really hope you enjoyed the new chapter! Can't wait to see what you think of it and to hear from you again. Until next time and take care! Enjoy life and college! :D

Here's some Jammie Dodgers for you all! :D Thank you all so much for such a wonderful time in enjoying adventures together. I can't wait for the next!

~Tinker~


	37. Ch 37: The Two Thousand Year Wait

Well, good day there, readers. ;)

I hope things have been going well for everyone lately. Been fighting a cold myself. Or maybe it's the flu. Not sure, but it's not fun either way. I just hope that none of you are as sick as me. And if you are, then I hope this new chapter will help brighten your day just a little. :)

Enjoy!

XxXxXxXx

Chapter 37: The Two Thousand Year Wait

Wanda shivered so much that her teeth chattered together. She panted sharply through her teeth, making herself hyperventilate from her panic and fright. It was dark in the box. So very dark. She wished that there was at least some light. As if reading her mind, the white light within the Pandorica flickered on. The box gave a small hum as the electronics within ran. Though, it sounded all wrong to her. She only wanted to hear the TARDIS's hum. To feel the motherly blanket of warmth surround, to keep her comforted and let all other worries leave her. Now, however, all she felt was the cold bite of the metal seat she was locked in and the still, chilled air around her. With a layer of fear and anxiety right on top of the coldness she felt. All she could wonder was if she were going to be awake the entire time within the box. Always aware of her imprisonment. Alive, conscious, with her life being locked into place within the Pandorica. Never aging. Never changing. Would an eternity pass outside the box and it only feel to her as though seconds had passed? Or would seconds have passed outside and it be an eternity for her within? Which was worse?

Taking in a deep, trembling breath, she slowly calmed herself, knowing it was not good to lose her head. She needed to keep calm and think. Think. Think, think, think, think, think. She tried banging her head against the backside of the chair. But the shoulder clamps made it impossible for her to move her head very much. She looked around the small room she had been placed into. Nothing much to go on. Just a metal prison in a box. There was some space between the walls and the chair she sat on. But not by much. Maybe just enough for a person to squeeze into.

She stared back at the creased wall in front of her, knowing that by now the universe had ended and . . . and all that was right outside the Pandorica were . . . No. No, she could not think it. He . . . he could not be dead. He just could not be dead. He had to be alive. Maybe . . . Maybe he had thought of something at the last minute? Protected himself in some way? It was the Doctor, after all. Her brilliant, idiotic, amazing husband. Who she was going to kiss as soon as she made it out of here. Right?

She slumped in her seat, knowing the chances of her making out of here were slim. Things had changed. Time rewritten. It was the Doctor meant to be placed into the Pandorica. Not her. Definitely not her. But . . . from the way the Daleks, Cybermen, and Sontarans had spoken . . . Did she deserve this? To be locked away where no one can be hurt by her? To keep the universe safe from the dreadful harm she could and would cause? No. No, she could not think like that. She had to keep herself together. Yes, she was something beyond deadly and dangerous. Yes, there may be times where she might lose control and hurt someone. But she was not going to let that control her. Control her life. She would gain control of this. Keep in line the powers inside of her. She would make certain never to cause whatever great chaos others were afraid of. What others assumed to would make happen. She would always fight back against the madness, the darkness, within in her and keep to the light. She was _not_ a monster.

And she had to tell him. She should have told him. It was stupid of her to keep her pregnancy a secret from him. From her love, her Theta. He had to know about their growing child. She might not tell him right away during the moment of the universe reboot. But, she swore, as soon as this adventure was over, whether she transport away to a future Doctor or past one, she was going to tell him. For he deserved to know of his child. He deserved to know what their love had created and what was going to come for them in their future. Their future together as a time travelling family.

The Pandorica made a loud click, making her jolt in her seat in shock. The crease in front of her began creaking open slowly. The white light increased in intensity as the box was revealing someone standing right outside the open, opening it. Wanda beamed, feeling overjoyed as she knew it was the Doctor. He had pulled through, just as he always did. How could she have ever doubted him? Ever doubted that the day could still be saved and that everything would be all right? But then her smile dropped when she saw it was Rory the Roman standing outside the box when the doors finally made a loud thunk, fulling open. The man stared at her in bewilderment as he lowered the hand pointing the green-tipped sonic screwdriver. The clamps and restraints around her opened as well, letting her breath more easily than from before.

"Hey, Rory. Good to see you again. How's the end of the universe been treating you?" Wanda joked lightly, holding a tense grin as she remained in her seat. Unsure on whether or not she wanted to get up to see the outcome within the chamber of the Pandorica. Whatever might have happened to those who had been standing there moments ago . . . she feared what had become of them all.

"Uhh . . .hi," Rory responded awkwardly. "Not good, so far. I've had better days." Wanda nodded in agreement.

"Yeah. Yeah, much better days, yeah," she replied, keeping her voice as casual as possible. She began snickering at their silly light conversation, acting as though the universe had not just exploded into nothing. Throwing back her head, she then began laughing hysterically.

"Okay . . . and now she's laughing," muttered Rory, shaking his head in disbelief. "Why are you laughing?"

"Because, don't you see?! I'm in the box! I'm Jill in the box, when it's supposed to be Jack in the box!" She pointed at herself, giggling uncontrollably. "It was me, the entire time. Little old me who everyone wanted to lock away. Why? Psshh, as if I know. Well, no, I do know. I just didn't really think I was _that_ important to be locked away. Now, the Doctor, he's the important one. But nope! It was me! Ha! I bet no one saw that coming!" She continued to laugh like a maniac.

Rory shifted on his feet, uncomfortable by the Time Lady's unhinged behaviour. "Uh, Wanda, I don't think now's the best time—."

"Rory—Rory, slap me." Wand continued to giggle uncontrollably, shaking her head with a watery smile on her face.

Rory blinked, glancing around as if wonder if she were talking to someone else. "What?"

Wanda waved a hand, still laughing and struggling for breath. "Quick. Slap me."

"Uh . . . All right." Rory stepped forward and gave her a sharp smack on the face.

Her laughed died instantly as she gave a long sigh in relief. "Thanks. I needed that. Think I was losing it there for a minute."

Rory nodded in agreement as he stepped back from her. "Yeah. Just a bit."

Wanda stepped out of the Pandorica, gazing around the dark room. Just as she knew would happen, all those species within the chamber had turned to stone. Froze like fossilized figures. Many had crumbled into nothing, or melted into the floor itself. Two of the Daleks were almost perfectly preserved. Figures they would be all fine and dandy. For the most part, anyway.

"What are they?" Rory asked the Time Lady as they gazed around at the stone creatures.

"They were all living creatures. But I suppose they're just fossils now," Wanda replied as she walked around the stone Daleks, observing them. "With the universe being erased from time, whole races have been deleted from existence. They, like the universe, never happened."

"So how can we be here?" questioned Rory skeptically. "What's keeping us safe?" Wanda walked over to face him.

"You know how there's a hurricane, causing massive destruction throughout it, but in the eye everything's sunny and just peachy? Well, that's us. We're in the eye," Wanda explained to him. "Though, don't think that it will last forever. Soon, the rest of the hurricane will catch up. Making us all burn out, too." She frowned for a moment, then her eyes widened as she realized she had not immediately ask Rory the most important question. "Rory, where's the Doctor? Have you seen him? Where is he?" She looked wildly around the room, hoping that the Time Lord was being silly again, hiding away and ready to jump out from behind a fossilized figure, shouting 'surprise!' and all of that.

But she was missing it. The obvious stone figure crouching on the ground just feet from her. Rory's face dropped as he knew she might actually see it, but was refusing to believe it. He reached forward gently, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. He had seen the figure the moment he had walked into the chamber. Something which had disturbed him and caused him to be greatly saddened. Something which he knew would be much worse for the Time Lady next to him.

"Wanda . . . I'm sorry," Rory said quietly in remorse. Wanda swallowed thickly, knowing why he was saying sorry. But she did not want to see it. Did not wish to look upon the scene right in front of her. However, she knew she must.

Eyes slowly travelling to the one stone figure kneeling on the floor, with arm pointed out as though grasping desperately for someone out of his reach and eyes shut tight, she gazed upon the fossilized creature with her hearts shattering. It was the Doctor. Frozen in place as if he had been yelling and reaching for Wanda who had been trapped within the Pandorica. Arms wrapped tightly around her middle, she scooted forward little by little. When she stood in front of her stone husband, she fell to her knees with a broken sob. Tears trailing down her face as she shakily reached for him, cupping his face as she wept.

"N-n-o-o. No. No, no, no," she pleaded in desperation, her voice quivering with every breath, every word. "T-Theta. No, Theta." She let out a loud sob as she wrapped her arms around the stone figure, sobbing against the hard shoulder of the Doctor's as she held him in despair. "I-I'm-m s-s-so so-orry. I'm sorry. Sorry. This—this is all my fault. I killed you." She felt Rory come over beside her, kneeling on the ground as he placed a firm hand on her shoulder.

"This isn't your fault, Wanda," he told the sobbing Time Lady. "If anyone's a killer . . . that'd be me."

Wanda sniffled, pulling away from the Doctor to stare at Rory with red puffy eyes. "W-what?"

The man held a broken, down casted gaze. "I killed Amy. I-I couldn't stop myself. I tried. I swear, I tried with everything. But I couldn't stop."

"Amy will be fine, Rory. I promise," Wanda assured the man through her thick tears, wanting to comfort him and make certain that misery did not overtake him. Did not want misery to overcome him the same way it was coursing through her, making it impossible for her to even wish to be alive in that moment.

Looking away from him, Wanda continued to stare at the stone figure of the Doctor in front of her. Thumbing at the Time Lord's rough cheeks as her eyes turned dull. Misery taking her over completely as she felt so empty inside. Why did it have to be him? Why was it not her instead? She would give anything to take his place. Or even Amy's. To keep her precious family alive and happy. Even though she knew she could not think like that for she had to remain alive for her child. It was a selfish thought in wishing she could be with the Doctor in such a way when she needed to stay strong for her growing future. But the thoughts and feelings were still there in wanting to die in the wake of her sorrow. Follow after her Theta in the afterlife . . .

"I should be dead," Wanda stated again blankly. Her eyes widened in realization. "I should be dead."

"No, Wanda, don't say that," Rory began to argue. But he was surprised when the Time Lady turned sharply towards him, beaming in glee.

"No, don't you see, Rory? I should be dead! But I'm not!" she exclaimed in pure joy.

Rory was taken back, leaning away as he truly began to worry about her sanity. "Uhh . . Should I slap you again?"

Wanda rolled her eyes, shaking her head. "No, silly. That's it. I _should_ be dead. When the Doctor dies, I die. But I'm not dead, don't you see?"

Rory frowned, shaking his head in bewilderment. "No. Not really. Why would you be dead if he is?"

"Spoilers for another time. Just know that it's true." She looked at the Time Lord, then back again at Rory as she realized something else. "I never asked. How did you manage to get me out?"

"You gave me this." Rory handed over the green-tipped sonic. The Doctor's screwdriver.

Wanda let out a gleeful sound, grabbing the tool and giving it a kiss. "Ha! Don't you know what this means, Rory?"

"No. What does it mean?" He watched as the Time Lady moved the sonic over the Doctor's chest, pressing the device over the fossilized tweed blazer. There was a great spark emitted from the sonic in the Time Lady's hand, making her pull it away from the frozen Doctor.

"It means that the Doctor still has a future. He's still alive!" Wanda practically leaped forward and gave the stone figure of the Doctor a large kiss. Overjoyed in knowing he was fine.

"How does that prove he's alive?"

"Because the only way future me could have gotten his sonic, the same one trapped within his jacket under that stone, is if I figured out how to bring him back." Wanda jumped up, beginning to pace. "I mean, he's dead. But he's not dead. He's just in a . . . in a stasis of sorts. Preserved like a bug in amber. Bad analogy I know, but it's the best I can think of right now." She stopped in her pacing, snapping her fingers wildly at Rory as she had a sudden thought. "So, I, future me, gave you this sonic after suddenly appearing to you in a flash. She used a Vortex manipulator." She glanced over her shoulder, seeing that River had left her bag with the manipulator in it on the ground just outside the Pandorica. Surprisingly, still fine and in one piece. "What did future me say to you?"

Rory stood up, pondering over what future Wanda had said to him. "She told me to unlock the Pandorica, and said to tell you something, um . . . Right. She said: 'Remember Han Solo.' No idea what that means."

Wanda beamed, clapping her hands together as she bounced up and down. "Ha! You see! I was right! Stasis!"

Rory shook his head, clearly at a loss. "I don't understand. What does that have anything to do with the Doctor?"

"Remember that movie. Oh, what was it called," she snapped her fingers, closing her eyes as she tried remembering before clapping her hands once she had the movie's name, " _Star Wars_! That's the one. It was the second—no wait, technically fifth. I forget the movies go out of order of release dates. Anyway, moving on. Han Solo is a character in the movie who gets frozen in carbonite. Sort of a metal alloy substance. The carbonite encased around the character, freezing him in time, placing him in a suspended animation. Keeping him untouchable and safe." Wanda dug through her overcoat pocket, pulling out a stethoscope. Placing it in her ears and holding the end piece to the Doctor's stone chest, she closed her eyes, listening with all her might. She smiled as she heard it. A very, very faint four beats. The Doctor's hearts doing just enough to have him alive and well during his sleep within his frozen state.

"He's alive," Wanda concluded after removing the stethoscope and placing it back into her pocket.

"Okay," Rory responded, still confused on why she was acting so happy, "and what do we do, then? We can't exactly wake him up, now can we?"

Wanda sat back on her heels, humming as she tried remembering what exactly could be done to reawaken something from the fossilized state. Glancing over her shoulder, the white light within the Pandorica caught her eye. "We put him in there." She pointed at the box, standing up to go around the back of the Doctor.

"What's the Pandorica going to do?"

"It holds restorative light. That white light there. It will bring him back to life. Not sure by how much, but . . . it's all we have to go on for now." She began trying to lift the stiff Doctor from the ground, grunting from the heavy weight of the stone encasing around the Time Lord. Rory went forward, helping her lift the awkward figure up. They scooted over to the Pandorica, lying the Doctor down on his side into the box in a small corner by the seat within. It was a tight fit. But it was perfect enough for the Time Lord to be nestled within. Safe and sound.

"All right. So we just let him sit here for a while, yeah?" Rory asked the Time Lady once they stepped back from the Pandorica. Observing the awkward space the Doctor took up on the floor of the box.

"That's the plan. Only I don't know how long he needs to be in there before the light can restore him properly," Wanda explained, shaking her head as she truly had no clue if this would indeed work. She could only pray and keep her fingers crossed that it did. "It could take a few minutes. A few hours. A few years. Maybe a couple thousand years."

She pinched her thumb nervously, really starting to think this might not work. But it just had to. She had seen the Doctor arriving to the scene of the _Byzantium_. He had come from rebooting the universe. And even Amy had told her once that the Doctor had done so. So . . . it just had to work. If it did not, then Wanda did not know what she would do. But she had to keep fighting for him, had to keep moving on to help save everyone, to save the universe. For her Doctor. For her unborn child. Rubbing at her stomach, she held a nervous gaze, hoping the baby within, and the Doctor, would be all right in the end after all of this.

"A thousand years?" Rory questioned in astonishment.

"Two thousand to be exact. Well, actually it'll be one thousand eight hundred ninety-four years, but close enough to two thousand," Wanda clarified. She went over to the manipulator River had left behind, grabbing it and placing it on her wrist. Getting ready for the trip ahead. She then turned around, marching to the stone steps. "Come on. Time to get Amy now."

Rory hurried after her, going up the steps at a fast pace to keep up with her. "You said Amy will be fine. How can she be fine? Is she not dead?"

"Oh, no, she's dead. Very much so. But it doesn't mean that she'll stay dead. She is Amy, after all. Just as stubborn in death as you are." Wanda and Rory both made it up to the cold night air above at Stonehenge level. Not that far away from the opening that led to the Pandorica chamber was Amelia Pond. She lay on the ground, covered with an old Roman tarp. Unmoving and lifeless. It tore at Wanda to see the companion in such a state. The only thought keeping her together was knowing that Amy would be fine in the end. Safe and sound as ever.

The two came around the red head, kneeling beside the girl as she laid almost peacefully on the ground. Wanda pulled back the tarp over her, leaning down to give a tender kiss on the companion's forehead. Rory petted Amy's head in a caress. Being even more gentle than Wanda with the love of his life.

"You never did explain what I am or how I'm alive," Rory said quietly as they sat kneeled around Amy. Wanda pulled her eyes away from the sad scene of the dead girl, staring at Rory instead.

"It was those who had tricked the Doctor into coming here," Wanda explained softly. "They used Amy's memories. Very powerful memories. Her thoughts, feelings, taking an imprint. Which ended up taking a little more than they intended when they created you from her mind. Giving you a heart and soul inside of that plastic body of yours."

"So . . . I'm plastic?"

"An Auton to be exact."

Rory shook his head, trying to get that idea wrapped around his head. "But I'm Rory Williams. I know I am."

"Of course you are," Wanda agreed, giving him a warm smile. "Amy's love, her memories, are much stronger than anyone can ever manage. They can bring back the forgotten and give those lost life once again."

They both moved Amy's body as carefully as possible down into the chamber beyond Stonehenge, taking her into the Pandorica and placing her in the seat within. They used the clamps to lock her into place so that she would not fall off the seat. Reaching to the girl's temples, Wanda closed her eyes as she concentrated. Sending Amy a message of everything that had happened so far for when the girl would finally awaken in the future. Then, Wanda placed the Doctor's sonic from the future into Amy's inner pocket of her coat. Stepping back from the Pandorica, there was a small smile on Wanda's face as she felt proud of herself for a moment. Gladden that she had gotten better at keeping calm, figuring out plans, and even using her mental abilities better than she used to. Holding one last fleeting glance at the sleeping Amy and the frozen Doctor, Wanda lifted her arm, pointing her own sonic screwdriver at the Pandorica and making the box slam shut, locking away others within for the second time that night.

"Amy will wake up once the box gets a scan of her DNA and it will then restore her completely. Good as new," Wanda explained quietly to the Centurion next to her. "She'll wake up as if time had never passed at all. Which, being in the box, it won't necessarily. Time doesn't touch those within the Pandorica." She then walked over, to River's departed bag, pulling out the Vortex manipulator and strapped it on her wrist.

"And what about the Doctor?" Rory asked the blonde. Wanda let out a long breath, tugging hard at the back of her long strands of hair.

"Truthfully, I don't know for certain," she answered warily. "As I said before, he could be restored fully at any point. Or it could take just as long as it will for Amy to be brought back." She held up her wrist, beginning to type in the coordinates of where she needed to go next on the manipulator. "We're just gonna have to guess and choose on when to check up on him." Pausing in pressing the beeping buttons on the manipulator, she stared at Rory, looking sad. "I'm sorry, Rory. It's going to be a long wait for you now. I would offer you to come with me instead. Take the quicker path. But I know you don't want to leave Amy alone and unprotected."

Rory nodded firmly, holding his sheathed sword tight at his side. "I'll never leave her. Not for one second." He glanced awkwardly at the box, realizing that there was more than just his fiancée in there. "And—and the Doctor, too. I'll keep him safe for you, Wanda."

Wanda smiled, her eyes welling up as she felt so touched by the companion's devotion. "I know you will. Thank you for that." She sniffled, looking back down at her wrist. Dang her overemotional body. She was going to start crying again at this rate. "But don't think I won't leave you alone all the time. Or leave Amy or the Doctor alone. I'll check up on you every so often. Say . . . every hundred years?" She glanced at the Pandorica, feeling torn in leaving the box behind. She knew it was in good hands with Rory. But . . . she did not wish to leave her Theta behind. Trapped in the box for so long without her there to comfort him. To whisper him lullabies, hug him when he needed it, and chase away any nightmares he might have.

Swallowing heavily, she hurriedly walked over to Rory, giving him the biggest hug she could muster in showing just how truly grateful she was in him keeping the Doctor and Amy safe. Rory was a true companion through and through. The Centurion returned the hug, patting the blonde girl on the back for reassurance for them both. Stepping away from Rory, she watched as he slowly put on his helmet, standing at attention, ready to guard the Pandorica with his life.

"Be careful, Rory," Wanda told him. "Remember, you're plastic now. You won't die of old age, but you can still be harmed through the rough years ahead. Avoid heat and radio signals as best you can." Rory nodded with determination written all across his face.

"Don't worry. I died once. I don't plan on dying again," he replied firmly.

Wanda nodded as well, giving him one last smile before hitting the activation button on the Vortex manipulator, making her vanish in a flash.

XxXxXxXx

As Wanda had promised, every hundred years she would appear, right next to Rory and the Pandorica. At the ready to help him with whatever the Roman needed, and to check up on the Doctor within the Pandorica. Countless times, Wanda helped Rory keep the box safe, pulling it away from danger just in the nic of time. She kept the plastic man from harm as well. Repairing him whenever he needed it, fixing him up for the better each time. And with each time, right before she would leave again, she would open the Pandorica for a brief moment. Checking over the Doctor within to make certain he was still pulling through all right. It was a very slow process, but Rory and Wanda saw the stone encasing around the Time Lord was peeling off little by little. Still keeping the Time Lord deeply asleep. Still keeping him alive in his suspended state.

These checkups would end with Wanda giving the Doctor a kiss on the cheek, and Rory kissing Amy on the head. Each of them sending their love to the ones within the Pandorica. Then, Wanda would close the massive box up once more and was off again for the next hundred years. Never did she stay for very long. But with each visit, Rory was grateful to have a friend there for him. As each time the Time Lady and the Roman grew to depend on each other in them protecting their lovers. A bond that they would always share and cherish now forever as the closest of friends. Each having their small victory together in knowing each moment meant a closer time of their reunion with Amy and the Doctor.

Until, finally, the day the Pandorica opened for the last time.

Wanda arrived with a flash of light in the middle of the National Museum of modern day London. Looking around the room she was in with interest, she saw that she was in the centre of a strange animal exhibit. Dinosaurs were shown in the Ice Age while penguins were in the safari. Weird. Shaking her head, the blonde hurried off to find out where Rory or the Pandorica would be. Spotting the sign for the exhibit for the Pandorica, she went the quick route and made it to the box just in time as a young Amelia Pond, wearing red wellies and navy peacoat, touched the large stone box. Wanda beamed as the Pandorica clunked loudly, turning green on the sides for a moment before opening up fully to shine out a brilliant white light. Amy Pond within gasped, snapping her eyes open as she panted, staring with wide eyes at little Amelia in front of her. The clamps opened up, allowing Amy to stumble out of the box and fall to the floor on the other side of the red velvet rope of the exhibit.

"Are you all right?" asked little Amelia as she stared at her older self in awe.

"Oh, she'll be fine. She's Amelia Pond after all," Wanda spoke up, bouncing over to the two in excitement. Amy blinked at the sight of the blonde Time Lady beaming away at her.

"You're a sight for sore eyes," Amy replied, holding a crooked grin.

"Your name's Amelia Pond, too?" questioned little Amelia suddenly, appearing very confused and lost as to what was happening. Amy and Wanda glanced at the girl, at each other, then back to the child.

"Yeah, complicated," Amy finally responded, standing up on wobbling feet. Wanda went over, helping the girl stay balanced as she adjusted to being alive again. The ginger began staring wildly around, searching for a certain someone. "Where's Rory?"

"You mean the old man?" Wanda replied cheekily, smirking at the funny nickname she had started calling Rory many centuries ago. Teasing him every time with the name as he was truly ancient by this point. "He should be somewhere around here. Helped him become a night guard for the place. Not as complicated as helping him through the Blitz. Now that, that was not fun." Wanda helped the girl wander over to a nearby panel that played a video describing the Pandorica and the Centurion who kept it safe for over two thousand years.

"Rory. Oh, Rory," Amy breathed shakily, crying as she saw the video.

"Amy!"

The trio staring at the video turned around when they heard a man call over to them. Amy gasped, stunned when seeing Rory standing there shining a torch at them, wearing a security guard uniform.

"Hey, look, it's the old man!" Wanda waved merrily at the man, giving a cheeky smile.

"Shut up," Rory mumbled humourously, rolling his eyes in fake exasperation. Rory and Amy's faces lit up with the brightest smile as they rushed at each other, meeting halfway in front of the Pandorica and giving each other the largest hug ever. They both began crying and kissing in their shared joy. Wanda giggled happily, glad that they were together again and were so joyful. Then, the kissing became a little . . . 'passionate' between the two companions. Blushing, Wanda hurriedly covered little Amelia's eyes with her hand as the child seemed confused by what was going on.

"Keep it child-friendly you two!" Wanda scolded them. Amy and Rory pulled away, awkwardly stepping back from each other, though still holding hands.

"Where's the Doctor?" Amy asked curiously, eyes searching around for the certain Time Lord.

Wanda's eyes widened in alarm as she realized how idiotic she had been as to not check up on her husband. That should have been the first thing she did. She was such a terrible wife! Her mind went into a panic as she ran back over to the Pandorica. Squeezing into the small space beside the large chair, she kneeled down next to the Time Lord who was still laying on his side on the floor. All of the stone was off of him now, completely de-fossilized. He had curled up somewhat during his deep slumber. With the one arm still pointed outward, though now bent up towards his head. His face was relaxed and calm as he breathed in and out ever so quietly. If she did not know any better, she would have thought the Doctor was resting peacefully.

She turned him over onto his back as gentle as possible. Not wishing to hurt him or disturb him. Leaning down, she pressed her ear to his chest, listening intently for his hearts. They were beating. But they were still far too slow and quiet.

"He should have woken up," Wanda mumbled as she moved her head from his chest. Stroking his face as she felt her hearts racing in fear. All the worst possible outcomes went through her mind and she felt like hyperventilating again. Gulping, she knew she had to remain calm. Stay calm for him.

"I thought you said the Padorica would revive him?" Rory asked from behind Wanda. He, Amy, and little Amelia stood just behind the Time Lady. Observing the way her shoulders trembled as she checked over her Time Lord. Even though her voice was calm and collected, Rory could tell that the blonde was on a stage of giving into despair.

"It did. Just not as much as it should have," Wanda concluded, swallowing heaviliy as she felt ready to sob in her misery. What was the point of moving forward if she did not have her Theta with her? Shaking her head, she tried ridding herself of these thoughts as she hummed, thinking quick on what could have happened to the Doctor. "Maybe . . . maybe he had placed himself into a coma just before he had been fossilized? Yes . . . Yes, that has to be it." Wanda began hurriedly digging through the Doctor's inner pocket on his jacket while Rory and Amy stared at her in puzzlement.

"He's in a coma?" Rory questioned.

"He can place himself in a coma?" echoed Amy, even more puzzled than Rory as her brows furrowed. "Why would he do that?"

"It was quick thinking on his part in a way to stay alive no matter what happened," Wanda explained to the two companions. She pulled out the Doctor's sonic screwdriver, taking the duplicate that Amy handed her when instructed to do so. "Time Lords can force their bodies into a coma in case of an emergency. As a way to preserve or heal themselves. Escaping danger."

"All right . . . So how do we get him out of his coma?" Amy questioned, beginning to worry like Wanda that the Doctor would never wake up. Wanda gulped, holding up the two duplicate sonics in her hands, aiming them at the Doctor's chest.

"Adrenaline rush," Wanda concluded in uncertainty.

"Are you sure that's going to work?" Rory quizzed skeptically.

". . . I don't know. But it's all I got," Wanda said just before she pushed the sonics to the Doctor's chest and let the two tools touch each other. They gave off the temporal energy shock, zapping into the Time Lord's chest. The four of them jumped when the Doctor let out a sharp crying gasp with eyes going wide and leaping off the ground in a flurry. Wanda fell back as he literally jumped over her and pushed past the others, running at full speed into the exhibit room. The Time Lady scrabbled up onto her feet, standing just inside the Pandorica and behind Rory, Amy, and little Amelia as they all watched the Doctor clapping his hands together and pacing wildly around.

"Wooo! I needed that! Good old shock to get the juices pumping!" he exclaimed loudly, sounding manic. He began spinning around and around. "Neurons! Electrons! Protons! Feel them all buzzing! I could race to the moon and back! Might do that someday. Love to try it. Feel like dancing, too. Love a good dance. Haven't danced in ages! I could do the waltz, the tango, the skippie-do! Hahaha!" He halted swiftly, staring wildly around. "No, no, what happened? Where am I? Museum? Why am I in a museum? Why is it dark? Wanda? Where's Wanda? Wanda?! Wanderer, where are you?!" He began running off towards a random hallway, becoming frantic. Wanda pushed past the companions, hurrying after him.

"Doctor! I'm here!" she shouted in joy. The Doctor stopped short and turned around, grinning from ear to ear at the sight of his Wanderer. Matching the grin on Wanda's face in seeing her Theta alive and well again.

The two of them practically flung themselves at one another. Both laughing in pure elation as the Doctor spun Wanda around and around in his happiness. Setting her back down on her feet, he then began kissing her all over her face before smashing his lips against hers. They threw their arms around each other, moaning as the Time Lord bond, their bond, flared to life like a searing flame. They held on to each other as if fearing the other would disappear in a blink. And Wanda knew that she never, ever, ever wanted to let go of him.

"God, keep it child-friendly you two," Wanda heard Amy speak up sarcastically from behind. Blushing in embarrassment as she pulled away from the Time Lord, the blonde tried to apologize for letting her emotions get the better of her when the Doctor suddenly grabbed her chin and thrust their lips against each other once more.

"Sweetie, stop it. We need to focus," Wanda said into their kiss, chortling quietly under her breath in humour at the Time Lord's zealous behaviour.

"Not on your life," muttered the Doctor, speaking in almost a growl of possessiveness. Wanda pulled away and tried turning around, but he merely pulled her back against his chest once she managed to face the others, kissing her neck with quick pecks as he rubbed at her stomach.

"You're being really clingy today, Spaceman," Wanda mumbled softly into the Doctor's ear.

He tightened his hold around her, pausing his kiss right next to her ear. "I thought I'd never see you again."

Wanda's eyes began to waver. "Yeah . . . Me, too."

The Doctor eyes softened as he felt her hand trembling on top of his that lay against her stomach. He gave her a gentle squeeze in their hold, knowing how terrified she had truly been of losing him. All jumped out of their stupor when a cry from a Dalek sounded off.

"Exterminate!"

The Doctor whipped around, seeing a fossilized looking Dalek whirling towards them from down the hall. Grabbing Wanda's hand, he yanked her back towards the companions and little Amelia, making them all run. Though, not before Wanda ran back the other way, going towards an exhibit in the corner.

"Wait! I forgot to get something," she told the group when they tried protesting her running off. She grinned merrily when she saw the red fez on a mannequin's head. Yanking it off, she went back to the Doctor with fez in hand and ran with him and the rest once more. When they managed to get into the reception room of the museum, the Time Lord slammed the door right behind them and locked it with his sonic that Wanda handed to him.

"So . . . guessing by the two Ponds," the Doctor pointed at older and little Amelia, "I'm assuming it's been about two thousand years. Is that really how long I've been out?" Instead of wasting time on talking, Wanda pressed her fingers to his temples, allowing the Doctor to see everything that she and Rory had done up to this point. What had happened to the universe, Amy, the Pandorica, and everything else. He blinked rapidly, trying to process all of this. "Oh. Oh, the light of the Pandorica. Very clever. Amy died? Well, at least she's all right now. Ah, the TARDIS and River, we'll have to correct that. And Rory, you really waited two thousand years?" The Time Lord frowned as he looked over all the memories Wanda sent him. Turning to her, he thumbed her cheek with pride, smiling warmly. "Did you really give me a kiss every hundred years?"

"Yes," she breathed, leaning into his touch as she smiled as well. He gave her another searing kiss, letting all of his love flow into her before pulling away and grabbing a mop to jam the door more tightly sealed. Wanda flipped the fez in her hands, popping it onto the Doctor's head once he turned around. "Here. Got a present for you."

Pulling it off his head in surprise, he flipped it around in his hands as well before beaming and placing it back on him. Smiling as he said, "Fez. Love a fez."

"Definitely love a fez," Wanda agreed before stepping back from him. Glancing at the other three standing in the middle of the reception area, she raised her wrist and began typing at the buttons on the Vortex manipulator. "Hold on a second. Gotta take care of something."

The Doctor frowned in immediate concern. "Wanda, no, wait a min—." But the Time Lady disappeared before he could say another word.

Wanda blinked as she suddenly arrived with a bright flash in the dark, chilly night of 102 A.D. Looking down on the ground, she saw Rory, in his Roman outfit, sitting on the grass next to a lying stone with a dead Amy in his arms. The Centurian was visibly shaken by what he had done to his love, sitting there with eyes of pure sorrow.

"Rory! Nice seeing you two thousand years from the past! Though, technically speaking, two thousand years now. Currently. Being in the past and all that," Wanda spoke up merrily, gaining the Roman's attention. "Hey, listen, don't worry about Amy. She's all fine. Well, all considering, maybe not completely fine, but good enough all the same." She beamed, finding it amusing at the man's flabbergasted expression upon the abrupt appearance of her. Then, she realized she had forgotten something. "Oh! Wait a moment! Be right back in a jiffy." Poking on the buttons on the manipulator, she appeared against two thousand years later where the Doctor, current Rory, Amy, and little Amelia were still standing in the National Museum. Wanda swiftly walked up to the Doctor, grabbing his screwdriver out of his hands. "I'll be needing that. Or, more of, past me needs it. Or past Rory. He needs it for me to need it, I suppose."

"Wanda, wait, don't—!" the Doctor tried stopping Wanda again. But once more, she teleported away and arrived back in front of two thousand years younger Rory as he blinked at the sight of her quick flashing appearance again.

"You'll be needing this," she said as she tossed the Doctor's sonic screwdriver into the man's hands. He fumbled with it after catching it, starting at the device in bewilderment. "Go get me out of Pandorica. Just point and think with the sonic and it will work. Make sure to slap me, too. That idiot needs a good slapping. She's bonkers."

"But—but you're not in the Pandorica," Rory tried arguing, tried making sense of what Wanda was rapidly rambling about.

"She, me, of the past is currently. And I'll be trapped in there forever unless you go get me out," Wanda explained as quickly as she could. "Just give her the Doctor's sonic once she gets out of the box. She'll know what to do with it afterward. Oh! And tell her, me, not to worry. Tell her, 'Remember Han Solo.' Make certain to tell her that. Remind her of Han Solo. You'll get the reference once things become clearer." Tapping rapidly at the manipulator, she jumped back into the future with the others, beaming away at them. "Well, that takes care of that. You know, I could actually get used to being able to control where I teleport to for once. It's quite fun." The Doctor marched crossly forward, yanking the device off her wrist in a huff.

"Give me that," he grounded at her. He shook the device at her sternly. "This is too dangerous to mess around with. It could have severe side effects that we don't know about."

"What are you talking about? What side effects?" Wanda asked in confusion, frowning heavily. Why was he being so . . . protective? Wait . . . did that mean he already . . .

"Spoilers," was all the Doctor replied as he placed the manipulator on his wrist. Wanda rolled her eyes, shaking her head.

"Well, someone needs to go let little Amelia know where to find us," she pointed out, pointing at the dumbfounded child next to Amy, having been completely blown away by Wanda teleporting around with bright flashes.

Going up to Amelia, the Doctor had her give him the two notes that he had made for her in getting here. Tossing the notes over his shoulder, he ran over and grabbed what he needed, writing his messages for the past. In a blink, he was gone. Then, he was back again just as fast with a drink in hand for little Amelia. Handing the drink to the child, he bounced up the stairs merrily as he just loved bouncing back and forth between time like that. Wanda was right, it was quite fun.

"What is that? How are you both doing that?" Amy asked the two Time Lords as they began going up the steps together.

"Vortex manipulator. Cheap and nasty time travel. Very bad for you," the Doctor explained hurriedly as he turned around to face the others. Still holding that excited, boyish grin of his. "I'm trying to give it up."

"Where are we going?" Amy quizzed, finding the Time Lord just as odd as ever.

"The roof," answered the Doctor, turning around to rush up the stairs again. But they all froze when someone suddenly appeared right in front of them. The flash around the person was glitchy and on the fritz. It was the Doctor himself, coughing and appearing very weak as he looked severely injured with the clothes on him blackened. There was even a small bit of smoke forming around him. The future Doctor wavered on his feet, breathing in shakily as he stared at the rest. Then, with knees buckling, he began to tumble down the stairs like a useless rag doll. Wanda hurried forward, catching the injured Doctor in her arms to keep him from falling all the way down the stairs. Lying him as gently as she could on his back, she and the rest hovered over him as the future Doctor lay still on a step. Unmoving. The current Doctor began scanning his future self over with second sonic screwdriver Wanda handed him, checking his future self over.

"Doctor, it's you," Rory spoke up, stating this in pure disbelief at the sight before them. "How can it be you?"

"Doctor, is that you?" Amy questioned, hoping that the sight before them was false and the Doctor of the future would be okay.

"Yeah, it's me. Me from the future," mumbled the Doctor as he stared his future self over. Noticing how Wanda held the future Time Lord's head in her lap and stroked his forehead in easing gestures. The Time Lord within the Time Lady's lap suddenly bolted upwards, grabbing the current Doctor and whispering rapid words into his ear before falling back and collapsing once more. Slumping into Wanda's hold as though he had passed on completely now. The current Doctor and Wanda both glanced at each other, holding knowing gazes before he jumped up from kneeling on the floor.

"Are you . . . I mean, is he . . .," Amy began to speak in uncertainty upon the sight of the seemingly dead Time Lord. "Is he dead?"

"Dead? Yes, yes. Of course he's dead," responded the Doctor, waving a hand over his shoulder in dismissal. He began hurriedly bouncing up the stairs again. "Right, I've got twelve minutes, that's good."

"Twelve minutes to live? How is that good?" questioned Amy, torn between being mournful in knowing what was going to happen to the Doctor and bewildered in how dismissive the Time Lord was being.

"Oh, you can do loads in twelve minutes. Suck a mint, buy a sledge, have a fast bath. Come on, to the roof!" The Doctor tried going off again, but once more stopped when the others simply refused to move.

"We can't leave you here dead," argued Rory.

"Oh, good. Are you in charge now?" retorted the Doctor sarcastically as he walked back towards them on the stairs. He glanced over Rory and Amy's shoulder. "So tell me, what are we going to do about Amelia?" Both Ponds, confused by this statement, turned around to see where little Amelia had gone. But all that remained of the child was the cup that Doctor had given her, lying on the ground where it had been dropped.

"Where'd she go?" Amy asked the Doctor as she and Rory hurried over to see if they could spot the child somewhere nearby.

"Amelia?" Rory even called out for the little girl.

"There is no Amelia," explained the Doctor as he walked slowly back down the stairs. "From now on, there never was. History is still collapsing."

"But how can I still be here if she's not?" Amy questioned as she and Rory walked up the stairs to meet the Doctor halfway.

"You're an anomaly. We all are," replied the Doctor, holding a serious gaze with the Ponds. "We're all just hanging on at the eye of the storm. But the eye is closing, and if we don't do something fast, reality will never have happened. Today, just dying is a result. Now, come on!" He turned to go up the stairs again but faltered in step when he realized a certain Time Lady had been very quiet. Turning back around, he saw Wanda was still holding the future Doctor's head in her lap, stroking the man's forehead as she let tears fall down her face. Walking up to her, he crouched down and held her shoulders softly. "Wanda, I'm sorry. There's nothing more we can do for him."

"I know," she mumbled as she shifted from her seat. Leaning down, she gave the future Doctor a soft kiss on the forehead before standing up, holding the current Doctor's hand tightly as they jogged up the stairs in a rush. Soon, they made it to the roof. On top of the museum, on a concrete upper level, they walked past the hissing vents of steam, going over to the edge of the building to stare at the sky above.

"What, it's morning already? How did that happen?" Amy questioned curiously as they saw the weak looking Sun overhead.

"History is shrinking. Isn't anyone listening to me?" the Doctor replied, frustrated that no one seemed to be paying attention to his words.

"No one ever listens to you, Spaceman," Wanda countered cheekily, sticking her tongue lightly at him when he threw her a pout. "But we do need to hurry. The universe is about to collapse, after all. We need to get to the TARDIS."

"And where is the TARDIS?" Rory asked Wanda. The two Time Lords glanced at each other before each slowly pointed up to the sky towards the ball of fire burning away. The replacement Sun for this version of the Earth and history. Rory frowned, unsure of why the Doctor and Wanda were pointing at the sky. "But that's the Sun."

"No, it isn't," responded the Doctor after he and Wanda lowered their pointed hand. "Total event collapse means that every star in the universe never happened. Not one single one of them ever shone."

"It's the TARDIS," Wanda said, her tone low and solemn. "It's our TARDIS burning, keeping this planet alive." She took in a shaky breath. "Poor Sexy. She saw it coming. She knew what was going to happen. But she was powerless to stop it."

"I don't understand. So, the TARDIS blew up and took the universe with it. But why would it do that? How?" Amy questioned them, trying to wrap her head around the whole situation. "And how do you know that's the TARDIS?" She pointed at the massive burning ball in the sky. The same one that they could distantly hear rumbling in its constant burning/exploding state.

"Wanda showed me," the Doctor replied easily, tapping a finger at his temple. "Memory transfer. Let me see a spoiler."

"More like you dived in and took a little bit too much of a sneak peek," Wanda muttered quietly to the Time Lord. "You sneaky cheat."

"Hush you," the Doctor responded cheekily, holding a sly grin for a second before growing serious again. "As for why and how the TARDIS went to pieces, that's a question for another day. Let's focus on getting River out of there for now, shall we."

"Wait, River?" Amy spoke up, furrowing her brows.

"River's in the TARDIS?" Rory asked, gazing up towards the burning fireball in the sky. "Does that mean she's dead now that the ships burning up?"

"No. Emergency protocols. The TARDIS seals off the control room, and places whoever's inside into a time-loop," explained Wanda, relieved in knowing River would be safe and sound.

"She is right at the heart of the explosion," added in the Doctor as he began fiddling with the manipulator on his wrist. "Should be simple enough to get to her."

"Be careful, sweetie," said Wanda, fearful that something might go wrong in him trying to get into the heart of the exploding TARDIS. He smiled, holding up a quick thumbs up before disappearing in a flash. Then reappeared once more with River right by his side. The woman let go of him the moment they were on the roof, smiling brightly at Wanda and Amy.

"Wanda! Amy!" River then blinked when seeing Rory standing next to Amy. "And the plastic Centurion?"

"It's actually Rory . . . who's sort of been made into an Auton," Wanda said, glancing over at the Roman as she frowned in thought. "Sort of complicated. Wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey stuff. You know how it goes for us." River nodded, knowing that was the statement of the century for their lives.

"I dated a Nestene duplicate once. Swappable head. Did keep things fresh," River remarked offhandedly, walking away from the Doctor as she gave a cheeky smile at Rory. The Roman and Amy glanced at each other, seeming humoured by River's joke. River stood next to Wanda, facing the Doctor as he stood in front of the group. "Right, then. I have questions. But number one is this: what in the name of sanity have you got on your head?"

"It's a fez," defended the Doctor, holding himself proudly in wearing his new found hat. "I wear a fez now. Fezzes are cool."

"You bet they are," Wanda added in, skipping right over to him and giving him a happy kiss. "You look as silly as ever."

"And silly's good," replied the Doctor as he gave Wanda another kiss. His boyish grin as bright as ever.

"Silly is very good," Wanda agreed, giggling as she entwined their hands together and kissed him on the cheek in giddiness.

Across from the two Time Lords, River and Amy glanced at each other. Both rolled their eyes at the silly behaviour of the Time Lords. Reaching over fast, Amy grabbed the fez off the Doctor's head and tossed it into the air to let River shot the fez into pieces. Both the Doctor and Wanda exclaimed in protest, each having a pout of disappointment in losing their lovable, cool fez. But then all froze in fear when seeing the Dalek from earlier slowly appearing over the edge of the roof by hovering up in the air, shouting out its call to exterminate them. The group hurriedly ran from the advancing Dalek. The beams of its deadly weapon just missed them as they jumped down the small door of the roof, going back into the museum. The Doctor sealed the door behind them with his sonic before sliding down the ladder that led to the roof and regrouped with the others.

"Four and a half minutes until it's next attack, Doctor," Wanda told the Time Lord once he caught up with them. He grabbed her hand, walking swiftly along with her.

"Right," he muttered under his breath. "Four and a half minutes when it's due to kill me." River sped up in her pace when she heard this.

"Kill you? What do you mean, kill you?" she demanded in question, starting to fear for the worst for both Time Lords now. Nothing good would come if the Doctor died. It would only lead to disaster for both Wanda and the universe.

"Oh, shut up. Never mind," dismissed the Doctor, not wanting to start an argument with the woman as he knew would happen. Just like during the first time he met River when he had been on the verge of dying, he knew the woman would fight to the teeth in keeping him alive and making him keep his 'promise' that he had apparently made her sometime in his future. Whatever promise that was. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he went on speaking. "How can that Dalek even exist? It was erased from time and then it came back. How?"

"The same as you were brought back," Wanda answered. "You were erased, too. But, remember, I placed you in the Pandorica. 'Cause the light—."

"More like a restoration-field than a light," commented the Doctor. Wanda rolled her eyes lightly.

"Whatever you want to call it," she continued on. "It has the leftover atoms from the universe before it exploded. Like an arch. Keeping billions of atoms safe and ready to bring life once again."

"A perfectly preserved universe as it was," added the Doctor in awe as he grinned in excitement as his mind raced, knowing what they could do to bring back the universe. "In theory, we could extrapolate the whole universe from a single one of them." He stopped facing the group as they stood in the middle of a large exhibit. "Like—like cloning a body from a single cell. And we've got the bumper family pack. Memory of the universe and the lights transmits the memory. That's how we're gonna do it."

"Do what?" Amy questioned as she and the others finally began to see hope in their dire situation.

"Relight the fire. Reboot the universe," finished the Doctor. He turned around quickly, keeping a tight hold on Wanda's hand as he walked swiftly as possible down the hall. "Come on!"

"Doctor, you're being completely ridiculous," River retorted, marching forward to halt the Time Lord in his tracks. "The Pandorica partially restored one Dalek. If it can't even reboot a single life-form properly, how it is going to reboot the whole of reality?"

"It restored me just fine," argued the Doctor. Seeing River's confused expression, he let go of Wanda's hand, letting her stay back a ways as he walked towards River, waving a hand as he explained. "I was caught in the backlash. Was sort of erased, frozen in stone, and all. Placed myself into a coma on a quick whim, which thankfully worked. And Wanda here placed me into the Pandorica to have me properly restored."

"It just took about two thousand years," Wanda noted, shrugging slightly.

"Right, then, we're going to wait around for another two thousand years or more for the rest of the universe to catch up?" River responded sarcastically.

"What if we give it a moment of infinite power?" the Doctor said, making River think of what he was suggesting. "What if we can transmit the light from the Pandorica into every particle of space and time simultaneously? One spark is all we need for—."

In the corner of his eye, he spotted it coming down the hall. The Dalek. Acting fast, he rushed over to Wanda who was in the creature's direct path. Grabbing the blonde, he spun them both around, making his back face the Dalek as he held Wanda in safety. The Time Lady's eyes widened dramatically as she felt the Doctor seize in her arms, letting out a cry in agony as the Dalek shot him directly in his back. He slumped against her as she shook, holding him tight in her grasp.

"No! No, no, no, no!" Wanda cried as the Dalek continued firing at their direction. She fell to her knees with the Doctor still in her arms, ducking so the beams would miss them. Rory leaped over the crouched Wanda, aiming his plastic handed weapon right at the Dalek. He shot at it two times, making the Dalek lose power. It stopped in the hall, frozen in place until it could regain power once more. Once that was taken care of, Rory, Amy, and River went over to the two Time Lords to check up on the Doctor.

"No, no, Doctor, please, I'm so sorry," Wanda cried as she cupped her husband's face. His eyes were tightly closed and he shook from the pain of his body slowly dying. His clothes scorched from the blast. And all Wanda could think was of the time he had saved her from a Dalek blast just like this. It was déjà vu for her as it seemed time were repeating itself. It was her fault all over again. The Doctor opened his eyes, reaching up a shaking hand to gently brush the tears away from the Time Lady's face. He smiled in reassurance before shakily pressing a hand to the manipulator on his wrist. In a flash, he was gone from Wanda's arms.

"Where'd he go?" River asked immediately, worried over what would happen to both the Doctor and Wanda. If he died . . . How could she possibly save Wanda if the Doctor was dead?

"He went downstairs. Twelve minutes ago," Amy told the woman.

"Show me!" River ordered, in a hurry to figure out how she could keep both Time Lords alive.

"River . . .," Amy glanced at Wanda who still sat stiffly on the ground, unmoving in the slightest. Amy gulped, knowing how broken the Time Lady must feel. "He—."

"Don't," Wanda suddenly spoke up as she stood up, sounding tense with her voice filled with anger. She turned to face them, her eyes blazing with rage. "Don't say it, Amelia. He is _not_ dead."

"Wanda . . . I'm sorry, but you were there, too," Rory said softly, holding great sympathy for the blonde. "You saw him die."

"Oh, you're all a bunch of idiots. You saw what he wanted you to see," Wanda retorted crossly, turning to stomp down the hall towards where the Doctor would be now. "As if he'd ever let himself die during a situation like this." She paused in her steps when the Dalek was heard coming back on, powering up. Her eyes flared with a bit of white flashing through her irises as she stared the Dalek down. With teeth bared in pure hatred and rage, she pointed a shaking finger at the Dalek. "River . . . show _no_ mercy." With that said, she hurried off down the hall, quick on her feet to find the Doctor.

As Wanda stomped off, she heard Amy and Rory hurriedly following along just a step behind her. Then, she also heard the distant cry of mercy from the Dalek, followed by a faint firing of a gun. Wanda's eyes flashed again as she felt satisfaction in knowing the Dalek was dead. She felt guilty in feeling this way. Especially in knowing she had basically ordered River to be a killer for her. But . . . no one hurts her Theta. Not ever.

River caught up with them eventually, telling them the Dalek was dead. Wanda only gave a brief nod towards the woman before speeding up. Not paying attention to the others' confusion upon seeing the Doctor's body had apparently moved from the spot they had left him in twelve minutes ago. She only continued to briskly walk onwards, in a hurry to get to her husband. Arriving back to the exhibit of the Pandorica, she saw him slumped over in the box's seat. He slowly lifted his head to weakly stare at them coming towards him. Wanda sped up in her pace, ready to be in the box with him when he sent it off. She saw that he already connected the Vortex manipulator to the box. Now all that was needed was . . .

Before she could react, the Doctor lifted his hand holding the sonic screwdriver and made the Pandorica swiftly close, tightly shut, sealing himself within. Wanda's eyes went wide in alarm, running at the Pandorica and began to bang her fists on it angrily.

"No! Doctor, let me in! I need to go with you!" she shouted, knowing the Time Lord just might hear her. But then again, he might not. Concentrating, she made a plea to his mind. _Please, Theta, please let me in. I can't stand the thought of you doing this alone. Please._ Still, there was nothing. No reply. The Pandorica truly did keep it so he was completely locked away from the universe. Both physically and mentally. This only made Wanda more frustrated as she banged her hands again on the stone box.

"Wanda, what has he done?" River asked after she and the others came up beside her, staring at the Pandorica in confusion as to why the Doctor would be within.

"He's fused the Vortex manipulator to the Pandorica," Wanda answered brokenly, stepping back from the box. "He's going to fly it into the heart of the exploding TARDIS. Big Band Two. The universe restarts, we all wake up like normal, and . . . and . . ."

"And the Doctor will have never been born," River finished for the crying Time Lady. She reached forward, hugging Wanda close as she knew how broken the girl must be. River glared at the Pandorica, wishing she could give the Doctor a piece of her mind in deciding to leave Wanda behind like this. Could he not think of anything else to save the universe?

"I don't understand, why would he lock us out?" Amy questioned, shaking her head as she stared at the Pandorica. "Why didn't he at least say goodbye?"

"Because he knows me," Wanda explained softly. "He knew I would have never stayed behind. I would have gone with him to be erased together. He's trying to make certain I stay alive." Wanda let out a shaking laugh, hiccupping from her tears. "Idiot. Doesn't he know that I can't live without him?" She meant it. She would not simply die from not having the Doctor there in her life from the connect she held in his timeline. But she would die in knowing that she could not be with him. It would tear her hearts apart so greatly it would be as good as being dead. River hugged Wanda harder, holding onto the Time Lady as tight as she could in hopes that things would be different. That all those years ago Second Wanda was wrong and she would indeed live without the Doctor. Would the Time Lady be erased as well? Would she never exist and River never have her dear sister?

Wanda suddenly pulled away from River, going over to Amy urgently. She held the girl's arms, staring at the companion as if everything depended on her now. "Amy, please, you have to remember. You _have_ to," the Time Lady said in a rush.

"W-what?" Amy responded numbly, still reeling in what was happening.

"I never got a chance to finish," Wanda said, shaking her head as she looked down briefly before gazing back in urgency at the ginger girl. "Remember when I mentioned your life not making sense? The reason you can't remember why you've lost your parents is because of that crack in your wall. But you can fix that. Just as you can fix what's about to happen to the Doctor." She hugged the girl hard, whispering into her ear. "Just believe in the impossible and remember the Doctor."

The room began to shake as the Pandorica lit up. River pulled them all back, making certain they were far enough away from the lifting Pandorica as it flew up and out of the museum, crashing through the glass ceiling and heading straight for the burning ball of fire in the sky. Wanda held a wavering smile as she kept her eyes trained on the flying Pandorica, refusing to avert her eyes from it. She glanced down when River held up the communicator for her to see the Doctor's last message. 'Geronimo.' Another tear leaked down Wanda's face as she smiled in misery.

"Love you, too, Theta," she whispered under her breath. She closed her eyes as there was a sudden thunderous explosion off in the distance, everything lit up in a blinding glow, and—

XxXxXxXx

The people all around the wedding reception laughed merrily in the joyful day they were experiencing. The children ran around, playing a game of chase while their mothers tried catching up with them to stop them. Amy tapped her fingers rapidly on the white tablecloth of the grand dining area she sat at, sitting right next to her husband Rory. Her husband. Such a strange thing to get used to in realizing one was married. She was happy, of course. Happy to finally be married to the man she loved more than anything. Happy to be close to her loving parents beside her on her other side. Parents that she still felt oddly surprised in seeing. Which was strange. Why should she feel surprised? She always had parents. Why was that shocking to her? Though, never mind that for now. Right at the moment, she felt anxious in seeing a certain someone within the wedding reception. Amy knew that this person would know. The girl would understand and help Amy figure out why she felt so . . . sad. So at a loss. Why her mind seemed to be in a jumble. Sure, others said it was just wedding jitters, but Amy knew Aleena would know otherwise. The girl always did know how to solve the unusual, the bizarre. Her young friend was always good at that.

"Rory, where's Aleena?" Amy suddenly asked her new husband. Rory paused in the middle of drinking, glancing nervously at Amy as he knew she would not like the answer.

"Oh, ah, I called her earlier, actually," he explained to his wife. His Mrs. Williams. He still felt overjoyed in that thought.

"And? Where is she?" Amy questioned tensely, showing signs of great annoyance of not seeing her young friend here.

"She said sorry, but something's come up for her. She couldn't make it to the wedding," Rory told Amy. "She mentioned something about having an appointment with a doctor."

"A doctor's appointment?" Amy scoffed shaking her head. "Typical Aleena. Always running off at the last minute."

Outside of the wedding reception, on an old bench that seemed out of place in sitting next to the new looking building, there was a sudden appearance of a blonde girl in a flash of white light. Wanda gasped as she whipped her head around to where she had appeared. She blinked in confusion, hearing the laughter of many guests within the building she had arrived next to. Large windows allowed her to peek inside, seeing a wedding reception going on. Amy and Rory's wedding.

Wanda then fell forward, gripping the back of the bench tightly as her other hand pushed at her chest. She panted in rasping breathes as one of her hearts stopped abruptly. Shaking, she gazed into the reception once more, knowing this might be the last time she ever see either Pond again. She was dying, for there was no Doctor. No Doctor . . . meant no her. No Wanderer. Her hand travelled down to her stomach as more tears leaked down her face, knowing there would be no little one, either. Their child would never be born. Hurried footsteps alerted Wanda to someone coming towards her. Looking up, she smiled when seeing River dressed in a lovely black gown. The woman held an anxious expression as she practically rushed over to Wanda, helping the blonde sit up more properly on the bench.

"You're going to be okay, sweetie," River assured the Time Lady, sitting down next to her and holding her close. "I gave Amy my diary. I know she'll remember him."

"Of course she will," Wanda whispered, shaking as she gripped at her chest with another hand, feeling the other heart beginning to stop. She struggled in breath with her head pounding from the furious barrier within. Just like the last time she had been on the verge of death when the Doctor had died from the Reapers, and the time again in the hospital on the Moon. "The Doctor . . . he'll be back in action . . . before you know it. I just don't think that I'll—."

"Don't say it," River scolded her, tightening her hold. "You're going to be fine. You're not dying on me, you hear?"

"Yes, ma'am," Wanda giggled humourlessly. Then, she held a questioning gaze towards the woman. "How is it . . . that we're here, though? If the Doctor's gone . . . shouldn't we both be as well? I mean . . . neither of us can exist without him."

"Nothing is ever truly lost or forgotten," River countered quietly, holding a smile in comfort. "We're the traces he left behind."

"Right. Just like Amy's ring." Wanda shook more, feeling her body giving out. Her other hand pressed more into her stomach. "I should have told him. He deserved to know. I was so stupid. I should have told him."

River frowned, staring at Wanda with brows furrowed. "Told him what?"

Wanda gave a weak smile as she leaned her head against River's shoulder. "That I'm . . . I'm . . ." She could not say it. So, instead, she grabbed one of River's hands, pressing it into her stomach.

River stared at her for a moment, trying to understand what the girl was trying to tell her. Then, the woman's eyes widened as she realized what Wanda was saying. "Oh, sweetie, no."

Wanda gave her a wavering smile. "Oh, sweetie, yes." Her body slumped more onto River's side, becoming a dead weight as the Time Lady struggled to breathe and keep focusing on making certain her one heart continued to beat.

River's eyes grew in remorse as she remembered this. Remembered the time when Wanda was pregnant. The Time Lady was so close to the time of sorrow now. River felt a small tear down her face, wishing to tell the Time Lady now in warning, but she shook herself out of it as she held Wanda tighter to her side, desperate to keep the girl alive. "Just hang in there, sweetie. You have to be here to tell the Doctor the wonderful news. Okay?"

Wanda nodded weakly as her vision began to fade. The last few beats of her hearts slowing down into nothingness. Then, just as she felt herself almost fading away as her heart finally stopped, she heard the magnificent sound of the TARDIS appearing. Wanda gasped loudly, sitting up quickly as her hearts started up once more. Beating away with elation as she beamed, knowing her Doctor was alive again. River beamed as well, nodding for Wanda to go into the wedding to go meet him.

"Go tell him the good news," River said warmly, patting Wanda on the arm in merriment. Wanda gave her sister a quick kiss on the cheek before bouncing up and practically skipping with joy through the side door of the building and into the wedding reception. She beamed, bouncing with giddiness as she saw the Doctor standing next to Amy in her wedding dress and Rory in his suit. The Time Lord himself was wearing his new tuxedo with a long white scarf and top hat. The rest of the wedding guests continued to babble away, perplexed by the sudden sight of the arriving TARDIS and Time Lord in the middle of the reception room.

"Doctor!" Wanda exclaimed as she practically leaped over a nearby table, shocking the guests sitting there. The Doctor spun on his heels, holding the brightest boyish grin as he ran to meet Wanda in the middle, picking her up and spinning her around as they both laughed in their joy. Amy and Rory came up to the blonde next after the Doctor put her back down. The bride immediately hugged Wanda, laughing merrily. Rory even hugged the blonde girl as well, just as happy to see her okay.

"I can't believe I'd forgotten you, too, Wanda," Amy said, shaking her head in disbelief as the thought of ever forgetting her Doctor or her Wanderer was simply bizarre.

"I can't believe I'd forgotten either one of them," Rory remarked. "They're kind of hard to forget." Wanda smiled brightly at the two Ponds, so happy to finally see them together officially and that everything had turned out all right in the end. Not that she ever doubted that things would not turn out all right. Nope, no doubts at all.

"Well, if you excuse us, we need to go park the TARDIS somewhere more properly. I also need a change of clothes," Wanda told the two as she grabbed the Doctor's hand and began dragging him back to the ship. He waved over his shoulder at everyone before the Time Lords bounced into the TARDIS and up to the console, sending the old girl off to go park somewhere just outside of the reception hall. But before the old girl landed back on Earth, Wanda flipped a lever, keeping Sexy in a drift. The Doctor stared at his wife curiously, wondering why she did not let the TARDIS materialize fully back to where they needed to be. But then he saw it. The tears fall down Wanda's face as she stared at him.

"Wanderer, what's wrong?" he asked immediately, scooting closer to her as he held her shoulders, glancing around to check and make certain she was all right. Suddenly, she punched him sharply in the arm, making him wince.

"You arse!" she shouted at him.

"What was that for?" he whined in response, rubbing sourly at his arm as he pouted.

"You scared me half to death, that's what for! Don't just leave me behind like that!" she exclaimed angrily, waving her hands around in her frustration. "Do you know how terrified I was in thinking I'd never see you again?! That you never existed?!" She huffed, then grabbed him by his white bow tie, surprising him by pulling him in for a searing kiss. She pushed him against the console, holding him there while they snogged. Each wrapping their arms around the other as they held their small battle in their lip movement. After knocking his top hat off, she ran her hands vigorously through his hair, letting out a small sigh in satisfaction in being able to hold him again. Pulling away with a loud smack, they both pressed their foreheads together as they let out breathless pants.

"Sorry I scared you," the Doctor whispered in apology.

"Sorry I snapped at you. I'm just . . . a little emotional at the moment," Wanda replied, kissing him all along his chin, down his neck. She sighed, letting her breath brush against his skin, making him shiver as he felt her begin unbuttoning his dress shirt.

"We should go back to the wedding," he mumbled, pulling her closer to him as he rubbed soothing circles on her back.

"In a bit. Right now, all I want is to be with my husband. A husband I thought I'd lost not once, but twice today." She buried her head into the nape of his neck after she finished opening his shirt, allowing herself to take in the wonder of being able to be within his arms once more. Something she thought she might not ever experience again.

Entwining their fingers together in a firm hold, the Doctor stepped back from Wanda and the console, beginning to lead the Time Lady towards the TARDIS corridor. "Come on. Let's go swimming. The Ponds can wait."

They both smiled brightly, walking fast down the way, in a hurry to be able to comfort each other for the night.

XxXxXxXx

Goodness, that was a lot to take in. I hope it was an enjoyable read for everyone. At least a little bit. If you have any thoughts or things to say that would make this story even more enjoyable, then leave a shout out in a review. I always love hearing from everyone. :)

Reviewers:

 **Books-and-Cleverness-394** : Oh, man. Didn't mean to make you spill your tea. haha. Hope you liked the new chapter! :)

 **sophiewhettingsteel** : Thank you! I'm so glad you enjoyed it! :)

 **All The Stories Are True 24601** : Well, no Alpha, but a good combination of all other things. ;) Aww, thank you! I was really worried that people would not like the big change that happened in that adventure. But I'm so happy to see that you enjoyed it. :) Until next time!

 **X-Lisa-Anne-X** : Yay! Glad you liked it! Hope you enjoyed the newest chapter just as much. :)

 **FictionalBoysAreBetter** : Well, at least that moment will have never technically happened, therefore their enemies won't know his somewhat secret name. Sorry, no Alpha this time around. Maybe next time. ;) Oh, trust me, your reviews always do. I'm always so overjoyed and giddy when I see reviews from you and others. They just fill me with so much happiness and bring inspiration for me to keep writing when seeing how much joy the story brings to readers. I've lost many four-legged companions over the years. In many different ways. The worst being when I had to put one down at a young age because of damage to their brain. It will always be hard. But knowing that they are at peace and in no more pain always helps me feel at ease with their passing. I hope that helps you as well. And having another companion there to cuddle with I know helps even more. Nah, you're the best. :) You have yourself a wonderful day and just focus on taking care of yourself.

 **alwaystherereading** : Oh, yes. Definitely. Well, it was never explained in this adventure. And when it was later on the Eleventh Doctor's last adventure when he finally found out the origin of the Silence, it was a very brief statement in explaining what had happened. Basically, from what I understand, is the Silence had somehow rigged the TARDIS to blow up in that particular date. But because the TARDIS was being pulled in two different directions, it got trapped inside of the Time Vortex instead being in one specific location. Therefore, when it blew up, it caused the chain reaction that ripped apart time and making every star go through a supernova. If the TARDIS had just been in one spot, it would have simply blown up and no side effects. But because it was in the Time Vortex, it sent out an explosion through all of time and space. Hope that explanation helps. :) I could be wrong, though. Well, nothing too good happened to the Doctor and the others. But at least everything turned out all right in the end. I hope you enjoyed it all, and to see you again in the future! Take care!

 **Momochan77** : Woot! I'm so happy that you did! Hopefully this chapter was just as fun to read. :) Until next time!

 **Authora97** : So glad you liked it! And those two together as well. They are rather cute together. lol ;) Hope to see you again in the future!

 **Justus80** : Oh, yes. There are most certainly many out there wanting to put a stop to her. Though, you could see this as the reason why Eleven in the future is slowly erasing traces of himself and of her from history so that way something like this never happens again. So happy that you liked the chapter. I really hope this one was just as good. :) Until next time!

 **Guest(a)** : Hmm. That's a good question. She isn't necessarily as strong as all of those entities. She can't pull people from any planets she wants. She can't really read minds. It's more of she feels their feelings and thoughts from what their timelines are when they flow through her mind. As for her powers to destroy, think of it more as the Reality Bomb. Other than that, from what I've seen from the other entities, she isn't as 'strong' as they are. But she does have some things over them. If that makes any sense. Hope this helps. :)

 **Victoria** : I think a lot of people forget about the Pandorica. lol ;) Nah, no effect. Vortex manipulator helps in that. That's a good question. From the research I've done on Time Lady pregnancies, it seems about the same as human females, but with better development of the baby for Time Ladies. It seems like their pregnancies do go better in some areas, but in others . . . Well, things like that will be explained for later. So spoilers for now. ;) Nah, the adventure worked out about the same. I hope you liked that way it played out. I know how not many people enjoy it when Wanda does more than the Doctor. I hope this one time it's okay. Keeping my fingers crossed that you and everyone liked it. :) She's my favorite companion, too. So I feel you there. But, sadly, yes, just one adventure left technically. When that adventure does show up, I really hope that you'll still like it. Even if it is a sort of sad moment of knowing it'll be the last time for us with Donna. Though, not really the last time for our dear Wanda. As for Clara, we'll actually be seeing her a lot more towards the end of this story. And even more with the special part four I'm working on. So don't worry, we'll be having many moments with her. It's Day of the Doctor, and, truthfully, I'm currently working on that adventure now. I'm really nervous in how everyone will like it when it comes out. So many characters to balance in that adventure, it's a writers nightmare. haha. Good luck with your homework, and I hope to see you again for the next time!

 **singingKatelyn** : lol I hope that means you liked it. Nope, didn't like it, either. But at least it all turned out fine. So, now it's just onto the next adventure. Hope you'll like it! Until next time!

 **heroherondaletotherescue** : Glad it was a cool surprise! And that you liked the chapter. Crazy in what happened, but I'm glad it all worked out in the end. Don't worry, next time the truth comes out. I promise. ;) See you in the future!

 **Nanski33** : Hope that means it was still a good read. And this one, too. :)

 **Guest(b)** : Woo! So glad you liked it!

 **Jerry Skeleton** : Yay! I'm just so happy that you liked it! And you'd be right there. ;) Hope you liked how it turned out. Don't worry, I'm just as excited. :D Well . . . kind of, yeah. haha. Guess we'll find out soon when the Doctor finally does find out though. Maybe even in the next chapter. ;) There's more to Alpha than meets the eye. Much more. But that'll have to just be spoilers for now. Glad you like her though. I don't believe in people being pure evil. Just as no one is pure good. Just more of leaning towards one way than the other. Unfortunately, from what I have planned, there will be no Thirteen in part four. I just didn't have things planned out for her when this story's timeline was made. Most likely if I had planned it out when she had been around, then definitely because I'm very excited for the Thirteenth Doctor. But at least we'll be seeing Twelve in part four. :) Can't wait to see what you thought of the new chapter!

 **Kylie Winchester** : I hope you enjoyed it, and the new chapter. :)

 **deadflowerseverymorning** : I'm so happy that you liked it. Bad Wolf only comes into play when absolutely necessary. When she knows there are no other options for Wanda, or needs to warn Wanda from doing something bad. Umm, good question. But I think it's more of what Alpha thinks of the baby than Bad Wolf. I feel like Bad Wolf doesn't really care much, whereas Alpha . . . Well, that's just spoilers for now. Nah, thank you for being amazing and leaving such a lovely review. Really hope to see you again soon. Take care!

 **bored411** : Yep, very crazy. Hope you enjoyed the new chapter! :)

 **Whovianeverlark17** : lol Aww, I'm so happy that you enjoyed the chapter so much. Really hope that this one was just as fun to read. :)

 **N7SpaceHamster** : I'm doing great! I hope you're doing fantastic as well. :) No worries on the reviews. I'm just happy to hear from you whenever you have the chance. :) Also just glad that you're still enjoying the story so much. Oh yes, definitely a lot has happened. Good thoughts on the reflection on life. You could say that each person in Wanda's life is a reflection of her past. Even if she doesn't realize it yet. Glad you didn't mind the Doctor's reaction for that day. I think it would be understandable if anyone felt that way. Sexy and Wanda's moment together was rather cute. Also am relieved that you didn't mind the sort of summary at the end. I try to do those when there really isn't much change. Plus, I learned after making the part one in what people like when it comes to how much of the adventure goes on. Oh yes, exactly like her naive behavior with the Doctor from her past. lol ;) Besides, it's actually pretty normal for first-time mothers to not notice them being pregnant for the first month or so. If you've never experienced something like that, then you tend to just brush it off as just being sick or stress. Of course, Wanda would save them all! She loved them too much not too. haha. And punching Rickston was just a nice present for her. ;) Though, Wanda would never have let him die, either. She's too nice to do something like that. Glad you enjoyed the changes to Pandorica. I hope you liked the changes in this chapter just as much. Can't wait to see what you think of it! Until next time! :)

 **Ruby Slippers** : Nah, thank you! I'm just so happy you enjoyed it. :D

 **thinkpink808** : Oh yes! Can't do this story without doing that adventure. ;) I'm actually currently working on it now, so I can't wait until we get to that adventure. I really hope that everyone will love it. :) Take care!

 **Starcrest129** : Woot! I'm just so happy that you enjoyed it. :) Oh yes, the Doctor will find out soon. Maybe even in the next chapter. ;) Who knows really. lol That would be hilarious. I think it depends on which Doctor, really. I see Eleven fainting. lol ;) Until next time!

 **DarkPhantom101** : I hope it was a good twist, though. :) Also hope that you enjoyed the new chapter and to see you again soon. Take care!

Thanks again to everyone for such lovely reviews! *confetti drops everywhere*

~Tinker~


	38. Ch 38: The Shocking Surprise

Fancy meeting you all here. ;)

I hope the last chapter was a good read, for here's the next ready for you all!

XxXxXxXx

Chapter 38: The Shocking Surprise

Music played loudly while lights whizzed about. Laughter and merriment filled the air as the room buzzed with life. Women grinned from ear to ear as they danced with different giddy men. Children squealed in delight as they ran around everyone. Each child getting a sugar rush after eating the wedding cake. In the middle of it all was the Doctor and Wanda, doing a wild and funny jig together. Completely lost in their own world as they were simply enjoying the night together. And, of course, their dancing was the worst of the bunch.

"You're terrible!" Amy laughed at them as she came up to dance with the two. "That's terrible!"

"You're just jealous 'cause you can't handle these moves," Wanda replied sassily, winking as she and the Doctor began swinging their arms around over their heads. Completely off beat from the music that was currently playing. Amy only laughed more, holding her stomach as she could not handle the hilarious sight of the Time Lords' dancing. Rory joined in laughing with his wife, grabbing Amy to spin her around in delight. The Doctor did the same to Wanda. Each male grinned at each other as their lovers giggled in their arms.

Soon, Wanda and the Doctor managed to get the children involved with their silly dance. The children all giggled happily as they all enjoyed the dance greatly. And the children and guests really enjoyed it when Wanda got her violin out and began playing a jig for them all to dance to. Then, Wanda made the lot laugh even more when grabbing some cake and squishing it on the Doctor's face. He blinked in shock as the white icing covered his nose and cheeks. Wanda held her stomach as she and the children pointed and laughed. But then she squealed when the Doctor picked her up and pushed cake right into her face in retaliation. They both ended up chortling together, pressing their foreheads together as cake covered their faces.

Eventually, the night settled down. Many guests had left. All of the children were gone having been taken home by their parents. The music slowed down into gentle rhythms, making many couples, including the bride and groom, enjoy a slow dance together. Each holding the other close as they simply basked in the others' presence. And currently, the two Time Lord were also enjoying their own gentle dance together. They held onto each other so close with Wanda's arms wrapped around the Doctor's neck and his around her waist. Repeatedly, each of them would give the other a soft kiss. Letting themselves be eased in knowing they were each alive. Both together again.

"I have something to tell you," they suddenly both said at the same time. They pulled away to look at the other, blinking in surprise they had spoken together. The Doctor snorted while Wanda giggled, finding it amusing.

"Go ahead," she told him.

"You first," he countered, shaking his head. Wanda nodded, sucking in a deep breath, ready to tell him.

"Doctor . . .," she began, but was cut off as the white light began forming around her swiftly. The Doctor held a look of great disappointment while Wanda let out a frustrated huff as she was pulled away from him.

She stood still as she came into a dark, damp tunnel. With bar wired barricades and barriers placed here and there throughout the area. Much of the place appeared destroyed from whatever chaos had ensued earlier. The hum of the TARDIS alerted Wanda instantly, making her see the old girl was parked just in front of a massive pile of rubble. Gazing up the large wall of broken bricks and beams, it appeared to Wanda that the tunnel had collapsed at one point. Right in middle as if on purpose. Frowning for a moment, she began to wonder where she was as she started walking down the tunnel in search for the Doctor and companion. Which adventure were they on now? Nothing too serious she hoped.

Her steps halted when she came around a corner of the tunnel, seeing a group of people gathered around the edges of one of the two connecting tunnels. There was Martha, standing solemnly with her hands clasped together as she stared at the ground, crying silently. Donna sat on the ground, holding a comforting arm around a grieving Jenny. The blonde girl sobbed, leaning her head against her father's shoulder who sat on the ground with his knees up, elbows resting on his legs as he gripped his head. Unmoving, completely stiff in his deep welling sorrow was Ten. He did not give comfort to his daughter next to him. Nor to the others around him. He continued to only hole up within himself. Allowing no emotions to escape him as Wanda knew he would be afraid to let any out lest he break into pieces. Ten, always did like to keep things bottled up within. Never letting anyone see weakness in him. Even if he truly needed a moment to let it all out in his sorrow.

"Doctor?" Wanda called out to him, worried for him. It dawned on her quite quickly on what day this was for him. The day of her first death. The day First Wanda had jumped in front of both him and Jenny, saving them from being shot by Cobb. Wanda immediately wanted to go over and comfort him and the rest. To make certain he knew that she (First Wanda) was all right in the end. First Wanda had died happy. Happy in knowing she had finally saved a life on her own accord. Had not stood aside for once in her life and had actually done something. It had been one of the happiest moments in her life.

Ten looked up swiftly upon her call and feeling the Time Lord bond reaching him. Feeling the deep connection he shared with Wanda establish, which gave him a blanket of warmth and love wrap comfortably around his very being. He stared at the blonde Time Lady in awe, taking in the sight of her in a light green dress that swayed like petals around her knees and maroon overcoat worn over the gown. All he could think of how beautiful of a sight she was. A sight he thought he might never see again. He jumped up from the ground in a rush, running down the tunnel at full sprint. Wanda ran as well, meeting him in the middle. They embraced the instant they came into contact, holding the other as close as heavenly possible as each held their faces buried from sight. The Doctor pressed his into Wanda's hair while she snuggled her face into his chest.

"Alive. You're alive," the Doctor laughed, elated to the highest extent. He pulled back, holding her by the arms as he gazed urgently at her. "What happened? Where did you go? Did I get to you in time?"

"I jumped away into your future," Wanda assured him, smiling warmly. "Don't worry, you find me just in time. Right in the TARDIS, in fact." He let out a breath of relief, embracing her once again as he felt his hearts screaming in bliss in knowing she would live. Though . . .

"I'm sorry. I let your First self die on my account," he whispered remorsefully into her ear. "I could have stopped it. I could have let her live for another year. Another decade. Another century. I could have given her a better life than—."

"Shush you. You gave her the best life. What happened was not your fault. It's never your fault. Remember that." Wanda kissed his cheek, stepping away as she beamed when seeing Martha, Donna, and Jenny coming over to them. "Hello! Good to see your beautiful faces again!"

"Good to see you, too," Martha laughed, instantly giving Wanda a large hug.

"You scared the living daylights out of us," Donna said next, hugging the blonde Time Lady as well. Though not before slapping Wanda on the arm, showing the girl just how worried the red head had been.

"I don't understand. This is Wanda?" Jenny spoke up in question, appearing very confused on why everyone was suddenly happy when the chestnut and hazel-eyed young Wanda died only moments ago. She stared the current short, blonde and emerald-eyed Wanda, trying to see what connection both her and the other Wanda had. "You're Wanda?"

"Yep!" Wanda replied merrily, bouncing up to the other blonde. "I'm Wanda. Third face." She tapped her face with both hands as she grinned. "I'm constantly changing on everyone. Could change again the next time we see each other. So don't be surprised when you meet me again when I'm recently regenerated into my Second self, and she's all naïve and oblivious. I mean, ridiculously oblivious. I'd give her a few good slaps for being an idiot if I could. But I can't, so you can do it for me. Then make the Doctor do it as well 'cause god knows that incarnation needs it. And look at you!" Wanda suddenly grabbed Jenny by the chin, taking in the girl's appearance. "You're so young! The youngest I've seen you in a long time. Then of course—." The rest of Wanda's words were muffled as the Doctor hurriedly slapped a hand over her mouth.

"Yeah, this is Third Wanda. You get used to her rambles. And shortness," the Doctor said cheekily, holding a foxy grin as he felt Wanda jab him in the side for being rude again. He did not care if she punched him, slapped him, or anything else. All he cared about was being at peace in hearing her happy rapid talking once more. Another thing he thought he might never experience again.

"Haha. Funny," Wanda retorted, sticking her tongue out at the chortling Doctor while Martha and Donna snickered behind their hands. Jenny continued to blink as she was trying to let her mind settle in understanding not only the strange appearance of the blonde, but of everything the girl had rambled as well.

"So . . . you lived?" Jenny asked Wanda cautiously, still uncertain. She had seen the blood. Seen the chestnut girl get shot by Cobb and practically die within the Doctor's arms. How could she have lived from that?

"I lived," Wanda nodded, smiling in reassurance.

Jenny held a sad gaze as she stared at the shorter blonde. "But the other Wanda still died. She was still shot, and she died."

Wanda nodded, smiling softly as she knew how tough it was for Jenny to have experienced that. "Yes. She still died. But she's still in me in some ways. Young Wanda is always in here." She tapped at her head, holding a small grin.

Jenny nodded, understanding what she meant. "Can I still call you mum?"

"Of course you can! I'm your mum as long as you want me to be." Wanda gave the girl a warm hug, giggling along with Jenny as they both felt happy in their meeting again. They pulled back, allowing Wanda to reach deep into one of her pockets on her overcoat. "Here. Got you something. Been saving it just for this day." She handed Jenny the two heart-shaped lockets. "One is for you and the other for me when the time comes. You'll know when."

Jenny stared at the two lockets in hand, trying to think of what they meant. "But what are they?"

"They're telepathic necklaces." Wanda opened one to allow Jenny to see the reflective mirror on the inside. "They allow the users to send messages back and forth to each other. No matter where or when they may be." She pulled out her own locket to show. "I have my own. Got it from you years ago. This way, we'll always be able to keep in touch." Wanda smiled in delight at the happy grin on Jenny's face as she held the lockets close to her chest in joy and gave the Time Lady another hug.

"Why would you two need a way to keep in touch?" Donna suddenly asked curiously, breaking the silence she and the other two had in quietly, joyfully, watching the happy scene between Jenny and Wanda. "Jenny's always going to be around now that she's travelling with us." Jenny and Wanda stepped away, glancing at the other three.

Jenny looked at Wanda, seeing the small smile of understanding on the Time Lady's face. The girl smiled, realizing that the Time Lady had already known what she had been planning. The idea had popped into her mind the moment she had watched her dad angrily take the gun from Cobb, pointing it at the man's head for a dreadful, vengeful, second before tossing the weapon aside and claiming this world to be a place that never would. Never would a man hurt another, just for the sake of vengeance or otherwise. A place of peace, of new life. Just as the terraforming had done for this planet.

"Actually, I'm staying behind," Jenny told them. The other three blinked in shock while Wanda smiled warmly. "Someone needs to stay here and make certain this lot doesn't end up creating another war." She jabbed a thumb over her shoulder towards the direction where the rest of the humans and Hath were waiting. Lowering her hand, she smiled at the Doctor, holding herself up straight in a form of respect. "I want to make this a society that you can be proud of. And in the memory of mum . . .," she glanced at the blonde Wanda beside her, rethinking on her words, "for First mum. For the Wanda who died making sure that there would always be life here. Not death." Gazing upon his daughter for a moment, the Doctor grew a warm smile, feeling prouder of Jenny every moment.

"Are you sure you want to stay? We can always travel for just a bit and then pop right back," the Doctor offered, still wishing to take his daughter out on fantastic journeys in the TARDIS.

"Maybe sometime in the future. But for now, I think this new world needs someone with a bit of Doctor, and a bit of Wanderer, in them." Jenny grinned, feeling proud of herself. Excited in getting started on creating this world anew for both human and Hath alike.

Soon, everyone was giving Jenny a hug goodbye as they stepped back into the TARDIS to head back to Martha's time, ready to drop her off back at her home. Though not before both the Doctor and Wanda promised they would be seeing Jenny again in the future. Many visits were ahead for them that was certain. Then, once Martha was dropped off outside her home, the Doctor, Wanda, and Donna ahead off once again. Ready for the next adventure.

Before they knew it, the Doctor was standing outside of the TARDIS, waiting for Donna and Wanda to get dressed as he watched the guests showing up to the party at the country estate of the 1920s they had arrived to. Hidden by trees, none of the human guests noticed the blue TARDIS parked just within the grounds of the estate. Truth be told, the Doctor was not in the mood to go out partying and such. All he wanted was to remain within the TARDIS, spend a nice quiet day with Wanda, and made . . . cook her a nice dinner. Maybe . . . finally get around to ask her . . .

He thumbed a small object absently within the pocket of his brown pinstripe suit. Not that long ago he had been so close to asking Second Wanda his desperate question. But, of course, the universe had other plans and took her away before he had a chance. Then, seeing First Wanda practically die within his arms . . . it reminded him just how fragile time could be for them. Any moment, either one of them could be gone forever. This meant that he could not waste time in contemplating whether or not he should ask her. He should just do it now before anything else might happen. Besides . . . when he had asked her why she had been wearing that green dress when she had arrived, she had said something about . . . having come from a wedding. Could it have been their . . . Nah, could have been something else. In fact, he was certain she mentioned a companion's wedding at one point.

"We'll be late for cocktails!" the Doctor suddenly yelled, banging on the TARDIS doors as he wanted Donna and Wanda to hurry. He knew how long the two of them could take. Especially when together, the two would constantly giggle away in deciding what sort of clothes to wear.

The door creaked open, allowing him to see Donna step out. She wore a very lovely brown dress with beaded designs decorating it. With a beaded headband on her head to help keep her hair up in a bun, a long dangling necklace that swung with every movement, and small purse swinging around her wrist. Small high heel shoes to match it all. Donna did a little pose for the Doctor, eager for approval of her choice in outfit. Wanda had insisted that she looked fine, but Donna wanted an opinion from another before she deemed the outfit worthy enough for the day.

"What do you think—flapper or slapper?" Donna asked the Doctor. The Time Lord grinned merrily.

"Flapper. You look lovely," he complimented her sincerely. Glancing over her shoulder when he noticed a peek of blonde come around Donna's shoulder. He beamed upon the sight of Wanda. She wore a yellow, almost golden, dress with many dangling beads that were placed in layers on the dress. She had on a simple headband as Donna's, only golden with a white feather sticking out on top that lay against her ash blonde hair. Hair that she had placed up into a fitted bun to match Donna's and make it appear as though she had short hair instead of long. Then, to top it all off, she had golden high heels as well.

"Like it?" Wanda asked excitedly, spinning around to show off her look to both the Doctor and Donna. "Look! It bounces!" She pointed at the many dangling beads on her dress. "Every time I move, it jiggles everywhere!" She began bouncing, making the beads clicking in noise and sway in small flashes. She giggled in her giddiness, twirling her small purse around on her wrist.

"You look magnificent," the Doctor told her gently as he held a warm smile on his face. Loving her more every second. "Gorgeous."

"Not as gorgeous as you, Spaceman," Wanda replied, winking slyly at him.

"Oh, and there's the flirting. Always with the flirting the both of you," Donna remarked, rolling her eyes playfully as she held a fond smile on her face. She and Wanda giggled as the Doctor smiled and held out his arms for the two of them, allowing the women to link their arms with his and walk happily towards the garden party.

They arrived into the garden just as music began playing from a golden phonograph. A long table decorated in fancy white tablecloth with an arrangement of food and drinks on top had been placed into the shade of a tree. Different smaller tables were placed around with wicker chairs arranged for sitting in the bright sunlight of the lovely day. One of the young footmen came up to the trio as soon as they were spotted, offering them refreshments. Donna asked for a Sidecar, the Doctor a lime and soda, and Wanda simply some juice. Some . . . apple juice. She was really starting to carve apple juice for some reason.

Or, well, she knew the reason. She has just yet to tell anyone (save for River and Astrid) about it. Glancing nervously at the Doctor, she wondered if she should tell him now. She had promised herself she would tell him as soon as they met again. And this would be the right Doctor to tell. Not too soon for him in his timeline to know. But still . . . when would it be the appropriate time to tell?

When the server had left, the trio turned when a butler announced the arrival of Lady Clemency Eddison. She was an older woman, possibly in her late fifties or early sixties, wearing a very lovely blue dress. She walked up to the trio, staring at them all curiously as if wondering who exactly they were.

"Lady Eddison," the Doctor said enthusiastically as if greeting an old friend. He clapped their hands together the moment Lady Eddison walked closer to them, shaking her hand graciously.

"Forgive me, but who exactly might you be and what are you doing here?" she asked them, giving one of them a once-over look, trying to piece together where she had seen them before.

"I'm the Doctor," greeted the Time Lord. He waved a hand to Donna. "This is Miss Donna Noble, of the Chiswick Nobles. And this is Miss Wanda, my wi—uh . . . my partner." He cleared his throat quietly, looking away as though he wished to call Wanda something else but thought better of it. Wanda smiled lightly, knowing he had wanted to say 'my wife.'

"Good afternoon, Milady," Donna greeted as well with a very genteel voice. "Topping day, what? Spiffing. Top hole." The Doctor grimaced at Donna's way of trying to fit in with the era, leaning in close to whisper into her ear.

"No, no, no, no, no, no. Don't do that," he told her in a hushed tone. Donna opened her mouth to say something else, but he shook his head. "Don't." Donna ended up pouting at him while Wanda giggled under her breath. The Doctor ended up pleasing Lady Eddison by showing her the fake invitation from the psychic paper, telling her that they had all met at an ambassador's reception. The woman smiled, seeming satisfied with this answer. Though she still did not recognize them, she played along as she did not wish to be seen as a fool in not remembering someone she had met.

"Doctor, how could I forget you?" Lady Eddison replied kindly. "But one must be sure with the Unicorn on the loose." The Doctor's eyes sparked up with great interest.

"A unicorn? Brilliant. Where?" he responded, looking around as in hopes to spot the mythical white horse somewhere nearby. Wanda giggled even more as Lady Eddison and Donna looked at him in disbelief.

"She's talking about a thief, sweetie," Wanda told the Doctor, patting his arm lightly. She smiled lightly at Lady Eddison. "Don't mind him. He has his head in the clouds." The Doctor pouted while Donna snickered. Lady Eddison nodded, smiling as well as she continued to explain.

" _The_ Unicorn. The jewel thief," Lady Eddison told them. "Nobody knows who he is."

"Or she," Wanda whispered under her breath, making it so the only the Doctor heard her.

"He's just struck again," Lady Eddison went on as she walked up to the table with the food. She picked up a drink as they stayed close beside her, eager to hear what she had to say about this mysterious Unicorn thief. "Snatched Lady Babbington's pearls right from under her nose."

"Funny place to wear pearls," Donna muttered quietly. The server from earlier arrived just then, handing each of the trio the drinks they had ordered. Donna and the Doctor sipped on their drinks lightly while Wanda downed her juice in an instant. Dang was she thirsty.

She walked over to the serving table, looking for something else to drink or munch on. Leaning on the table slightly, she grabbed a hand full of grapes from a plate and began eating them while she observed the party slowly grow in the number of guests. First, it was the arrival of Colonel Hugh Curbishely, husband to Lady Eddison, being pushed out to the lawn in his wheelchair by his and Lady Eddison's son, Roger Curbishely. Wanda eyed the two, knowing that the Colonel was only faking his illness in the wheelchair. And when seeing the way Roger stare at Davenport, one of the other footmen of the party, she knew who Roger really loved. Then next arrived Robina Redmond. A high-class woman by the way she presented herself which Lady Eddison took a liking too immediately. But Wanda knew better in who this Redmond woman truly was. Though, that was something for the others to discover for themselves later. The same went for the next guest to show up, the Reverend Arnold Golightly. Wanda hummed as she popped another grape into her mouth, chewing at it in thought. Should she warn them all now? Or . . .

Humming again, she closed her eyes as she let the possibilities flow through her mind. A sharp headache formed immediately, but she ignored it as she pressed on, knowing she needed to be prepared for whatever happened. Sadly, it seemed many events could not change for the day. However, there was one thing that she saw she could avert, so the day might not be as devastating as it might become.

"Careful."

Wanda gasped as she suddenly snapped back into focus on the world around her. Her knees grew weak, making her wobble on her feet and practically fall into the Doctor who stood beside her. He held her steadily, holding a stern gaze.

"Don't push yourself in always looking ahead," he warned her. "You know what it does to you."

"What, I can't just take a sneak peek and make certain that I can keep people alive?" Wanda scoffed, shaking her head.

"Sometimes people die. There's nothing you can change about that," the Doctor countered, shaking his head in disproval. "Don't place yourself into harm just for their sake."

Wanda gave a pout, feeling like a child being scolded by their parent. "I can try, can't I? And I haven't reached my limit yet, so why are you so concerned?"

"You're about to reach your limit for the day. Look at your hands." He lifted up her hand, letting her see it trembling. Something that stunned her to see.

She did not even notice that she had become that weak. Of course, she had become so used to the after-effects of the possibilities over the years that she barely noticed them anymore. Perhaps he was right and she did push herself far too often. She needed to take better care of her body. Especially now with the baby on the way. It had been years since her last seizure. What would happen if she had another while pregnant?

"You're right. I'm sorry. I'll be more careful, I promise," Wanda assured him. She took his hand in hers, giving it a kiss. She smiled at him, glad to see the eased expression on his face, letting the worriment melt away in hearing her promise. He truly had been anxious by her use of abilities. She kissed his cheek, beaming as she entangled their fingers together. "Now, come on. Time to meet the guest of honour. You're going to love meeting her."

"Meeting who?" he questioned curiously, raising a brow in interest.

"You'll see," Wanda replied, winking playfully as she pulled him back over to where Donna was standing.

"Here she is—the lady who needs no introduction," Lady Eddison suddenly announced in excitement. She pointed to the new arrival who walked steadily towards them. It was a woman with short blonde hair, wearing a very beautiful blue dress with golden designs. She smiled modestly at the group as all the other guests clapped in delight upon her arriving to the party.

"Oh, no, no. Please. Don't," the woman said to the large group, smiling lightly, clearly embarrassed by all the attention. "Thank you, Lady Eddison. Honestly, there's no need." The woman came up closer to the group, looking at Donna first. She held out her hand politely to introduce herself to the companion. "Agatha Christie." Donna blinked, dully shaking the woman's hand. The Doctor's jaw dropped, stunned by the woman.

"What about her?" Donna asked curiously. Agatha smiled lightly, glad to meet someone who did not know her right away.

"That's me," she told Donna. The companion's face dropped in surprise, matching the Doctor's expression.

"No!" Donna exclaimed in astonishment. "You're kidding."

"Agatha Christie!" the Doctor said merrily, quickly grabbing the famous author's hand and shaking it enthusiastically. "I was just talking about you the other day. I said, 'I bet she's brilliant.' I'm the Doctor." He let go of Agatha's hand, nodding to the two others beside him. "This is Wanda and Donna." He then beamed, going right back into his delight in meeting the author. "Oh! I love your stuff. What a mind. You fool me every time—well, almost every time. Well, once or twice. Well, once. But it was a good once." He continued to hold his eager grin after he was done rambling. Agatha smiled, amused by the overly excited Doctor.

"It truly is a honoured delight to meet you, ma'am," Wanda said politely to Agatha, shaking the woman's hand as well. "I think all your works are great. They always keep me hooked with every page." The Time Lady beamed, bouncing lightly on her feet in giddiness. It was always a joy for her to meet a historical figure of the past. Or even future. Though, meeting those of the past has always been more exciting for Wanda than anything else. Agatha glanced down when Wanda stepped back, seeing the way the young blonde and the Doctor kept their clasped hands together the entire time of introduction.

"You make a rather unusual couple," Agatha remarked to the two Time Lords, staring at the two curiously. The Doctor and Wanda glanced at each other, grinning lightly as each felt pleased.

"I think we do make an unusual couple," Wanda agreed. "Though, sometimes the best relationship is an atypical one." Agatha nodded in agreement, glancing down again at their hands.

"Although, no wedding rings I see," she commented.

"Not yet," the Doctor replied almost immediately. As though wanting to correct the mistake in there being no rings for him and his Wanderer. Wanda peeked at him in the corner of her eye when she felt him give her hand a squeeze. She saw the hopeful look in his eye, making her smile warmly and lean more into him. She had to wonder again about when exactly he learned of their future marriage. Was it coming up soon for him, or did he already know?

"I'd stay that way, if I were you," Agatha added. "The thrill is in the chase, never in the capture." Lady Eddison came up to Agatha then, eager to talk with the woman.

"Mrs. Christie, I'm so glad you could come," said Lady Eddison, placing an arm around the author to steer her towards the rest of the party. "I'm one of your greatest followers. I've read all six of your books." Lady Eddison then began glancing around, realizing that the party was missing a guest. "Uh, is, uh, Mr. Christie not joining us?" Agatha halted, turning around to stare at Lady Eddison, appearing offended by this remark and held a strained smile.

"Is he needed? Can't a woman make her own way in the world?" Agatha countered.

"Don't give my wife ideas," chortled the Colonel. Everyone then began asking Agatha questions on her books, making jokes and laughing heartedly. Wanda stopped paying attention as she saw the Doctor eyeing the newspaper on the Colonel's lap.

"The date is December 8, 1926," Wanda told the Doctor quietly. He blinked as he looked at Wanda, raising a brow. Wanda nodded carefully as she knew what he was thinking. Donna scooted closer to them, wondering why they were acting so strange about the date.

"What about the date?" asked the companion.

"It's the day Agatha Christie disappeared," the Doctor muttered to Donna, keeping his voice low so that other party guests would not overhear them. The trio gazed cautiously at the laughing Agatha Christie, seeing how strained her smile was and the way she talked with the other guests of the party. "She'd just discovered her husband was having an affair."

"You'd never think, to look at her, smiling away," Donna replied, her voice hushed.

"Well, she's British and moneyed," the Doctor said, shrugging lightly.

"She carries on," Wanda sighed, eyeing the woman in sympathy, wishing there was more they could do to ease her pain. How terrible it must feel to find out someone one loved, ended up loving another. Sure, Wanda had thought the same about the Doctor a while back, but . . . that had been something expected. Not something unexpected and to find out he was cheating, lying behind her back.

"Except for this one time," the Doctor continued to explain to Donna in a whisper. "No one knows exactly what happened. She just vanished. Her car will be found tomorrow morning by the side of a lake. Ten days later, Agatha Christie turns up in a hotel in Harrogate. Said she'd lost her memory. She never spoke about the disappearance till the day she died. But whatever it was . . ."

"It's about to happen," Donna finished for him. Sighing heavily, Wanda looked over to the manor of Lady Eddison and her family.

"It's happening right now, in fact," she told the other two as she spotted the maid, Miss Chandrakala, running out of the house. The same maid Lady Eddison had sent in earlier to go fetch the last guest, Professor Peach, from the library.

The entire party froze as Miss Chandrakala yelled frantically to everyone. Exclaiming there had been a murder in the library. The murder of Professor Peach. Everyone around sort of glanced at each other while the Doctor and Wanda ran off instantly, ready to investigate what had occurred. The others of the party soon followed in suite, quick to see if what the housekeeper was frightened of were true.

The Doctor entered the small library first, rushing over to the dead body of Professor Peach and placing his glasses on as he began to examine the scene. Wanda and Donna came into the room shortly after, crouching down next to the Doctor to check over the dead man as well. The house butler and Agatha soon arrived to join the trio. All could clearly see the open gash on the Professor's bald head with the pipe that killed him lying just in front of him. The Doctor concluded this was the weapon that killed him and announced the time of death based on the broken watch on the man's wrist. He then went to the study desk of the library, checking over the many papers scattered about on the surface.

In the corner of his eye, he saw Agatha discreetly scoot over to the fireplace of the room and pick up a small piece of paper from the dying fire, hiding it away in her pocket without anyone else noticing. Sharing a look with Wanda, the blonde nodded at him, letting him know she had seen as well. Donna got up from the floor, walking over to the Doctor as he continued looking over the papers on the desk.

"Hold on. The body in the library? I mean . . . Professor Peach, in the library, with the lead piping?" Donna whispered to the Time Lord. He raised his brows, knowing very well how strange the whole scene was as well. But before he could comment on the situation, the others from the party soon arrived, pushing their way into the library to see what had occurred. Each exclaimed in horror and disbelief in their own way upon the unnerving sight. Wanda stood up from her crouch next to the dead man, scooting over to stand beside the Doctor and Donna.

"Someone should call the police," Agatha suggested upon everyone's obvious distraught of the situation at hand. The Doctor quickly moved away from the desk, pulling out his psychic paper.

"You don't have to. Chief Inspector Smith from Scotland Yard, known as 'The Doctor,'" he said with full authority to the group, holding out the psychic paper for all to see. He then placed the paper back into his jacket pocket, giving a quick nod to Donna and Wanda. "Miss Noble is the plucky young girl who helps me out, and Wanda is—."

"His right hand," Wanda explained over him, holding her own stature of authority as she gazed steadily upon all those around. "I'm the one who does all the paperwork and makes certain that the Doctor stays on track in all of his cases. Basically, I'm his secretary."

The Doctor held a small pout for a second, wishing he could have gotten a chance to say 'his wife,' but then thought better of it. Maybe Wanda would not have liked him calling her that when they were not even married. And . . . would she not like that term at all? Even if it were real or not? Does she . . . think about marriage? Or does she simply wish to keep their relationship strictly partner based? No . . . no, that could not be it. He remembered her mentioning to him about a 'husband' before. And then there were other occasions that she . . . He shook his head lightly, clearing his mind as he knew he needed to focus.

"Mrs. Christie was right," continued the Doctor. "Go into the sitting room. I will question each of you in turn." He, Donna, and Wanda watched as Agatha guided the group out, ready to do as the Doctor said. As soon as the rest were out of earshot, Donna stormed over to the Time Lord in annoyance as he lay on his stomach on the floor, observing for any other evidence he might have missed.

"'The plucky young girl who helps me out'?" Donna huffed, gritting her teeth together in frustration to being called such a title. "Why couldn't I just be a secretary like Wanda?"

"No policewomen in 1926," explained the Doctor as he eyed the floor. "And I didn't really think about giving you secretary status."

"Sorry, Donna, that was my fault. Should have been the plucky girl instead," Wanda said, shrugging lightly in apology. She did not wish to have Donna feel offended or that she was deemed to have a lower title in their group.

"Well, he was the one who said it," Donna retorted, rolling her eyes at the frustrating Time Lord. "Why don't we phone the real police?"

"Well, the last thing we want is P.C. Plod sticking his nose in," the Doctor began explaining as he pulled out an old-fashioned calligraphy pen from his pocket and scrapped up some yellow goo from the wooden floor by the dead body of Professor Peach, "especially now that I've found this." He stood up from the ground, showing the two women what he found. "Morphic residue."

"'Morphic'?" Donna pondered as she examined the yellow substance closely. "Doesn't sound very 1926."

"Because it isn't," Wanda mumbled as she examined the goo as well. "That substance doesn't belong here at all."

"Gets left behind when certain species genetically re-encode," stated the Doctor. Donna looked at the Doctor, then at Wanda, then at the dead body, all with the expression of disbelief.

"The murderer's an alien?" she said, sounding almost unfazed by this. Of course, there would be an alien murderer afoot. What else would it be in the strange life they had.

"Which means one of that lot is an alien in human form," nodded the Doctor as he glanced over his shoulder towards the door.

"Yeah, but think about it—there's a murder, a mystery, and Agatha Christie," Donna pointed out, trying to indicate towards their very strange and bizarre turn of events.

"So?" the Doctor responded as he began sniffing the yellow goo on the pen he held. "Happens to us all the time."

"Yeah, happens to us plenty of times," Wanda said sarcastically. "Just like meeting Charles Dickens on Christmas with ghosts around." Seeing Donna's stunned expression, Wanda held a small grin. "Yeah, that actually happened for us."

"No," Donna said in shock, mouth dropping slightly in her disbelief. "Now you're telling me we can drive across country and find Enid Blyton having tea with Noddy. Could we? Noddy's not real, is he? Tell me there's no Noddy." The Doctor rolled his eyes as he placed the pen and his glasses back into his suit jacket.

"There's no Noddy," he confirmed to the eager companion. Wanda snorted behind her hand, smirking.

"That's what you know, Spaceman," she teased the Doctor under her breath. The Time Lord raised a brow at her while she winked knowingly back.

They left the room quickly, running in Agatha again who had been waiting just outside the library for them. With quick instruction from the Doctor, Donna ended up going upstairs in search for more clues while the Time Lord, Agatha, and Wanda went to question the guests. Wanda did not wish to do any questioning as she would much rather keep busy and help Donna. But the Doctor practically dragged her to the sitting room, so she had no real choice in the matter. Besides, she realized that she might be able to help the Doctor deduce who had really done it sooner if she were to help.

The Doctor and Agatha sat close to the people they questioned while Wanda stayed in the back, in the shadows and out of the way. She gazed upon each person carefully as they were asked where they had been, what they had been doing, and so forth. Each giving very brief statements as to what they had been up to. And each one, Wanda would give the Doctor a message on what was truly going on.

First, there was the Reverend Golightly, explaining he was unpacking in his room.

 _He's telling the truth._ Wanda said quietly to the Doctor. _For the most part, anyway._ She did not give away anything more than that as she knew it would be spoilers.

Then came the son Roger, telling them how he had been strolling behind the house, mulling things over in life.

 _He was strolling with Davenport_. Wanda responded after Roger had left. _Cute couple. Wish they lived in better times so they could actually be together._

 _One day, they will._ the Doctor replied, nodding his head to this.

Next was Redmond, sitting very relaxed in her seat as she explained her business of using the toilet and preparing herself in her excitement of being at the party.

 _Well . . . she's not lying there. She was preparing herself and she is_ very _excited about being here._ Wanda said lightly, shrugging her shoulders when seeing the raised brow of the Doctor. _You'll understand why she's excited soon enough._

The Colonel was questioned right after Redmond. The man explained how he had been in his study, reading through military memoirs.

 _He's lying. He was actually looking through some . . . ah . . .interesting pictures._ Wanda snickered within the Doctor's mind as she recalled what the Colonel was looking through. _Let's just say, it has nothing to do with military life. But he's harmless all the same._

 _Right._ The Doctor nodded, dismissing the Colonel right after this. Though, not before glancing at Wanda and wondering what the Colonel had been looking through that would make the Time Lady snicker like that.

Lastly, Lady Eddison was made to recall upon her having tea right before the party. She then rambled on in step by step accounts of each guest that she met during the party. The Doctor stopped her before she went much further, knowing all of this all ready. He let the woman leave after this, knowing he had enough of her account. He then glanced at the quiet Wanda, raising a brow.

 _She didn't have tea per say. But she was in the Blue room all by herself. Just lounging as she had said._ Wanda told the questioning Doctor.

 _Okay. Cross her off the list, then._ the Doctor noted in a mumble. His brows furrowed as he wondered over the rest. _Any sneak peeks you want to share?_

 _By being here and telling you all of this is sneak peek enough. You're on your own for the rest of the mystery._ Wanda replied, shaking her head in apology for not being of much more help.

The Doctor hummed, stuffing his hands into his pockets in thought. _On a scale, how bad is everything going to get?_

 _Umm . . . I'd say about a six for others. But only about a three for us._

"Excuse me. But are we simply going to sit here and stare at each other for the rest of the night?" Agatha suddenly spoke up, earning the attention of the two Time Lords. She stared at them curiously, seeming at a loss as to why exactly both were nodding and humming towards each other. As if having a private conversation of sorts.

"Right. Sorry," the Doctor said, getting up from the chair he had been leaning on as he began to pace in thought. Agatha joined him in pacing as she too began to ponder deeply upon what they have learned from the questionings.

"No alibis for any of them," Agatha stated out loud in thought. "The secret adversary remains hidden. We must look for a motive. Use the little gray cells." The Doctor turned to look at Agatha, nodding in agreement as he smiled in the phrase she had used.

"Oh, yes. 'Little gray cells,' good old Poirot," he remarked as he walked over to the chair across from where the females were, sitting down with a flop. He laid his hands on his stomach as he leaned back and stared up at the ceiling in remembrance. "You know, I've been to Belgium. Yeah. I remember. I was deep in the Ardennes, trying to find Charlemagne. He'd been kidnapped by an insane computer." The rest of his words trailed off he as was lost deep in thought to the past adventure he had. Wanda rolled her eyes as he lost focus to their current predicament. Standing up from the small sofa she had been sitting on, she walked over to him and gave him a quick slap to the back of the head.

"Snap out of it, Spaceman," she scolded him lightly. He sniffed as he sat straighter in his seat.

"Sorry," he muttered, glancing at Wanda. "You were there, too, you know."

"Not yet, sweetie," Wanda countered shaking her head. All the while, across from them Agatha became very lost by the Doctor's strange stories and their unusual codes in talking. Such an odd couple they were.

"Charlemagne lived centuries ago," Agatha noted to the Time Lords.

"I've got a very good memory," countered the Doctor smugly. Agatha held a knowing grin as she stared at him.

"For such an experienced detective, you missed a big clue," she remarked, seeming ready to finally show him the piece of scrap paper she had found.

"What, that bit of paper you nicked out of the fire?" responded the Doctor, holding a cheeky grin as he knew he got her. Agatha was impressed, to say the least, when he noted he had seen her reflection in a bookcase of picking up the clue from the library. Jumping up from his seat when Agatha pulled out the evidence piece, both he and Wanda walked over to examine the piece of burnt paper. Only one word remained on it. 'Maiden.'

"Maiden!" the Doctor exclaimed as though he suddenly knew exactly what he had been looking for. His sudden outburst made Agatha jump slightly. Though Wanda was unfazed as she had become used to his outbursts over the years. Then the Doctor seemed to realize that he had no clue what 'Maiden' meant even through his exclamation. "What does that mean?"

"Could mean 'Maiden name,'" Wanda commented casually, shrugging somewhat. She glanced at Agatha and the Doctor, seeing how the woman shook her head lightly from this idea while the Time Lord hummed as he stared at the ceiling in thought. Sighing, Wanda then looked at the doorway. "We should probably go check up on Donna."

"Yes, we should. Miss Noble might have found something by now," Agatha agreed, beginning to make her way towards the door. They all were startled when they heard the screaming of Donna. The woman sounding frantic as she shouted for the Doctor and Wanda. All three of them rushed out of the room, running upstairs as fast as they could towards where Donna would be. They found her panicking outside a room, staring at them with wide eyes.

"It's a giant wasp," she gasped in fright.

"What do you mean, a giant wasp?" questioned the Doctor, confused by why Donna would be scared of a little old wasp.

"I mean a wasp that's giant," Donna elaborated, frantic in getting them to understand what she had just fought against in the room next to them. Agatha rolled her eyes.

"It's only a silly little insect," she dismissed, unbelieving to Donna's dismay.

It was Donna next who rolled her eyes. "When I say 'giant,' I don't mean big, I mean flippin' enormous!"

"She's right. Just look at that stinger," Wanda spoke up, gaining their attention. She was crouched down by the door, observing the large black barb that was sticking out from the wood. Clearly, something had rammed right into the door and through it. Purely on intent to harm Donna.

Standing up, Wanda opened the door to reveal a now empty room. The group walked in, observing the scene of the old dusty window being smashed in from the outside. Glass scattered around everywhere upon the old wooden floor of the room. Everything within had a fine layer of dust on it. With cobwebs attached to many chairs, lamps, and desks. A raggedy teddy bear at on the creaking bed in the middle of the room. Unloved in so long. After taking in the room, with quick work the Doctor took a few samples from the stinger. Most yellow goo leaking from the barb stuck in the door. He began rambling on about sort of galactic insect it could be. None which were usually within this part of the galaxy. Donna added in that the wasp had to be defenseless now without its sting, but the Doctor concluded that a creature that size would easily grow a new one.

"Can we return to sanity?" Agatha said, frustrated by their rambling on in such silly notions and topics. What madness were they on about? "There are no such things as giant wasps."

"Exactly," the Doctor nodded as if agreeing. Though, in the end, he was merely rambling on more. "So the question is, what's it doing here?"

XxXxXxXx

The next victim ended up being poor Miss Chandrakala. The housekeeper had been outside when it occurred. The giant wasp pushed over a large gargoyle statue, crushing the woman to death. The Doctor, Donna, Agatha, and Wanda had all heard the thud from within the house as they had been walking downstairs. After running outside, seeing Miss Chandrakala on the ground, pinned by the now broken statue, they crouched next to her as the housekeeper whispered her final words, 'the poor little child.' Then, there had been a brief chase of the gigantic wasp through the house before they ended up losing track of it. It had converted to human form once more, blending in with the rest of the people in the house.

Upon the news of what happened to Miss Chandrakala, all the people within were stunned beyond belief on the occurrence of another murder. Laddy Eddison was distraught, sobbing over the loss of her dear old friend. After some speculation, the group of people began turning to Agatha. Questioning on what she would do to help and how she would solve the mystery. This became too much for Agatha as both the pressure of everyone wanting her to solve everything on top of the wasp she had seen. She ended up leaving the rest after they had dispersed into their rooms once more, going outside to clear her head. Donna followed after her, ready to comfort the writer. Wanda tried going after the two, but once again the Doctor held onto her hand tightly, refusing to let her leave his side.

It confused her on why exactly he seemed so keen on keeping her close by him. Usually, when she wanted to go off somewhere, he would let her. Especially when it came to comforting others. But he acted as though any moment she might . . . Oh. Glancing at him, she saw it in his eyes. The storm of worry within his brown irises. The death of First Wanda. Of course, he was still unnerved by that. And with there being a murderer about, he was terrified for her again. Afraid of another incident of her being harmed in some way. So she followed along with him into a sitting room after he checked over the goo from the stinger he had collected. They ended up lounging on cushioned chairs as they remained holding hands after the results from the yellow substance came back. She sat there, letting herself relax for once as she was soothed by the gentle circles the Doctor was drawing with his thumb on her palm.

"Who do you think it could be?" he began wondering aloud as he gazed up at the ceiling.

"I don't know," Wanda shrugged, not intending on letting out any more spoilers for the day.

"Of course you know. You just can't tell me 'cause it's spoilers," the Doctor countered, giving her a knowing look.

Wanda smiled in apology. "We all have our spoilers and secrets. Some best left in the dark until they're ready to be revealed."

Humming, the Doctor stared at her for a moment, lost in thought. Straightening in his seat, he felt it again. The urge to finally ask her. Ask her the one question that has been plaguing him for a while now. But should he? It was not the best moment for such a time. And there were still the fears from Second Wanda's warning of a future wife. However, he knew they just had to be lies. She had to have had a misunderstanding or maybe she was warning him about something else entirely. Then again, after what happened to First Wanda . . . Time was unpredictable. He might not ever get the chance to ask her if he kept procrastinating. If he kept doubting himself and her response. It was similar to the time after Torchwood. When he finally realized he had to tell her the truth of his feelings. Of his love for her. Now, he needed to complete it. Had to establish his love for her more permanently then the way he had been treating her. To solidify their love forever. They have already bonded. Now it was time to take the next step.

"Wanda, there's been something I've been meaning to ask you," he said quickly, trying not to lose his nerve. Wanda stared at him carefully, nodding slowly.

"Yeah. There's been something I've been meaning to say as well," she replied, gulping as her anxiety kicked up. She knew she had to tell him. Now or never. The incident of Pandorica had taught her that more than anything. In almost losing him . . . She still felt as though she might not ever sleep properly from the nightmares she would have in remembering him frozen in stone. In remembering him almost lost to her . . . forever like that. She had to tell him before anything else were to happen. Just as she promised herself she would.

"You want to go first?" the Doctor offered her, squeezing her hand lightly in comfort as he began worrying over the clear anxious fear written across her features.

"I probably should since this is something that really needs to be addressed," Wanda mumbled, swallowing thickly again through her tight throat. Taking a deep breath, "Doctor, I'm—."

"Look what we found!"

Each Time Lord jumped in their seats, startled when Agatha and Donna came rushing into the sitting room. Donna held up a small, black case, waving it in the air after her sharp cry that alerted the other two to her and Agatha's presence. The Doctor sat on the edge of his seat, letting go of Wanda's hand as Donna and Agatha sat across from the Time Lords, setting the case down on a small table in front of them. The conversation the Doctor and Wanda had been having completely forgotten and dropped upon the new arrival of more evidence. Opening up the case, they saw all the many tools laid neatly inside. All lined up and ready for picking locks.

"Ooh. Someone came here tooled up," noted the Doctor as he examined the tools. "The sort of stuff a thief would use."

"The Unicorn—he's here!" concluded Agatha in a start, shocked to realize the famous thief was so close to them.

"The Unicorn and the wasp," the Doctor muttered quietly. Wanda snorted suddenly, making everyone looked at her curiously in her strange humour. She cleared her throat in embarrassment.

"Sorry. Don't mind me. Inside joke," she waved a hand in dismissal to her chortle. She glanced over her shoulder when the door to the sitting room opened. The elderly butler from before walked in with a tray of drinks, coming up to the table to sit them down for the group to have. The butler left after each of them grabbed their drinks, nodding in respect to them as he dismissed himself.

"What about the science stuff?" Donna questioned the Time Lords. "What did you find?" The Doctor nodded, making a small hum as after he took a quick sip of his drink. He took out the vial of the yellow substance, holding it up for them all to see.

"Vespiform sting," he explained to them. "Vespiforms have got hives in the Silfrax galaxy."

"They're a really nice species. Really wise," Wanda remarked offhandedly. "Visited their planet once in the future. Had a holiday there, but ended up having to save the Queen from invading termites."

"Sounds like fun," the Doctor replied as he took another sip of his drink, wondering if that was a trip that future him and Wanda would share. He nodded his head to Agatha, seeing how the woman shook her head in bewilderment at the way he and Wanda talked. "But for some reason, this one's behaving like a character in one of your books." He sipped again at his drink, almost finished with it. Donna turned to Agatha, keenly staring at the woman.

"Come on, Agatha. What would Miss Marple do?" Donna asked, encouraging the author to begin working out the mystery. To be the brilliant woman they all knew she was. Even if Agatha herself did not believe so. "She'd have overheard something vital by now because the murderer thinks she's just a harmless old lady." There was a bright spark in Agatha's eyes upon this statement from Donna.

"Clever idea. 'Miss Marple,'—who writes those?" Agatha questioned curiously. The red head stiffened, realizing she had done it again in letting a future story of the author's slip out. Just as Donna had done earlier with the Orient Express mentioning.

"Um . . . copyright Donna Noble, add it to the list," Donna replied casually, trying to brush off her mistake.

Wanda chuckled quietly, finding it funny how often Donna would reference Agatha's later works. Glancing over at the Doctor, blinking in surprise, the Time Lady raised a brow in how the Doctor sat in his chair. Completely motionless as his eyes were staring widely at nothing in particular. As though he were slowly realizing something dreadful. Shifting her eyes away from him, she looked at his drink, seeing how it was half full now. Her eyes whipped back onto him, widened in fright and horror as she realized what had happened.

"Wanda, Donna," the Doctor said carefully as he assessed what was happening to his body.

"Okay. We could spilt the copyright," Donna joked in humour.

"No. Something's inhibiting my enzymes," stated the Doctor. His body jolted abruptly as he felt his body convulse, reacting to the sudden attack upon his internal organs. Specifically attacking his central nervous system and his hearts. He gritted his teeth as he felt his hearts racing. "I've been poisoned."

"Oh god, Doctor, I'm so sorry! I'd forgotten!" Wanda cried in dismay, jumping from her seat and rushing to the shaking Doctor's side. He went through most convulsions as he gripped the arms of his chair with shaking fists. Wanda glared at the drink beside him, hitting it off the table. "Damn cyanide!"

"How do you know he was poisoned with cyanide?" Agatha questioned as she and Donna got up quickly from their chairs, going over hurriedly to the Doctor's side in fear for his life.

"Trust me, I just know things," Wanda explained as she gripped one of the Doctor's hands. Her mind raced, fearing the worst. But she reminded herself that there was a way around this. They could still save the Doctor if they could just get to the kitchen in time. Acting at the same time, both she and the Doctor ran to the door, rushing out of the sitting room and sprinting as fast as they could down the hall of the house. The Doctor began stumbling on his feet halfway to the kitchen as his limps became numb. Wanda kept him steady and pushed him onwards, determined to keep him alive and safe.

"Ginger beer! We need ginger beer!" Wanda shouted as soon as they entered the kitchen. The cooks and servers within the room stared at the blonde girl and stumbling Doctor in confusion.

"I need ginger beer!" yelled the Doctor as he pushed away from Wanda's fearful hold on him as he rushed over to a shelf where he spotted the bottle. Knocking the other shelf items over, he gulped down the contents of the bottle. Even dosed some of the ginger beer on himself for extra measure. Wanda rushed over to another shelf and cabinet, searching through for the next item the Doctor needed.

"Protein, protein, protein," the blonde muttered rapidly as she searched. Agatha and Donna came into the kitchen just then, going to the Doctor's side as he slumped against a counter.

"I'm an expert in poisons, Doctor. There's no cure. It's fatal," Agatha told the Time Lord as she assumed he was trying some sort of home remedy for the cyanide. The Doctor spat up some of the ginger beer.

"Not for me! I can stimulate the inhibited enzymes into reversal," explained the Doctor rapidly, panting from the exertion his body was going through. His body convulsed again, making him grit his teeth from the pain. The hearts in his chest banging about in the struggle against the cyanide. "Protein! I need protein!"

"Here, protein!" Wanda called as she spotted a large hunk of cheese on a counter one of the cooks at been preparing. Grabbing the cheese, she sprinted over to the Doctor, shoving it into his hands.

"Brilliant," he said right before taking a large bit from the cheese. As he chewed, he began making frantic movements with his hands, trying to show them what he needed next. Unable to speak at the moment from his full mouth.

"We can't understand you! How many words?" Donna exclaimed as she felt just as panicked as the rest in trying to help save the Doctor. The Doctor held up one finger as he kept up his actions. "One—one word. Shake! Milk! Shake! Milk! Milk! No, not milk! Um, shake! Shake! Shake! Cocktail shaker!"

"Salt! He needs salt!" Wanda exclaimed as she bonked herself on the forehead for forgetting what else he needed. Donna, Agatha, and Wanda went back to the shelves in search for something with salt. Donna grabbed the first item.

"What about this?!" Donna asked the Doctor hurriedly as she rushed back over to him, showing him a brown bag.

"What is it?" the Doctor questioned her.

"Salt!"

The Doctor shook his head hastily. "That's too salty."

"Oh, that's _too_ salty," Donna replied in exasperation as she rolled her eyes. Agatha came up next, handing the Doctor a jar of anchovies. He ate the contents immediately, coughing in trying to chew as fast as he could. He then mimicking something else that he needed.

"What is it? It's a song. 'Mammy.' Um, I don't know. 'Camptown Races,'" Donna began suggesting.

"'Camptown Races'?!" the Doctor yelled in disbelief after swallowing what he had been chewing. Donna threw her hands up in the air in frustration.

"Well, all right, then! 'Towering Infernio,'" the companion retorted.

"It's shock! Look, shock! I need a shock!" cried the Doctor, knowing that he would definitely never play charades with Donna in the future. He blinked as Wanda suddenly appeared just before him, holding the lapels of his suit jacket. "Wanda, no offense, but you kissing me won't be much of a shock."

"I know that," she huffed in reply. Gulping, she sucked in a breath, steeling herself for his shock. "Doctor, remember I said I needed to tell you something? Well, here it is." She sucked in another breath. "Doctor, I'm pregnant." She let go of his jacket after she watched his eyes grow the widest she had ever seen. His body began one last large convulsion as he threw his head back and a billow of white smoke exited from his mouth. All the workers of the kitchen, Agatha, and even Donna stared at the Doctor in stunned silence as he gasped, gaining back his breath. Continuing to gasp, he looked back at Wanda with his mouth still agape, opening and closing like a fish.

"W-what?" he stuttered breathlessly. Everyone else sort of slowly looked at Wanda, seeming to realize just what exactly she had said for the Doctor's 'shock.' Smiling and laughing nervously, Wanda pinched her thumb behind her back as she felt small in the wake of all the awkward stares that were directed towards her.

"Heh. Surprise," she said weakly.

"What?" the Doctor repeated, still blinking dumbly.

Wanda began rocking on her feet, really starting to feel uncomfortable now. "Bet you didn't see that coming. I mean," she cleared her throat feebly, "I really didn't, either. But, ha, when life gives you lemons, am I right?" Her hearts began to race as she felt overwhelmed from all the stares. Everyone stared her down, making her feel even smaller. Blood rushed to her cheeks as she twisted her thumb around in rapid form. Fearing the worst as still the Doctor did not say anything else. Hell, even Donna was silent in her own blinking shock. Wanda averted her eyes from everyone else's, unable to stand being within the unbearably heated kitchen any longer. "We should probably continue on. Those murders won't solve themselves now will they?"

In swift escape, the blonde girl made her way as quick as she could from the kitchen, disappearing in a flash from the room. The eyes of the rest followed her out the entire way. Staring blankly at the kitchen doorway for a while even after she had left. Soon, all eyes travelled to gaze at the Doctor, seeing how he still remained frozen on the spot with his mouth moving and making small 'ahs' in him trying to get words out.

"What?!" he finally exclaimed, running out of the kitchen to go after his Wanderer.

XxXxXxXx

squeals* That was just too priceless. Or, at least, it was to me. ;) I really hope everyone enjoyed it! And finally, the Doctor knows! How do you all think he'll handle the information in the next chapter? Leave your guesses in a review. I'd love to hear your thoughts! Also let me know if there's anything better I could do for the story. I know I've been slacking lately. So, any pointers you all would like to give I always welcome with open arms. :)

Reviewers:

 **singingKatelyn** : Aww, I'm so glad you liked it. :) I really hope that you enjoyed the new chapter, too! Until next time!

 **Whovianeverlark17** : Yay! So happy you liked it. Nah, nothing sad . . . that we know of yet. Anyway, I'm certain everything will be fine. :) And as we saw in this chapter, she finally told him! Any thoughts in what he'll say in the next chapter about it? I'd love to know what you think. :)

 **Guest(a)** : Maybe. Maybe not. Don't know yet. Still a mystery for another time. But I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter so much. Or, at least, I hope you did. :)

 **heroherondaletotherescue** : Glad you enjoyed it! Yeah, after this chapter, I think later Doctors definitely know. ;-) I really hope that you liked the new chapter just as much as the last. Can't wait to see what you think of it! :D

 **alwaystherereading** : Yep! Happy to see you again as well! :D So much death. But at least they all technically lived in the end. That's a relief. Hmm. Maybe I could work on something like that for an outtake series. ;) Agreed. Things about Aleena are rather fishy. I suppose she's still a mystery for another day. No worries on the long review. I love long reviews. The longer, the better is my policy. :D Not that I don't love all reviews each lovely reader sends for the story. Yeah, it really was brief in their explanation on the TARDIS blowing up. Blink and you'd miss it, really. I actually had the transcript with me, so seeing the people's actual lines helps sometimes. Aww, I'm just so happy to hear how much the story means to you. I know I'm not the best writer. I'm always working to be better. But if I can bring you joy, then I know I'm doing something right. :) Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for being with the story for so long and giving such support to it. It really means the world to me. I know I've said that a dozen times, but it's always true. It brings tears of joy to me when hearing just how happy people are when reading the story. And I'll always work on making the story even better. :) Thank you once again, and I can't wait to see you again in the future!

 **All The Stories Are True 24601** : Nah, no worries. I've dealt with worse sicknesses. lol ;) Thank you for the well wishes, though! If you mean the baby, then no effects. Wanda only used the vortex manipulator briefly, so it would be fine for the babe. If she had used it off and on for weeks, though, then possibly some side effects. Glad you enjoyed the relationship there. It was so nice of Wanda doing that, wasn't it? :) Hmm, that's a good question. We might find out one day what Alpha thinks. Until then, suppose we'll just have to wait. Nah, thank you for blessing me with another wonderful review! It always fills me with joy. :) Still recovering, but I'm certain I'll be better by the end of this week. Until next time, and good health to you!

 **SakuraRcoa** : *throws even more confetti* I just love confetti. lol ;) Hope you enjoyed the new chapter! Take care!

 **Momochan77** : Woot! So glad you liked it! Truthfully, I love it when he gets like that, too. ;) It makes me giddy every time. Yep, she finally got to tell him. Now it's just a waiting game in seeing what he'll say about it all in the next chapter. I can't wait! :D See you next time!

 **deadflowerseverymorning** : No worries! I thought that was what you meant, but I didn't want to make assumptions. :) Oh, trust me, my entire life is a wibbly wobbly mess. If my head wasn't screwed on, I might just lose it. lol ;) Hope you liked the Doctor's 'first' reactions on the news. Can't wait to see what you thought of it. Until next time! And thank you for the well wishes!

 **Authora97** : I think a lot of people forget about the episode after Pandorica. lol ;) They are rather cute, aren't they? Hope they were just as cute in this chapter. Can't wait to see what you think of it!

 **Ruby Slippers** : Woo! Glad you liked it! :D

I hope each and every one of you has a perfect time of a healthy life. And to keep those sniffles away, here are a few good long scarves for each of you to cuddle with. ;)

~Tinker~


	39. Ch 39: Revealing the Truth

Surprise!

Thought I'd update a surprise chapter today. :) Got it done a little sooner than I thought I would since I wasn't in school today from being sick. I know having colds can be a pain, for a writer it's actually a blessing in disguise. Gives you plenty of time to relax comfy in bed and write away. ;)

I hope all you lovely readers will enjoy the new chapter! Take care!

XxXxXxXx

Chapter 39: Revealing the Truth

Wanda kept her head down as she walked briskly through the halls, avoiding contact with anyone else. She kept twisting her fingers together, trying to steady her trembling hands. She knew she should not feel this nervous and worried, but . . . he had not said anything in response. All the Doctor had done was stare at her in flabbergasted disbelief. As though he could not believe in his life what she had told him. Was this a bad sign? Was he rejecting the idea of her being pregnant? Did he not like it? Were her fears true and he was revolted by the very idea? She wanted him to say something . . . anything. But all he had uttered was 'what?' and did not give her any more clues on what he had been thinking of the news. What if he did not want her around anymore now that she was carrying a baby around? Would he send her off somewhere else, far, far away from him where he did not have to bother with being a father? No. No, that was silly. He would not do that to her, send her off like that. Would he?

"Wanda, wait!"

Slowly down in her steps, she turned to look over her shoulder, seeing the Doctor jogging up towards her with Donna and Agatha not far behind. Turning around, she kept her eyes averted still as they came up to her.

"What do you mean you're pregnant?" the Doctor asked her as soon as he was in front of her.

"I'm pregnant. What else would I mean?" said Wanda, shrugging slightly.

"B-but . . . I mean . . . Blimey," uttered the Doctor as he ran a hand through his hair, his eyes still as wide as ever. "When you said you had something to tell me you weren't kidding." He dropped his hand from his hair, letting it hang by his side as he shook his head, clearly his muddled mind. "Are you sure?"

"The TARDIS doesn't lie," Wanda said softly, keeping her eyes down. Moving her gaze upwards, she stared at him, seeing the blank look on his face as he remained motionless and silent. She held a weak smile, hoping to lighten the situation and mood. "Found out a few days ago. Tested myself in the medical bay. For something else at first, but then Sexy alerted me to this and, well, saw the results. Heh. Been trying to think of a way of telling you, but . . . situations kept coming up. Had to tell you sooner or later, though. So, here we are. Now you know." Her hands waved up as if presenting a gift. She let them drop to her sides as she continued to receive the blank stare from the Time Lord. Her eyes began to waver from her growing fears. "Doctor . . . please, say something."

Behind the Time Lord, Donna blinked out of her shock, frowning when she realized that the Doctor was still standing there stiffly, and Wanda appeared so fearful of what her lover would say about the pregnancy. Any new mother would be.

"Oi, Spaceman, quick gawking and tell Wanda how happy you are," Donna reprimanded the Doctor, slapping him roughly on the arm, jolting him out of his frozen state.

"Wh-what?" he stuttered, blinking as if unsure on what was happening. Scoffing, Donna rolled her eyes and pushed past him, walking up to the blonde girl and smiling warmly as she gave the Time Lady a happy hug.

"Well, I'm happy for you, sweetheart," Donna congratulated the Time Lady, taking a step back as she held Wanda's arms and beamed in excitement. "Only known for a few days, huh? Well, a little soon to ask what names you've got planned. But I cannot wait to start planning the baby shower! I love baby showers!" Wanda giggled as the companion bounced lightly on her feet, clearly ecstatic in the idea of helping to make plans for such an event.

"Congratulations," Agatha said politely to Wanda, nodding her head as she smiled softly. "I'm sure it's quite a shock in making such a discovery."

"Pretty shocking, yeah," agreed Wanda, nodding absently as she stared at the Doctor, hoping that he would say something. Anything. But still, he stood there in a daze, seeming unsure what to think. Then, suddenly, his eyes snapped into focus and he gazed at her with full resolve.

"Hold on," he said, reaching forward to grab her hand and began steering her off down the hall. "Agatha, stay here. Donna, come on." Looking over her shoulder as she was dragged along, Wanda saw Donna and Agatha sort of glance at each other with brows raised before the companion sped up in pace with the Time Lords.

"Doctor, where are we going?" questioned Wanda.

"I just need to see," he said quickly, not looking back at her as he practically ran down the hall. Evening sunlight hit their eyes as they exited the house, heading straight for the back lawn where the TARDIS was parked. Pushing the doors open, the Doctor pulled Wanda just up to the console, making her stand still as he made her place her arms to her sides. "Just hold still. I need to see."

"Need to see what?" she asked as she watched him bounce around the console, hitting different controls.

"What are you doing?" Donna asked as she stepped into the ship, closing the door behind her.

"I'm running a scan. I need to see," the Doctor mumbled as he spun a few dials on the controls, grabbing the scanner to bring it around so that he could stare carefully at the screen. Narrowing his eyes, he brought out his glasses, placing them on as he gazed steadily at the scans. The TARDIS console beeped, indicating that it had finished and was giving the Time Lord the results he was looking for. He stood there a moment. Just staring at the screen with no emotion written on his face. Then, slowly, an elated grin appeared. He let out a small watery laugh, running a hand through his messy hair as his eyes searched through the results on screen. "You're pregnant."

"Oh, no. Really? That's news to me," Wanda joked sarcastically, rolling her eyes as she walked over to him. "Why did you have to scan me? Did you not believe me?"

"No, no. I just . . . I should have sensed it," he muttered.

"Should have sensed what?" Donna asked as she walked up closer to the two. Both she and Wanda stared at the scanner, seeing the image of the Time Lady, only blacked out completely with a small energy reading indicated at her torso, surrounding her stomach. Then there were flashing words of 'positive' going across the screen. The very same thing the old girl had shown Wanda back in the medical bay. It was similar looking to the scans Eleven had run on Ganger Amy in the future.

"Well, when a Time Lady is pregnant . . . instincts start kicking in," the Doctor explained, taking off his glasses. He flipped the item in his hand as he stared at the ceiling in thought. "Other Time Lords around the carrying mother will heighten in telepathy for observing the child in making certain it's remaining stable in the womb. Helps keep the child alive in case of any complications arrive. It's an instinct that evolved in us as it is extremely difficult at times for a Time Lady to carry the child to full term. That, and we're bonded . . ." He glanced at Wanda, clearing his throat with a red tint forming on his face as he did not like bringing up their more intimate times in front of a companion. "Well, we're closer than normal, so it means I should have realized it immediately. But I didn't. Meaning . . . something's wrong."

He pulled out his sonic screwdriver after placing away his glasses, going up to Wanda to inspect her closer. With quick pulses he waved the sonic up and down, doing a scan in search for answers. Then, as Wanda remembered it doing back in the House's pocket universe, the screwdriver pulsed rapidly in high-pitched squeals. Going wild as if something greatly interfered with it. He frowned heavily as he banged the tool on his hand.

"No, don't do that. What's wrong with you?" he grumbled, placing up to his ear as he gave a few more pulses, trying to hear what might be wrong with the device. He had it tuned recently, so it should be in top order. Unless . . . He blinked as he stared at Wanda, realizing just how thick he truly was. She had appeared like this so many times in the past, and yet he never once bothered to look more properly. Or to see the signs of her pregnancy for that matter. He was Mr. Thick, thicky, thick. "I'm missing it, 'cause I'm not looking properly."

"What do you mean, Doctor?" asked Donna curiously, wondering why the sonic was acting up so strangely. She never remembered it making that kind of noise before.

"Wanda, did future me give you anything to wear recently? Like a necklace, or pin, or something else?" the Doctor questioned suddenly, walking up to the Time Lady. He turned his head to the side, sort of gazing at Wanda in the corner of his eye. Gazing at her straight on, he looked her up and down. "Anything at all?"

Frowning somewhat, Wanda's mind jumped to older Eleven making her take her necklace off that held her ring. And then younger Eleven had mumbled something about the ring when the sonic had gone on the fritz. Connecting two and two together, she reached up, pulling off the TARDIS chain that held the key for the ship, River's blue crystal, and the wedding ring. The Doctor grabbed it from her the moment she held it out, examining the silver chain, the blue crystal, and the TARDIS key. The crystal was ordinary. Nothing unusal there. Brows furrowing, all he could wonder was what had been done to the key. Taking the sonic, he began giving the necklace a few pulses, working out if his theory were true.

"Huh. A perception filter. Perception camouflage matrix. Misdirection circuit. Telepathic deluder. Ooh, look at all that was done here. He really didn't want anyone discovering you now did he?" The Doctor kept checking the readings on the screwdriver, seeing as now it seemed to want to work properly in getting some readings. But it still glitched, having a hard time focusing on whatever had been done to the TARDIS key. "No, he went all out on creating this. It was like he wanted to hide you away from the universe, but hidden in plain sight."

"What do you mean, Doctor?" Wanda asked curiously, frowning at the way he stared at the necklace. It was like he was more focused on the key and not on the ring. Did he even notice the ring? Unless it was the perception filter at work. No wonder he never asked her about the ring. He must have never noticed it because of this factor.

"Who did what now?" Donna blinked, trying to make out what the Doctor was rambling on about.

"Future me," explained the Doctor absently as he continued to look over the necklace of Wanda's. "He wanted to make certain no one, especially me, would realize what Wanda was going through. Basically hiding her from the whole universe, but not necessarily hiding her. It seemed he mostly only wanted to hide that you're . . ."

It was there, pressing at his mind in all directions. Making him feel wave after wave of protection, devotion, and love. He had always felt deeply in love with Wanda. And now . . . it increased tenfold. His eyes travelled to Wanda after his words trailed off. Staring at her with such awe as his mouth hung slightly open as he took in what he was feeling. There, like a tiny little heartbeat (hearts beating), was . . . was the child. The tiny life within Wanda had connected with the bond they shared. He could not sense its mind. Not yet. It was too soon for that. But he could feel its life. Could sense the little hearts beating away. He could . . . feel their child. The necklace in his hand slowly slid to the floor, falling in a clatter along with his sonic. All he could do was stare at the blonde in front of him in a stupor as he felt suddenly overwhelmed. Though, in a good way. Oh, yes, so wonderfully good.

"It . . . It's been so long, I'd forgotten what it felt like," he breathed ever so softly with a voice filled with such churning emotions. His eyes wavered as they teared up, slowly growing a smile as his breath hitched slightly. "I'm going to be a dad." Wanda smiled, walking up to him and holding his hands, entwining their fingers together in a loving caress.

"You're going to be a dad," she whispered. Leaning up, she gave him a tender kiss as she held her own watery smile. "We're going to be parents." He gave a light laugh, beaming away as he took it all in. The sensation of the new connecting bond of their child and their own constant bond that they shared. Their undying love and happiness. Laughing loudly in ecstatic joy, he picked up the small blonde and began spinning her around and around. Overjoyed in his happiness. Wanda laughed along with him, hugging him in her own joy as she felt so glad that he was so happy. That was all she ever wanted for him. His happiness.

"Donna, we're going to be parents!" the Doctor exclaimed after sitting Wanda back down on her feet, looping an arm around the Time Lady's waist to keep her close. He kept her close before. Now, he would never let her out of his sight. Not ever.

"Yeah, I heard," Donna chuckled, shaking her head at the two of them. They acted like eloped lovers at times. "Though, how are you going to break the news to Jenny about her becoming a big sister?"

"Ooh. Didn't think of that," the Doctor mumbled, suddenly realizing that he had forgotten about poor old Jenny. She was his daughter, too, after all. Though she was born unconventionally. And there was not exactly all Time Lord within her. But still, he was a father to her. Just as Wanda was a mother in some ways. "Wonder if she'll be okay in suddenly become a big sister."

"I'm sure she'll be just as excited as we are," Wanda assured both companion and Time Lord.

"Yeah, of course she will," the Doctor agreed, grinning as he felt excited about becoming a father not once, but twice in such a close period of time. Also excited about telling Jenny the good news as well. She would probably be happy in gaining a little . . . "Oh! We should look and see what sex the baby is." He started to bounce back over to the scanner on the console but stopped when Wanda spoke.

"It's a girl," she told him, smiling away with her eyes tearing up again. She felt so emotional, but for once, allowed herself to be overcome by them. She was too happy to try fighting against the tears. "The sex was on the results I had taken in the medical bay. We're going to have a daughter."

"A girl," he breathed, walking back over to his love to give her a hug. He pulled back, keeping his arms loosely around her as he beamed. "We have a lot of planning to do."

"Oh yes," Wanda giggled.

"How far along are you?" Donna asked the Time Lady in excitement, coming over closer to the Time Lords.

"A little over two months," Wanda told her. Clapping her hands together in merriment, Donna began chatting away on in delight in how excited she was, all the plans she was going to make, and who all she was going to tell about the happy news. Wanda giggled in amusement at the overly excited Donna while the Doctor chuckled, scooting closer to wrap his arms around his Wanderer and embrace her to him. Smiling as he closed his eyes and continued to let himself indulge in sensing the new life.

"Doctor!"

"Huh?" He blinked out of his stupor, realizing that Donna was trying to get his attention. She gave him a look, with brows raised in expectation as she nodded her head to Wanda.

"Don't you think you should be asking Wanda something now?" the companion prodded at him, trying to get him to move onto something else that was needed to be done on this day. Especially after she knew he was dying to ask the Time Lady his question after being so close and missing the chance to ask Second Wanda on that outing.

"Right. Yes, of course," agreed the Doctor as he stepped back from Wanda. Seeing the puzzled look on the Time Lady's face, he sucked in a breath, absently thumbing the small item within his suit pocket. "Wanda . . . since we're confessing hidden secrets and all, well, I think now's the perfect time—well, not the most perfect of times, but good enough for us—," slowly, he got down onto one knee, keeping ahold of one of Wanda's hands as he pulled out the small velvet box, opening it up to hold out a silver ring to her, "to ask you if—if you, Wanderer, the most magnificent, most brilliant, most caring, most courageous, most everything to me, would marry this silly old Time Lord?" Seeing her warm smile, beginning to open her mouth to speak, the Doctor hurriedly continued on as he still feared what her answer would be.

"'Cause I know things might not be perfect," he rambled on. "We won't ever have that normal life you've always wanted. But—But if you give me the chance, I can give you everything. Anything. In the whole universe, you'd name it and I'll make certain to get it for you. You can even ask to stay on Earth and live in a house and have a job and—and have an old dog or whatever else. And I'll do it! You bet I will, 'cause there's nothing I wouldn't do for you, Wanderer, I swear." She opened her mouth again, and once more he talked over her. "I love you more than anything, Wanderer. More than the whole universe. More than every star in the sky. Like a burning supernova of every colour in the whole cosmos. I see you as—as my everything and—and you're laughing. Why are you laughing?" He stared at Wanda in bewilderment as she chortled with a hand covering her mouth.

"Because I didn't expect to go through something like this _twice_ ," she managed to speak through her light laughter. "And because you're so silly." She grabbed his hand, pulling him back up to stand. "You didn't even notice it, did you?"

"Notice what?" the Doctor blinked rapidly, confused what she was talking about. Did he not do his speech right? Was his proposal bad? He thought he had it done well enough, though, then again, he did mess up a few lines there. Maybe they were too cheesy or cliché for her? Was this her rejection?

"Look at the necklace again. Really focus on it." She smiled slyly, nodding her head down to the grated floor.

Blinking for a moment, there was only a blank stare given to the silver necklace from the Doctor as he seemed to try and focus his eyes on the item. Bending down, he picked it up and held it to the light for observation. As his eyes adjusted, he saw it. The silver ring hanging on the chain right next to the TARDIS key. Glancing down hurriedly, looking back and forth between the ring on the necklace and the ring in the box he held, his eyes widened as he realized they were exactly the same.

"Do you really think, after all these years, that we wouldn't already be married?" Wanda said, her voice soft and quiet as he stared at her in awe.

He blinked, trying to wrap his mind around it. "We're . . . we're married?"

"In the future, yes."

Laughing with a start, he shook his head as he continued to look at her in amazement. "You're just full of surprises today, aren't you?"

"Still got one more for you." With a gentle grasp in grabbing his hand, he was steered over to the captain's chair by the blonde and made to sit down. Taking the necklace ring from him, she placed it back around her neck, closed the velvet box with the young ring and pushed it back into his pocket. He continued to stare at her curiously as he watched her get down on one knee in front of him. Wanda gave him a watery smile as she reached around him, going for her jacket that was hung on the back of the chair as she dug around inside the front pocket. She then pulled out a similar, yet slightly larger velvet box for him, opening it up to allow him to see a golden ring attached to its own chain.

"Doctor, I wanted to ask you—," she began to ask him. But yelped when he suddenly pulled her off the floor, yanking her right into his lap as he embraced her in a kiss.

"You don't even have to ask," he whispered against her lips.

"Aww, but I had a speech prepared and everything," Wanda whined in a pout, but giggled as he began giving her kisses all over her face in merriment. "I was going to tell you how you're my everything, too. I live and breathe every day because I know you're here in my life. My hearts beat for they know they have someone to love, and—." She sucked in a breath as he started kissing down her neck. "And we should really not be doing this in front of Donna."

"No, you _really_ shouldn't," Donna agreed, rolling her eyes as she averted her gaze from them. But she smiled all the same as she was truly happy for them.

"Sorry," chirped the Doctor as he pulled back from kissing. Beaming away in bliss as he never felt happier. Finding out he was married to his Wanderer and that they were going to have a baby all on the same day made him the happiest, most cheerful Time Lord ever. "So, do Second Wanda and I ever tie the knot, or . . ."

"No, just my current face and you. Which actually won't happen officially until two hundred years from now, so . . . Sorry in advance for the long wait." She squeezed his shoulders in apology a guilt went through her. "Real sorry."

"Does Second you and I ever get the chance to—."

Wanda shook her head. "No, we never got the chance to do anything official while I was in my Second self. But don't worry, she was content in the end about . . . certain events."

He nodded somewhat as he smiled in understanding. "Ah. So that's what Second you meant about 'another woman.'" He smiled, seeming to come to his own conclusions within his head.

Wanda opened her mouth to clarify, but then closed it quickly. She knew this must have been the moment that he assumed that Second Wanda knew about their marriage. And that this was why she had been so against them doing anything more while having that face. She wanted to correct this. Felt the need to let the Doctor know the truth and realize there was still more potential between him and Second Wanda. But . . . she and Eleven had already promised each other: No changing what happened. Let time be as it was when it came to their lives. Besides, it all worked out in the end. Sort of.

"Here," the Doctor said, picking up his golden ring with Gallifreyan engravings from the box, placing the chain it was attached to around his neck, "I'm wearing this where it belongs. With me, always." Wanda smiled and nodded, giving him a loving kiss on the cheek.

"Make sure to hide it, though," she warned him. "Unlike mine, yours doesn't have a perception filter on it and younger mes will notice and ask questions. Unless they're being oblivious during certain times, then you don't really have to worry." Nodding, the Doctor smiled and gave Wanda another chaste kiss before they both stood up from the chair.

"I don't understand, though," Donna gained their attention. "Why does Wanda's wedding ring hide her pregnancy? How does it do that even? Won't be able to hide it forever once Wanda starts showing." The companion nodded towards Wanda's stomach, indicating what she meant.

"Future me took care of that. Assuming he didn't want anyone to find out about the pregnancy, or to cause any dangerous spoilers to occur," the Doctor answered, pulling up the necklace for Donna to see. Though the companion did have trouble focusing on the silver ring that she only noticed was there moments ago. "He placed the nano-electronics necessary into the engravings on the ring. Electronics that create a perception filter—something that makes you not notice certain aspects in a person, or makes the person unnoticeable entirely to others—that will mask my senses in realizing there's a growing baby. Then the perception camouflage matrix and the misdirection circuit, which will make Wanda appear as normal as ever to the rest of us. And a few other little additions that help keep everything under wraps. Even if I feel her stomach when she's, ah, 'showing,' the necklace will simply make my mind, and anyone else's, 'forget' what I felt. It took a lot of work and effort for him to make this. It's extremely difficult to get this technology that small into an object. Which will probably take me, ooh, a century or two to get right." He chuckled, shaking his head as he let the ring fall back onto Wanda's chest. "Best get started working on it now." He patted the pocket on his jacket that held the newer ring in the velvet box.

"I'm just shocked I never noticed the ring being a perception filter before," Wanda mentioned, staring hard at the ring in examination. "Why didn't I notice?"

"Maybe you just weren't looking hard enough," the Doctor replied with a shrug. Taking Wanda's hand, he tangled their fingers together, keeping a firm hold of her as he smiled. "We'll start discussing more of this later. For now, let's get back to Mrs. Christie. We have a murderer to catch after all."

XxXxXxXx

Thunder crashed outside as lightning struck somewhere not too far away from the house. A storm was rolling in for the night, making the atmosphere of the house even more ominous than it already had been. Sitting at the dining table in between the Doctor and Donna, Wanda sipped on her soup quietly, half listening to the Doctor chatter away on the day's events to everyone else sitting around the large table. All the while of the Doctor talking, he held Wanda's hand underneath the table, absently stroking her skin with his thumb. Though he held a serious gaze with the others, he could not keep away the bright spark from within his eyes. Clearly still elated from the earlier news in finding out not only was he going to be a father, but he was also married to his love, to his Wanderer. Even though it was a terrible day from all the murders, he still felt so overjoyed from the amazing news he had received.

He noticed that news of Wanda's pregnancy must have spread from the kitchens by the way everyone sent the blonde side glances. So like humans to gossip. Did they really have nothing better to do? It made him wonder what they were thinking. Knowing this time period, it was probably scandalous thoughts of Wanda being a poor woman in letting herself become pregnant outside of marriage. He felt cross in the idea of people looking down upon his . . . his wife. Blimey, he would have to get used to that thought. Wanda was his wife, and he her husband. They were wife and husband who were going to have a child together. Straining to keep a silly grin from forming on his face, he took a long gulp of his soup.

"Any one of you had a chance to put cyanide in my drink," the Doctor mentioned after he took a gulp of his soup. He had explained to them already about the near death from poisoning, pondering over the other murders out loud as well. He glanced at them all, seeing how wary they all appeared. Still, he could not pinpoint who might be the Unicorn or the wasp. "But it rather gave me an idea."

"And what would that be?" Reverend Golightly questioned the Doctor.

"Well, poison," replied the Doctor lightly with a smile. Everyone sort of froze as all had been in either mid-sip of their soup or were about to take a gulp from their spoons. Donna even spat some of her soup out after drinking it. Only Wanda continued to sip on her soup, unaffected at all by his comment. The Time Lord gave them all a knowing smile as he lifted another spoon full of soup. "Drink up."

Wanda smacked her lips lightly, holding a sly smile as she said, "I do love pepper in my soup. Like to mix things up a bit. Thought you all would enjoy it as well, so I asked the chef to add just a bit." She took another sip of her soup as she and the Doctor watched with guarded eyes to see how everyone's expressions changed when they realized it was only pepper added to dinner.

"Ah, I thought it was jolly spicy," the Colonel commented, smiling in easy as he took another gulp of his meal.

"Oh, yes. Pepper does make great spice," agreed Wanda with a nod. "Though, pepper isn't only just good for extra flavour."

"The active ingredient of pepper is piperine,"explained the Doctor in chirp comment, " traditionally used as an insecticide." Everyone around the table stiffened again as thunder rumbled distantly outside. The Doctor, gazing around carefully, observed each and every one of their faces to judge on who was the most affected by this. "So . . . anyone got the shivers?"

"Someone will get the shivers soon enough," said Wanda in a mumble, keeping her gaze steady on one person in particular, her eyes unmoving from his face. The Reverend across from her seemed to swallow as his own face remained blank, staring right back at her with guarded eyes.

Suddenly, the power cut from the house as a roar of thunder was heard. A bolt of lightning had hit right outside the house as a blast of wind from the arriving storm gusted through and slammed open the windows. The wind caused the candles on the dinner table to snuff out, sending them all into darkness. All the guests sort of made startled gasps and began murmuring on what was going on. But when shushed by the Doctor, they then heard a loud buzzing going off in the room.

"No. It can't be," breathed Lady Eddison at the end of the table, sounding in complete disbelief to what they were hearing.

Thunder roared around as lightning lit up the room, laminating their faces in a white light. It continued to flash wildly as more lightning hit around the place, causing panic for most of the guests as well as the buzzing growing louder and louder by the second. Footmen in the room rushed to the door with the Colonel not far behind them. The Doctor tried calming the situation in keeping all inside the room so he could figure out who exactly was the wasp. But this plan backfired as the giant insect was already up in the air over them, hissing in might with pure anger. The Time Lord decided on retreat as he grabbed the near Agatha, knowing he needed to protect the author as she was still important to history. Thinking Wanda was not far behind him as he followed after Donna who was being ushered out by the butler. Unknownst to him, Wanda remained behind.

Wanda, still in the dark room, practically flung herself over to Roger, who was sitting just down the table from her. She fell on top of him, making both of them crash to the floor. She then rolled over underneath the table, dragging him with her.

"What are you doing?!" Roger exclaimed in panic, uncertain on what the blonde girl was trying to do to him.

"Saving you, of course," Wanda replied casually as they laid under the table. There was a loud thunk on the table overhead, just over their faces and the same place were Roger's soup was. "And that would be the knife that was going to kill you." She patted the stunned Roger brightly in the arm as she climbed over top of him, getting out from under the table as the lights in the house flickered back on. The power coming back as the lightning finally subsided. Everyone lay in a mess as they panted either on the floor, or still sitting at the table.

"Wanda!" came a shout from the Doctor as he flung the dining room door open, brandishing a sword out as if ready to fight the wasp off his lover.

"Calm down. I'm right here," Wanda sighed as she stood up, fixing her dress as she did. Glancing over, she saw the large knife stuck in the table where the murderer would have killed Roger. Good thing she remembered that was going to happen.

Lady Eddison discovered in alarm of her Firestone, the large jeweled necklace she had been wearing, was gone. Stolen in a blink during the time of confusion and darkness. Other than that, everyone was merely shaken but unharmed. No more murders for the night. Wanda let out a sigh in relief, glad to change at least some of the deadly outcome of the day. In the corner of her eye, she saw the Reverend. Turning her gaze onto the man, she stared him down, knowing what he had tried to do. He, in turn, narrowed his eyes at her, seeming to understand that she knew. Shaking her head as if disappointed with him, she turned and followed the Doctor out of the room as he practically dragged her along in making certain not to let her away from his side.

"Stop scaring me like that," the Doctor scolded Wanda the instant they were in the drawing room. Rolling her eyes, she simply nodded and gave him a kiss on the cheek in reassurance. Agatha tagged along inside, sitting on a small sofa.

Wanda sat next to her, telling them, "If I didn't stay behind, Roger would have died. Had to save him from the wasp."

"What do you mean?" Agatha quizzed the blonde.

"Did you see the knife sticking in the table? That was the weapon the murderer was trying to kill Roger with," Wanda explained to them. The door opened to the sitting room as Donna walked in.

"Did you inquire after the necklace?" Agatha asked the companion.

"Lady Eddison brought it back from India," Donna told them of what Lady Eddison had explained to the companion after a bit of questioning. "It's worth thousands." Leaning against the mantle of the fireplace in the sitting room, the Doctor hummed as he stared up at the ceiling in thought. Still pondering after Wanda explained about the knife going after Roger.

"This thing can sting. It can fly. It could wipe us all out in seconds," he murmured aloud from his ponderings. "Why is it playing this game?"

"Maybe it believes it's a game," Wanda offered, only giving the Doctor a side glance.

"Every murder is essentially the same," Agatha spoke up thoughtfully. "They are committed because somebody wants something."

"But what does a Vespiform want?" the Doctor continued to wonder aloud. Gritting her teeth in annoyance, Agatha threw the Time Lord a sharp look.

"Doctor, stop it," she rebuked. "The murderer is as human as you or I."

"She's right," agreed Wanda with a nod. "Listen to the expert, sweetie." She sent him a wink as she nodded her head towards Agatha, trying to get him to understand what was needed next. His eyes widened as it dawned on him.

"Ooh, I've been so caught up with giant wasps, I've forgotten—you _are_ the expert," he said quickly, going over to sit across from the author. Agatha, sending the Doctor a look of reproach, shook her head in denial.

"I'm not. I told you," she replied in frustration, tired of everyone trying to get her to solve something that was beyond her control. Beyond who she could possibly be. "I'm just a . . . purveyor of nonsense." They all gave her soft expressions of sympathy, knowing why she was so doubtful of herself.

"No, no, no, no, no, no," the Doctor countered, wanting to assure the author she was nothing of the such. "'Cause plenty of people write detective stories. But yours are the best. And why? Why are you so good, Agatha Christie?" The author merely stared back at him, seeming to wish she had the answer to that. He held a glee in his eye as he already knew the answer. "Because you understand. You're lived. You've fought. You've had your heart broken. You know about people—their passions, their hope and despair and anger, all of those tiny, huge things that can turn the most ordinary person into a killer."

They could see the wheels turning in the author's mind as it seemed to spark into life in thinking over the day's events. All the murder. All the facts and clues. The brilliant mind she had, going into solving a very similar murder that she would pour her heart into writing.

"Just think, Agatha. If anyone can solve this, it's you," the Doctor pressed on, hoping to get the author to see what they needed to do to solve the mystery.

After a few more moments to digest this, Agatha nodded and said she was ready to begin their conclusion to the murders. Agreeing they needed to wrap this up, the Doctor stood up from his chair and asked Donna to call everyone into the room with them. Agatha stood up from the sofa, beginning to pace as she went over everything in her mind as Donna left to fetch everyone. Wanda remained on the sofa, though smiled warmly at the Doctor as he stood facing the fireplace.

 _I love it when you inspire people like that._ she said into his mind. _You always give the best speeches that can make a person feel like a superhero._

 _Eh, I try._ shrugged the Doctor, grinning cheekily. He glanced over to the door as everyone came shuffling in, sitting themselves down to get comfortable for what the Time Lord had to say to them. Once they were all seated and quiet, the Doctor addressed them, "I've called you here on this endless night because we have a murderer in our midst." He slowly turned to face them, keeping his expression leveled. "And when it comes to detection, there's none finer. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Agatha Christie." Waving a hand for Agatha to stand at the fireplace, he walked over and sat by Wanda on the sofa across from Lady Eddison. Donna came over and joined them on the seat as they watched Agatha face them all squarely.

"This is a crooked house, a house of secrets," Agatha started. "To understand the solution, we must examine them all. Starting with you, Miss Redmond." The woman sitting behind the rest in a corner seemed startled by this as everyone shifted their gaze onto her.

"But I'm innocent, surely," Redmond countered in defense, trying to keep her voice light and calm.

"You've never met these people, and these people have never met you," Agatha spoke carefully, thoughtfully as her eyes pierced at Redmond. "I think the real Robina Redmond never left London—you're impersonating her." One could tell that the woman had been caught by the strained smile on her face. But 'Redmond' kept her cool, trying to deny this and demanding for proof. Agatha nodded, explaining, "You said you'd been to the 'toilet.'"

The caught woman's eyes flashed as she realized her mistake. She should have said 'loo' instead. Agatha then pulled out the small black case of thief tools, explaining to everyone and to the woman on where it had been found. Right underneath the bathroom window. Where it had been disposed of when the woman had panicked in worrying the Doctor or Donna would find it. For they were the tools of the woman's trade. The tools used by the infamous Unicorn. Everyone gasped upon this reveal as Agatha smirked at the fuming 'Redmond,' claiming her to be the thief of the Firestone.

"Oh, all right, then," spat out the Unicorn as she glared at Agatha and her once proper voice changed in accent. "It's a fair cop. Yes, I'm the bleedin' Unicorn. Ever so nice to meet you, I don't think." She stood up from her seat, going over to stand closer to the group, closest to the Colonel. She jerked the large Firestone out of the front of her dress, showing it to everyone. "I took my chance in the dark and nabbed it. Well, go on, then, you nobs. Arrest me. Sling me in jail." She tossed the jewel in the air, allowing the Doctor (who now stood by Agatha, getting up when the Unicorn did) to catch it.

"So is she the murderer?" Donna asked curiously, surprised by this turn of events. Though, the night of shocking surprises had only just begun. The Doctor sat back down next to Wanda as he began to examine the Firestone very closely.

"Don't be so thick," retorted the Unicorn (also known as Ada Mullins) crossly at Donna. "I might be a thief, but, well, I ain't no killer."

"Quite. There are darker motives at work," agreed Agatha as she placed down the Unicorn's black case. The author then directed her sharp eyes onto the Colonel. "And in examining this household, we come to you . . . Colonel." The man sat in his wheelchair, appearing very nervous now. Then, his expression turned sour as he knew he had been caught.

"Damn it, woman," he grumbled as he rambled on in retort, standing up from his chair, revealing to everyone that he could always stand. The only reason he had pretended to be crippled so that Lady Eddison would stay with him as an act of pity. To take care of him. He had been desperate, a foolish man, as every day he feared any moment she would leave him for another, whether crippled or not.

"Confound it, Mrs. Christie," the Colonel ranted on after he revealed all of this, "how did you discover the truth?"

"Um," Agatha replied with a light smile, "actually, I had no idea. I was just going to say you're completely innocent." The Colonel's face went red as he slowly sat back down on his chair, embarrassed to have jumped the gun in revealing his long lie himself. Agatha pressed onwards after this. "To find the truth, let's return," she held out her hand to the Doctor, who then handed her over the Firestone, "to this." She let them all see it. The golden chain holding the deep purple jewel in the centre of the golden heart-shaped charm. "Far more than the Unicorn's object of desire. The Firestone has quite a history. Lady Eddison." Agatha turned her gaze upon the woman sitting on the sofa next to her, seeing the wary demeanour of the lady.

"I've done nothing," Lady Eddison said in defense.

"You brought it back from India, did you not?" inquired Agatha. "Before you met the Colonel. You came home with Malaria. And confined yourself to this house for six months, in a room that has been kept locked ever since. Which I rather think means—."

"Stop. Please," Lady Eddison began to sob, holding her hands to her mouth as she knew her darkest secret was about to be revealed.

Agatha stared at the woman in sympathy. "I'm so sorry. But you had fallen pregnant in India." The Colonel stared wide-eyed at Lady Eddison as the woman's shoulders shook in quiet sobs. And still, Agatha explained in her insight of the hidden truth. "Unmarried and ashamed. You hurried back to England with your confidante, a young maid, later to become housekeeper—Miss Chandrakala."

"Clemency, is this true?" the Colonel questioned his wife, his love. All he could think was how he never knew or realized of such a deep secret?

"Mother?" Roger spoke up in question, just as confused as his father.

"My poor baby," whimpered Lady Eddison as she tried holding back her sobs the best she could. "I had to give him away. The shame of it."

"But you never said a word," the Colonel said, shaking his head in pure disbelief.

"I had no choice," Lady Eddison replied solemnly. Then, her voice changed to that of a drone as though she had to repeat these words many times. "Imagine the scandal. The family name. I'm British. I carry on."

Wanda began zoning out after this as the Doctor questioned more specifically on the pregnancy being very unordinary. She instead kept her emerald eyes steady on the woman across from her. The explanation of why the woman gave up her child had always seemed off to her. Even within the show. She could sense the woman was lying about it. About her shame and the need to 'protect the family name.' The Time Lady knew she could look into a possibility from the past to see what exactly had happened to Lady Eddison during that time, specifically during her pregnancy. But . . . she had promised the Doctor not to push herself too far with her abilities. Perhaps she could wait until the right opportunity to search into the truth, and maybe even use the knowledge to her advantage some way.

It was strange thinking on hidden pregnancy and such, though. A bizarre coincidence in the turn of events. What were the odds of her arriving here, with the mystery of a lost child and secret pregnancy, while being pregnant herself? And better yet—no wait, something was happening. Wanda blinked out of her stupor as she started to listen again as the conversation had moved on past Lady Eddison's confession of falling in love with a Vespiform in India, and becoming pregnant just before her lover had died. Now, the Doctor was revealing who the long lost child was: Reverend Golightly.

"Oh, my god," Lady Eddison gasped in a tremor of astonishment.

"This is poppycock," the Reverend laughed in spite, unnerved by the truth of his identity.

"What's so poppycock about it?" Wanda finally spoke up. She stood up from the sofa, facing the Reverend who sat behind everyone else in the corner. "You're a Vespiform who's part human, born from Lady Eddison and raised by Fathers from the church. A Vespiform who finally broke through his genetic lock for the first time and is now angry with his mother abandoning him."

"Acting out upon the stories of Agatha Christie that transferred from the Vespiform telepathic recorder," the Doctor explained along with Wanda, standing next to her as he indicated at the Firestone being what he was talking about. "It beamed your full identity, your brain, your very essence, right to you when you activated. Along with absorbing the stories Lady Eddison loved to read. It all became a part of you. The mechanics of those novels formed a template in your brain. You killed in this pattern because that's what you think the world is. Turns out we _are_ in the middle of a murder mystery—one of yours, Dame Agatha." Upon Agatha's clearly bewildered expression, Wanda poked the Doctor in the side lightly.

"Too soon," she whispered to the Time Lord.

"So he killed them. Yes? Definitely?" Donna asked, trying to clarify on who truly was the murderer in all of this.

"Yes," the Doctor concluded. The Reverend shifted in his chair, narrowing his eyes at them all.

"Well . . . this has certainly been a most entertaining evening. Really, you can't believe any of this, surely, Lady Eddison" said the man as everyone began staring at him, eyes piercing at him in observation as they heard the buzzing in his voice. The more he tried to speak, the more his anger grew, the more the buzzing in his voice increased. He finally stood, raging at them all. He shook as a cloud of purple smoke surrounded him as he transformed into his Vespiform body.

The massive wasp, with yellow and black hard body, large wings that beat rapidly in the air with their deafening buzz, and an enormous stinger at the end, pointed and ready to kill them all. Everyone began panicking as the wasp crawled on the empty sofa across from the others, snapping its sharp mouth at them. Lady Eddison cried as she tried reaching for her long-lost son, to comfort him and beg him for forgiveness. But the Colonel and Roger held her back for her own safety. Alarmed, Agatha grabbed the Firestone and rushed off after antagonizing the Vespiform to chase after her. She was convinced that her stories were the cause of all of this. Of all the murders tonight. And she was fully determined to put an end to it all.

The Doctor, Donna, and Wanda ended up running after the Vespiform and Agatha, giving chasing after the retreating two. The Doctor managed to find them a vehicle in the driveway of the house. Allowing Donna and Wanda to hop into the car with him and take off in pursuit just behind the flying Vespiform, and Agatha who had taken her own car from the house. The drive went on for a while as they tried keeping up through the dark night and winding roads. Soon, they drove by a sign along the road that pointed towards _Silent Pool_. The lake were Agatha's vehicle would be discovered in the morning. If time were to run as it should that is. They pulled to a stop beside Agatha's car as she had halted just at the edge of the lake, standing with her back to the waters and holding up the Firestone high for the Vespiform to see.

"Here I am—the honey in the trap," Agatha bellowed in a strong voice, full of resolve to end the awful deeds of the Reverend. "Come to me, Vespiform." She began backing up as the Firestone started to glow bright purple. The eyes of the Vespiform appeared hypnotized as it hovered closer and closer to her.

"She's controlling it," Donna gasped in shock as they jumped out of their vehicle. Hopping over the door, Wanda leaned down and took off her shoes, knowing she needed to be barefoot from what was to happen next.

"Its mind is based on her thought processes. They're linked!" the Doctor stated, fearful of what would become of the author now.

"Quite so, Doctor," Agatha replied calmly as they all rushed to her. Still, she kept her eyes fully on the hovering Vespiform in front, unwilling to let it go for even a second to harm another. "If I die, then this creature might die with me." The wasp began whizzing towards her, but the Doctor halted it as he ran forward and threw up his hands to calm it.

"Don't hurt her!" the Doctor shouted, trying to reason with the angered Vespiform. "You're not meant to be like this. You've got the wrong template in your mind." Still, the wasp buzzed and screeched in rage, retorting in a way of not caring for the Doctor's reasoning.

"It's not listening," Donna breathed warning. Wanda reached over to the Firestone in Agatha's hand before the companion could, acting upon a last resort and instinct to save another's life, to possibly change what would occur on this night. She just _had_ to try. She had to do it. For the child. For the mother. For the lost love they never had. She just had to.

"Oi! Bug brain!" she yelled, swinging the Firestone by the chain as she moved away from the group, edging towards the woods not too far away from the lake and road. The Vespiform turned its sole attention onto her now, focusing on the jewel in her hand more than anything. Wanda smirked, catching the jewel in hand and holding it up high to make the glow shine on her. "You want to play one last game of cat and mouse?" The creature buzzed even greater so as it snapped its jaws in her direction. The Doctor's eyes widened in panicked terror as he realized what Wanda was trying to do.

"Wanda, don't!" he shouted in alarmed protest. But Wanda did not listen as she took off towards the woods, running at full speed as the Vespiform gave chase after her.

Wanda panted as she ran straight into the darkness of the trees around the lake, ducking and weaving amongst the large branches and thick trunks all around her. She jumped over roots and fallen logs as she heard the Vespiform close by her. Ready to strike her. Holding onto the Firestone tight in her grasp, she knew she had to try. To change the link from Agatha onto herself. It was telepathic in nature. Transferring from those who held it last to share information within the family. To never lose precious thoughts or feelings. So, in theory, with her now possessing it, she should be able to send a telepathic link to the wasp in some sort of fashion. And, in focusing on this, trying to send as much of her racing emotions through her into the stone, she felt the connection. The tug mentally as the Firestone linked with her mind. Now, all she had to do was use it to her advantage.

She turned sharply, coming to a stop in the middle of a clearing. Clasping the glowing jewel with both hands, holding them close to her hearts, she watched as the Vespiform hovered in front of her, glaring down at her with its large, dark purple eyes. The buzz from its wings echoed like a heartbeat around them, causing the woods to almost feel alive from the way the sound bounced around the trees.

"I know you're angry," Wanda said to the creature, shaking her head sadly. "You have every right to be livid. With everything you have gone through. With how lonely you've been all your life, of course you're enraged." It screeched at her, seeming to agree and retort in just how furious it truly was. Her eyes shifted, holding her mythical stare at the creature, peering into its very soul. "But this is not the way. You want to jump to fury when you don't even know the full story. Don't you realize what you were born from? Such love. Such devotion and kindness. You were the child of that love they shared." It screeched again, unbelieving to her words. "If you don't believe me, then I'll show you."

Sucking in a breath, she closed her eyes as she allowed the link of the Firestone to connect with her abilities. The possibilities flowed, more slow than usual, as the picture of the past began to form. Images showed the smiling, laughing young Lady Eddison sitting beside her lost love. The man smiled in return, holding her hand as they sat upon a blanket by the river, basking in each other's time together. Then, the night came of the man's proposal, giving Lady Eddison the Firestone as a sign of his pure love and devotion to her. The young woman beamed as tears of joy ran down her face, giving the man she loved more than anything a kiss in return for her own pure love and joy for having the chance to be with him.

Then, that joy turned to pure misery. The flood. The death. The discovery of the pregnancy. The images changed to a sobbing Lady Eddison as she clutched her stomach, feeling the small bump beginning to form. Mourning the loss of her love and unable to ever give her child a father. When returning to England, she was met with disdain from her parents. They were outraged that she dare become pregnant out of wedlock. So, they gave her only two choices. Either she hide her pregnancy from the world, pretend to be sick with malaria, and give up the child once it was born. Or to be left there on the port side. A single mother, unable to provide for her child. Unable to give the babe a well-suited life even by the smallest of means as her family would disown her in an instant.

Seeing as the only way to give her unborn child a decent life by any means, and being well groomed to feel ashamed of herself and to protect the family's honour, she agreed with her parents' terms. Though, not before finding out in horror later just what else her parents had in mind. Not only would she have to give her child up, she would also never allowed to ever see the babe again. Never allowed even the smallest glimpse of her and her lover's child as she had hoped to do. She wanted to be there. If not up front, then at least in the shadows. To give the child love and warmth when needed. Though remain unseen as she knew it would be best for them both. She was not even allowed to hold the child when he was born as the images shifted to show Lady Eddison wailing in misery, holding out her arms weakly for her child from the bed after giving birth as her son was taken away from her. Crying as any newborn would for his mother was the last thing Lady Eddison had ever seen or heard from her child ever again as her parents slammed the door as soon as Miss Chandrakala stepped out with baby in arms.

Lady Eddison was never the same after that. She ritually drank to hide her sorrows. Married another in a numb state. A man her parents chose for her. A man who loved her more than anything, but still . . . she could not return the love. At least not fully. All she could think of, every day, was her heavy guilt in what she had done to her first child. Never to forgive herself for what she had done.

Wanda swayed where she stood as she opened her eyes. Her body ached tremendously, and her mind throbbed in agony as everything screamed at her to rest. Even her vision wavered as she stared at the Reverend in front of her. Now back in his human form with streaks of tears running down his face. Smiling tiredly, she walked up to him, placing the Firestone in his hands and closing them together over the jewel.

"You lost so much time you could have had with your family," she whispered solemnly. "Time ripped not just from you, but from her as well. Life is cruel at times. So very, very cruel. But we cannot let ourselves fall into those merciless times. We have to push onwards. To remain to our true selves and to never give into our own cruel, dark nature." Her vision blurred, barely able to see him now. "You have to . . . to find it in yourself . . . to forgive. Forgive . . . Forgive her. She loves you . . . so very, very much. A mother always . . . always loves . . . her child . . . no . . . matter . . . what." Words slurring and becoming sluggish, she felt the world tilt around her as everything went dark.

XxXxXxXx

There was light humming in the room as she laid on a soft bed. Covers were fluffed around her and she felt her head resting on a comfy pillow. Slowly and tiredly, she opened her eyes, blinking away her haze as she stared at the ceiling above. She saw that she had been placed into her and the Doctor's room on the TARDIS. Sighing, she sunk more into the bed when seeing that she was alone, realizing that she ended up pushing herself too far with her abilities. She hoped that she did not end up having a seizure after passing out. Lifting her head when she heard the door creak, she watched as the Doctor came in holding a tray that carried an omelet, some toast, and a glass of apple juice.

"Good morning," he chirped lightly to her.

"Morning," she replied quietly, pushing herself up to sit in the bed while he placed the tray on her lap.

"Made you breakfast. Thought you might be hungry," he stated calmly. Not having a cheerful note in his tone. Though, not sounding angry or strict, either.

"Um . . . Thank you," Wanda replied, uneasy in how calm the Doctor was acting. She was excepting him to begin yelling at her or even scolding her after the stunt she pulled. But instead, he merely did not meet her gaze as he sat down on a chair next to the bed, munching on toast. "How long was I out?"

"Just about eight hours. A full night's rest."

"Oh." Wanda trailed off, unsure on what to say next. Glancing down at her food for a moment, she looked back at him, seeing the tension in his shoulders and the hard stare in those brown eyes of his. Sighing, "You're angry with me, aren't you?"

"Oh, you think?" The Doctor tossed his half-eaten toast onto the tray, holding a hard gaze at her. "You run off, almost get yourself killed without even the slightest thought of your, or our child's, safety. Yeah, I'm right damn cross with you."

Wanda winced, realizing she had done it again. Throwing herself into danger without thinking over the consequences. "I didn't mean to—."

"I know you didn't mean to, Wanderer. But—damn it, you just can't anymore! You're pregnant, and do you have any idea of how easily you could have a miscarriage? Too much stress or overextension can cause so much damage. We could lose our child like _that_ ," he snapped his fingers sharply, "and we couldn't do anything about it! It's difficult for Time Ladies to carry to full term without incident, and for your case . . ." He trailed off as he saw Wanda's expression drop along with tears down her face, guilt clearly washing over her.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered, placing a hand on her stomach as if not only begging for his forgiveness but from the unborn child as well. "I didn't want to hurt our child. I just . . . I just wanted to bring a mother and son together. I just kept thinking, if that was my child . . . I would do anything to bring them back and show them how much I truly loved them. I wanted to give Lady Eddison and Reverend Golightly a second chance."

The Doctor gave a long, frustrated sigh as he ran a hand over his face, trying to calm down his aggravation. "Wanderer, I know you had good intentions. You always do. It's just . . ." He stared at her for a moment before grabbing her suddenly and pulling her into a powerful hug. He buried his face into her shoulder and hair, wanting to hide his own unushered tears. "I was scared. So scared that you had . . . and that the baby . . . then I saw Golightly standing over your unconscious body . . ."

"I've been an idiot. I know," she sighed, shaking her head in anger and disproval at herself.

"You've been more than idiotic. You've been downright thick and unbelievably foolish." He pulled back from their embrace, placing a hand over hers on her stomach. "Wanderer, you _have_ to promise me. Promise me that you won't do this anymore. That you'll keep both yourself and our child safe. No matter what. Please?"

Wanda nodded immediately in agreement, not even hesitating to counter the promise. "I had already promised myself that not too long ago. I just . . . slipped in my promise this time. But I swear, it won't happen again. I promise, no matter what, I will keep our daughter safe through all of time and space."

The Doctor smiled, knowing from the spark of pure determination and resolve in her emerald eyes that Wanda would indeed keep this promise. He ended up sealing the deal by giving her a quick loving kiss. "Good. Now that we've got that settled, go ahead and eat up. Remember, you're eating for two now. You have to make sure to get about three meals a day. Regularly. Might need to set up a schedule for that. And for sleeping, too. We don't get enough sleep as it is, and with a baby on the way, you need as much rest as you can get. Especially during the third trimester of pregnancy. Ooh, and I might need to set up checkups in the medical bay and . . ."

Wanda giggled as she let the Doctor ramble on with everything he had planned in taking care of her and the baby. Eating her food and drinking the juice quickly, she moved the tray onto the end table next to the bed. Leaning forward, she kissed him on the cheek, making him halt in his words about what toys they should buy soon. "We can start planning all of that in a bit. For now, can you tell me what happened to Agatha, and to Reverend Golightly? Are they both all right?"

"Oh, yeah, they're fine." The Doctor helped her out of the bed before walking over to the door. "Already dropped Agatha off at the hotel she is going to be found at. Made her swear not to tell anyone about what happened and everything. Though, she had a good point in that who would believe her anyway. But she did promise to make a story of our adventures sometime later when she got the chance. And the Reverend, well, he's on the TARDIS with us. Had to calm him down once I found you both in the woods. He's still a bit rattled in the head, but he'll pull through. I think it's the guilt eating at him more than anything else now. He really wasn't in his right mind throughout any of that. I don't think he even remembers most of it."

Wanda nodded as she walked over to a dresser, ready to change out of the flapper dress she still wore. She noticed how her hair had fallen out of its bun and headband. Now flowing against her back in waves. She wondered if the Doctor had let her hair down after bringing her back into the TARDIS. "That's good to hear about the Reverend. Though I wish I could have said goodbye to Agatha before she left. At least she kept her memories this time around." After placing on a lilac blouse, a pair of trousers, and her mary janes, she walked over to him. "What are we going to do with Golightly, then? And where's Donna? You didn't leave her with him, did you?"

"Nah, Donna's back in her room sleeping. As for the Reverend . . .," he ran a hair through his messy hair, letting out a puff of air, "we can't let him stay on Earth. It's too dangerous for both him and the others. He'll have to go back to the Vespiform homeworld. They'll be able to help him through adjusting in his new form and teach him all there is to know about that part of him."

Wanda felt her hearts sink. The Reverend had to go back to his father's planet? No reuniting with his mother? Had Wanda's plans and brash actions been all for nothing? "What? No . . . No, he can't just leave. What about Lady Eddison? And his brother Roger? Heck, even the Colonel. His family is here, he finally found them, and now he has to leave?"

The Doctor held an equally somber face. "I'm afraid so." Seeing the Time Lady's face drop even more, he moved a gentle hand onto her shoulder for comfort. "It's for the best. He can't stay here. You know that. He'll have a much happier and full life back in his home world."

Letting out a long sigh, she nodded her head in agreement, knowing that the Doctor was right. "Can we at least let him say goodbye to his mum?"

Smiling warmly, the Doctor took Wanda's hand, threading their fingers together. "I'm sure he'd like that."

Smiling as well, Wanda walked with him out of the room as they headed to control room, ready to help the Reverend reunite with his mother one last time.

XxXxXxXx

Such a cute chapter. Also, I think Wanda learned a good lesson there. Baby comes first. Always. So, what did everyone think of the new chapter! Please let me know in a review! I always love hearing from you all. :D

Reviewers:

 **singingKatelyn** : Aww, glad you think so! Oh yes, very perfect timing. ;) That reaction was so Ten. haha. I hope you enjoyed the conversation between them all! Can't wait to see what you think of the new chapter!

 **Justus80** : Well, she had to wait for the right moment. lol ;) But yes, it was aggravating for the wait in him finding out. Agreed. Finally! Glad you still enjoyed the last chapter though. Even if Wanda did get a bit annoying. Cancer is long gone. :) Now it's just fighting the flu. haha. Hope to see you again in the future, and good health wishes sent your way. :)

 **SakuraRcoa** : Perhaps both? Then again, I think confetti is much better than this silly old story. ;) *dances with* Take care!

 **WorldJumper0123** : Woot! About time, am I right? ;) Best shocking moment yet, I think. haha. Aww, thank you. You're much more brilliant than me! I hope the story continues to bring you joy! Take care!

 **arianaestela** : Oh, no worries in not leaving reviews. I know how crazy life can be at times. But I'm so happy to hear how much you're enjoying the story. :) I hope the enjoyment continues throughout the rest to come! I know I could always do better. Though it helped tremendously in keeping a timeline together through the story to remind me of things. If I miss anything, just let me know and I'll be sure to fix it. :) Hope to see you again for the future! Take care for now, and have a fantastic day/night!

 **FictionalBoysAreBetter** : Never care what others think of you. As long as you're happy, that's all that matters. :) I just so glad that enjoyed it so much! Aww, I love you, too. :D Just as I love all readers! I hope I can keep bringing chapters that make you so happy. Just as eager to see what you think of the new chapter. Until next time!

 **All The Stories Are True 24601** : Yay! So happy that you liked it. :) I still miss First Wanda. She went away far too soon, I think. Oh well. At least she had a good time with the Doctor before regenerating. It always helps with keeping a timeline when writing. It's the number one rule I tell anyone who wishes to be a writer. That, and character sheets. That helps keep track of things just as much. I know that probably seems silly, though. My life is going great! Just been busy with work and school. It's hard balancing the two sometimes. How is your life going? :D I'd love to know. I hope all is good. Until next time! Take care!

 **NerdWithAPencil** : Yep! Definitely one interesting way. haha. Glad you liked it so much. I thought it was a bit funny, too. ;) Thank you! I hope the story stays good. Can't wait to see you in the next chapter! :D

 **X-Lisa-Anne-X** : Can't wait to see what you think of the chapter! :D Hope it was good!

 **heroherondaletotherescue** : Glad you liked it so much! I think it just had to be this moment in particular. What better way to shock him? lol ;) Agree, time is weird. Hope the new chapter was just as good! Can't wait until next time!

 **Nanski33** : And now we continue. ;) So glad you enjoyed it!

 **Momochan77** : She most certainly did. lol ;) One of my favorites, too! I just love the moment in the kitchen between the Doctor and Donna. Makes me laugh every time. haha. Hope you enjoyed the newest chapter! Until next time!

 **Authora97** : lol I think he might have felt close to regenerating there. ;) Haha! Funny you mention bubble wrap. I can imagine Eleven doing something like that. ;) Oh yes, the Doctor will definitely become super protective. As I've mostly seen in later moments. Keeping my fingers crossed that you enjoyed the new chapter just as much as the last. :) Take care!

 **swimmjacket** : Yep! Yay! So glad he finally knows, too. I think Alpha might have had some part to play in the delay there. Or it might have just been constant bad timing. ;) Eleven does know, but you're right he's always uncertain in which Wanda is currently pregnant who runs into him. Hope you enjoyed their reactions. Talk to you again soon! :D

 **Whovianeverlark17** : Yep! About time, too, I think. lol ;) Hope you enjoyed all the reactions in this chapter. Until next time!

 **deadflowerseverymorning** : So glad you liked it! I think it was adorable, too. :) I think, seeing how Ten was the face which 'bonded' with Wanda the first time, then he should know the happy babe coming from him in the future. Thank you for the lovely reviews. They always mean so much to me. :) Can't wait to see you again in the future! Take care until the next time!

 **Spooky Misty** : Hello! It's so nice to meet you. :) Thank you so much for taking the time to give the story a review. That means so much to me. I'm so sorry to hear that you've dealt with so much for so long. I'm so happy that you're getting help for it now. I truly hope and wish for things to get better for you. If you ever need someone to talk to, never hesitate to contact me. I'm always here for all readers. :) I discovered Doctor Who in the same way, during troubled times. I feel it's a show that can bring so much wonderful joy to people. So that was my goal when I started this trilogy. I'm just so happy that it brings you such happiness. I really hope that the story will always bring you joy. :) I know I could always do better when it comes to the story and Wanda. So if there's ever something you want me to add just let me know. Truly, you're much more of an inspiration. You've gone through so much for so long and are pushing through everything. You are truly fantastic! :D I really hope to see you again in the future, and that you have the most wonderful life!

Thank you, thank you! Everyone, just thank you for all the wonderful words sent to the story! If anyone has been having trouble, though, in sending reviews, please let me know. Things have been strange for the site lately. I think if you use the app it messes up the reviews and chapters sometimes. Just a warning for you all. Hope that helps. :)

~Tinker~


	40. Ch 40: The Siren's Curse

Helloooooo, readers!

I hope today will be a fantastic day for you all! I have a surprise for all of you. A two chapter update. ;) Mostly because these chapters I feel aren't that great and are rather short. Plus, I probably won't have time to update until later next week because going to be busy with school and birthday stuff this week. So I hope everyone will enjoy both chapters!

XxXxXxXx

Chapter 40: The Siren's Curse

Wanda spurted and coughed as she reached the surface of the large body of water she had appeared in. She blinked around, trying to gain back her senses of where the heck she had arrived to now. Once her vision cleared of the normal white spots of travelling, she saw she had wandered into the ocean in the dark of night. A completely still, silent, and quiet ocean. Oh, how lucky she was to wander into the middle of the ocean. Cold ocean. Really cold. Okay, any other time she would not have mind swimming around, even in cold waters. But this time she feared the coldness might not be so good for the baby. Best get to dry land and fast.

Beginning to swim, she made fast way towards a distant dark shape that sat on the waters. As she drew closer she saw that it was a 17th-century ship pirate ship. Big sails. All kinds of ropes dangling around. And the name of the ship, _Fancy_ , was painted in gold lettering on the side. She heard shouting and a struggle of sorts going on the deck up top. All she could do was float there by the side of the ship, wondering what the heck was going on. Frowning, she wondered if she should look into a possibility real quick to see where she was at. Soon, the noise above her stopped. Everything went very quiet once more.

"Hello! Permission to come aboard?! Am I saying that right? That is the right term, isn't it?!" she yelled to whoever was on the ship. "Yo-Ho! No, no, no one _really_ says that. Well, maybe the Doctor, but he's a different case. But, no, seriously, can you let me up?! It's freezing in the water!"

"It's the demon!" a man above shouted in fear. She guessed that it must be one of the pirates of the ship.

"Don't be stupid. She's never spoken before," retorted another voice. Another pirate. There were hurried footsteps on the deck above as Amy poked her head over the side to stare down at Wanda in shock. The companion was currently wearing a pirate hat and coat.

"Wanda? What are you doing down there?" the ginger companion called out to the blonde.

"Oh, you know me. Like to wander around anywhere and everywhere," Wanda replied in humour. A rope was suddenly tossed over the side, with the knotted end falling just into the water in front of her.

"Grab on!" she heard Eleven shout from above. She did as instructed, holding the rope tight in hand as she began pulling herself up out from the ocean. With some help from the Doctor, Amy, and Rory who worked together in hoisting her out of the cold waters below. Finally, on the dry deck, Wanda let out a sigh of relief in being out of the ocean. Though she then began shivering as her maroon coat weighed heavily on her in being soaked from the chilly ocean water.

"Brr. Chilly," she laughed as her teeth chattered lightly. The Doctor immediately hugged her, hoping to warm her up as he rubbed her arms up and down. Wanda felt embarrassed as he took off her coat and put his own around her. Still hugging her to him. "I'm gonna get you wet and cold, too, if you keep this up."

"Then we'll just be wet and cold together," he replied with his boyish grin. Wanda could not help but giggle, grabbing her coat off the wooden deck and placing it in a more secure place on the deck.

"Who is this? Another stowaway friend of yours?" barked the one pirate, the Captain of the ship, Henry Avery. Wanda beamed, glad to be meeting Avery again. She had met him, his son, and the rest of his crew very briefly during the battle on Demons Run. It had been a blast being able to talk with the space pirates. Though, in the future, they were not much of pirates anymore. More of they were simply just wanderers of space in their new ship, exploring around and such. Almost like she herself in a way.

"You could say that," Wanda told the Captain, walking up to give him a delighted shake of the hand. "I'm the Wanderer. A pleasure to meet you." Avery sort of stared at her warily as she backed up and stood by the Doctor once more. "So, I'm guessing Rory just got his hand cut, yeah?"

"Uh, yeah, I did," Rory replied, glancing down at the cut on his fingers. He blinked in surprise to see a strange, large black dot centred in the middle of his palm. "What's—what's happening to me?" The other pirates around Rory looked wary, backing up somewhat from him. Another pirate, Dancer, who had also gotten cut earlier, stared down at his own hand in alarm, knowing what the black spot meant.

"She can smell the blood on your skin," Avery explained gruffly. "She's marked you for death."

"'She'?" Rory questioned in uncertainty.

"A demon—out there, in the ocean," Avery stated, pointing a finger out to the still waters surrounding the ship.

"Okay! Groovy. So not just pirates today. We've managed to bagsy a ship where there's a demon popping in," the Doctor chortled in merriment. Excited in the turn of events. Always fun with adventures like these. He walked up, taking Rory's hand to examine the black spot. "Haha! Very efficient. I mean, if something's going to kill you . . . " He glanced over when he saw Wanda lifting a hand to reach for Rory's, also wanting to examine the black spot. The Doctor swiftly snatched her hand, turning it over to show him her palm.

" . . . it's nice that it drops you a note to remind you," he finished in an undertone mutter. He narrowed his eyes as he saw the black spot in the middle of her palm. Wanda shifted, surprised by the sight. But at the same time, not truly shocked by its appearance. It made sense in knowing what the Siren was, and, given her current situation, why the Siren would wish to mark her. Then again, this might complicate a few things for later in being marked for the taking. Would she be able to keep her mind and stay safe enough on this adventure?

All on the ship stiffened when an eerie voice began singing from the waters below. It echoed like a haunting melody. The crew and Captain of the ship began backing up from the side near the water, making it so they were all bunched into a tight group. The Doctor swiftly placed Wanda behind him, with his protective hand right on her. Ready to defend her from whatever wished her harm.

"Quickly, now. Block out the sound," Avery instructed to his one crew member with the black spot. Dancer did as he was told, slapping his hands over his ears in hopes to keeping his head from the incoming song. Rory, Amy, and the Doctor merely looked bewildered as to what was going on. Wanda knew it was pointless in trying to block out the song as the Siren's melody would be too powerful. Either way, those marked would be affected by the song.

"What?" Rory questioned the Captain.

"The creature—she charms all her victims with that song," explained Avery in a rush.

"Oh, great. So put my fingers in my ears—that's your plan?" muttered Rory as his thoughts were along the same mindset as Wanda, knowing it would be pointless against something like this. Years in travelling in the TARDIS had taught him that. Rory moved around, patting the Doctor quickly on the shoulder. "Doctor, come on, let's go. Let's get back to the, uh . . .," the nurse's eyes suddenly went out-of-focus as a silly grin began appearing on his face as he wobbled on his feet, "oh, back to the—." He could not finish his sentence as he started to giggle along with Dancer.

The Doctor blinked at the sight of Rory now stumbling over to Amy. Practically leaning all over her in a giggling manner of drunkenness. Amy could only stare at her husband in confusion, looking to the Doctor as if asking him what should she do. The Doctor was unsure on how exactly to help Rory at the moment when a strike of fear went through him as he heard Wanda beside him beginning to giggle like mad. Leaning on him the same way Rory sagged against Amy.

"Oh, look at that bow tie," Wanda spoke up in a sing-song voice. She batted playfully at the red bow tie on his neck. "I like bow ties. Love them. They're so—so silly. They remind me of—of—oh, I forgot." She giggled even more in a slurred manner. "Look, look! A hat! You need to wear hats. They're a tradition!" She stumbled away from the Doctor, not hearing his protests as she caught Amy by surprise in grabbing the pirate hat from her. Wobbling over back to the Doctor, Wanda placed the hat on his head. "Oh! Look! Another hat to add to the collection. Fez, stetson, and now pirate! Say yo-ho! Say it! It'll be great!" She snorted at her own words, closing her eyes as she slumped with the Doctor trying to hold her steady.

"Wanda, snap out of it," he tried telling her.

"I love you! And your big chin!" Wanda abruptly exclaimed. She threw her arms around his neck, kissing him. He pushed her back sternly, grabbing her chin to keep their eyes level.

"Wanda, focus. All right? Focus on me," he tried instructing her, but he saw it was useless as the Time Lady's eyes were hazy and not even looking straight at him. Almost as if she were under the influence of a heavy drug.

Wanda tried focusing on him. She really did. But the more she tried, the more her mind lost focus and went all . . . wibbly-wobbly. Giddiness went through her in waves, making her vision go out of focus as the song floated all around her. She blinked dully while everyone turned their attention to the glowing ocean waters just beyond the ship. A strange vapor of steam seemed to rise off from the still, glass-like reflection of the ocean.

The haunting melody increased in volume as a woman suddenly flew out of the water and floated over gracefully to the ship. The singing woman had dark hair that drifted around her face as she stared at them. Her whole body glowed an eerie green colour, with wisps of light dancing around her as she walked towards them. The white dress she wore swayed as though she were swimming through water. A Siren of the Sea.

Everyone was pushed aside as Dancer made his way quickly towards the woman in front. The Siren continued to sing, holding out her hand to the man as he edged closer and closer. Her melody egging him on to touch her hand. Dancer held out his hand, too lost in his trance to do anything other than what the Siren commanded him in her haunting melody. The moment Dancer barely brushed his fingertips against the Siren's, he screamed in a burst of black smoke, seeming to turn to ash an instant death. Everyone's eyes (except those who were affected by the Siren's song) widened in alarm and horror. Amy struggled to keep Rory back as he tried doing the same as Dancer had, wanting to go to the Siren and touch her hand. When Amy yelled at the Siren to leave her husband alone, the glowing woman let out a shrieking hiss. Turning blood red in the light around her, her skin, and even her eyes as her face contorted into sharp features that made the Siren look vicious. A wave of energy flung Amy back, right into the Doctor. The Time Lord caught her, making certain the companion was all right. Now his mind raced, fearing on what sort of enemy they were up against and trying to process everything with great speed so that he might solve their predicament as fast as possible.

"Everybody, into the hull!" the Doctor shouted in command. The rest of the ship's crew did not argue nor hesitate as they rushed to the hatch on the deck, going swiftly down into the belly of the ship. The Siren turned the eerie green once more as she started to sing her melody, trying to draw in the last two she had marked. The Doctor pushed Amy to go after the pirates as he turned to gather up Rory and Wanda. He was surprised to see Wanda was not trying to go up to the Siren like Rory was. Instead, she stood there in a dreamy state, just smiling away at everything. The Doctor grabbed both her and Rory, dragging them back to the door leading to the hull.

"Bye-bye, singing doctor!" Wanda giggled as she waving to the Siren. "You'll have to catch me later!" The Doctor wrapped his arm around the blonde's waist, keeping her locked at his side as he pushed Rory down the steps first and into the darkness below. Then, following soon after, the two Time Lords landed their feet into the shallow waters within the messy storage of the hull.

"What is that thing?" Amy began quizzing the Doctor and the pirates as soon as they were all gathered in the hull.

"A legend. A siren," explained Avery. "Many a merchant ship laden with treasure has fallen prey to her. She's been hunting us ever since we were becalmed, picking off the injured."

"Like a shark," said one pirate, the boatswain. "A shark can smell blood."

"Okay, just like a shark, in a dress and singing and green!" noted the Doctor, trying to keep track of everything he would need in saving them all. Though, there was a hint of excitement in his tone as he still found it all rather fun in facing such an unusual creature and adventure. "A green, singing shark in an evening gown."

"The ship is cursed!" retorted Avery in spite, finding the Doctor's clear excitement to be appalling. The Time Lord rolled his eyes lightly.

"Yeah, right, curses, big with humans. It means bad things are happening, but you can't be bothered to find an explanation," he mumbled in a grumble. He glanced over as Wanda leaned against him, slowly blinking as she seemed to be getting past whatever effects the Siren had on her. Though Rory seemed to still be in his funny state as he kept muttering to Amy on how beautiful the green woman had been. And the pirates began muttering amongst themselves on getting to the Time Lord's ship in escape from the Siren. Turning more to his Wanderer, the Doctor gently touched her face in concern. "Are you feeling okay? No sickness? Any headaches? Have you had enough sleep lately? Enough to eat? Do you need to rest or—."

"Ssshhhh," Wanda shushed him, slowly placing a finger over his lips as she giggled groggily. "Spaceman, you worry too much." She shook her head, taking a deep breath as she knew she was being too silly. She needed to focus her mind, snapping herself out of the haze the Siren had put her under. "I'm all right. Just a little woozy from that siren song."

He nodded, smiling as he grabbed her hand that still held up a finger, kissing it tenderly. "Where did you just come from?"

Wanda smiled as she thought over the many weeks she had been with Ten and Donna. "We just finished the sonogram, and were beginning to discuss names." A bright smile formed on her face, unable to keep her giddiness away when seeing the largest boyish grin grow on the Doctor's face. They both kissed as he gently rubbed a hand over her stomach.

"Leave the cursed ones, Captain. The creature can have them," they heard DeFlorres, another pirate, speak up. The Doctor whipped around to glare heatedly at the man who had said this.

"I don't think so," he growled as he kept a protective arm around Wanda.

"We don't want the Siren coming after us," countered Avery as he pointed his gun at the Doctor. Moving Wanda to be behind him, the Doctor made certain to shield his love as the raging storm in his eyes was directed at the Captain.

"We are not leaving behind my wife or my friend!" barked the Doctor, jabbing a finger at the Captain. Avery was about to retort in anger when DeFlorres began to shout in panic.

The man hurriedly pulled his leg out of the water they were all standing in, showing them that a leech had attached itself to his calf. Everyone then swiftly jumped out of the water, standing on dry crates or indents of the ship's interior that were high enough out of the dirty water. DeFlorres was able to yank off the leech, but not without causing a trail of blood to leak out of the wound the leech had caused. Breathing out unsteadily, the man showed them the black spot that had appeared on his palm.

"She wants blood. Why does she want blood?" the Doctor remarked, trying to understand on why the Siren was doing this. Was she hunting in some strange way? Was it some kind of ritual?

"But Wanda didn't get cut, did she?" noted Amy, still holding onto the loopy Rory.

"Nope. No cuts," concluded Wanda, holding up her arms to show them she had not been injured externally whatsoever.

"Okay, so, forget that theory," muttered the Doctor as he thought of another reason why the Siren would mark them.

"So why did she mark you?" Avery questioned the Time Lady, becoming suspicious now as the only reason the Siren had ever gone after someone was when they were injured, leaving alone everyone else who were fine.

"Ah," Wanda hesitated, unsure as to how to explain of why exactly the Siren would mark her. Should she trust these humans with delicate information during a panicked situation like this? At the moment, perhaps not. So, she decided to give them a plain and simple answer. "Reasons." Noticing how both companions and pirates wanted to push for answers from the Time Lady, the Doctor hurriedly distracted them.

"It's okay. We're safe down here," he assured them all, wanting to keep the humans calm. "No curse is getting through three solid inches of timber." All jumped when the next instant the Siren shot out of the still water behind the Time Lord, shocking him and the rest of her sudden presence. Her singing filled the room, making both Rory and Wanda fall under into an unbalanced state again.

"You _jinxed_ it!" Wanda giggled in a sing-song voice as she leaned against the Doctor. She smiled and waved to the Siren. "Hello again, pretty lady! Come to play tag? You're 'it' still, right?" She let out a series of drunken giggles as she let the Doctor drag her along to the other side of the hull, away from the Siren. She watched as DeFlorres stumbled towards the Siren, holding out his hand, completely under the spell of her song. While everyone yelled 'no,' Wanda was actually jealous of the man. She wanted to be taken away in pretty lights to a nice bed where the Siren promised for them. She wanted to always be cared for, and for her child to always be safe. The Siren's song said she would do all of that and more. Why not go to the Siren if that were true?

"Wanda, don't!"

The Time Lady was jerked back slightly by the Doctor who held firmly onto her. She had been reaching out her hand to the Siren, stepping towards the singing woman the same way Rory was. But when seeing the fearful expression on the Doctor's face, she backed up as her mind focused more on him than anything else. The bond between them helped to keep her mind clear enough to know that she should not go to the Siren. To stay with the Doctor and stay safe. She stumbled in a run as with the Doctor and everyone else. Being dragged along again by the Time Lord who held a death grip on her arm. Once in the next room, away from the Siren and the water, the Doctor locked the door behind them.

"'Safe'?" Amy said sarcastically to the Doctor about his earlier comment. The remark that had clearly jinxed their luck.

"I have my good days and my bad days," the Doctor replied in dismissal. He adjusted the hat on his head, actually letting a small grin out as he rather liked wearing the pirate hat. Or any headwear for that matter. Wanda was right, he should wear hats more often.

"How did she get in?" Avery demanded in question.

"Water, obliviously," Wanda said, shaking off once again the effects of the siren song. "She's a Siren of the sea. How else do you expect her to move about?"

"Then, she could easily even materialize through a single drop," concluded the Doctor in thought as he adjusted the pirate hat on his head, staring around as he searched for another escape for them. "We need to go somewhere with no water."

"Well, thank god we're not in the middle of the ocean," Amy remarked with high sarcasm.

Avery ended up suggesting the armoury section of the ship. The place where the gunpowder was stored. The driest and safest location for them. With the Doctor leading the way (though Avery still claimed charge of the ship), they went down many corridors of the ship until they finally reached the armoury. The boatswain tried finding the right key for them to unlock the door to the powder room but found in disbelief the key gone from the collection of other keys. Walking up to the door, the Doctor tapped the door lightly, making it creak open to show them someone else had already gotten inside. They all cautiously walked into the room, looking for who might have already hidden themselves in the room. A cough alerted them to the presence of a person. Young by the sound of the cough. Avery stormed around everyone, going to where the cough had come from an empty barrel. Opening the lid of the barrel, the Captain grew enraged upon the sight of a young boy crouched down within the wooden holding.

"You fool! You fool, boy!" Avery shouted as he yanked up the child from the barrel, pushing the frightened, shaking boy up to the wall as the man gripped the front of the boy's coat. The boy stared at Avery with wide eyes filled with fear as the Captain glared at him. "What are you doing here?"

"Oi! That is no way to treat your son!" Wanda suddenly yelled, storming over to Avery as she felt a strong rise in her temper. Her protective instincts for children kicking right in. Especially in seeing how a father would treat his own child. Pushing Avery off of the boy, Wanda shot the man a sharp, piercing gaze of scolding. "Instead of just yelling at him, why don't you ask him why he's here? And if he's okay? Geez, just jump to yelling and not even bothering to comfort your son, your only child, at all."

"And how do you know he's my son?" Avery barked in return, giving Wanda a skeptical and suspicious gaze. The Time Lady paused for a second, realizing her mistake.

"Well, . . . I mean, just look at the family resemblance," she replied easily, trying to dismiss she slip of future knowledge as she waved between Avery and his son, Toby. Really, there was a small similarity in appearance between father and son. But not by much. She cleared her throat as she knew it was a weak explanation on her part. Especially in seeing just how Avery (and the rest of his crew for that matter) clearly did not believe her. She turned to Toby, smiling kindly. "So, are you feeling okay?" The boy nodded as he began coughing loudly, hoarsely. "That's a nasty cough you've got there."

"I'm fine," Toby murmured quietly, keeping his eyes averted from her and the rest. He scooted away from the wall where his father had pushed him, sitting on the floor in front of the barrel he had been hiding in. When seeing Avery made no moves to comfort his child, Wanda placed her hands on her hips, giving him another sharp gaze as she jerked her head to Toby. Indicating crossly that the Captain should begin talking with his son. The Captain let out a small huff before going to sit on a crate next to the child.

"What in god's name possessed you, boy?" Avery quizzed Toby gruffly. "Your mother will be searching for you." Upon seeing the dejected solemn eyes of Toby, Avery realized the reason why the boy had come here in the first place. Why he had no other choice than to come aboard the ship. The Captain felt his heart sink, at a loss in knowing the boy's mother was gone. "When?"

"Last winter. Fever," Toby explained, his tone hushed in his sorrow. The boy lifted his eyes to meet his father's finally, appearing hopeful now in being there with his father. Finally having a parent again. "She told me all about you. How you were a Captain in the Navy. An honourable man, she said . . . how I'd be proud to know you." Toby started coughing again, missing the ashamed expression on his father's face. After coughing, Toby smiled in hope at his father. "I've come to join your crew."

"I don't want you here," Avery said in curt fashion immediately. Not even bothering to think twice in having his son join him in this life. The life of a pirate. There were much better places out there for his son. Being a pirate was the last thing Avery ever wanted for Toby.

"You can't send me back. It's too late. We're a hundred miles from home," Toby countered, knowing that whether his father liked it or not, he would be a part of the crew. A crew that he had no idea the truth behind.

"It's dangerous here," Avery argued, wanting to convince his son otherwise in joining life on board the ship. "There is a monster aboard. She leaves a mark on men's skin." Toby suddenly became hesitant and fearful, seeming uncertain about what his father had said. Thumbing at the palm of his hand while not letting anyone else see. Wanda walked over to the boy, crouching down while gently touching his shoulder.

"You have the black spot, too, don't you?" she asked softly. Toby nodded, showing his palm to everyone, letting them clearly see the black mark on him. The Siren had claimed him for the taking as well. Avery's eyes went wide in fear, hurriedly going over to his son to see where the boy had been injured to be marked. But Wanda halted him by placing up a hand to stop. "He's like me. Doesn't have an external injury. It's more internal."

"It's not just blood," the Doctor concluded in thought, nodding as he understood what the Siren was after now. "She's coming for all the sick and wounded, like a hunter chooses his weakest animal." The child seemed fearful then from the Doctor's words.

"Am I going to die?" Toby questioned, coughing in hacks as he shook from the pain in his chest. Wanda smiled and gave him a hug around the shoulders.

"Of course not. You're going to be just fine. I promise," she replied warmly, winking in reassurance. She stood up, shooting the Doctor as look that said 'way to go,' while he shrugged, realizing his mistake in not discussing this quietly with the others.

"I don't understand. Wanda, are you sick?" Amy asked the Time Lady in a whisper when the blonde walked over to her, Rory, and the Doctor. The pirates stay over on the other side of the room, seeming to discuss over with Avery about what to do, and even questioning the Captain about his son. Toby remained where he was, coughing and shivering from the clear fever he was suffering from.

"No, I'm not sick like Toby," Wanda whispered, keeping her tone quiet as she did not wish the pirates to overhear what she would be telling Amy and Rory.

"Then what's wrong?" Rory questioned the Time Lady, now back to normal as the effects from the Siren song had worn off for him. He went into nurse mode, wanting to quickly check up on Wanda in case there was something severely wrong. Amy and he both looked skeptically at the Doctor, who surprised them by not seeming all that worried over Wanda at all. Normally, he would be frantic, constantly checking over his love. Now, however, the Time Lord simply held an arm around the blonde's waist, smiling affectionately as both held small grins at the companions.

"Actually, this might be a good time . . . to ask you both something," Wanda began hesitantly. Seeing the raised brows of Amy and Rory, she glanced in uncertainty at the Doctor. _Should I ask them?_

 _Ask them what?_ the Doctor replied curiously. When Wanda explained to him what she wanted to do, he beamed and nodded enthusiastically. _That's a marvelous idea! I was actually thinking the same thing earlier._ Wanda smiled eagerly, turning her attention back to the perplexed companions.

"Well, we were both wondering if you two . . . would like to become godparents," Wanda suggested, giving big hopeful eyes to the two. Amy and Rory sort of blinked in unison for a second. Their minds trying to process what Wanda had just said.

"Huh?" Rory replied, at a loss for words.

"W-what? You're joking," Amy stuttered in a laugh. Seeing the elated, yet serious faces of the Time Lords, Amy's light smile vanished as her eyes widened. "Oh, my god, you're not joking." Rory was still at a loss, not seeming to let his mind come to a logical conclusion.

"Godparents for who?" he asked. The Doctor grinned while Wanda smiled and patted her stomach. Rory's went as wide as Amy's. "No way. Seriously? You're seriously telling us . . . How did that happen?"

"'How did that happen'? Really, Rory? How do you think, stupid?" Amy scoffed while slapping her husband in the chest. "And you call yourself a nurse?"

"I know _how_ , it's just . . . I mean . . . What?" Rory responded. "Since when?"

"Since three months ago . . . for Wanda, that is," the Doctor explained, hugging his love close to his side.

"Three months, two weeks, five days," Wanda added, smiling as brightly as ever. Together, Rory and Amy glanced down at the Time Lady's stomach, expecting to see the all clear signs of being pregnant for three months. But she appeared the same as ever. Skinny and small in appearance compared to the way the Doctor's tweed blazer covered her.

"But you don't look—," Rory began to point out but was interrupted when Avery stomped over to the group.

"We've had enough time chatting," the Captain said gruffly to them. "We need to get off this ship. We need to get to your ship, Doctor." The Time Lord nodded in agreement, kissing Wanda briefly on the forehead before stepping away from her as he and Avery came up with a plan to get to the TARDIS, bringing it back to save everyone else. The Captain walked up to his sick son, placing a silver medallion around the boy's neck as a symbol of lucky and caring.

"Wait with the boy," instructed Avery to his crew before turning to the door of the room.

"Keep Wanda safe," the Doctor ordered the two companions, pointing a firm finger at the three of them. Before either Amy or Rory could say anything more, the Captain and Time Lord were gone, leaving the other last two crew members of the ship to close the door and barricade it with different barrels in the room. Amy and Rory scooted closer to the blonde girl sitting in the corner of the room on the floor, watching as she smiled merrily, having her legs straight out from her and tapping the tips of her shoes together lightly as she wiggled her legs back and forth.

"So . . . you're really—," Amy began to question, keeping her tone hushed so that only the trio would hear.

"Pregnant? Yes, I am," Wanda answered in a quiet tone as well, grinning in delight. "It's a girl, by the way. If you're wondering."

"Isn't it a little soon to know the sex already?" asked Rory, following the girl's whispers, curious as to how she found out. But then he had to remind himself of the advanced technology of the TARDIS. "Right, the TARDIS figured it out, didn't it?" The Time Lady nodded, smiling away as bright as ever. It seemed to hit the two companions just then of what exactly this meant. For both Time Lords. Amy smiled as well, dropping down to give Wanda a hug.

"Congrats," Amy said, holding Wanda by the arms after the hug. "I really can't believe it. I mean . . . I'd never really pictured something like this would ever happen. But I guess this means the Doctor and you both get the family you've always wanted."

"We do have a wonderful family already," countered Wanda. But she smiled softly, rubbing at her stomach. "But now . . . we have another addition to the family. A spark lighting a new future for the Doctor and I." Her eyes grew warm as she thought over what Ten kept saying during their weeks together. Always fondly calling the growing child 'their future.' Their future to come together in a family that he has been wanting to have together for so long now. Signifying their bond, their love, and in showing that only an entirety together awaited them. Suddenly, Wanda's mind sparked as she beamed with an idea. "Oh! I just got a brilliant idea for a name. But you'll both have to wait on what it is till later." She winked at them, giggling at the loss looks on their faces.

"I don't understand, though," Rory spoke up, still needing a few questions answered. "You don't look like you're . . . you know. And why would you want _us_ to be godparents?"

"One: the Doctor and I will answer that later once we've gone somewhere . . . more private." Wanda glanced over at the two other pirates in the room. She figured they probably already heard everything they had been saying in the small room they shared. So she did not wish to freak them out in explaining what exactly her ring did. Or to make them all assume she was some kind of 'witch' or something. Superstitions did run very high during this age. "As for you being godparents, was it even really a surprise? You're both the Doctor's and my best mates. Why wouldn't we ask for you to be closer for our child? Plus, you two are the best parents in the whole universe. Perfect for being there for our child. If you want to, of course."

"Of course we do, it's just . . .," Amy suddenly frowned after trying to gratefully accept such an honour, realizing what Wanda had said. "'Best parents in the whole universe'? We're not parents, Wanda. . . Right?" Amy immediately appeared nervous at the thought of being an unexpected parent while Rory simply seemed surprised.

"No, no . . . Not yet, anyway," Wanda responded, giving them both a sly wink. There was a humourous giggle by Wanda as both companions either appeared alarmed by this or just plain lost in what the Time Lady was indicating to. In the end, both Amy and Rory seemed to dismiss this, believing it was Wanda being silly as usual.

"So, the Siren marked you because you're pregnant?" Amy wondered aloud. "Why would she do that?"

"Well, those who are carrying a child are seen as the weakest link in groups," Wanda remarked thoughtfully. "Animals like to take down the pregnant ones for easy prey. Though, in other times, in many cultures, young mothers are seen as the ones who need the most protection. The ones who need the greatest _medical_ care." She gave them a side look, hoping they would get her hint. But neither one seemed fazed as each seemed to merely assume the Siren was out to kill. Sighing, Wanda glanced up from where she was sitting, seeing the other pirates in the room beginning to get rid of the barricade from the door. Amy and Rory noticed as well.

"What's going on?" Amy asked the men.

"We're not staying here to molly-coddle the boy," the boatswain told them with a strict voice, shooting side looks at the coughing Toby and sitting Wanda. "The Captain's gone soft. It's time for us to leave." Toby, who had been close to falling asleep from exhaustion in his body fighting off high fever, jerked out of his light daze, standing up to face the pirates angrily.

"He told you to wait, you dog," the boy barked at the boatswain. "He's your Captain, a naval officer. You're honour-bound to do as he tells you." The boatswain sneered at the boy.

"'Honour-bound'? Do you know what kind of ship this is? Do you know what your father does?" the man retorted at the boy. "We sail under the black flag, the Jolly Roger." With eyes going wide, utterly stunned beyond belief, Toby narrowed his eyes as anger bubbled in him.

"Liar! He's not a wicked pirate!" the boy shouted, starting to go towards the men to confront them head-on. But he was halted when a strong, firm hand grabbed his shoulder. He glanced up, seeing the blonde girl standing stiffly by him as she held a strange mystical, piercing gaze at the men by the door.

"Leave them, Toby," she said steadily. "If they want to get caught by the Siren, then let them. It's their funeral either way." The boatswain sneered at her as well before both him and the other man, Mulligan, left the room in a hurry. Her grip on the boy's shoulder tightened as she felt him trying to protest and go after the men, refusing to let him go.

"Is it true? Is my father really a pirate?" Toby asked the blonde girl as soon as the men were gone. Seeing how upset the boy truly was by this new information on his father's work in life, Wanda felt sympathy for the boy and wished she could assure him otherwise. But sometimes, the truth was the better than lies.

"No, of course not. Don't listen to them," Amy tried lying to the boy.

"Yes, he is a pirate," Wanda told him. Rory and Amy shot the Time Lady looks of alarmed disbelief.

"Wanda," Amy hissed out in a breath, "you can't tell him that."

"What, you want me to lie to his face and let him live in a world of dishonesty?" Wanda replied, rolling her eyes as she could not believe, after so long with travelling through time and space, the companions still wished to pretend the harshness of the world does not exist. Or to keep others from realizing these unforgiving truths. Crouching down to make herself move level with Toby, she held a kind smile for the boy, hoping to ease his woes in learning of the reality of his father's life.

"Toby, I know that your father isn't exactly what you wanted him to be all your life." She paused, thinking over the right words. "Sometimes . . . people lose their way. Sometimes they become or turn into something they did not intend to be, or they just . . . don't know what else to do. They're simply so . . . lost." Pausing again, she hummed in thought before smiling and patting the boy on the shoulder, letting go. "Just be there for him when he falls, brush him off, and remind him that he has something far more important than gold."

"What's that?" Toby asked her curiously, finding it odd that some strange woman who barely knew him seemed so willing to try and comfort him.

"You, of course," Wanda replied, sending him a cheery wink. The door of the armoury suddenly flew open, showing Avery and the Doctor running inside. Each appearing panicked as the Time Lord rushed towards Toby, grabbing the silver medallion off of the boy and began to rapidly breathe on it, fogging up the reflective surface. Giving the Captain a thumbs up, the two rushed off again, leaving them behind like nothing had happened.

Rory was the one to speak up first. "Uh . . . what? What was that all about?"

"It's not water the Siren teleports from," Wanda explained to the confused humans. "It's reflection. She comes through any reflections. Which I'm guessing they discovered when Mulligan and the boatswain were taken by the Siren. Tsk. Told them they were going to get caught by her if they left here. But does anyone ever listen to me? Nope!" She sat down with a huff onto a crate, waiting patiently for when the Doctor and Avery would arrive again after smashing all the windows, mirrors, and dumping the treasure into the ocean, keeping all reflections away from the ship at all costs.

"So . . . what do we do, then?" Rory asked the Time Lady. "What happened to getting the TARDIS? Did something happen?"

"The TARDIS left," Wanda explained to them. "She got confused on which plain of transport she needed to be in and ended up materializing away before the Doctor could stop her. So . . . we're kind of stuck here until anything else happens."

"We're just going to wait here? Doing nothing?" Amy scoffed, not wanting to be on the ship any longer than they had to be.

"Nothing more we can do, unless you want to swim all the way to land. Or we could just let the nice doctor lady finally take us in like she wants to," Wanda offered, holding a smirk as she stared pointedly at them. The Doctor and Avery came back into the room, distracting Amy and Rory before they could question Wanda on what she meant about her last comment. The Time Lord ended up explaining the same thing Wanda had, assuring all that soon things would change and they would get out of this situation. Once the winds picked up again, that is.

Eventually, as the hours wore on, Amy and Rory curled up together on the floor, falling sleep in each other's arms. Toby sat with his back against a barrel, seeming to try and stay awake, but he kept nodding off. When seeing the boy shivering, his face flushed from the fever, Wanda got up from the floor, taking off the Doctor's tweed blazer that she still had on her and gently placed it around Toby. The boy jerked awake at the sensation of someone placing something on him. Glancing up briefly before snuggling into the warm jacket, he sent the blonde a smile in thanks. Wanda smiled, nodding and going back over to sit on the floor. Though not before patting Toby's head gently as a gesture of comfort for his sickness. The jacket seemed to help the boy for he fell asleep in mere seconds afterward.

"Aren't you cold without a jacket?"

Wanda glanced up, smiling as the Doctor came over and sat beside her. Immediately, he placed an arm around her, pulling her close to him while she snuggled into his side. He even shifted, allowing her to sit directly on his lap as he looped his arms around her, keeping her right up to his chest. They both cuddled each other, holding warm smiles on their faces as they always did when being able to hold the other so close.

"I'm fine. Toby needed it more," she told him quietly, trying to keep her voice down, not wishing to wake the boy or the companions. She smirked, flicking the pirate hat on the Doctor's head affectionately. "You're still wearing the hat."

He smirked, tilting the hat slightly towards her. "I like the hat. I think it makes me look silly." They both snickered, leaning their foreheads tenderly against each other. He sighed as he thumbed her cheek absently. "You know . . . I really miss being able to do this at times. When your younger selves are around and I can't . . . I can't hold them like I want to." His hold around her tightened. "I can't kiss them as I please." He pressed his mouth deeply against her own, causing them both to let out a groan in pleasure. "And I can't say 'I love you, Wanderer. Oh, how much I love everything about you.' It's hard sometimes. It's hard holding myself back."

"I know. I'm sorry," she whispered, gripping his hand. Her eyes stared at him tenderly, kissing him softly.

"It's not all bad. I get to fall in love with you all over again. Being with Young Wanda and Sexy Wanda . . . I can't help but fall for them both. And then, I get to be their best mate, their role model, their companion. I get to start from the very beginning, experiencing new relations between us every day. It's exciting." He grinned like an elated schoolboy, making Wanda giggle at his statement.

"I could say the same thing. I get to go to the past, be there with Nine: My best mate. Ten: my best mate and my lover. And then you: my best mate, my lover, and my husband. Now, also, father of our child." She giggled as he beamed proudly, kissing her rapidly all over her face before finishing with a searing kiss to her lips. She hummed in delight, bringing up a hand to caress his face. However, he suddenly caught it, halting in his loving gestures as his eyes hardened upon seeing the black spot on her palm.

"I swear, on my life, I won't let her take you," he growled as though faced with the Siren at that moment. Ready to fight her off. Wanda rolled her eyes as she smiled lightly.

"Yeah, well . . . what if I want her to take me?" she responded cheekily. She patted his hand in reassurance. "Theta, there's a storm coming soon, and I'm going to have to be taken by her. We all are if we want to survive through this. But I promise you, we will be all right. For today, everyone lives." Motioning over her chest, she crossed over both hearts. "Cross my hearts."

"Are you certain?" he asked, hesitant to believe something such as this would be fine. That _she_ would be fine. He wanted to stick with his instincts on being aggressively protective of her. To not even let her out of his sight. To lock her up somewhere, where they could hide away from the universe. A perfect spot to protect her and their unborn child. But . . . he knew that she would not let anything happen to herself or the babe, either. She would not go anywhere where their child's life would be threatened. If she said she would be okay, that they would all be all right, . . . then he needed to trust her. He did always trust her, of course. It was simply . . . hard fighting against his natural, fatherly instincts of a Time Lord. To fight against his desperate longing for a family to have with the love of his life.

"All right. If you say so," he finally gave in unwillingly. He kissed her forehead again, smiling tenderly as she began to yawn, sleepily rubbing at her eyes. "Get some rest. I'll wake you if anything changes." She nodded, smiling as he shifted to lay her down. He scooted a very large white cloth over, bunching it up like a pillow on one end and laying it across her with the rest. That way she would at least be somewhat comfortable.

"Love you," he whispered into her ear.

"Love you, too," she replied softly, smiling as she drifted into slumber.

XxXxXxXx

Welp, that was the end of the first chapter update. I hope everyone enjoyed it and will like the second one just as much. :) If you wish to, please leave a review in what you thought of the chapters. As always, each time I get to hear from you lovely readers, it just makes my day all the better. :D

Reviewers:

 **Authora97** : Woo! I'm just so happy to see how much you enjoyed it. :D I'm so sorry that your day was bad, though glad to hear that the last chapter made it feel just a little bit better. Thank you for always giving the story such wonderful support. You're the best! :)

 **swimmjacket** : I'm just so overjoyed that you liked it so much! Agreed, it was very cute. :) Nah, the ring really is merely there for the baby. There's nothing that can be done about Alpha, really. Just Eleven in this new chapter, but Nine just might be around the corner. ;) Will also have to wait for other reveals for Wanda and the baby. But I will say that eventually everyone knows about the little babe. Thank you! I really hope that I can keep bringing you and all others such joy with the story. :)

 **Momochan77** : haha I feel the same way. They are just too cute sometimes. ;) Nine, huh? Might be seeing him sooner than you think. ;) Thank you! I'm feeling much better. I think the flu has finally passed. Thank goodness I can actually breathe again. haha. See you next time!

 **HowFunny** : Yay! I'm glad that made you so happy. :D haha You could still totally do it. And I bet you could definitely do it better than what I could ever do. :) Thank you so much! Hope you'll continue to enjoy it throughout the rest to come. Take care!

 **Victoria** : Oh no! I'm so sorry you cried. Don't worry, I promise we will get a nice goodbye with all companions. Including Donna for sure. But I'm glad that you had some laughter there with the Doctor's reaction. :) Eleven thought of everything when it came to Wanda's pregnancy. He doesn't want a repeat of Amy for one thing. And for the next, he's just very protective. Hmm, funny you should mention Nine. ;)It really helps making timelines to keep track of things. It was the very first thing I made before the story began. Yep, exactly why he acted that way. The Lodger and Closing Time will exactly be adventures in passing. Won't actually be in the story, but will be mentioned. Unfortunately, did not see for them to be in the story. Perhaps an outtake story or something in the future. :) In chapter 13 was actually where Wanda explained that to the Doctor. Though it was not something outright stated, more again just in passing or implied. Sorry if it was not conveyed good enough. :( Again, I could always put it in later in an extra story or something. Hope that helps! Can't wait to see what you think of the new chapters!

 **All The Stories Are True 24601** : Aww, I'm so glad you liked it that much. :) I'm always so nervous with every chapter I post. I know I'm being silly about it. So happy to hear that your life it going so great! Oh man, if those are anything like the SATs here in the U.S., then I wish you the best of luck. Keeping my fingers crossed for you! I feel silly, but I've actually never heard of Agatha Christie until I watched the show. Where I grew up, our library was very small and very limited. But I've been meaning to finally read all her stories soon. I really hope you had a great time at the play and had a wonderful birthday! My birthday is actually this Tuesday. So yay for both birthdays! Nah, no worries, I never strain myself. :) Until next time!

 **QuirkyKim** : XD I'm squealing, too! So excited to see what you think of the rest!

 **X-Lisa-Anne-X** : You're very welcome! Thank you so much for leaving such a wonderful review!

 **LegandsOfTime** : haha I've been there before. It's so hard holding in the laughs sometimes. So glad you enjoyed it!

 **SakuraRcoa** : I hope I can. :) So happy that you're enjoying the story so much. I really hope your enjoyment continues! Well, the ending is still up in the air, so no idea on that. Sorry. :( Can't wait to see what you think of the rest to come!

 **N7SpaceHamster** : Oh yes, much better now. :) Hope you will always have perfect health. I will always respond to all reviews. Yours included! Yeah, my own mother said she did not realize she was pregnant with me until she started to show at four months in. Happens more often than people realize, I think. So glad you liked all of that. I was worried many would be angry with just how much I changed it. But glad to see it was not the case. :) Yep! Time Lords can most definitely go into a coma by their own choosing. They mostly do it to help themselves heal or protect themselves from dying. There's a whole bunch of things Time Lords can do with their bodies and minds. If you ever get interested, you should definitely look up Time Lord anatomy and physiology. You'll be surprised in all that they can do. :) Good theories on Aleena. I will say, as a sneak peek, she is definitely very connected with the companions. But spoilers for now on the rest. Oh, yes, definitely feels like a lifetime ago for Wanda. I love continuity, so I will always try to do it as much as I can. One of my favorites, too. It just had to be that exact moment I think. lol ;) Well, it was either that reaction or a faint, haha. Though, as he explained with how Time Lords are when having children, I think it came as more than a shock to him as he explained that he would have felt it almost right away once the baby began to develop. Oh, my gosh, if Nine ever found out I know for certain he would faint. XD Just a chapter of sweetness. So happy you enjoyed it all. :) Hope to see you again in the next time! Take care!

 **bored411** : Agreed. Very sweet, but also dreading that day. Hope you liked the new chapter just as much as the last. :D Hmm, well, unfortunately, no Twelve for pregnant Wanda in this trilogy. Hope that's okay. :( But I agree, I think it would be very cute as well. :)

 **Ruby Slippers** : So glad you liked it! :D

 **alwaystherereading** : Welp, here's another two chapter for you. ;) Hope you liked it just as much as the last! Ten and his 'what's haha. They are also very cute, too. They have a more small wedding. Sort of off-screen. Maybe I'll do a chapter on it in an extra moment or something. Hmm, funny you mentioned Jack. ;) Welp, until next time!

 **Whovianeverlark17** : He is most certainly very adorable when being overprotective. ;) Agreed, very cute! I think Eleven would probably bubblewrap the whole place if he could. haha.

 **Vivi** : Hmm, maybe. Good theory. Guess we'll just have to find out for later. Hope your day/night is going good!

 **ramble-on-melody** : Hello! It's so good to see you again! I hope the story was just as good for a re-read as it was the first time. :) I'm just so happy that you're still enjoying the story so much after all this time. Nah, you're the one who is absolutely fantastic! Until next time and have a wonderful day/night! Take care!

 **deadflowerseverymorning** : Yeah, the website has been messing up lately with updates and reviews. Let's hope things will be fixed for now on. Fingers crossed! I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter, though. :) Oh yes, she will most certainly do her damndest to keep that promise. Thank you so much for reviewing! It always means so much to me. :) It helps writing in advance so that way I have time to edit over chapters later to update. Always works out that way. Can't wait to see you again in the future!

 **NerdWithAPencil** : He is very excited. Oh? I think you might be onto something there. ;) Might be even revealed in the next chapter after this one. Can't wait to see what you think of the rest. Looking forward to seeing from you again!

 **V** : Aww, thank you so much! Truthfully, I haven't even been paying attention to how many reviews there has been. That's so awesome though! Thank you again! You deserve even more than me in happiness and joy! :D

Thank you everyone for giving so much support to the story! I was so happy to notice 900 reviews for the story now! It brought a few tears to my eyes in seeing just how much everyone has been enjoying the story. You all are absolutely the best! Can't wait to see you in the next chapter. :)

~Tinker~


	41. Ch 41: Singing Doctor

Well, onto the second chapter for the day!

XxXxXxXx

Chapter 41: Singing Doctor

A crash of thunder sounded, startling Wanda awake. She sat up with a jolt, blinking away the hazy from her eyes as the ship groaned, rocking in the wake of a raging storm outside. The barrels around her tumbled and rolled around within the room, and she found shockingly that she was all alone. Immediately, she realized the Doctor must have left her asleep, hoping to keep her away from the dangerous storm and the Siren. Growing frustrated, she stood up, wobbling out of the room as quick as possible to get up on deck to help the others in battling the storm. She was _not_ simply going to sit back while everyone else was in danger from the fuming waters outside.

It took only seconds for her to be drenched from the howling rain on deck. She tried seeing where everyone was through the dense downpour. From what she could tell, Avery was shouting orders to everyone while Toby was trying to gather up a few things for his father. The Doctor (who had back on his tweed blazer) was either hoisting up sails or steering the ship the best he could, trying to keep things steady for everyone. While the two companions (Rory and Amy) were raising up the rest of the sails where Avery pointed them to. Wanda immediately went to the two companions, needing to get to Rory before anything else.

"Wanda! You're supposed to be downstairs!" Amy shouted over the roaring winds and waves as both she and Rory were shocked to see her up on deck. The Doctor had said she was meant to stay put down there. For safety, of course. Which both companions had agreed upon in knowing that a dangerous storm would be no place for her. But Wanda merely rolled her eyes, ignoring as both companions were beginning to scold her for being up there with them.

"Look, I just need to do something before anything else," she told them, yelling over the winds as well. She grabbed a nearby loose rope, tying it around a beam on the ship before wrapping it around Rory's waist, keeping him locked onto the ship.

"Can I ask _why_ you're tying me up?" the man questioned her, very much at a loss on what she was doing.

"Keeping you safe," Wanda replied, pointing a stern finger at him when he tried getting the rope off. "Don't touch it. Amy, watch him like a hawk. Don't let him go anywhere until the Doctor says so." Before either companion could ask what the blonde meant, she turned and walked away, going back towards the hull of the ship. That took care of Rory drowning. Now all she needed to do was—

Over the raging storm. Over the howling winds, crashing waves, and a downpour of rain, there was a loud clang. The sound of metal of some kind made a noise across the wooden deck, making everyone turn their attention on where the sound was coming from. The storm slowed down somewhat as even it too held its breath, watching the large golden crown with jewels roll down the deck where Toby had dropped it. Where it had fallen out of Avery's coat, the place he had hidden it in hopes of keeping at least one piece of gold. His greed outweighing the need to protect his son and others from the Siren's curse. Then, when the crown came to a stop, it bumped right into a pair mary jane shoes.

The Doctor at the ship's wheel tensed as he saw the golden crown rest at Wanda's feet. His eyes went wide, dreading in her being there. He had left her down below in hopes of protecting her. And now . . . Wanda looked up slowly, seeing how everyone stared at her, eyes yelling in warning, as the portal to the Siren sat right at her feet. Jerking away from the ship's wheel, the Doctor began hurriedly moving towards her the moment the Siren flew out of the crown. The green mist woman hovered right in front of the Time Lady, holding out a hand to the blonde. Wanda smiled, in a daze as she reached her hand out as well.

"WANDA, NO!" the Doctor shouted a second too late as the Time Lady already touched the singing Siren, disappearing in a cloud of black smoke, not even screaming like all the others had when vanishing. He stood stock still after that. Feeling the air leave him as all he could do was stare at the Siren in horror. The creature had taken Wanda away. Taken away his wife . . . right before his eyes.

The next second, before the Time Lord realized it, Toby was gone as well. Yelling after he too touched the Siren's extended hand. Shaking himself out of his daze, the Doctor ran forward, snatching the golden crown off from the deck and throwing it with everything out to the raging waters around them. The Siren vanished in an instant, unable to stay where there were no mirrors of her to come from. In the corner of his eye, he saw Amy keeping Rory in line as he had been affected by the Siren's song once more. Luckily, the rope around the man's waist helped keep him close by. Then, on the deck, crouched down in mourning, was Avery. The man repeated 'sorry' over and over again as he knew he had been the cause of his son to be captured by the Siren. The storm within the Doctor raged even greater than the howling downpour around them. He was beyond furious as he stomped right over to Avery, jerking the man up by his shirt as the Oncoming Storm bared down upon the man in full fury.

"You couldn't give up the gold, could you?! That's why you turned pirate!" bellowed the furious Doctor. "Your commission! Your wife! Your son! And now, my wife! You've killed them all because of your damn greed! You pathetic human, giving into wanting something as useless as gold!" All the while of him roaring at Avery, he shook the Captain in his rage. He only stopped when he felt a hand grab his shoulder and jerk him away from the human.

"Doctor, you have to stop!" Amy pleaded to the Time Lord, afraid that he was going to kill Avery in the fury he showed. But she was merely pushed away as the Doctor stomped around her, going over to a barrel that was tied down to the ship. He knew what was inside. Still water. Nature's mirror. Just what he needed now. Staring at the wooden lid of the barrel for a moment, he reached into his tweed pocket, pulling out a sharp object. Without hesitating, he jabbed the object into his palm, making himself bleed. In an instant, the black spot appeared, marking him for the Siren.

"Doctor, what are you doing?" Amy asked quickly, going up to him and stopping him as he began trying to open the barrel.

"What do you think? I'm getting Wanda back," he answered gruffly.

"You can't do that! The Siren will kill you," Amy exclaimed, horrified that he was going to end his life. Just like that.

"No, she won't," the Doctor told her, shaking his head. "She's intelligent. I've seen that. I can reason with her. And, maybe, just maybe, not only Wanda, but everyone else is still alive somewhere. Wanda did promise they would be, after all. She said everything would be fine, so I need to trust her."

"But what if she's wrong? What if she's dead, Doctor?" Amy felt her breath catch when seeing the look the Doctor gave her. The deadpan gaze of a man who was completely set on following after his love. Whether that be in life or death, he would do anything to be with his Wanderer again.

"Then, I'll be happy either way," the Doctor said, his tone solemn and bleak as he turned back to the barrel. Only for Amy to halt him from opening it once more.

"Wait," she said, going over to Rory, untying him from the rope. She dragged him over next to the Time Lord, noticing Avery coming up to them as well. She held out her hand to the Doctor with full determination. "I'm going, too. If Wanda says everything will be fine, then I trust her."

Seeing the dead set expression, he knew there would be no arguing with the ginger. She was going to find her friend, her Wanderer, too. Avery came up, holding out his hand as well, wanting to go after his son, to right his wrongs. The Doctor gave each quick pricks as well, making them bleed and the black marks to appear. Then, he yanked the lid off the water barrel, releasing the Siren.

The green glowing woman flew into the air, singing her song as she floated back down towards them all. She held out her hand, inviting them in to take hold. The singing dulled their minds, making it impossible for any to fight against the haunting, yet soothing voice. All four of them held out their hands, ready to be taken away to somewhere wondrous as the song promised to them all. The Doctor smiled dreamily, not really seeing the dark-haired, green glowing woman before him. Instead, all he envisioned was Wanda. With her ash-blonde hair blowing around her bare shoulders, wearing a flowing white gown with long sleeves. Smiling at him in return with such warmth and kindness as she held her hand out to him. Ready to love him for all of space and time. And in reaching forward, he gladly excepted her love. All the more willing to embrace her forever.

The cold bit of the sterile floor underneath him is what eventually aroused him. His eyes snapped open and he jerked his head up slightly from the floor. Noting the dark surroundings of a run-down spaceship he had been brought to. He let out a breath, feeling at ease in knowing that he was still alive. If he was alive, then this meant Wanda would be, too. The one, most important, factor of this day. That, and getting everyone else out fine as well. But at the moment, all he could care was finding his wife. He shifted on the place he had been laid, trying to ignore the discomfort in the effects of the Siren slowly wearing off, his mind trying to rid of the fog her song had caused, and that his soaked clothes hung heavy on him still.

"Where are we?" he heard Amy groan next to him on the floor. He glanced over, seeing that both her, Rory, and Avery were slowly waking up. At the moment, the Doctor could really care less where _they_ were. All he wanted to figure out was where Wanda was. But he knew he did not need to rush things. Rushing things always led to disaster. Not only that, but Wanda did promise she would be all right after all. He glanced out a ways from them, surprised to see the large windows showing them the still stormy night outside. A perfect view from Avery's ship, right on the deck itself.

"We haven't moved. We're in exactly the same place as before," he stated as he stood up from the floor.

"We're on a ghost ship," Avery said in awe, believing them to be dead.

"No, it's real," the Doctor assured the superstitious man. "A spaceship trapped in a temporal rift."

"What are there two ships doing in the same place?" questioned Rory.

"How can they be in the same place?" added Amy.

"Not the same. Two planes, two worlds," the Doctor explained, eyes searching around the edges of the window, realizing where they had crossed over to. Another dimension entirely. "Two cars parked in the same place. There are lots of different universes nested inside each other. Now and again, they collide. And you can step from one to the other." The companions nodded behind the Time Lord, seeming to get it while Avery merely appeared even more lost than before. Nothing like this ever being a possibility to a 17th-century man.

"I think we get it . . . Sort of," Rory said to the Doctor.

"Good, 'cause it's not like that at all, but if that helps . . .," the Doctor mumbled to them, shrugging as he knew the explanation he had given them was a very dumbed down version. Nothing like what was truly occurring at all. Both companions rolled their eyes while the Time Lord stepped up closer to the windows. "All the reflections have suddenly become gateways." To prove this theory, the Doctor took off the pirate hat from his head, throwing it through the large window. It flew through, landing on the rain-soaked wooden deck of Avery's ship. "Ever look in a mirror and think you're seeing a whole other world? Well, this time, it's not an illusion."

Their attention was caught when they finally heard a distant dull beep of an alarm. Leading the way, the Doctor walked them out over where the sound was coming from. Knowing this must be the distress call the TARDIS had picked up. Then, they heard another sound, echoing distantly down the ship. The Siren's song, singing soothingly as always, as though rocking a child into slumber. It was a relief to all when they realized the song no longer affected their minds as it had. Apparently, the Siren no longer felt the need for them to be affected since she already had them.

Pressing a button alongside a door, he and the others jumped back in shock when seeing the skeleton of an alien just on the other side. The skeleton was strange, appearing as though the creature had been some kind of humanoid rodent. Assuring everyone the creature had long passed, the Doctor continued to lead the way. Exploring deeper into the ship in search for clues and for others who might be on the ship. They needed up in the control room to the ship. The cabin where the pilot would have been, with the windows showing right inside of Avery's quarters. Scanning the skeleton of the pilot in the ship, it was noted that all of the alien life forms had been killed off simply through normal Earth bacteria. A human virus, to be exact, making it so the spaceship had been long since lost, such in this position for quite a while.

Seeing all he needed to, there was a quick motion made by the Doctor as he was anxious in finding where Wanda might be. She had to not be far. The Siren must have stored her and the others somewhere on this ship. He went through many doors, becoming more and more hurried as he went with the others trying to keep in step with him. Eventually, they came into a very large, sterile room. Monitor beeping filled the room with sound, playing a melody along with the Siren's voice. Dozens of men were seen lying down on hovering beds with tubes going directing to their throats, wrapped tightly around by a silver metal band. Each man had his shirt taken off for placement of another band wrapped around their middles, seeming to monitor internal interworking of their organs.

Far down the room, in a different bed than the rest, was Wanda. The Doctor felt his hearts soar with relief, immediately running down the way to be right next to her. He pulled out his sonic swiftly, scanning her over to make certain she was indeed fine. In seeing she was in perfect health, he glanced over her. The Siren had placed the same large tube on the Time Lady's neck, and had laid the blonde on a much more cushioned bed, as though trying to keep the blonde girl as comfortable as possible. Then, Wanda's clothes had been removed, replaced with a white, sterile hospital gown. A special picture monitor was placed right over her stomach, showing the black and white image of the three, almost four month growing baby inside of her. It seemed that not only was the Siren making certain that Wanda was in good health, but the unborn baby as well. Both were in good hands.

He beamed, overjoyed in seeing she was all right in the end. Just as she had promised him. He leaned down, kissing her forehead as he sighed in relief. He glanced over when Avery found Toby, beginning to try and remove the tubing from his son. The Doctor gave quick order to stop, still needing to do scans and see what exactly the Siren was doing to everyone. It was still strange on the circumstances, whether they be perfectly healthy or not. Why was the Siren doing all of this?

"What's she done to Wanda?" Rory asked the Doctor as he and Amy came over to stand beside the sleeping Time Lady, looking her over in concern just as the Time Lord was. Frowning for a moment, seeming to notice a tray of strange, thin, black boxes not too far from the beds, the Doctor walked over and grabbed one. Bringing it back over to Wanda, he pulled up her hand, comparing the small round slice of skin within the box and the black spot on her palm. Both perfectly matched.

"It's a tissue sample," he mumbled as his mind began to race. "Her mind is synaptic, but all its cellular activity is suspended. She, and everyone else, has been placed into life support."

"But why?" Amy quizzed, confused on what a hunter would keep their prey alive. What was the Siren getting at with all of this?

"What good does a tissue sample do?" wondered Rory as he stared at the skin sample in the black box. The companions jumped when the Doctor suddenly exclaimed loudly, slapping himself on the forehead.

"I'm am so _thick_!" he yelled at himself. "Wanda had said it earlier and I didn't pay attention."

"What did she say?" questioned Rory.

"She called the Siren the 'singing doctor,'" explained the Doctor as he reached down to unhook the strap around Wanda's neck. "It makes perfect sense. Why else would everyone be placed on life support? She was targeting the sick, not because she wanted to kill them, but to _heal_ them. She must have been lost after her crew had died, not knowing what else to do. So she changed to match that of humans and to take care of any she came across. She became a human doctor for humans. Ohh! She is good."

"Doctor!" Amy and Rory shouted together to get the Time Lord's attention. Over his rambles, they had tried getting him to notice the rapid beeping on Wanda's bed, which had alerted the Siren. The green woman was heard singing, coming closer and closer to the sick bay.

The Doctor jerked his head up to attention, staring at the Siren who had arrived into the room. She stared at them all for a second, seeming to assess what they were doing in the room. Then, when she saw the Doctor's hand on the tubing around Wanda's neck, she appeared to realize that he was messing with her patient. She screeched loudly in a hiss, turning from green to blood red as she stormed over to them. As if yelling at them to leave the pregnant Time Lady alone. The Doctor hurriedly held up a hand as if to stop her.

"Wait, wait, wait! I know you're a doctor!" he yelled hurriedly. He backed away from Wanda's bed when seeing the Siren still stormed over angrily towards them. "Amy, Rory, Avery, back up. Get away from any of the tables."

They did just that, keeping themselves far enough away from any of the patient beds, showing the Siren they meant no harm. The red disappeared, making the virtual doctor appear green again, though she continued to walk closer to them. Standing beside Wanda's bed, she fixed the alarm, making it so the Time Lady stayed in stasis. Then she gazed back at them and seemed to be wonder what to do with them. Stepping up towards her, the Doctor glanced down at his Wanderer, trying to think on what might work to allow him to take her away. Then, it came to him.

"She's my wife," he said suddenly, pleading to the virtual doctor. "Please, she's my wife. You may be virtual, but I know you're intelligent. You can't do anything without my consent." Seeing the doctor still staring blankly at him, he swiftly pulled the ring out from under his shirt, showing her the golden chain holding his marriage ban. "Look. See, look. We're married. Come on, a sophisticated girl like you, that must be somewhere in your core program." Still, he received no answer or even indication from the Siren that she understood him. He became desperate now in begging for the Siren to let him be with his wife. "Please. That's my wife, carrying my child. You can take a DNA sample for proof for all I care! Just, please, give her back to me. She's all I have."

With breath wavering, the two hearts within his chest clenched in fear as he saw still the green doctor made no move to give up Wanda anytime soon. Then, with her head tilting slightly, the Siren lifted her hand, palm up, as a large ring of golden light formed around her extended hand. Inviting him to take his Wanderer back for care. He immediately placed his hand through the ring, knowing it was some kind of consent form, signing it to release Wanda into his care. In a blink, the Siren was gone, no longer needed as a doctor here. The Time Lord then swiftly turned to his wife, turning off the machine keeping her asleep, unplugging the tube from around her neck, and pushing away the monitor for her stomach. Wanda awoke with a gasp, snapping her eyes open as the stasis was deactivated.

"Doctor!" she exclaimed in a panic. He hurriedly took hold of her hand, smiling down in reassurance.

"It's all right. I'm here," he said gently.

"But where's Rory? Is Rory all right?" Wanda asked hurriedly, still looking panicked, missing the Doctor's confused pout as her eyes shifted around wildly for the male companion. "He was going to drown! Did he still drown?"

"I was going to drown? Since when?" Rory spoke up, confused on what Wanda was talking about.

"Is that why she tied you up?" Amy wondered, looking at her husband as if understanding now on why the Time Lady had acted so strangely on the ship before. Wanda glanced up, smiling when seeing both companions were fine.

"Oh, good, you're both okay. Good," she said, earning smiles from each of them. Each of them touched to know that she cared so much about them. Wanda laid her head back down with a sigh, looking up at her husband with a bright smile. "You're okay, too, right sweetie?"

"Of course," the Doctor replied, leaning down to kiss her forehead tenderly. "Just don't scare me like that again."

"I make no promises," Wanda responded cheekily, sticking out her tongue slyly. She sat up on the medical bed, swinging her legs over on the side as she faced her three family members. Still holding her cheeky grin, she glanced down at the gown she was wearing. "You know, this sort of gives me an idea we can do later, Doctor. We could play a game of 'doctor and patient.'" She snorted and giggled as Amy scoffed and hit her on the back of the head while the two males appeared stunned by this comment.

"Cheeky!" Amy exclaimed at the Time Lady, though holding a similar smirk as she found such a remark coming from the Time Lady to be hilarious. Wanda glanced over to Avery, who was not paying attention to any of them, only keeping his attention over his sleeping son.

"So . . . time to teach Avery on how to pilot the ship, yeah?" she suggested to the Doctor and companions. The Time Lord, glancing at Avery as well, smiled in agreement, holding out his hand to his wife, who gladly excepted with entwining their fingers together.

XxXxXxXx

After teaching Avery on the basic flying of the alien ship, assuring the man that Toby would eventually heal from his Typhoid fever, and waking the rest of the pirate crew, explaining to them what was going on (which surprisingly they all took the idea of aliens and space rather well), the Doctor lead his time travelling family back to the TARDIS. The old girl had been parked in the sick bay, awaiting the happy return of her Thief and Honey. Wanda skipped up to the console once they were all inside, happy to have all her clothes back on after managing to find where the Siren had stored them. Even the maroon overcoat had been placed on the spaceship by the virtual doctor for safe keeping. Though Wanda did stay barefoot as she just loved the feeling of the freedom from shoes. Instead, she kept her mary janes in hand, spinning around as she took in the wonderful sight of Eleven's control room. She always did love the bright and warm colours of the room's design.

"So, I was going to die . . . again?" Rory asked, still wondering over the whole 'drowning' revelation.

"Don't think about the 'what ifs.' Just focus on the fact that you're okay," Wanda said to the companion, sitting down on the captain's chair as she kicked her legs out merrily.

"Wanda's right. You're not drowning, dry as a bone, and now, going on another adventure in space and time," the Doctor stated with a flourish as he jumping around the console, sending them off through the Vortex. The ship around them rocked slightly as it travelled, though neither Amy or Rory looked up to the task of another long day in running and worrying for their lives. Seeing this, Wanda got up from the chair, turning a few knobs and switches to make the TARDIS halt in a small solar system, merely drifting now.

"Actually, Doctor, I think we could all use a nice break for a bit," she told the excitable Time Lord.

"I agree," Amy said with a sigh of relief. Ready to go relax somewhere comfy in the TARDIS. Rory nodded, thinking the very same thing. The Doctor pouted, only wanting to continue in exploring around, but conceded as he knew Wanda might need the rest as well.

"Oh, all right," sighed the Time Lord as he stretched and walked over to Wanda, looping an arm around her waist as he pulled her close to his side. "I guess we could all have a rest. Get some sleep, Ponds."

"We will, but first—," Rory began.

"—you two need to explain more on this pregnancy coming up," Amy finished, waving her finger at the two Time Lords. "What's going to happen? What's the plan for the baby?"

"How is it you don't look like your pregnant? What sort of medical care do you need? Is it going to be some kind of weird alien birth?" Rory began babbling along with Amy in questions.

Both companions rambled on in some many questions that the Doctor and Wanda merely stood there blinking, uncertain on where to begin in explaining everything. After both Time Lords gave each other a brief glance and a shrug, Wanda pulled off the marriage necklace, allowing them all to see her changing body. The companions grew silent as they took in the showing bump on Wanda's stomach. Not so big, but an indication enough of the growing child within and of her being over three months along. The Doctor could not help himself when feeling the connection of their bond snap back perfect with the perception filter gone, and in seeing the growing belly of Wanda's. He immediately brought her up against his chest, allowing her to lean back on him as he ran both hands over her stomach. Nuzzling his nose into her neck, basking in the warmth of their bond. Not even paying the slightest attention of Wanda explaining on how the ring hid her pregnancy. He only came back into focus of their conversation when Amy started asking questions again.

"So the ring hides the baby? But what if the Doctor needs to scan you for something else? Won't the Doctor of the past get suspicious if his sonic goes haywire every time he scans you?" Amy asked Wanda, very curious on how the Time Lords planned things out for the expecting arrival. "And if the pregnancy is hidden from everyone, how was the Siren able to sense it?"

"I, or rather past me, can scan Wanda normally for anything else," explained the Doctor. "But if she's scanned for looking internally, specifically if any past Doctor's become curious on why she's sick or rubs at her stomach, he—I—won't be able to detect anything. True, it did make me more suspicious in the past on why that was. But, being thick, I just shrugged it off at the time. Now, I know better." He smirked as he kissed Wanda's cheek, hugging her tighter as he closed his eyes, sighing in content. Then, his face fell into a heavy frown. "As for the Siren . . . perhaps she had better medical scans than what I had anticipated for when I made the ring. Hmm. I might have to do some recalibrations later to fix that from happening again."

"Well, I mean, she is a holographic ship doctor from another universe which crossed into ours. She could just have medical scan technology that isn't in this universe," Wanda offered in thought. The Doctor hummed once more, pulling up her necklace to inspect her ring in his ponderings.

"Either way, I'm not taking any chances. No scans from this universe or the next will get you next time," the Doctor said, full in determination to protect his Wanderer and his child. He smiled again, rubbing at Wanda's stomach as if reassuring his daughter within that she would indeed always be protected. Wanda held a fond expression as she leaned her head against his, enjoying the content feeling between them.

Amy and Rory nodded, seeming to understand now. Though they each glanced at each other warily when seeing how happy and content the Doctor and Wanda looked. Each remembering what had happened by Lake Silencio. Judging by seeing Third Wanda, they both knew that it meant the Time Lady turned out all right in the end. But the Doctor? The companions felt uncertain, wishing they could do something to help the Time Lord, the future father, in being alive for his future child. But what could they do? They glanced at Wanda, noticing how the Time Lady stared evenly at them. She shook her head slowly, holding up a finger to her lips as if telling them they must be quiet about what was to come for her husband. Then, she smiled in reassurance, winking as if saying 'don't worry, everything will be all right, I promise.'

"So!" the Doctor exclaimed suddenly, snapping the silent three's attention back onto him. "There's quite a lot I have to debrief you lot on now that you know. Things we all need to begin planning." Moving away from Wanda, he bounced over to the companions, digging through this tweed blazer. He pulled out a large book, handing it to Rory. "Start reading up now, Rory. I need a nurse for Wanda and the baby for the later trimester. Also to help watch out for signs of any complications. Amy, you can help with that as well, and for planning on things we might need. River can help too if she wants."

"You think we should baby proof the TARDIS? I mean, time travel isn't exactly the safest place for a baby," Amy spoke up in high sarcasm, though with a strong hint of being serious about this thought as well.

"What sort of signs should I be looking for?" Rory mumbled as he began flipping through the book the Doctor gave him. The trio all started talking at once, babbling away on this and that. Mostly involving how much protection they needed for the Time Lady. Still standing by the far railing, Wanda rolled her eyes, finding their rambling plans to be both charming and annoying.

"Oi, are you lot planning on bubble wrapping me as well?" she said loudly, making them stop short in their conversation. "I'm not made out of chinaware you know. I _can_ take care of myself."

"With your habit of getting captured or hurt? As if," Amy scoffed, rolling her eyes playfully as well. Wanda huffed, crossing her arms as she pouted and stuck her tongue at them all. The trio laughed at her antics.

Wanda merely rolled her eyes again before straightening in her posture. "So . . . I have an idea on a name."

The Doctor and companions perked up, with the Time Lord replying first, "Oh?"

"Yeah, um . . . I was thinking," Wanda began to say, tugging on her hair behind her back, "it was sort of a random thought. Since she's our little spark, the spark of our future," she smiled as she placed a gentle hand on her stomach, staring up hopefully at the Doctor, "I thought maybe . . . we could call her 'Ember.' Like a glowing light for our family." There was brief silence as the others took in Wanda's suggestion. She stared at them in uncertainty, worrying that the name might be silly and that they would not like it. But upon seeing the Doctor's warm smile and glowing demeanour, she knew she had chosen correctly.

"That's a perfect name," he assured his wife, coming over to wrap his arms around the short blonde and kiss her forehead tenderly.

"Is it perfect because you truly like it? Or is it more of it has been a name that's already been decided?" Wanda asked him quietly.

"Spoilers," he chuckled, winking slyly at her.

"'Ember.' I like it," Amy commented, nodding in approval to the name. "Just imagine if she turned out to be ginger."

"Well, I don't think she will, given that neither Wanda or the Doctor are," Rory stated.

"Actually, she could be ginger," countered the Doctor, shaking his head. "For Time Lords, outwardly appearances don't always match up with the parents'. Since there's fluctuations with regenerations and all. It's more of personality and the mind that is genetically aligned and passed down. Ember could turn out to be ginger, or blonde, or brunette, or could even have a different skin tone than us." Wanda could not help but smile when hearing the Doctor already using their daughter's name so easily. It rang so nicely hearing it spoken as though Ember were already there with them in the TARDIS, ready to be a part of the family and to travel through time and space.

"I still can't believe you're pregnant," Rory spoke up, nodding his head towards Wanda. "Completely unexpected."

"We should have seen it coming from all the 'swimming' activities," Amy muttered quietly into her husband's ear. The Doctor rolled his eyes while Wanda moved out of his hold, starting to heads towards the corridor, ready for bed. However, she smiled slyly when a sudden comment came to mind. A certain 'adult joke' that she remembered in a movie she had watched with Amy and Rory not too long ago. A movie they had showed her trying to help her understand the whole 'relationships' aspect to life. Even if, in the end, the two companions realized it might not have been exactly the best movie to watch, it had still been a fun moment in seeing the embarrassment from Rory and Amy in watching that sort of movie together with the Time Lady. Wanda turned back around, grinning cheekily as she knew she wanted to bring up that embarrassment once again.

"Well, what can I say? The Doctor has _great_ _aim_ ," she stated, winking at them. She burst out laughing at the blushed stuttering each companion went through. They stared at her in pure disbelief, unbelieving that she had really referenced _that_ joke from the idiotic movie from long ago.

"I . . . I don't get it," the Doctor spoke up, looking at the two companions with great confusion. Amy and Rory glanced at each other, still blushing. Clearing her throat, Amy walked up to the Time Lord, whispering a reply into his ear. The Doctor's face went bright red as he choked on the air he had been inhaling. His mouth gaped open in shock as he looked back at his wife. "Wanderer, that's—what?! That's just . . . dirty!" Wanda merely responded by cackling in laughter while she continued walking away down the corridor. He ended up smacking a hand of embarrassment over his face, while Amy and Rory could not help but chuckle at the Time Lord.

"Just think, wouldn't it be hilarious of First Wanda ever made a joke like that?" Amy commented.

"Yeah, that'll be the day," Rory scoffed, shaking his head.

XxXxXxXx

So, that's the end of that. If anyone is wondering about the 'dirty' joke, I will just say this now I will not be saying where it comes from. Too embarrassed to admit I watched that old movie. If anyone knows, great. If not, I'm sorry. Just use your imagination on what it means. I'm sure you all can think of a lot of things with that. ;) Haha. Anyway. Until next time everyone!

~Tinker~


	42. Ch 42: Are You My Mummy?

Hey, readers!

Just wanted to make a quick note that there have been some weird glitches that have been happening to the site recently. Many people have said that they are not getting the updates to chapters, and there has also been a big issue with the reviews lately, too. So if anyone notices these issues, please contact me through a PM so that way I can make a note of it and perhaps send a request into the site's help support. If anyone would also like to send messages to the site's tech support, that would also help for the more people who voice concerns, the more chances of us getting them to fix these issues. :)

Anywho, I hope everyone enjoys this new chapter! Hopefully no big issues happen this time around for you guys.

XxXxXxXx

Chapter 42: Are You My Mummy?

The crisp night air settled through the brick alleyway. Every so often a brisk wind swept through, making the old tarps hanging along the brick walls flutter. Crates and piles of random objects laid around, making the place look as though many had left abandoned in a haste. The only bright and colourful object in the alley was that of the blue police call box. The TARDIS herself, looking ever so beautiful. A white light appeared right beside the old girl, revealing Wanda. The light slowly disappeared as the Time Lady took in her surroundings while patting an affectionate hand onto the ship.

"Where am I this time, old girl?" Wanda asked softly in cheer, smiling brightly at the ship. She received a gentle song in reply, which she tried her best to sing a tune back. She was getting better at communicating this way to the TARDIS. Soon she might be able to sing fully with Sexy, allowing it so the old girl would no longer be the last one to sing away the sorrows.

"Mummy!"

Wanda stiffened when hearing the eerie child's voice. The word being almost sung out in a way. Peaking around the TARDIS, she saw the figure of a small little boy standing on the rooftop above wearing an old war gas mask. Oh. So it was _that_ adventure, was it?

"Okay, hang on, don't move," she heard the voice of Rose Tyler from up above as well. Though she did not see the companion, she knew the girl would be trying to reach the boy. Then, at that moment, sirens began wailing through the night. Oh no, not good. She stiffened when hearing the cry of alarm from Rose. The next second, she saw the companion, holding onto a rope attached to a London, second World War, barrage balloon, floating away from the rooftop. Going higher and higher into the air as the wind carried her off.

"Girlie! What the heck are you doing?!" Wanda shouted at Rose, running down the alleyway, following after the balloon and companion. Rose whipped her eyes towards the ground, surprised to see the short blonde jogging down the street (in bellbottoms and a green tie-dyed tunic no less) right under her, following along with the barrage balloon's path.

"Wanda! Help!" call out the companion in panic as she floated even higher into the air, getting far away from both the Time Lady and the ground. Wanda sped up in her pace, trying to keep up with the floating companion. It was harder running, considering the extra weight she was carrying along now. However, through whatever exhaustion, she would keep up, making certain Rose would be all right. It had been so long since she had seen Rose. Last time had been . . . had been . . . _that_ horrid day. It was still hard for Wanda to get over what had happened. Even if it already was meant to be. Even knowing that Rose was happy in Pete's world with Fred. It still . . . hurt so much in knowing her best friend was gone. Just like with River though, Wanda would make certain that every moment was amazing.

Wanda sped up as she heard distant bombs and the hum of German planes overhead. The war cry of the Blitz. Her dread kicked in at full height. It did not help seeing the streets of London so bare and lifeless, either. It only made her more fearful for the hanging companion above her. She continued to keep up with the girl the best she could. Moving deeper and deeper into the Blitz as she followed after Rose. Fires were every from the bombs raining down. The explosions grew louder, rocking the ground under her feet. Every time she heard a plane buzz overhead, she ducked under a crumbled building, hidden from sight until the plane left. She would then run as quickly as she could to catch up with Rose a fast as possible. Soon, Wanda was near St. Paul's and the Thames, getting closer to where she knew a certain Captain would be watching the dangling Rose.

A bomb went off in a fiery blaze just a few feet in front of her down the road. She jumped, falling onto her back from the shock wave the bomb gave. Staring up wide-eyed at the sky, she felt her breath catch as she saw Rose lose her grip on the rope of the balloon, screaming as the girl fell.

"NO!" Wanda shouted, getting back up to her feet in horror. Then, a moment after she yelled, a strange beam shot out near Big Ben, halting Rose's fall. A swirling light field, the tractor beam, that twirled around Rose's suspended body, keeping her from plummeting to her doom. Wanda let out a breath of relief, knowing it was a certain Captain coming to the rescue. She could kiss him in gratitude for saving Rose. Though, since this was early Captain Jack Harkness, he might take that the wrong way.

"Okay, okay, I've got you!" Wanda heard Jack speak over the com system of the ship he was currently in by Big Ben. Though it was not as loud for her as it would be for Rose who was still high in the air, far above the Time Lady.

Wanda picked up in pace as she saw Rose being sucked down the light field and into the invisible ship by the clock tower. She knew she needed to get to Jack, or else she might end up meeting a bad end with a German bomb if she continued to be in the heart of the air raid. Though it was difficult getting close under to where she knew Jack's ship was as there was much debris from buildings and fires from bombs all around her. The eerie sounds of the planes overhead only kept her going in wanting to hurry out of the dangerous situation. That, and the stress of worrying over whether or not she would be blown up could not be good for Ember.

Eventually, she managed to get close under where she suspected the cloaked ship would be. Now, the only question left was: How was she going to convince Jack to let her on board? They were not exactly friends just yet, so there would be no open arms of glee in seeing each other. He was in the middle of a scam, so he would be wary of anyone seen as a time traveller. Especially after what the time agency from his time had done to him. So . . . she would just have a play to his charm. Should be easy enough. Picking up a stray rock (more like a piece of concrete from a building), it weighed heavily in her hand as she judged where the ship should be, aimed, and threw the heavyweight up into the air. She missed the first time. But when she threw another, it made a loud clang in midair and she could see a ripple effect of where the ship would be. Bingo. Grabbing another chunk of rock from the ground, she made certain to aim at the same spot, hitting the hovering ship with another loud clang.

"Hey, who's hitting my ship?" came the voice of Jack from a speaker, sounding off loudly in the night air. "I swear if you leave any dents—."

"Then you'll have me buy you dinner," Wanda finished for him, cupping hands around her mouth to project her voice as loud as she could. She held a large smirk, knowing that she had gotten what he was going to say, which must have surprised him by the silence that followed. Then, a bright light lit over her, pointed right at her direction. She smiled and waved, bouncing giddily on her feet in excitement. Meeting a companion for the 'first' time was always the best.

"Dinner, and a dance through the night," added Jack in his very smexy voice. Wanda giggled, nodding in agreement.

"Oh, yes, a wild dance party! On the ceiling with bubbles and disco lights! And a bottle of hypervodka for you, of course," she exclaimed merrily, waving her hands in the air and doing a funny jig. Just like she had done with Eleven at Amy and Rory's wedding. She heard Jack chuckling in amusement over the speaker. Most likely finding her behaviour odd but likable. Then, he went to business with his voice being much more curt.

"All right, so, you know how I like my drinks. Do we know each other?" he asked her curiously, sounding intrigued by her presence.

"Not yet, but we will," Wanda replied, winking at the air again where she knew he would be watching her. "You could say that you're my Smexy Time Agent. But, I also can just call you Captain Jack Harkness, if you'd prefer that for the time being, since this is our first meeting and all. Don't want to make you uncomfortable. Unless, you want to be." She smirked, chuckling under her breath as she knew Jack must be very much interested in her now in the way she flirted back. Not many did so with him. At least, not during the first time meeting him.

Jack's voice went back to his usual flirtatious tone. "Right, uncomfortable can most definitely be fun. Especially with the right handcuffs." There was a pause as Jack seemed to snap himself back out of flirt mod and into his curt demeanour once again. "Okay, who are you? What do you want? And how is it that we know each other?"

She put on a serious demeanour herself, getting back on track and to the point. Best save the best flirting for later. "Well, for starters, you have someone I care about with you. I mean, thanks for saving her. I'm truly grateful. But I'd like to get up there and make sure that she's simply passed out from a bit of scrambled mind from a tractor beam and isn't injured seriously anywhere else. You did place her on a nice bed for resting, yeah? I swear if you just left her on the floor I'm so gonna—." She took in a breath, realizing she started rambling rapidly again. Gotta get to the point with Jack. "Anyway, as for the rest of your questions, just bring me on board already. I'm tired of shouting. It's making my throat hoarse."

The light around her disappeared, sending her into darkness. She blinked, trying to let her eyes adjust again in the night as spots danced around her vision from the sudden loss of light. Then, the light reappeared, this time being that of a tractor beam. She smiled as she was lifted up off the ground, floating towards the ship. The next thing she knew, she was inside with Jack sitting in the pilot's seat, watching her carefully as she steadied herself on her feet. The inside of the ship was dark, with only a few lights coming from different panels and the floor. It was a grunge mess for the most part, with bronze-coloured metal for the ship's design, and wires hanging all over the place.

"Thanks," she said, smiling and giving him a thumbs up, shrugging off the effects of the tractor beam. She immediately saw Rose sleeping on a nearby bunk, curled up peacefully in her sleep. Wanda went over to her in an instant, pulling out her sonic as she checked over the girl. Finding everything to be all right, save for the rope burns on the girl's hands, Wanda nodded as she placed her sonic back into her trouser pocket. "All right. Everything seems to be in order. She'll be up again in a little while. So," she clapped her hands together, facing Jack with a bright smile, "where were we?"

"You were about to tell me exactly who you are," Jack told her, keeping things curt again. She saw how he had his hand resting close to his hip. Close to where his gun was. Right, he was on defense. Might as well get to the point, then.

"I'm the Wanderer. Though friends call me Wanda for short," she explained politely. "And my friend here, the one you saved, she's Rose Tyler. A companion and best mate of mine."

"Did the Time Agency send you?" Jack quizzed her, his voice having a steeled edge when saying the accursed agency that had ruined his life.

"No, I would never work for them," Wanda replied, also having a curt voice when referring to the agency. "Besides, my way of time travel is much safer. Mine's a sports car in comparison, really." She smirked proudly when thinking of the TARDIS. The old girl was leagues above any Vortex manipulator.

Jack seemed more eased, believing her statement as he always had a way of knowing when others were lying. That, and he had his ship's computer doing a scan that would beep in letting him know if she did lie. "Okay. So, tell me, how do we know each, then?"

"We're meeting each other now, aren't we?" Wanda smirked cheekily, walking up and shaking his hand in enthusiasm. "Hello, Jack Harkness. Nice to meet you."

"Likewise?" Jack frowned, confused on how bubbly the blonde was acting. "It's not exactly us first meeting if we've already met."

"It's the first time for you meeting me." Wanda stepped back after shaking his hand. "But for me, I've already met you over seventy years ago."

"Seventy years?"

"As in seventy years for me. Not timewise, my time. I'm currently . . ." She paused in saying her age, knowing that she was still uncertain what it truly was. She still remembered vaguely of the Doctor showing her a scan of her 'actual' age. But . . . what had the sonic say of her 'real' age again? She could not recall. Shaking her head, she decided to bypass that. "Well, let's just say I'm very old. Older than you. You're practically a child in comparison. And yes, I know I don't look my age."

Jack raised a brow, looking her up and down in disbelief. But he smirked nonetheless. "Looking good for your age, then. I'd like to know your secret."

"I change faces." She waved a hand over her face, making a silly expression. "This is my third face, so far. Had two others before. Not as fun as current me, but they know how to have a few good laughs every once and a while."

". . . Changing-faces?" Jack merely stared at her, seeming at a loss and beginning to believe her as mad.

Wanda smirked, rocking on her feet in clear ease and giddiness. "Yep, do that as a way to cheat death. It's a, ah, special ability of my . . . species, I guess you could say. My husband can do it, too. But don't tell him that he's my husband. He doesn't know yet." Placing a finger to her lips, she winked as she giggled at the clear flabbergasted expression Jack was giving her.

"Okay . . . I think the tractor beam messed with your head a little bit too much."

"Doesn't matter what you think. It's true. I don't ever lie to friends."

"But we're not friends."

"Not yet. Not in this moment." She shrugged, seeing how he still stared at her warily. "We are in the future, though. Quite close, I think, from the way you act around me."

Jack folded his arm, leaning back in his chair as he observed Wanda evenly. "How close is close?"

Humming, Wanda rocked on her feet again as she stared up towards the roof of the ship. "Well . . . I know you're Captain Jack Harkness, though that isn't your real name as you took that name after the real Captain Jack Harkness died in an air battle. Note on that: You will be meeting him again, make sure to make his night joyful, he deserves it. Moving onwards, I know that the Time Agency stole two years of your life that you're currently working to earn back. You spent five years in a two-week loop with a former lover, John Hart. Also note: watch out for him, it's going to be a doozy that day. Oh, and back on Boeshane, you were known as the Face of Boe for being the first from there to be a Time Agent. I know I'm missing a few things, but those would be spoilers for you if I said them right now. So, best not." Glancing back down at him, she beamed as she saw his blue eyes staring wide at her, completely at a loss for words. A first for him, she supposed.

He shook his head, seeming to snap himself out of it as he now looked her up and down with keen interest. Even giving his famous smirk. "We . . . know each other that well?"

"Well, truth be told, most of that is a cheat on my part. See, I've already known this information up front from my old universe where you were a character from a show. In fact, this whole universe was nothing more than a show. So, it's not _really_ that I know you well. It's more of I just know things in advanced."

"All right, now I know you're pulling my leg. No one can travel between the universes."

Wanda smiled, raising a brow. "Wanna bet?" Still, he looked skeptical and unbelieving, so she ended up shrugging. "Believe what you want. In the end, you'll see the truth for yourself. Trust me."

"What I'm more concerned about is that you know almost everything about me, yet I know nothing of you. So, how can I trust you?" He gave her a pointed look, making her see to reason on why he, seeing her as nothing more than a strange, should ever trust her.

"Ah. Right. Um . . ." Bringing a hand to her chin, her mind pondered over on how she could begin to break the barriers between them, earning his trust and friendship. She thought over everything that she could possibly do or say, but nothing seemed as equal value to what she knew about him. So . . . she would have to confine a deep secret with him. Not really a secret, but more of something that if it were to be known too soon by a certain Time Lord, then it could cause disaster. Nodding, she knew exactly what she could tell him. If there was anyone she could trust, it would be Jack Harkness. He knew how to keep secrets and spoilers safe just as well as River. Really, both were held in a similar light in Wanda's hearts. How could she ever _not_ trust both Jack and River?

"All right, then. I'm going to reveal something very important, very precious to you. For I trust you dearly. Almost right up there with my husband and sister," she said slowly, carefully, trying to make him understand the gravity of this secret she was about to reveal. Jack tensed slightly but held a firm face as he watched Wanda reach down her shirt, pulling out the hidden necklace with a key attached and an unnoticed silver ring. "You can't tell anyone this. At least not until I say you can."

". . . Okay," Jack replied, though sounding wary. As though he dreaded what kind of secret this was going to be.

"I mean it, Jack. You must _never_ tell a soul unless I say so. Not even myself. The consequences on time could be catastrophic," Wanda warned him. He straightened in his seat, demeanour changing to serious and deadest.

"I swear, I won't tell a soul," he stated with absolute resolve.

"All right." Wanda nodded as she pulled off the necklace.

Instantly, Jack's eyes widened dramatically as he saw the swift change of the blonde in front of him. One minute, she was a thin girl, then the next she had a rather swollen belly, clearly in the middle of her pregnancy. She still wore the same clothing, but they appeared to be made much looser for her form than what he had seen before which shaped her curves in a slim fashion. She smiled lightly, looking hopeful for some sort of comfort or welcoming in her pregnancy from Jack. He sat there in stunned silence for a moment longer before shaking his head and clearing his throat.

"Well . . . can't say I was expecting _that_ ," he finally said. He looked her up and down, inspecting her form before giving her a cheeky smile. "What, are you worried no one will think you look good with a bun in the oven? 'Cause I think you're gorgeous no matter what."

"Oh, shut it," Wanda chuckled, shaking her head in amusement. "I can't tell anyone because no one can know about the little arrival." She patted her stomach affectionately but then gave him a sharp look. "If they knew, it would be dangerous. For both my sake and my child's. Understand?"

"Yeah, sure, but how can you hide something like _that_?" He waved his hand up and down, indicating at her change of form. "How were you able to do that?"

Wanda held up the necklace, allowing him to observe it. "Perception filter, camouflage matrix, misdirection circuit, and a lot of other little technical designs. Keeps all peering eyes away from me until it's time for my baby to be born." Placing back on the necklace, she appeared to change again to Jack. Going back to her thin form as she stood there with a hand on her hip and smiling at him. "Makes it so my little, ah, growing situation, goes unseen and unnoticed by all."

"And you're hiding that you're pregnant because . . . ?"

"Because, as I said, there would be consequences if the wrong person found out at the wrong time."

"Sounds complicated." Drumming his fingers on the chair's armrests for a moment, he finally shrugged with a smile. "All right, well, as I said, your secret is safe with me. No one is going to find out that your pregnant from these lips."

"You're _what_?!"

Wanda turned sharply around, facing a now very awake Rose Tyler who had just stood up from the bed. The companion stared wide-eyed at the Time Lady with mouth gaped open in pure shock. Slowly, Wanda turned back around, her left eye twitching like mad as she stared down a sheepish Captain Jack.

". . . Starting now," he stated, a small laugh heard in his voice.

"Harkness," Wanda growled out in a warning, her face turning red in her growing anger. She clenched her fists, storming forward towards Jack as he chuckled in uncertainty, standing up to make it so at least he had height over the furious blonde.

"You know, you're cute when you get all angry like that," he said, trying to distract the blonde with another conversation. Still, Wanda did not look amused as she gritted her teeth together, placed her hands on her hips, and glared at Jack. He chuckled lightly again, before beaming and snapping his fingers. "Tinkerbell! I kept thinking you reminded me of someone, and now I know what. It matches you perfectly. Just look at you: short, blonde, cute, wears green—."

"Jack," Wanda said in a low growl, her temper only rising.

"—your face is even red like hers when you get adorably angry! You're a perfect Tinkerbell." He laughed for a moment before being abruptly cut off when she punched him harshly in the arm.

"Jack Harkness, you are in _big_ trouble! I told you to keep it a secret and what do you go and do?! I can't believe you!"

"I thought she knew already, so, when I saw her getting up, I assumed that it wouldn't matter what we were talking about," he argued in defense, rubbing at his arm from the pain.

"Well, she didn't, but _now_ she does. Ugh." Wanda pinched the bridge of her nose, letting out an exasperated breath. Turning around slowly, she held a nervous smile as Rose continued to stare at her in disbelief. "Rose, girlie, how are you feeling?"

"You're pregnant and you weren't going to tell me?" Rose stated, sounding very offended by Wanda, her best mate, wanting to keep such a secret from her. "What, you don't trust me or something?"

"No, no, of course I trust you," Wanda assured the girl, though holding a guilty expression. "I just . . . don't trust you with secrets." Rose scoffed, while Wanda held up her hands in defense. "The last time I told you to keep a secret from the Doctor, you ended up telling him not even an hour later because you said you felt guilty if you didn't tell him."

Rose huffed, crossing her arms. "That was for a surprise present. I'm bad at keeping surprise secrets. But if it was this important . . . Why can't I tell him? Doesn't he have the right to know that you're . . . you know." She waved a hand up and down Wanda's direction, blushing as the companion suddenly felt uncomfortable thinking about the Time Lady being pregnant with . . . Rose bit her lip, suddenly feeling uncertain. "Who's the father?"

Wanda sighed, giving Rose a pointed yet guilty look. "Who do you think?" She watched as there was a slow drop in Rose's face. A sudden sad demeanour taking over as the companion seemed at a loss for words. And upon seeing Rose's sad face, Wanda felt old guilt burning to the surface. This had been one of the main reasons she did not wish to tell the companion. In knowing how Rose secretly held strong feelings for the Doctor, Wanda did not wish to put the girl through in seeing the signs of his love never being returned, to know that one day, he would fall for another and even start a family. Wanda never wished to have it sort of thrown into Rose's face that the Time Lady was the lover of the Time Lord. It pained her to see such a dejected expression on Rose, knowing she had caused the girl heartache.

"Rose, I'm sorry, I know that—," Wanda began to apologize, assuming Rose would be heartbroken knowing the Doctor did not return any love for her.

"Are you guys going to leave me now that you're starting a family?" asked the companion, still appearing dejected by the turn of events. "There's no real use for me now that you're having a kid. Is that why you haven't told me?"

Wanda shook her head rapidly. "No, of course not. We would _never_ kick you out just because someone new arrived in the TARDIS. You're our best friend, Rose. How could we ever leave you behind?" Reaching behind her back, she began tugging on her hair. "Actually, I really didn't want to tell you because . . . because . . ." She gave a heavy sigh, staring directly into Rose's hazel eyes. "Because I know how much you love the Doctor. I didn't want to practically rub it in your face on . . . his and my future relationship." Even though she had come to except the Doctor and Rose never getting together, Wanda still felt old guilt trickling over her as she averted her eyes from her friend's.

Rose let out an exasperated sigh, walking over to place a hand on the Time Lady's shoulder. "Wanda, I'm _fine_. I'm not going to get all . . . bent out of shape just because of you both being happy together. True, I'm a little . . . put off," she said while shrugging, "but I'm not going to mope about it, now am I?" Smiling, she ended up giving Wanda a warm hug. "I'm happy for you. Really, I am." She then held the short blonde at arm's length away, looking her up and down. "You're . . . pregnant. Well, this . . . this was unexpected. Never pictured this coming." She let out a small, uncertain laugh, still reeling over the news.

Her mind reeled again when Wanda pulled off the perception necklace, showing the companion the clear signs of her being in the fifth month of her pregnancy. After Wanda explained what the necklace did, hiding the baby away and everything, Rose simply shook her head, trying to wrap her mind around the situation.

"I can't believe it," she finally said. Then, she frowned in an afterthought. "But why do you want to hide it?"

"Think about it. Could you imagine the Doctor finding out about this," Wanda waved at her protruding belly, "before we've even kissed? Especially with his temper? And just think of all those enemies out there who would just _love_ to get their hands on the Doctor's child. No, it's best I just always keep this thing on." She slipped back on the necklace, appearing as thin and tiny as ever once more.

"I guess that makes sense," Rose agreed, shrugging half-heartedly as she still felt uncertain by the whole situation. But, in the end, she smiled as she felt so happy for Wanda and the Doctor. She remembered how often the Doctor would speak of family, hinting at his own loss and possibly wanting another. Though that dream always seemed so far away to him, in seeing what Wanda was carrying, Rose knew the Time Lord would finally have his wish. He would finally have his family, his dream come true. Shaking her head to clear her wandering thoughts, Rose frowned again. "Wait . . . so, I get that I can't tell him, or any versions of you for that matter, but how can I tell when you _are_ pregnant? Do I just guess or . . ."

"Just ask me: Do you have the ring? I'll get what you mean if it's the right me, and I'll say 'yes,'" Wanda said, glancing back at the quiet Jack who had simply been standing there observing the two girls. "That goes for you, too, Smexy. Don't say anything but that. Got it?"

"Uh, right," he nodded, understanding what she meant. His earlier flirtatious smile appeared, demeanour changing as he walked up to Rose. "Now that we've got all of that explained and decided, I have to say that it is a great pleasure in meeting you, Rose." He took her hand, giving it a shake while he smiled coyly. "Captain Jack Harkness, One Three Three Squadron, Royal Air Force—."

"Oh, quit lying, Smexy. You're so not a volunteer from America," Wanda scoffed, bumping the man with her hip as she grinned cheekily at him. "And even if you tried the psychic paper, it would just end up saying that you're single and work out. Which, by the way, we can most certainly tell you work out from the way girlie here keeps eyeing you and getting all flustered." Rose, who had been blushing and appearing in a tizzy since Jack shook her hand, scoffed and hit the laughing Time Lady on the arm.

"Am not!" the companion exclaimed as a wave of embarrassment washed over her. Wanda continued to giggle as Jack eyed her, suddenly realizing what her future knowledge might mean for his little . . . plan. Would the scam even work if she already knew that he was lying? He blinked when Wanda suddenly winked at him, making him wonder if perhaps she would not care about the scam or not, that she might just be playing along for the ride.

"Are you always going to call me 'Smexy'?" he asked her, cocking a sly brow as his lips twitch into a crooked smile. "'Cause a guy could get used to it. Helps with the ego."

"Well, I'll keep calling you 'Smexy' as long as you keep calling me 'Tinkerbell,'" Wanda replied, winking again as she giggled.

"Deal," Jack nodded, grinning at their agreed nicknames. Then, he got down to business once more. "Now, this other companion of yours, the Doctor, does he handle the business? Is he authorized to negotiate?"

"What makes you think that we're not?" Wanda countered, going over to Rose and placing an arm around the girl's shoulders. "We're just as capable to negotiate about that warship of yours." Wanda eyed Jack, seeing the wary expression he gave her while she kept her calm and cool behaviour.

"Warship? What warship?" Rose asked curiously.

"A Chula warship that Jack here found and parked. And now, you want to sell it to us, right?" Wanda said, smiling slyly at the man who seemed flabbergasted by how keen her foreknowledge really seemed to be. "We can negotiate a great deal with you on that ship, even better than want you originally hoped for, but first—."

"'First'?" Jack questioned, uncertain and uneasy now with this strange blonde who appeared to know so much, yet still seemed to want to go along with his scam. Why? Did she have her own scam planned, or . . . did she do this often in the future with him? Let him do his scam, helped him along, then they would take off with a laugh once it was all over?

"First, you're going to help me get Rose's hands healed," Wanda said, grabbing as gently as she could onto the companion's hands, making Rose hiss from the raw wound on both hands. She had not even noticed the injury until now. Wanda glanced back over to the Captain, trying to keep her worriment from showing, but failing as when it came to her friends (especially Rose) in pain. She could not help but let her eyes shine with fear for Rose. "Please."

In the end, those emerald eyes got to Jack as they seemed so desperate to help her friend, even over a simple rope burn injury. He could not help but feel the need to help the short blonde feel more at ease by helping her friend. So, he reached over to the main controls on the ship, activating the nanogenes in the air of the ship. The nanogenes were sent the message to cluster around the nearest open wound. Which so happened to be Rose's raw palms. The subatomic robots glowed a soft yellow light as they worked their magic, circling around the blonde's hands while they did a quick patch and repair to the damaged skin. Leaving in a flash, disappearing into nothing in the air once more when having completed their task in as little as a few seconds. Rose stared at her healed hands in amazement, blown away by such quick healing done to her hands.

"Nanogenes. Brilliant, aren't they?" Wanda commented merrily, glad to see her friend patched up and no longer in pain. "Now," she clapped her hands, turning to Jack with a bright smile, "time to get to that ship, yes? It goes up in a bomb in about two hours, so we best find our companion to make that deal for you."

"How did you know about . . .," Jack paused upon seeing the cheeky smile on Wanda's face. "Right. Future knowledge. Okay, well if we need your companion for a full deal, then we better find him."

"And how are we going to do that?" Rose questioned him.

"Easy," Jack replied as he began fiddling with the Vortex manipulator on his wrist. "I'll do a scan for alien tech." He turned around, going back over to the pilot seat as he began the search for the Doctor.

Rose grinned as she leaned closer to Wanda, whispering into the Time Lady's ear, "Finally, a _professional_."

Wanda snorted slightly, replying in return, "Professional only when he _wants_ to be. Besides, I like how the Doctor handles things. It's much more fun and entertaining." It was a few short minutes later that Jack turned back around, grinning as his manipulator beeped.

"Got him," he stated, ready to get on track. He walked up to both of the girls, holding out an arm to each of them. "So, are you ladies ready for departure?" Wanda happily linked her arm with his, while Rose did the same, blushing from being in close contact with him. She just could not stop her heart from fluttering around this man. Gosh, was he gorgeous. If he was not taken, then she would _definitely_ ask him on a date. Maybe for a dance, too. She watched him as he began pressing a few buttons on the device on his wrist. Then, the next thing she knew, her body gave a nasty jerk and lurch as it felt as though everything was squeezing her from all sides. Nausea hit her in waves as a blinding flash of light blinded her one second, and the next she was stumbling into Wanda who caught her.

"Careful," Wanda said gently to Rose, holding onto the companion. "Time travel without a capsule is never fun."

"What was that?" Rose asked, trying to shake off the painful headache she had received. She looked over at Jack, seeing him smile in apology as he held up his wrist.

"Vortex manipulator. Parting gift of the Time Agency," he explained. "Sorry, should have warned you about the side effects if you've never used one before. Wanda did mention you both had other means of traveling around. I'd love to see how you manage that."

"I'm telling you, sports car," Wanda replied, giving him a sly wink before looking around the dark building they had arrived at. The whole place looked empty and abandoned. With some white beds placed out in the halls, and what appeared to be a doctor's coat hanging on a hook beside a door down the way. She recognized the halls of the Albion Hospital. The place where the mystery case of Jamie, Nancy's 'brother,' had started. By now she knew the Doctor would have met Nancy, seen where the Chula 'warship' would have landed, and had met Dr. Constantine with all those different patients. That meant things were about to get interesting for them.

"Where's the Doctor?" Rose asked as she took in their surroundings as well. Jack flipped up his wrist, glancing at the device he had on.

"According to my scans, he should be on the floor above us," he told them.

"Then we best go look for him," Wanda said with a skip in her step as she started down the hall. Rose and Jack glanced at each other before walking after the short blonde.

"Wanda, I still want to know more about your, um . . . growing baby," Rose said as they made their way up some nearby stairs. "How long have you been pregnant so far?"

"Almost five months now," Wanda answered briskly. "And for more answers: Yes, it's a girl. No, we don't have a plan for when it's time just yet. And her name is Ember."

"Ember?" Rose responded, blinking upon hearing that name, frowning a moment later. "That's an odd name."

"How's it odd?" Wanda asked, pouting at Rose. She had hoped the companion would have approved of the name.

"I don't know. It just seems . . . so simple. I would have expected a name much grander, knowing how the Doctor is and all," Rose concluded, shrugging in response.

"I like it," Jack countered, grinning as he marched up the stairs alongside of Wanda. He noticed how the shorter blonde began slowing down in her walk up the stairs. Must be straining for her, carrying a baby and all. He made a mental note in helping her out when she needed it if trying to hide her pregnancy became too much. Though, he was not sure _why_ exactly he felt the need to help her. Maybe it was because she seemed to be such a close friend to him in the future? Would they be friends from this moment onward? Would she travel with him? Maybe. For now, he felt as though he should be on his guard as he did not wish to feel too comfortable with a stranger he had only just met.

They made their way into another deserted hallway. It was eerie how silent the place was, with an atmosphere of foreboding from how still the air felt. Wanda glanced around, seeing a light coming from down the hall, towards a more secluded place in the hospital. She walked briskly forward, not paying attention to whether Rose or Jack followed her along as she only wanted to get to the Doctor now. The two behind her even started to call out for the Time Lord, hoping to meet him halfway somewhere. She did not join in calling out for her husband as she sped up in pace. It had been so long since she had seen Nine. True, every time they had met it had not been the best moments between them. Especially with her current face and her First self. But it still did not mean that she missed being able to be with him. The one Doctor she never had a chance to love. However, he was the one Doctor who was her most precious friend, her best mate and companion of them all.

Coming down a narrow, small, white hall, she saw the Doctor in leather coming out of a different ward down the ways. He held a confused expression, seeming to try to shake off something unpleasant he had just witnessed. She knew it was what had happened to Dr. Constantine that had the Doctor unnerved. Upon seeing her there ahead of him, smiling away in joy in meeting up with him again, she saw the frown appear on his face. She felt a twinge go through her, hoping that they would not start going into a temperamental argument as they usually did when the Doctor was under stress and in one of his moods. But upon seeing his frown turn into a small smile, she knew he was indeed happy to see her.

"Where have you been?" he asked, sounding like he was trying to be cross but failed miserably nonetheless. He even crossed his arms as he eyed Wanda up and down in her clear sixties 'hippie' getup. "And what's with the bellbottoms?" Wanda stopped in front of him, scoffing in retort as she placed her hands on her hips.

"I like bellbottoms, thank you very much. I think they're groovy," she replied smartly.

"'Groovy'?" the Doctor snorted, shaking his head. "You gonna start going all 'flower power' on me, too?"

"That's _Mrs._ Flower Power to you," she countered crossly, pointing a stern finger at him. They both grinned before she jumped forward to give him a hug. "Oh, I missed you."

"You're always with me. Can't really miss someone you're always around and travelling with." He stood there stiffly as she hugged him. Not exactly returning the hug, but not pushing her away as he had done in the past. Now, instead of growing disgusted with her, he sort of patted her awkwardly on the back. That was one thing about Nine, he was always more than willing to give hugs to others, but never to Wanda.

"I've been with Ten and Eleven. Not you. I've missed _you_." She stepped back from him, knowing how uncomfortable her hugging made him. She suspected it was because of how . . . unknown their relationship was to him for him to be more willing to hug her. Or maybe it was just she did not hug well enough? Could be anything with him, really.

The Doctor frowned once more, surprised that she had missed _this_ version of him. He had always thought whatever future Doctors were around that she had enjoyed them more. But she really missed him? Even though they were constantly at each other throats? Huh. Must have made a better impression than he thought. He turned when he heard someone walking up to him. He expected for a moment for it to be their companion, Rose. But instead, he raised a brow when seeing a tall man with slick, black hair, blue eyes, bright smile, and clearly a soldier judging by the man's outfit. The Doctor's frown deepened as the man grabbed his hand, shaking it firmly in an introduction.

"Good evening. Hope we're not interrupting. Jack Harkness," greeted Jack as he merrily shook the Doctor's hand. "I've been hearing all about you on the way over." Raising a brow even higher, the Doctor looked skeptical at the man before glancing at Rose and Wanda.

"He's a fellow time traveller like us," Wanda explained to the Doctor, smiling away. "He's here to offer us a deal. Though, I still think we can offer you a better one, Smexy." Jack looked Wanda up and down with a cheeky grin, showing off his famous flirtatious manner.

"Maybe you can after that dance you owe me, Tinkerbell," Jack replied, winking slyly at the blonde girl before walking past the Doctor. "You did promise me, after all."

"Yep, a dinner, dance, and a bottle of hypervodka. Only the best for you, my Smexy Captain," Wanda giggled as she walked after him, going into the room after Jack. Standing there, blinking blankly, the Doctor felt confused by what had just happened. Then, his brows furrowed as he went over what Wanda had called that man.

"'Smexy'?" he grumbled, feeling a spark of . . . irritation go through him. "What was she calling him 'Smexy' for?"

"They know each other . . . sort of," Rose explained as she scooted over to stand beside the Doctor. "Though, I think it's more of Wanda knows him and he had just met her today."

"And he's calling her . . . 'Tinkerbell'? What is that even supposed to mean?" the Doctor said, his voice gruff as he stared at the door ahead of them. Rose blinked, raising a brow at the Time Lord next to her, taking in the way his face stayed in a heavy frown, set in clear disproval to the brief encounter he had just witnessed. She held a small smirk as she knew why he was grumbling. It had only been a second of flirting between Jack and Wanda, and the Doctor was already jealous? Rose snickered, shaking her head. The Doctor threw her a look of irritation.

"What? What's so funny?" he asked her in demand.

"Nothing," she replied smoothly.

"Where have you been anyway? We're in the middle of a London Blitz and you let Wanda pick up a stray?" The Doctor continued to grumble as he walked off, going back into the room with the strange patients. He did not know why he suddenly felt so . . . peeved. But it was this strange spark that went through him the moment he saw that Jack Harkness fellow. Especially when seeing the way the man eyed up his Wander—ah, his friend. Yep, him and Wanda, friends. That was it. She is not _his_ in any way. Right. Anyway. He still did not like the way that Harkness man eyed her up, as though she were some sort of prize. And had they been _flirting_? And they had nicknames for each other?

The Doctor and Rose stepped into the room, finding Jack kneeling in front of Wanda, who currently sat in the corner of the room. The Time Lady had her head tilted to the side cutely while she watched Jack rub smooth circles into her ankles as some sort of demonstration.

"And if you just put enough pressure here . . . See? No soreness at all. You can be on your feet all day and won't feel a thing," Jack finished his demonstration, grinning away at the Time Lady. Wanda nodded, seeming impressed as she flexed her ankle.

"Nice. That really does help. Thanks, Jack," she expressed in her gratitude for him helping with her sore ankles. Only five months into her pregnancy and already her flipping ankles were wearing out. What was up with that? She was just glad she had mentioned it so that Jack could help massage her muscles out.

"Anything for you, Tink," Jack replied, winking as he normally did.

"Ahem."

Wanda and Jack turned their attention over to the Doctor when he had cleared his throat loudly. They saw how the Time Lord eyed them, with arms crossed and expression set in a heavy frown of disproval. Not noticing the clear irritation the Doctor was showing, Wanda beamed and waggled her ankle at him.

"You should totally have Jack give you a massage next. It feels amazing," she said merrily, grinning away.

"No thanks," the Doctor mumbled as he eyed Jack carefully. "If you two are done, can we get back to more important things tonight? I think massages can wait."

"You're right. Sorry, got distracted," Wanda apologized, embarrassed that she kept letting herself get sidetracked. It was just so fun being able to hang out with Jack, though. She never really got the chance to. And it was always so exciting in getting to know a companion for the first time. Hopping up from the chair she had been sitting on, she walked over to one of the nearby patients of the ward, examining the gas mask that had been fused with their flesh. So many doctors, nurses, and other victims of the war. Victims of the progressive mutation that Jamie had undergone. Put through hell because of a simple mistake. She was just glad that everything would turn out all right in the end. Turning around from the man lying on the bed, she beamed at the other three standing in the room.

"So, Jack, you wanna strike up your deal with the Doctor?" she asked, waving her hand towards the Time Lord. "Tell him about that Chula ship you found and parked."

"Chula?" the Doctor mumbled, eyeing Jack suspiciously now. "Where did you find a Chula ship?"

"On one of my travels in the Time Agency before I quit," Jack replied. A clear lie that was a part of his little scam. "It's stuck in the ground where I had accidentally, ah, landed. And now we've only got two hours before a German bomb will hit it and destroy the ship. I was figuring since you're time travelers, you might have connections with other Time Agents. I was also thinking if you can make a good offer—."

"This is no time for whatever 'deal' you're looking for," the Doctor said curtly. "Right now, I'm trying to figure out what's wrong here with these people." He waved his hand out towards all the patients. All the people lying stiffly in their makeshift medical cots, seemingly dead with gas masks on. Jack frowned, glancing around at all of them.

"Aren't they dead?" he asked. He had assumed that they were the moment he had walked into the room. Figured that maybe they were victims of the war or something. Sure, it was strange that they were all wearing gas masks. Though he had dismissed it as some sort of coincidence.

"No, they're not. Still alive. Or at least, still act like they're alive," the Doctor explained.

"Why are they wearing gas masks?" Jack questioned, beginning to walk over to one of the patients, looking them over.

The Doctor nodded at the one Jack was observing. "They're not wearing them. See for yourself."

Puzzled by the invitation to check over seemingly 'dead' people, Jack activated the scanner on his manipulator, checking over the lying man next to him. When seeing the readings from the man, and the mask fused into the man's skin, Jack's eyes widened. "What?" Walking over, he scanned another. And then another. But still, he received the same exact readings from each individual lying on the cot. "This just isn't possible. How did this happen?"

The Doctor continued to eye Jack as he saw the man beginning to appear unnerved and worried about what he was seeing. Arms staying crossed tightly, the Time Lord asked, "What kind of Chula ship did you land here?"

"Well, it's not a warship, that's for certain," Wanda spoke up sarcastically, gaining their attention. They all looked over to see her leaning against the wall, tapping her foot on the ground as she stared Jack down. "You wanna tell them what you _really_ found, Jack?" She watched as Jack's eyes hardened, tensing under her gaze.

"I thought you were on my side, _Tink_ ," he grounded out, suddenly realizing that she had him backed up into a corner. Had this been her plan all along? String him along as though they were 'friends' while she stabbed him in the back and turned him in for his con? How could he have ever fallen for something like this? How stupid could he get? However, upon seeing her gentle gaze and smile, he wondered if there was something else she had planned for him.

"What kind of ship is it?" questioned the Doctor, voice stern as he kept a steady gaze on edgy Captain.

"Does it matter? It's got nothing to do with this!" Jack exclaimed angrily, throwing out his hand to indicate at the people around them.

"This started at the bomb site," the Doctor disputed crossly, jabbing a finger at the patients as he stepped aggressively towards Jack. "It's got everything to do with it. What kind of ship?" Wanda glanced over, seeing how Jack held his ground, not wanting to give up his con just yet. Or rather, did not wish to admit in a mistake he might have made. Sighing, she shook her head as she walked over to the Doctor and Captain.

"It's a Chula ambulance," Wanda stated calmly. "He found an ambulance and was going to pass it off as a warship for sale before allowing the bomb to destroy it. He gets the money, while we would have never received the ship. Done deal. A good con if you think about it. Very smart there, Smexy." She smiled briefly at them before her expression growing blank again. "Show us the hologram of it, Jack." The Captain merely stared at her for a moment, wondering on what he should do now. But, finally, he gave in, pulling up the schematics of the Chula ambulance on his manipulator.

"Look," he said as the blue image projected upwards for all to see, showing the image of a cylinder-like ship, "that's what you chased through the Time Vortex. It's space junk. It's empty. I made sure of it. Nothing but a shell. And Tink here already explained it, I wanted to scam you. Sell you the junk to you, then destroy it before I was found out." Jack got rid of the hologram, sighing in exasperation as he saw the disproving and glaring eyes of Rose and the Doctor. "Can't believe I thought you might be friends with Time Agents. Should have realized you were freelancers after Tink here said she wasn't an agent."

"Yeah, you really should have," Wanda commented lightly, sounding sassy, shrugging her shoulders when Jack sent her a look that said 'not helping.'

"Anyway," Jack grumbled, highly disgruntled now," whatever's happening here has got nothing to do with that ship."

"Ha! It has everything to do with that ship," Wanda barked. Not sounding particularly angry, but not sounding happy, either. She walked over, jabbing a hand towards one of the lying patients next to her. "What do you think is happening here? It's not natural, that's for certain."

"She's right. Human DNA is being rewritten . . . by an idiot," the Doctor spoke up, earning their attention as he kept his sharp eyes on Jack, though not without showing a small smirk in seeing Wanda scolding him. Ha. Not so 'Smexy' anymore.

"What do you mean?" Rose asked curiously as she too stared around at the gas mask wearing people.

"I don't know—some kind of virus, converting human beings into these things," the Doctor explained in a mutter, turning his sharp eyes on Wanda. "But why? What's the point?" He frowned as he saw her staring back at him, no emotion shown on her features. "Do you know what it is?"

"Yes," she replied smoothly. His frown deepened.

"Can you _tell_ me?" he questioned gruffly.

"Nope," she replied with a small pop. "You'll have to figure that one out on your own, Spaceman. But don't worry, you will." She smiled kindly and winked, as though promising things would be all right in the end.

He sure hoped it would, for at that very same moment, all the people around the room sat up together. Turning their large, masked eyes onto the group in the middle. All saying just one, almost haunting, word: Mummy.

XxXxXxXx

Happy to be back with Nine again! Can't wait until next time! I hope everyone enjoyed it. I would love, love to see what you all have to say in a review. Though, hopefully the reviews don't glitch this time around. Also, if you do not see a reply to your review in this chapter, please let me know. The issue that's been happening has made it so I don't always get reviews from people.

Reviewers:

 **heroherondaletotherescue** : Yeah, there's been so weird mixups with the updates recently. Many people either aren't getting the notifications or they are coming out of order. Hopefully this time around things work out better. :) So glad you enjoyed all the chapters. Even if they were in the wrong order. haha.

 **Authora97** : Woo! So glad you loved it! I love Rory exactly for those reasons. Because of those brilliant questions he has sometimes. lol ;) Oh, yes, Third Wanda is much more dirty than her counterparts. haha. Hope you enjoyed the new chapter!

 **All The Stories Are True 24601** : Well, I always think my writing is horrible. But I'm just never confident when it comes to my writing skills. That's why it took me two years before I actually posted this story up for people to read. Glad you enjoyed the two chapter update. :) Thank you for the birthday wishes! I had a great time this weekend in celebrating it. I hope yours was just as fantastic. :) Yeah, I know what you mean. I've gotten so many Valentine's gifts that I now hate the color pink. haha. But at least now that I'm older most people don't bother with Valentine gifts anymore. Again, I really hope you had a great time at the theatre celebrating your birthday. :D Until next time!

 **singingKatelyn** : It really was, wasn't it? So glad you liked it! :D

 **arianaestela** : Yay! So glad to make your week great! I hope you've been enjoying the new app they have. I've been having problems with it myself, but if it works for you then that's great! :) Glad you enjoyed that little callback moment there to First Wanda. I've always loved moments like that myself, so I'm thrilled to place them in stories. Hope you enjoyed the newest chapter! Until next time!

 **Momochan77** : haha Glad you liked it! This Wanda really seems to love her dirty jokes. lol ;) See you next time!

 **swimmjacket** : Third Wanda and Eleven really are cute together, aren't they? ;) Amy and Rory had to be the godparents. They're just too perfect not to be. Welp, Rose and Jack know now. So shouldn't be long for Martha to find out I suppose. Oh, don't worry. There's a lot more cute moments to come. ;) Hope you enjoyed the new chapter! Can't wait until I see you again, too!

 **bored411** : They are so adorable sometimes. haha ;) I really hope you enjoyed the newest chapter! Take care!

 **TheGirlWhoWept** : haha Eleven is definitely the purest of the Doctors, I think. Glad you enjoyed the joke!

 **SakuraRcoa** : So glad you enjoyed that! XD

 **Whovianeverlark17** : Yay! So glad you liked it all. There's a lot more to come, so can't wait to see what you think of it all in the future. :)

 **deadflowerseverymorning** : Thank you for always giving such lovely reviews! I always enjoy hearing from you. :) Really hope that you enjoyed the new chapter!

 **NerdWithAPencil** : Hmm. You might be onto something there. I'm sure everything will be fine, though. Hopefully. I make no promises though. lol ;) Anyway, so glad you liked it! Really hope that this chapter was just as fun to read. :)

 **FictionalBoysAreBetter** : Yeah, there's been a lot of weird things happening with the site lately. I hope this time around you get the updates properly. So glad you enjoyed them all when you had a chance to finally read them. :D Welp, perfect timing in mentioning Nine for here he is! Yep, Wanda will be there right before he regenerates. Ten mentioned that very moment in a chapter in part two of the trilogy. Actually, Time Lords chose those sorts of names for themselves as a promise to themselves when they reach adulthood. Which a Time Lord is an adult when they reach the age of 200ish. So until then, they just use either their birth name or their Academy name given to them during their school years. So, technically anyone can know their names in the beginning, but after they make their promised name for themselves then their original name becomes a sacred thing for them. At least, that's how I've come to understand it from the research I've done. The cannon behind the Time Lord name has changed so much through the series that it's hard to keep track of. For now, let's just say for this trilogy that Ember will keep her birth name until she reaches adulthood like other Time Lords. :) As for who Aleena is, that's a mystery for another time. Welp, I hope that helps! Until next time! If you have any more questions, just let me know. I'm always happy to answer. :)

 **alwaystherereading** : Yep! Here's Jack and ready to go for an adventure. ;) Amy and Rory, always the best parents of the universe. Definitely will be getting more scenes with them, I promise you that. Glad you like the name! Of course, Wanda and the Doctor would pick that for a name. haha. Amy did almost spoil the name, at least twice. Spoils all over the place about little Ember. ;)

 **Ruby Slippers** : Woo! So happy you enjoyed it! :D

 **QuirkyKim** : I know! Would never picture Wanda ever getting to the point of making such dirty jokes. haha. XD

You all are just the best! *hugs* I hope everyone has the most brilliant of days to come!

~Tinker~


	43. Ch 43: Dancing Doctor

Hi, everyone! :D

Welp, the site has been down all day for me. Was going to update last night, but nothing has been working. Has everyone else been affected badly, too? Just curious mostly. Let's hope that things are all fixed now. :)

Hope everyone get to enjoy the new chapter without any errors this time around!

XxXxXxXx

Chapter 43: Dancing Doctor

The group backed up, gathering together as the many infected people got up from their beds, slowly making their ways towards them. Wanda and Rose grabbed each other's hands at the same time, ready to protect the other at a moment's notice.

"What's happening?" Rose asked the Doctor, trying to see if he knew and had an idea on how to stop from whatever was happening. Even though she had no clue on what exactly was going on, she still felt it in her gut that it was nothing good. The Doctor did say that human DNA was being rewritten. That was never a good sign.

"I don't know," the Doctor answered her, eyes whipping around rapidly as he tried seeing a route of escape for them. He edged back as the 'mummy' calling people drew closer to them. "Don't let them touch you."

"What happens if they touch us?" questioned Rose as she feared for the worse. The Doctor glanced back at her, then nodded at the gas-masked people.

"You're looking at it," he replied gruffly. He scooted back, feeling his arm brush against another's. He glanced back, seeing Wanda just there next to him. Her eyes wide and fearful as she stared at the empty gazes of all the patients coming towards them. Swallowing thickly, the Doctor felt . . . compelled to rid her of her fears. But how? He glanced back at the patients, suddenly getting an idea. He stood a firm step forward, getting up close to one of the closest patients as he stared them down strictly. Placing his hands behind his back, he held a firm stance, bracing himself against them.

"Go to your room," he barked out in a strict order. He kept his eyes ablaze in stern anger, staring all of the patients down as a parent would when reaching their limit in patience. "Go to your room!" At the same time, in sync, the patients' heads tilted to the side, as if unsure on why he was so angry with them and what or why he was ordering them around. The Doctor merely kept up his fierce charade. "I meant it. I'm very, very angry with you. I'm very, very cross. Go. To. Your. Room!"

Thrusting his arm out, pointing harshly up towards the ceiling, indicating towards an imaginary room for the patients, the Doctor's expression and demeanour stayed severe as he stared all down. Eyes unmoving or sympathetic in any way. There was a long moment of tension as Rose, Jack, Wanda, and even the Doctor, waited for a reaction from the patients. Then, very slowly, with heads hanging in glumness, the gas-masked people turned back around. Shuffling their feet as they head back to their beds, appearing highly dejected from their 'punishment' and 'scolding' from the Doctor. After seeing all of the patients getting back into their beds, the Time Lord dropped his arm, letting out a sigh in relief.

"I'm really glad that worked. Those would've been terrible last words," he joked as he smiled at the three standing behind him. He felt a strange wave of warmth go through him as he saw Wanda smiling brightly at him in return. Emerald eyes lit up in ease as her fears were gone because of his quick thinking. He turned away, ears growing pink as he tried ignoring his pattering hearts. Setting his face into a hard expression, he felt his temper rise at the stupid reactions he was going through while around the Time Lady. Something that had been irritating him for a while now.

"Well, that was close," Jack laughed lightly, hoping to lighten the mood somewhat.

"Yeah, real close. Hate for you to lose that pretty face of yours to a gas mask, huh, Smexy?" Wanda joked, bumping her hip against Jack's before walking away to stand beside the Doctor. She went to say something to the Time Lord, but he suddenly marched away from her, seeming to fume over something or another. Frowning, she shook her head, wondering why he was in such a bad mood lately. Was it really because of her? She knew how he never liked any incarnation of her other than her Second self. But did she really irritate him that much?

The Doctor, putting distance between himself and the rest, tried keeping his temper down as he felt ready to snap. He swore if he heard Wanda or Jack call each other by their stupid nicknames one more time . . . Shaking his head, he glanced back at the Captain.

"How was your con supposed to work?" he asked the man, ready to jump into what needed to be done for the day.

"Tinkerbell here already told you that," Jack replied, shrugging his shoulders in wondering why the Doctor wanted to know that again. Brow twitching upon the mentioning of 'Tinkerbell', the Doctor gritted his teeth for a moment before letting out a huff.

"Yeah, but I want to hear _exactly_ what you had planned," the Doctor clarified, voice coming out snippy with his temper sitting just on the edge now.

Jack shrugged as he walked over to a nearby desk, sitting in the chair and leaning back, resting his feet up as he began the explanation to his con. "Well, as it was said before—I find some harmless piece of space junk. Let the nearest Time Agent track it back to Earth. Convince him it's valuable, name a price. When he's put fifty percent up front, oops, a German bomb falls on it, destroys it forever. He never gets to see what he's paid for. Never knows he's been had. I buy him a drink with his own money, and we discuss dumb luck. The perfect self-cleaning con." He smirked at the end at his own con, proud of the perfect plan he had come up with.

"Yeah, perfect," the Doctor grounded out in response, frustrated with this man even more. How egoistic can a person get?

"The London Blitz is great for self-cleaners," Jack continued on, not hearing the grumble from the Time Lord. "Pompeii's nice if you want to make a vacation of it, though, but you've got to set your alarm for volcano day." He started laughing at his own joke. His laughter faulted when seeing the sharp looks he was getting from the three travellers. He cleared his throat and shifted in his seat when seeing the heated expression from Wanda upon the mentioning of Pompeii. It was almost as though he had struck an old, long buried nerve in her from the name of that place in time. "Getting the hint of disproval."

"Don't mention Pompeii again. Ever," Wanda spoke, voice filled with underlying anger. Jack held up his hands in defense as if to make peace.

"Ooh, touchy. Didn't mean to strike a bad cord there," he said, trying to ease whatever nerve he had struck. The Doctor and Rose both glanced at the Time Lady curiously, finding it odd how stiffly she stood there with her eyes churning in an old storm.

"Is something wrong, Wanda?" Rose asked her friend in concern. Wanda sucked in a breath, letting it out slowly as old memories flashed through her head. Memories of a little girl crying on a step, covered in the ash of an erupting volcano.

"Just remembering a bad day," she mumbled as she turned away from them for a moment. She had not thought of Pompeii in years, but it was one memory that still haunted her. Something that she still would never forgive herself for. Sucking a breath in, she turned around again, smiling at them all. "Sorry. Didn't mean to get all emotional there. So, best we get a move on then, shall we? This mess isn't gonna fix itself." Skipping away from them, she headed towards the doorway, halting at the frame to glance back at the Doctor. "We're heading upstairs, right?"

"Right," the Doctor agreed, walking swiftly to follow her out of the room. Rose tagged along close behind with Jack trailing up the back. Even though he was determined to stick by his story in his innocence, he still wanted to figure out just as much as the rest of them on what exactly was going on here. So, he decided in sticking with them, ready to help out where he could. As long as it did not involve anything that might get him killed, of course. Or, in truth, he really wished to tagalong in a way to prove to them that he did not harm anyone. Maybe then he might get some more answers on who exactly these travellers were, or, more specifically, figure out why Wanda seemed to know him so well in the future. That was something that plagued his curiosity more than anything.

Wanda and the Doctor got ahead of the other two, marching fast up the stairs towards where they knew they needed to go. Soon, Rose and Jack were far behind while the Doctor and Wanda were up many flights of stairs already. Though, through some struggle on Wanda's part as she tried pacing herself on an even level. Eleven and older Ten had been reminding her repeatedly that she could not do too much running around as it would not be good for the baby. But she wanted to keep up with Nine next to her as she did not wish to leave him wandering around on his own. Plus, from the way he kept sending her side glances, she could tell he wanted to talk to her about something or another.

"That Captain, is he really a friend of yours?" he finally asked her, not trying to sound as gruff as he had earlier, but his voice still came out rather strict from his still fuming irritation.

"Yes, we're pretty close. Why do you ask?" Wanda replied, staring at him curiously as they continued up another set of stairs.

The Doctor, with a hand gripping the stair railing more roughly, felt . . . angry by this. The idea of that man and his Wand—friend, his friend Wanderer, were 'close' in relations . . . it just sent a wave of fuming anger through him as all he could think of was that damn sly smirk on Jack's face while hugging all over Wanda and flirting with her. The Doctor let out a huff as this image went through his mind. But why should he care? It was not as if Wanda were not a grown woman and could not flirt around or be with someone if she wanted to. It was not as if she could not feel attraction for another . . . good-looking . . . younger man. It is just . . . why would she not want to be with someone younger, closer to her own body's age? Why would she ever want to be with anyone else? To even consider being with an older man like himself? Why would she ever want to be with him? He was so old . . . a broken man who was constantly cruel towards her. As if he ever stood a chance.

The Doctor tried not to dwell on these thoughts. Strange thoughts that have never even crossed his mind before. But (surprising to him) sadness seemed to wrap around him, making him feel weighed down as his thoughts contemplated over the idea of Wanda leaving him for another. Not 'leaving him' per say, but more of leaving their friendship. Because they are friends. Yep . . . just friends. And since they were just friends . . . she could leave. It was not as she had any real reason to stay . . . well, except for the jumping through his timeline factor, but someday she could grow out of that and then . . . leave him for good. He would leave him too if he could.

"Doctor? Doctor? . . . Theta!"

"Huh? What?" he replied immediately upon hearing Wanda say that name in particular. He blinked as he noticed they now stood in front of room eight hundred-two on the top floor. Glancing behind them, he saw bold words over on the wall saying _Orthopedic Research Laboratory_. This must be the place Dr. Constantine had mentioned before he had transformed into a gas mask wearing creature.

"Are we in the right place?" Wanda asked.

"Yeah, this is the room," the Doctor muttered as he stepped up to the thick, gray, metal door. He hummed as he ran a finger over the edge where there should have been a door handle. But the room was sealed shut. For good reasons, most likely. "Gonna need a blaster."

"You could open it with the sonic, you know," Wanda responded as the Doctor backed up from the door.

"I know. But I want to see something first. Now, where did those two go?" The Doctor leaned around the corner of the stair railing, looking to see where Rose and the Captain could have gone. Did the Time Lords really walk that fast that two humans could not keep up?

"I guess you still have trust issues with me."

The Doctor blinked, turning back around to stare at Wanda in surprise. She currently leaned up against the door, staring curiously at him. "What?" he questioned her.

"You still don't trust me," she repeated.

"Of course I trust you," scoffed the Doctor. Upon seeing her raise a skeptical brow, he decided this might not be entirely true. "For most things, I trust you." Again, she kept her brow raised with a pointed look given. "Okay, so, a lapse in trust sometimes. But I'm getting better. Why are you even bringing this up anyway?"

"Because you'd actually think I'd ever bring someone into our group who could hurt us?" When seeing the Doctor avert his eyes from hers, Wanda walked up closer to him, smiling gently. "I'd never become friends with someone like that. Or let anyone near you or Rose who would hurt neither of you. I know you have suspicions about Jack, and he isn't exactly the best person in the world. But trust me when I say that Captain Jack Harkness truly is a good friend to us all and is very important." In seeing the Doctor's skeptical expression, she let out a sigh. "You still don't trust me, though."

"How can I?" The Doctor turned his gaze to her, watching her closely. "I mean, you've already made the biggest mistake of trust you could have ever made."

"Oh? And what's that?"

"Me." He turned away from her, refusing to look at her now as he did not want her to see the turmoil of his past. A past that always plagued him, washed over him like a heavy rain that would not stop pounding on his back, weighing him down. His eyes clouded over in a storm of turmoil, woe and deep anger brewed away within. All he could think of was him being someone no one should ever put trust or faith in. The things he had done during the war . . . the deaths he caused . . . his cruelty towards Wanda herself. How could she ever trust him for any of that? How could she still wish to be friends with him? He could not understand it. Truly, he did not mean to treat her poorly. He really wanted to make their friendship work. But . . . he was a broken man. A man who could not control what he did or said anymore. He was a spark ready to burst and turn into a nasty explosion. How could anyone want to be around him after seeing his explosive nature first hand?

He heard Wanda walk up towards him. Turning to her, he after expected to see her annoyed in some way by his self-pity. Or even irritated by his admittance of not trusting her still. But instead, he felt a guilty twinge when seeing only her kind face, with her emerald eyes sparkling in acceptance. Did she really not understand that, because of her naivety in trusting him, it only meant she was vulnerable in trusting anyone who could harm her and others? He went to explain his reasoning on why she should not trust him. Of why her unmovable trust in him made him suspicious of her trust in others. But he found himself instead made curious as she suddenly grabbed his arm, pushing up his leather jacket and dark red jumper sleeve from his wrist.

"What are you—," he began to ask her but halted in his words at her next action. He stood there, frozen in utter shock, stunned by how she had pressed her lips to the pulse on his wrist. Feeling the soft skin of her lips, the way they so tenderly pressed on his wrist . . . Thickly he swallowed as his hearts sped up in a rapid rate. He knew she must have felt the increase from the way she held his wrist and was pressing against the blue veins. He could almost feel her own pulse through her lips, and . . . and there was something else. Something he was missing. A little bell went off in his mind that sensed something different about her. But before he could dwell on it, she let go of his wrist and smiled at him while he blinked in a daze, stunned beyond words as he could only stare at her with wide eyes.

"I know that you don't trust yourself anymore and that you've lost faith in who you are," she spoke quietly in a gentle hush. "I don't necessarily put all my faith into you, Theta. It's more," she paused as she thought over the right words, "that I'll always trust that, no matter how far you'll fall, no matter how much chaos is created around you, no matter how much you hate yourself: you'll never allow any of that keep you from helping others. I trust that you'll always be a Doctor in the end. No matter what." His hand was squeezed lightly as she gave him the kindest of smiles. "Just have trust in yourself, Theta. Trust that you'll be a good Doctor and will have those days where everybody lives."

In the distance, they could hear Jack and Rose yelling for them. Wanda walked away, calling out to the two to come up to the top floor, leaving the Doctor there in his stunned silence. Unable to process what had just happened, all he could think about was the feeling of her lips lingering behind on his wrist. It felt so warm. As though she were still kissing it. He hurriedly pushed down his sleeve, covering the place that had been kissed while his ears and face lit up red, feeling highly embarrassed when he saw Rose and Jack come up the stairs. In a way, the Doctor felt as though those two had caught him and Wanda doing something . . . inappropriate.

"Have you got a blaster?" the Doctor asked Jack as soon as both the Captain and Rose were there with the Time Lords.

"Sure," replied Jack, shrugging as he pulled out the advanced gun from the inner pocket of his coat. The Doctor nodded at the door they needed in, indicating that was where Jack needed to aim. He explained briefly about the room, it being where the start of the strange plague had occurred, the room where the first person had been turned into a gas-masked creature, before Jack aimed at the lock on the door. The gun, that lit up blue around the silver metal, buzzed loudly as it zapped away the section of the door which kept it barred. Jack grinned, looking smug by his work, and that he had been able to do something the Doctor was unable to manage.

"Sonic blaster, 51st century," noted the Doctor as he stared at the man. "Weapon factories of Villengard?" Jack stared at the Doctor curiously.

"You've been to the factories?" he questioned the Time Lord.

"Once," the Doctor explained as he walked up and grabbed the blaster from Jack's hands, examining the weapon. He felt disgusted upon the sight of the damned gun. He hated these things. Glad that he had found the right factory of the main production line. It was good to be rid of them.

"Well, they're gone now—destroyed," Jack commented. "Main reactor went critical, vaporized the lot." The Doctor smirked, glancing at Wanda, who had gone sheepish while her face turned red.

"Like I said, once," the Doctor said, still smirking at Wanda. The Time Lady glanced at him, rolling her eyes.

"Look, I said 'sorry' didn't I? How was I supposed to know that _one_ bloody potato bomb was going to do that?" she said, pouting as she crossed her arms.

"I didn't say I was complaining about what happened. Did the work for me, in the end," the Doctor joked. He pushed what was in his hand back into Jack's pocket, walking away to go into the room. Wanda skipped forward to get closer to the Doctor, leaning up next to him as she linked arms with him.

"Well, at least I had the nice idea on the banana grove later, right? It was a nice change from all those weapons," she noted, smiling when seeing the nod of approval from the Doctor.

"I like bananas. Bananas are good," agreed the Doctor, smiling fondly when recalling that adventure he had with Second Wanda. His own Wanda. The one he actually got along with. Well, not to say that he did not like the other two Wandas. It was just . . . well, First Wanda was hardly around and barely ever said a word for him to get to know. As for Third Wanda . . . He glanced at the current blonde next to him, frowning when seeing her cheeky grin and how she held onto his arm. He grumbled as he pushed her away. Ears turning red once more in remembering that earlier kiss on the wrist she had given him.

"Quit hugging all over me. I'm not a toy to cuddle," the Doctor grumbled at the short blonde, stomping into the room they were about to search through. Wanda snickered, playfully sticking out her tongue.

"Fine, then. I'll just have to cuddle with someone else," she said, turning to Jack who stood next to her. "How about you, Smexy? Don't mind being cuddled, do you?"

"Ha! Never when there's a cute girl around," Jack responded, immediately linking arms with the giggling Time Lady.

Rose watched this all with clear confused interest. She stood back from the others, arms crossed as she took in everyone's interactions with each other. All she could do really was raise a sharp brow upon seeing the way Wanda blatantly flirted around with the Captain. Sure, Third Wanda was known to flirt around a bit as teasing with pretty much anyone she liked. But at this level? What was the Time Lady up to in acting such a way? Rose glanced at the Doctor, seeing how he watched the interaction with Wanda and Jack in the corner of his eye, with clear disproval written all over his face. He then huffed under his breath, stomping away into the dark room ahead of them. Rose then looked back at Wanda, seeing the sly grin. The Time Lady peeked at Rose through her long hair, giving the companion a wink. Blinking for a bit, Rose chuckled as she then got it. Of course. It was just like her mum had always said. The best way to win a man over was to make him absolutely green with envy.

Wanda followed in after Jack when going into the room. She gazed around, seeing that the Doctor had turned on the old yellow lights, barely making an edge in the darkness. Though allowing them at least enough light as to see the office space. There were wooden filing cabinets on one side of the wall, a dresser in the back, and the desk before them that had the light fixture on it had a big, bulky recorder sitting on the table top. They could see the chair to the desk had been hastily thrown to the ground as though someone had been in a panic to get out of the room. With some papers and books scattered around on the floor by the desk. Then, there was the glass from a window in front of the desk that was seen to have been shattered into pieces, exploding out into the office, onto the desk and floor. Almost as though some force had caused this to break in a fit of anger. Or perhaps in fright, from Wanda's opinion. It was clear that the window over the desk had been a viewing section for the office to look into the room on the other side of the wall. This room was dark, making it hard for them to make out much. However, they could tell that it was a room that had been made into a temporary bedroom for someone, as there was a bed inside and other furniture.

Wanda glanced at the Doctor, ready to speak up on her thoughts on the rooms, but stopped with her mouth slightly open when she saw the grumpy demeanour the Time Lord had. She slowly closed her mouth, thinking it was best if she remained quiet for now. She realized she might have overdone it with the flirting. With both Jack and the Doctor himself. She had not meant to in the beginning. Especially with Jack. It just sort of happened. It was in her nature to be playful with others, which tended to lead towards what many considered flirting. Even though she herself did not exactly see it as flirting per say. Flirting is what she did with her Theta. What she did with Jack, Rose, and others was merely teasing. But, then again, everyone had their own definition of things.

Anyway, either way, even though she had not meant to at first to make the Doctor irritated, she had played along more with Jack when seeing just how . . . jealous Nine was becoming. It was fun to mess with him. She had not noticed the jealousy at first, but as they had gone up the stairs together earlier, she began to take notes of just how the Doctor was behaving. And it was very funny to Wanda in seeing Nine acting in such a way she had never witnessed before. In a way, now that she realized on what her teasing with Jack was doing to the Doctor, it was her payback at him for being so mean towards her and the other incarnations of herself from before. And in another way . . . this was her own test of things. To see maybe . . . just how much the Doctor might be growing to like her. It was just something she wanted to test. A theory in a way. She was certain by now, this would be around the time where the Doctor was beginning to change his feelings towards her. At least, this had been what Eleven told her in the future on how he felt during his Ninth self. And, so far, it seemed her theory was correct. Nine was becoming majorly jealous. The way he kept looking at her, the way he glared at Jack, the way the Time Lord seemed to want to simply grab her and declare her _his_ territory . . . it was hilarious to see such reactions from a younger version of the Doctor. He was especially so cute in the way his ears turned red, too.

Wanda giggled lightly under her breath as she followed the others into the next room over after listening to what their thoughts were of the sight before them. She merely let her attention on their intake on the sights slip by as she focused her sights on the drawings of the room where Jamie had been. So many drawings. So much . . . Walking up closer to one wall filled with colours and images of childhood, she focused on one drawn picture in particular. It was a stick figure drawing of what could be a woman, holding onto the hand of a small stick figure of what could be a child. What could be a representation Jamie drew of the deep desire and wish he always had. He, holding the comforting hand of his mother.

Wanda felt herself tear up as she placed a soft hand on the coloured picture. The image of a child wanting nothing more than to be with their mother . . . What would Ember feel if she were in a similar situation? Would she want her mother and father, too? Would Ember be just as lost as Jamie? Could Wanda do the same as Nancy had with her own son? Pretend that he was her brother instead of claiming motherhood? The thought of doing that to her own daughter, to Ember . . . For Wanda to allow Ember to be so lonely . . . So scared . . .

"Are you okay?"

"Huh?" Wanda blinked, swiftly turning her head towards the Doctor who stood beside her. She stared at him with wide eyes, seeing the concern on his face as he gazed back. Clearing her throat, she dropped her hand from the wall and removed the hand that had been placed against her growing belly (not that any saw that). "I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

"Because you're crying," he pointed out, indicating to the tear tracks on her cheeks. Wanda hurriedly wiped them away, blushing in embarrassment.

"Sorry. Just got a bit emotional there," she mumbled, glancing over to see similar looks of concern from Rose and Jack.

"You sense it, don't you?" the Doctor said quietly, continuing to stare carefully at her.

Wanda blinked, unsure on what he was talking about, but then understood what he meant. "Yeah. Kind of. Not as good as you would, though."

The Doctor nodded, reaching forward briefly to grab one of her loose hands. He gave it a quick squeeze in comfort and understanding before letting go swiftly, averting his gaze as though he had not meant to do that. Wanda blinked as she heard Jamie's voice from the recording the hospital had done filled the room with the boy asking for his mother. She must not have noticed when the Doctor began playing that.

"What is it? What do you sense, Wanda?" Rose asked, coming up beside the Time Lady. The companion held the blonde's shoulder in comfort, worried over the soon-to-be mother from the sudden crying Wanda had done. Rose glanced at the Doctor, seeing a similar troubled expression on his face. "Doctor?"

"Can't you sense it?" the Time Lord asked, beginning to feel on edge from the overwhelming emotional energy that had been left behind by the child who once lived in this room. The Time Lord began moving around the room, pacing as he pondered over all the built-up turmoil left by the lost child. Jack and Rose glanced at each other before looking at the pacing Time Lord.

"Sense what?" Jack asked curiously.

"It's coming out of the walls—can you feel it?" The Doctor turned to look at the companion and Captain, wondering if they had picked up on what Wanda had. But it appeared as those only the Time Lords were being affected by the stirring energy. He scoffed, rolling his eyes at the pathetic lack of mental abilities he was surrounded by. "Funny little human brains—how do you get around in those things?" He began stomping around in his pacing again, trying to think over what he was sensing meant. Rose glanced at both him and Wanda, seeing as neither Time Lord were really focusing on anything in particular. It was like something had a hold of their minds in some sort of agitated state. Looking back at Jack, seeing the man's confusion by the Doctor's statement, Rose smiled in apology.

"When he's stressed, he likes to insult species," the companion explained in light humour at the Doctor's usual antics of insults. She saw the sharp scolding look the Time Lord shot her from the corner of her eye.

"Rose, I'm thinking," the Doctor barked at her, irritated that she would joke around with some damn man at a time like this.

"Cuts himself shaving, does half an hour on life forms he's cleverer than," Rose continued to say, really teasing and trying to lighten the mood now as she did not like how tense everything felt.

"There are these children," the Doctor began stating, trying to get the companion to be quiet as he knew they needed to concentrate solely on the situation at hand, "living rough around the bomb sites. They come out during the air raids, looking for food. Suppose they were there when this thing—whatever it was—landed?"

"It was a med-ship. It was harmless," Jack disputed, trying to keep to his story, to his innocence on the situation. No matter what, he was certain that his con had nothing to do with this. Even if the Doctor, and even the Wanderer with her future knowledge, said otherwise.

"Yes, you keep saying 'harmless,'" the Doctor retorted, spiteful by the Captain's continued denial of his own doing in this situation. Even if it was not intended, there was still harm committed against others. "Suppose one of them was affected, altered?"

"Altered how?" Rose questioned.

"I'm here," sang out a voice from the still running recording while a loud rattling sound filled the room. Wanda stiffened, jerking herself out of the daze she had been under while everyone had been talking. Shaking her head, she dropped a hand from her belly once more as she turned towards the others, ready to join the conversation now.

"Altered in the same way we saw down below with those people," she said to them. She did not stare directly at anyone as she kept her eyes firmly on the other side of the broken window in the main office. "Rose, Jack, do you know what exactly the Doctor and I have sensed from this room?" In the corner of her eye, she saw both companions glance at each other, look at the Doctor curiously, then stare back at her. Seeing this, Wanda said, "It's fear. This child, this boy named Jamie, he is so afraid. So lonely. In this loss and confusion, in this sudden power he has gained, he is unstable. There is no telling what he'll do next. Such as, say, show up to the room where the Doctor told him to go and begin the command on his small army to attack us?"

Wanda glanced over, seeing how Rose and Jack appeared both alarmed and confused by what she had said. While the Doctor blinked for a moment before chuckling.

"It's got the power of a god, and I just sent it to its room," he mumbled while shaking his head. There was silence for a bit while the loud rattle of the recording continued.

"I'm here. Can't you see me?" spoke Jamie's voice once again.

"What's that noise?" Rose questioned slowly, still tense after what the Doctor and Wanda had said.

"It's the tape. It's reached its end," Wanda explained carefully, still holding her eyes in a certain spot.

"It ran out about thirty seconds ago," the Doctor added in as he stood tensely as well.

"I'm here, now," called out the voice of Jamie, still sounding as though coming from the recording. "Can't you see me?"

"I sent it to its room," the Doctor muttered, holding a strained smile. "This is its room."

" _His_ room," Wanda corrected the Doctor. "But yes, you did send him here. And he is." She pointed to the place where Jamie now stood. The others jerked their heads towards the boy, staring fearfully at the small child. Jamie stood on the other side of the desk of the office, gazing back at them with those black gaping lenses of his gas-mask face. The boy tilted his head as he watched them back up slightly from him.

"Are you my mummy?" the boy asked them. "Mummy?" Jack took a step forward, holding a hand to the inner pocket of his coat.

"Okay. On my signal, make for the door," he instructed them as he walked up around the Doctor. Jack then swiftly pulled out an object from his coat, aiming it at Jamie over the Doctor's shoulder. "Now!" The man blinked in shock when seeing he was holding a banana in hand instead of his blaster.

The Doctor grinned cheekily at Jack as he pulled out an object from his own pocket, aiming it at the wall beside them were many drawings where hung. But then the Time Lord gaped in surprise when seeing he too was holding a banana instead of the blaster which he swore he had nicked from Jack. The two men glanced over at the same time when hearing a mischievous whistling. All were stunned when seeing Wanda holding the blaster. The Time Lady held a very large sassy grin as she flipped the blaster around and aimed it at the same wall the Doctor had intended to zap. She made a large square hole for them.

"Time to go!" she called out merrily as she made way through the hole first. The others hurriedly followed after her.

"You nicked the blaster from me?!" the Doctor yelled as they skidded into the hall on the other side of the wall. Wanda aimed the blaster back at the hole which they came from, placing back up the wall before Jamie could come after them.

"Yep! Took it when I linked arms with you," she said, sticking out her tongue playfully at him.

The Doctor frowned at her. "What'd you go do that for?"

"'Cause I could." Wanda shrugged her shoulders, still giving him a cheeky grin. She grabbed the banana from the Doctor, then from Jack. Handing back the blaster to the Captain and the Doctor his banana, she peeled her own yellow fruit and began eating it. "I've been craving these things like mad, lately. So, I have one on me wherever I go now. Though, I wish I had some cheese to go with it." The Doctor made a face of disgust, but before he could say anything more, the wall in front of them began being slammed upon from the other side, cracking from the force that was being used against it.

All four of them ran as fast as they could down the halls of the hospital, knowing that the child was not far behind in pursuit of them. Though they were not running for long before they came to a halt, confronted by the army of gas-masked people who were sent after them by Jamie. All of which were chanting 'mummy' over and over again.

"Yep. And there's the army I mentioned," Wanda panted as they ran in the other direction. They only made it down a little ways before another swam of gas-masked zombies met them once more. Turning back around, they stopped short when realizing they were now trapped, back in the same place they had been before. With the wall in front of them still being pounded against as Jamie tried making his advance at them.

"It's keeping us here till it can get at us," the Doctor said hurriedly.

"It's controlling them?" Jack questioned, keeping his blaster aimed at the breaking wall in front of them.

"It is them," the Doctor responded. "It's every living thing in this hospital."

"He is them. They are him. It's a jumbled mess, really," Wanda said, keeping the most calm out of the group as she leaned against the wall behind them, watching as the gas-masked people drew closer, the wall in front crumbed more, and the others held panicked expressions upon the situation at hand.

"Okay, this can function as a sonic blaster, a sonic cannon, and a triple-enfolded sonic disrupter," Jack stated rapidly, changing his blaster's aim back and forth between the wall and the advancing army of gas-masked patients. "Doc, Tink, what you got?" Both Time Lords glanced at each other. The Doctor appeared embarrassed while Wanda merely snickered and smirked.

"Do you want to tell him what we got, Spaceman?" she asked playfully.

"We've got a sonic, uh—," the Doctor began to say as he pulled out his sonic screwdriver, but thought better of it when comparing to Jack's own defense, "oh, never mind."

"Oh, come on. Don't be shy about what sonics we got," Wanda teased, pulling out her own screwdriver as they all pointed their devices at the incoming people.

"What?" Jack questioned, trying to understand what the Time Lords were going on about.

"It's sonic, okay? Let's leave it at that," grumbled the Doctor as his ears began to turn red from the way Wanda kept snickering and giggling. Why did she always make him feel so . . . flustered?

"Disrupter, cannon, what?!" Jack demanded at the Doctor to tell him what exactly he and Wanda had for protecting themselves. Could it be a powerful secret or something?

"It's sonic, totally sonic. I am sonicked up," grounded the Doctor, becoming more and more irritated by the situation, Wanda's giggling, and Jack's persistence in knowing what they had.

Jack gritted his teeth, now annoyed just as much as the Doctor was. "A sonic _what_?!"

"Screwdriver!" the Doctor and Wanda said together. Though the Doctor shouted angrily while the Time Lady only said this in merriment. Jack looked over his shoulder in pure disbelief at them both. The wall cross from them suddenly crumbled to pieces, opening a large hole for Jamie to come out. Wanda immediately grew serious, scolding herself internally for not taking the situation as seriously as she should be.

Turning to Rose who stood in the middle of them all, closer to Jack, Wanda said quickly, "Oi, girlie, you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Yep," Rose responded immediately, already knowing what the Time Lady had in mind. It was what the companion had been contemplating as well. Grabbing Jack's hand, Rose had him aim the blaster at the floor around their feet. "Going down!" The floor under their feet disappeared, having them fall straight down to the room below. They landed hard on the cold floor of the room, laying on their backs from the harsh fall. Jack lifted the blaster immediately after hitting the floor, placing back the section which Rose had made disappeared.

"Ow, that hurt," Wanda groaned as she lay curled up on the floor, arms around her stomach in a reflex she had developed over the months. Every time she sensed danger, or worried for her child, she would automatically wrap her arms around herself in a barrier of protection. Her promise to herself, Ember, and to her Theta in protecting their child rang strong and true through her. No matter what, she was determined to keep little Ember safe and sound. Pressing her hands into her stomach, she checked over internally to make certain everything was indeed all right. From what she could sense (something which the Doctor taught her how to check) little Ember was in the clear and as healthy as ever. Good. She was worried there for a moment that the fall might have jostled little Ember too much there.

"Wanda? Oh, gosh, I'm sorry, I didn't think. You're okay, right?" Rose asked, hurriedly going over to the Time Lady's side. Wanda sat up, smiling in reassurance.

"I'm fine," she assured the girl.

"I'm good, too, if you're wondering," sassed the Doctor somewhere next to them. Wanda was not sure where since it was so dark in the room. She could not clearly see any of them, though she heard the Doctor grumbling as usual. "Could've used a warning."

"Oh, quit complaining you big baby," Wanda responded sarcastically, sticking her tongue out in the direction she saw the outline of the Doctor through the dim room. "She gave you plenty of warning. 'Going down.' That is what she said. If that ain't warning enough, then I don't know what is." She stood up when hearing everyone else getting up as well.

"Who has a sonic screwdriver?" Jack questioned, in disbelief that anyone in their right minds would ever think a sonic screwdriver would come in handy in dangerous situations.

"We do," Wanda said lightly as she dusted herself off. "Got a problem with that?"

"Who looks at a screwdriver and thinks, 'ooh—ooh, this could be a little more sonic'?" Jack teased both Time Lords. Both the Doctor and Wanda crossed their arms in sync as they stare at Jack.

"What, you never been bored?" the Doctor retorted in defense of his favourite tool.

"Sonic screwdrivers are better than a blaster. They don't harm anyone, and we can fix things in a jiffy if you need it," Wanda added, nodding firmly to protect her sonic's honour. She loved the device the Doctor had made her, and she would always treasure it.

The lights came on just then as Rose had been ignoring them in search for a light switch. The companion had found it on the other side of the wall, giving them a chance to see where they had ended up. The group jumped in alarm when the chanting of 'mummy' began once more as patients in beds all around them sat up. They all swiftly ran to the door as the gas-masked people got up and started towards them. Jack repeatedly tried getting the door blasted open with his blaster, but the gun fizzled out. Completely useless at this point as Jack stated the batteries were dead. The Doctor saved them by being able to step up and unlock the door with his sonic. He then proceeded to lock the door behind them once they were through on the other side. Then turned on the lights soon after, seeing that they were now locked in a storeroom for the hospital.

"And sonic screwdrivers _don't_ run on batteries," Wanda said smugly as she smirked at Jack.

"That's so lame," Rose agreed, shaking her head as she snickered.

"I was gonna send for another one, but somebody's got to blow up the factory," Jack responded crossly while rolling his eyes at what the two girls said, giving both Wanda and the Doctor pointed looks.

"Oh, I know. First day I met them, they blew up my job. That's practically how they communicate," Rose joked, bumping Wanda lightly in the side with her elbow as the companion smile at the Time Lady. Wanda beamed in returned, shrugging her shoulders.

"Guilty," she said, giggling away as she walked over to peek out the one window in the room, seeing the dark night side. "Okay, so the window's barred and it's a pretty big drop outside. So, no good going that way."

"I sealed the door. Should hold it for a bit," the Doctor told them as he moved away from the door, coming over to join them.

"The door? The wall didn't stop it!" Jack countered in disbelief that the Doctor could think the door had any possible chance against the powerful child coming after them.

"Well, it's got to find us first," argued the Doctor in aggravation that the man had no faith in their escape. "Come on, we're not done yet. Assets, assets."

"Well, we've got a banana, and in a pinch, you and Tink could put up some shelves," Jack retorted, voicing in high sarcasm. Humming, Wanda dug through one of her trouser pockets, grinning as she pulled out a potato.

"I've got a potato!" she cheered, waving the dangerous vegetable in hand. The Doctor and Rose's eyes widened, both of them rushing over to the smiling Time Lady and pushing her hand with the potato down.

"No!" they cried together.

"No, no, we don't need that. No potatoes," the Doctor scolded the short blonde, patting her hand before walking away.

"Aww, no fun," Wanda pouted but shrugged in agreement all the same as she stuffed the potato back into her pocket. Maybe for next time.

Jack raised a brow, curious by this reaction to a useless vegetable. But he shrugged, figuring they would tell him the story behind that next time. Glancing over, he saw how Wanda seemed to blink sleepily as she leaned heavily against the wall by a few boxes in the tight storeroom. Ignoring the mumbling Doctor and Rose, Jack walked over to the short blonde.

"Here, you should probably have a seat," he said as he guided Wanda over to a wheelchair sitting in the corner. She sat down carefully as she held her stomach, smiling at Jack gratefully.

"Thanks. I swear I'm not usually this useless on an adventure," she whispered quietly.

"Nah, considering what you're having to carry around through all of this, you're doing great, Tink," Jack replied softly, smiling in kindness at her. Over by the window, absently talking with Rose about ideas on what they could do, the Doctor looked over towards the whispering two. A heavy frown set on his face as he tried straining his ears to hear what they were muttering about. He watched as Wanda giggled when Jack leaned over, giving her forehead a cheeky kiss. The Doctor's temper flared as he felt that same spark as before, watching them flirt, watching them fond over each other like that . . . it made him so . . . furious!

"Oi! Are you two just going to flirt all night while I do the rest of the work?!" barked the Doctor as he glared at Jack in particular. "Am I gonna have to keep your hands off each other next?"

"Shut it!" Wanda snapped in return as she stood up from the wheelchair and marched over to the Time Lord, waving a cross finger at him. "Stop acting like a jealous schoolboy."

"'Jealous schoolboy'?! I'm not acting like anything. I'm just stating the obvious of you both hanging over each other like some hormonal teenagers!" the Doctor shouted, matching the Time Lady's temper as both squared off. Each of them glaring in irritation at the other.

Wanda huffed, placing her hands on her hips as her left eye twitched. "We're just being friendly. Is that so wrong?"

The Doctor kept his arms crossed tightly as he glared at her, staring her down, glad to have his height over her. "It is when you're practically snogging in the corner!"

Wanda stomped her foot furiously. "We weren't doing anything like that, you idiot!"

"I'm the idiot? You're the one getting cozy with a conman!"

"Can't I have friends, too?! You make friends all the time. Can't I meet someone nice every once and a while?"

"Not with someone like _him_!"

"Would you two just shut up already!" Rose yelled at them both, silencing the Time Lords immediately as they blinked in shock at her. As though each of them had forgotten anyone else was even in the room to begin with. The companion stared crossly at them, rolling her eyes as she had become quite used to this lately. Third Wanda and the Doctor argued just as much as she and the Time Lord did. It was not surprising since both Time Lords held short tempers. Then again, Rose knew how her mum had said couples who tended to argue on more than one occasion usually held strong emotional feelings for each other. In a strange way, their arguing was them projecting their love for the other. Then again, it could also mean that the couple was not good for each other in the slightest. But Rose liked to think it was just Wanda and the Doctor's way of loving each other, as she knew just how close each of them felt for the other. Even if they were both too stubborn to admit it.

"With you two yapping away like that, you missed the obvious," Rose scolded them, waving her hand over in the direction where Jack Harkness had been just a moment ago. Both Time Lords blinked in shock as they looked over, indeed seeing no Jack in sight. Each of them appeared sheepish in letting their tempers get the best of them, stepping away from the other as neither had noticed when they had gotten so close in the first place.

"Ah. I forgot he was going to do that," Wanda mumbled as she walked over to where Jack had been, sitting down in the wheelchair once more.

"Great! You could have told us he was going to skip out on helping," the Doctor growled in annoyance. "Should have seen it coming from a man like him."

"Why is it always the great-looking one who do that?" Rose complained as she leaned against a counter in a huff. Shooting the companion a sharp look, the Doctor rolled his eyes.

"I'm making an effort not to be insulted," he grumbled at her.

"I mean . . . men," Rose clarified, giving the Time Lord her own pointed look. She felt smug when seeing she had annoyed him more. Wanda was right, with that look he got when he felt irritated, it was just too fun messing with him.

"Okay, thanks. That really helped," replied the Time Lord in cross sarcasm. Both females snickered as Rose walked over to Wanda, sitting down by the Time Lady's feet. The Doctor, shaking his head, walked over to sit down on a box as he leaned forward, placing his elbows on his bent legs and clasped his hands tightly together. "So much for that Captain of yours, Wanda. Thought he'd be here to always help us, huh?"

"Shush you," Wanda sighed as she shook her head. "And he didn't skip out on us. He's just getting us help from his ship."

"What do you mean?" Rose asked her. They all perked up when the large radio sitting on a shelf crackled to life.

"Tink? Rose? Doctor? Can you hear me? I'm back on my ship. Used the emergency teleport. Sorry I couldn't take you. It's security-keyed to my molecular structure," they heard Jack's voice coming from the radio. The Doctor and Rose swiftly walked over to the device, checking it over in wonder on how Jack's voice was coming through it. Especially since the radio seemed to be in need of repair with many wires sticking out of it. "I'm working on it. Hang in there."

"Could have just told us where you were going before you disappeared," Wanda teased the man lightly.

"Well, things were getting a little tense in there, so I thought I'd just go ahead and start on the escape," Jack responded in humour.

"How're you speaking to us?" the Doctor questioned the man through the radio.

"Om-com. I can call anything with a speaker grille," explained Jack. The Doctor's brows furrowed as he stared at the radio, feeling a wave of déjà vu.

"Now, there's a coincidence," muttered the Time Lord, pondering over the similarities between the gas-masked child and Jack's method of communication.

"What is?" Jack asked upon hearing the Doctor's mutter.

"The child can om-com, too," the Doctor explained his ponderings.

"It can?" Rose questioned in surprise.

"Yep, he can," Wanda said as she rocked in her seat lightly, staring up at the ceiling. "He spoke to the Doctor earlier through the TARDIS phone. It's a way he can speak, but also a way for him to—."

"I can hear you," they heard Jamie's voice call out from the radio, sounding eerie from the sing-song voice the child was using. "Coming to find you. Coming to find you."

"Doctor, can you hear that?" Jack asked quickly over the radio.

"Loud and clear," grumbled the Doctor as he eyed the radio warily.

"I'll try to block out the signal—least I can do," Jack told them, seeming to work fast on keeping them safe by any means.

"You're doing great, Smexy. Always on top of things as usual," Wanda complimented, not noticing the Doctor shoot her a look of irritation.

"Hey, Tink, what do you think of this song for our dance?" Jack replied back playfully. They heard a few clicks before the room filled with the song 'Moonlight Serenade' played through the speakers. Wanda held a hand to her mouth as she tried to keep herself from bursting into laughter. She remembered this song. It was supposed to be the song which Rose and Jack would have danced to on top of his ship. Though, unlucky for them, Wanda had sort of gotten in the way of that. She would have to make it up to them later. Maybe take them all out where all of them could dance? She might even sneak in a dance with the Doctor if he would let her.

"Aw, this could be our song," Wanda joked to Jack, giggling as she heard him chuckle over the radio. The nice song continued to play, allowing Wanda to hum with the melody. Rose smiled as she swayed, thinking how it would be nice to dance along with this song. The Doctor crossed his arms as he gave the radio a hard stare. Wanda and Jack's song, huh? _Their_ song?

He glanced over to Rose, seeing how she swayed with the music, her eyes closed with a pleased smile on her face. An idea popped into his mind. A thought that made him irritated to think on, and a little embarrassed as well. He did not wish to stoop to such a level. But . . . he looked at Wanda again, seeing a pleased smile on her face as she hummed with the melody. All he could imagine was her thinking about Jack and her dancing along, all romantic like and such. Her, sitting there, dreaming about her younger, pretty-looking man, sweeping her off her feet and carrying her away somewhere to his ship. The Doctor gritted his teeth, growing angry by imagining Wanda thinking of such thoughts of that damn Captain Jack Harkness. Why could she not dream of something like that with . . . with . . . well, with he himself. Ears growing red, the Doctor turned his eyes away, internally scolding himself for thinking, wishing, that Wanda would dream about him and her, dancing the night away. Would she even want to? Dancing, that is.

Glancing at Wanda, then again at Rose, the Doctor felt his bubbling idea coming to the surface, knowing that his temper from seeing Wanda and Jack flirting so much was fueling it. Was it childish of him to want to do something like this? Yes, it was. But damn if he did not wish to get Wanda back with her own medicine. Acting quickly before he decided to change his mind, he grabbed Rose's hand, pulling her close to him. He watched as the companion blinked in shock, standing there stunned as he placed one hand on her hip, the other keeping a hold of her hand as he began making them rock slowly around.

"Uh . . . Doctor, what are you doing?" Rose asked the Time Lord cautiously, trying to pull away from him. But he kept a firm hold on her, practically dragging her around in his odd movements. If she did not know better, she would think he was trying to dance with her.

"Dancing," the Doctor answered casually. "With everyone talking about dancing, I thought, 'you know, I've been around a bit, and it has been so long since I've danced.' So, we're dancing." He shot a sharp look at the relaxed Time Lady, waiting for a reaction from her. "Sorry that you're left out at the moment. I'm sure you don't really mind since you're just so delighted to go dancing with that Harkness fellow of yours."

Wanda smiled, leaning her chin on her hand as she rested her elbow on the chair's armrest, watching the two awkwardly dance and replying, "I don't mind at all. I think you two are cute together. And I'm sure Rose doesn't, either. Right, girlie?"

"Uhhh," was the only response Rose as she whipped her eyes back and forth between the Doctor and Wanda. Completely at a loss on what the Doctor was trying to get at.

"And Jack isn't my fellow, by the way," Wanda continued, leaning back in her chair as she rocked it back and forth slightly. "He isn't really my type."

"Oh? Then what is your type? Someone young and short like you?" the Doctor said sarcastically, not noticing how Rose kept wincing and hissing as he stepped on her feet while dragging her around in their 'dance.'

"Well, I do have my sights on someone at the current moment." Wanda smiled coyly, crossing her legs and bouncing one in the air lightly. "Someone who's more silly . . . has experience on him . . . wears the most sexy leather coat you'd ever see . . . and has the most lovable big ears ever."

Looking away from the Time Lady, the Doctor felt a spike of annoyance, wondering who this other fellow might be. So this other man had Wanda's interests, huh? Was it someone he knew? Probably not. Probably someone who was just as pretty looking as that damn Harkness. "Well, good for you and that other man of yours. Hope you two are nice and happy being all cozy like."

"Oh yes, indeed we are," giggled Wanda as she sat back in the chair, enjoying the sight of the flustered looking Doctor and the baffled companion. Rose looked over the Doctor's shoulder at Wanda, mouthing 'help me.' Wanda snickered, shrugging as if showing there was nothing she could do about the Doctor trying to use Rose as a means of making her jealous. How silly of the Time Lord to act in such a way. Wanda thought she would never see the day where the Doctor tried making _her_ jealous.

"Doctor, would you stop stepping on my feet?" Rose barked at the Time Lord, growing angry with him for continuously stomping on her toes. That, and she was very cross with him at the moment for trying to use her as a means to make Wanda envious. Really, how childish could he get?

"I'm not stepping on your feet," retorted the Doctor. "Your feet are just in my way."

" _Your_ feet are in the way!" Rose snapped, pulling back from him and giving him a push. "Wanda, could you please tell him to—." Turning around, Rose was surprised to see Wanda was gone from her chair.

"Sorry, sorry," they heard Jack saying over the radio. "I messed up on the settings. Looks like I was only able to bring Wanda into the ship."

"You could have given me a warning there, Jack," they heard Wanda grumbling. "That was so disorienting."

"It wasn't supposed to be. I think I might have tweaked it a little too much," Jack mumbled. "Don't worry, Doctor, Rose, I'll get you both next. Just give me a second." The two left in the storeroom stood there awkwardly while the music continued to play. It was the only thing breaking the silence between them. Rose sighed, crossing her arms as she leaned more on one leg. She glanced at the Doctor when he began grumbling under his breath.

"What are you upset about this time?" she asked him, getting really fed up with his constant temper today.

"Nothing," grounded the Doctor through his teeth as he crossed his own arms, allowing himself to fume away. He did not mean to be having such a temper today. But that silly, stupid . . . why must Wanda always frustrate him so much?

"Well, it has to be _something_ ," Rose responded, rolling her eyes at the Time Lord.

"What sort of man is that to have interest with? He sounds like a moron. Wears leather? Big ears? How stupid looking can you get?" He grumbled some more as his mind kept going over images of Wanda and this other man dancing, being all loving together. He could just imagine this man smirking at him, almost like the man had won Wanda before the Doctor himself had even a chance to try. Hearing Rose clear her throat, he gave a quick glance towards the companion, seeing how she raised a brow in disbelief at him. "What? I can't be upset with Wanda wanting to bring another idiot around?" Rose merely gave him a pointed look, making the Doctor ponder on why she kept gazing at him like that. Like she was waiting for him to realize something. Then, Wanda's words finally clicked in his mind. He blinked a few times while his mouth made an 'o' in shock.

"Ooh . . . She was talking about _me_?" he pointed to himself in surprise. Completely stunned by this revelation.

"Yes, she was talking about _you_ ," Rose laughed, shaking her head. And he calls himself a genius.

"Oh." He frowned for a moment, staring off at nothing in particular. Then he turned his attention back to Rose, still holding an expression of disbelief and bewilderment. "She thinks my ears are cute?"

Rose shrugged lightly. "I guess. I mean, I wouldn't say they're cute. But everyone has their preferences."

"So . . . she's . . . interested in me?" the Doctor said slowly, as though still testing these words and thoughts. Still uncertain on what to believe at this point.

Rose scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Doctor, if it hasn't been obvious until _now_ , then Wanda's right. You really are an idiot."

Frowning at her, he turned away to stare up at his own reflection in the one window of the room. He began flicking his ears lightly, trying to see them as 'lovable.' He always thought of them as something no one would want or find likable. But Wanda liked them? Huh. He began tugging on his leather jacket, adjusting it slightly. She said she liked his jacket, too. Even called it 'sexy.' Hmm.

"But why would she be interested in _me_?" The Doctor turned around, expecting to be facing Rose but was surprised to see he was now standing in a Chula spaceship, with a grinning Wanda standing right in front of him.

"Because, you're smexy, too," she said, beaming away while he stood there dumbly. She even gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before bouncing back over to where Rose and Jack stood by the pilot seat, giggling away as the bouncing Time Lady normally would.

Touching his cheek for a brief moment, he was reminded of another moment when she had kissed him. On the very same cheek during her Second incarnation. A moment of her waking up after her seizure, a time that had still frightened him in seeing his friend in such a state. Then he remembered just how frightened she had been at the time after he had died from a Reaper then came back to life. At the time, he had dismissed it as her just being overly worried for another's safety. But now . . . in recalling how she had cried . . . how tightly she had hugged him afterward. . . A person only acted like that when they were in . . . were in love.

He rubbed at his cheek with a grumble, knowing that she was just saying and doing all of this just to tease him. She did not truly mean all of that talk of finding him interesting or liking him in such a way. Right?

"Most people notice when they've been teleported," Jack teased the Doctor as he turned off the music from earlier. Now the only noises made were from the ship's machinery which beeped off and on again. The Doctor walked up, holding onto a pipe as he observed the ship's interior carefully.

"This is a Chula ship," he noted, already realizing this a moment before, but wanting to state it more clearly for the rest, needing to see what Jack's reasons were in having such a ship.

"Yeah, just like that medical transporter," Jack confirmed, beginning to mess around with a few controls by the pilot seat. "Only this one _is_ dangerous." Nodding, the Doctor snapped his fingers sharply, activating bright little yellow nanogenes that hovered around his hand.

"They're what fixed my hands up. They're called, um—," Rose told the Doctor.

"Nanogenes," Wanda finished for the girl, staring at the little yellow lights fondly. "I love these little guys. They're so brilliant at what they do. Used to help patch me up all the time when I was young. The doctor back home had to use up her whole batch once to fix my leg after falling out of a tree. She was not happy with me at all." She laughed lightly in recalling that fond memory. The doctor back at her world had scolded her just as much as Shelly had. The Doctor stared at Wanda curiously, waving off the nanogenes once he was done with them.

"You had nanogenes back in your world?" he questioned her, sounding very skeptical.

"Yeah," shrugged Wanda, not seeing why the Doctor would be staring at her like she was lying.

"Impossible. Earth never had that kind of technology. At least, not during your Earth's era," responded the Time Lord, giving a firm shake of his head.

"Well, _my_ Earth did. Parallel universe, remember?" She turned away from the Doctor, missing the arched brow and small frown from him. "Now, Jack, I think it's time we head over to the crash site, don't you think?"

XxXxXxXx

They made their way as swift as they could towards the crash site. Sneaking through a railroad area where the military kept some of their supplies, they ended up coming up to the large, barbed fence area with many guards patrolling around.

"There it is," Jack said, keeping his voice low in case any of the soldiers ahead heard them. They observed the scene together, seeing a large object being guarded under a tarp with many soldiers placed around it. Farther away from what was Jack's space junk was a guardsman at the entrance of the fenced area, keeping an eye out for intruders, or for more incoming men. Another man, seeming to be the commander of the soldiers, walked up to the guardsman, having a brief word with each other before the commander walked away again.

"Hey, they've got Algy on duty," Jack noted curiously as they observed the scene. "Must be important."

"A crash site that started a plague of gas-masked zombies. Yeah, I'd say that's important," Wanda spoke up sarcastically, keeping her eyes locked onto the area ahead. She knew by now the men around the site were beginning to experience the effect of what Jamie and the rest of the hospital patients had gone through, slowly turning into similar as the others had. The nanogenes were spreading through the air now, ready to change the world into what Jamie had become. She glanced over when Jack left, going off to distract Algy, giving them a chance to sneak in later. Wanda snickered at the bewildered face Rose was giving the retreating Jack. Confused as to why he said she could not be the one to do the distraction.

"51st century guys. Gotta love them," Wanda replied, shaking her head in amusement.

"But I thought, by the way he flirted . . .," Rose began saying, pondering over on why Jack would suddenly go off to flirt with a man.

"He's just a bit more flexible when it comes to dancing," stated the Doctor.

"How flexible?" Rose asked carefully, appearing uncertain all the sudden when it came to Jack Harkness and his flirting.

"Well, by his time, you lot have spread out across half the galaxy," explained the Doctor, shrugging as if it were no big deal on Jack's 'flexibility.'

"Meaning?"

The Doctor smirked lightly. "'So many species, so little time.'" He quote a phrase he heard quite often during the 51st century.

Rose looked abashed by this. "What, that's what we do when we get there? That's our mission? We seek new life, and—and—."

"Dance," the Doctor and Wanda said together, each giving a small chuckle and a sly grin towards the other. Wanda bumped Rose lightly with her hip when seeing how disappointed the girl looked after learning about that.

"Don't worry, Rose," Wanda assured the girl. "When Jack flirts with someone, it is genuine. He is fond of everyone, but there are only those few who he truly loves and keeps close to his heart. And you're definitely one of them." Rose held a small smile, seeming more at ease now in knowing that Jack was not simply using her like he might with others.

"Oh, yeah, he's completely genuine," the Doctor retorted sarcastically. "As genuine as any bloke who wants to . . . dance." Wanda rolled her eyes when seeing the Time Lord begin to grumble again.

"He likes you, too, Spaceman. Truly he does," she said, hitting the Doctor playfully on the arm.

The trio looked up quickly when hearing someone gagging up ahead towards the site. They saw Algy falling to his knees in front of Jack, going through the transformation as his face changed into a gas mask. They rushed forward out of their hiding spot, going over to Jack and the others. Ordering the other alarmed soldiers to stay back from Algy as they observed the man who laid on the cold ground.

"The effect's becoming airborne, accelerating," the Doctor said tensely.

"What's keeping us safe?" Rose questioned, growing panicked now in knowing at any moment they all might become like what the others were.

"Nothing," stated the Doctor. They all tensed as the air raid sirens began to blare again, alerting them to the approaching bomb that would be landing here shortly. They were running out of time and fast. Wanda's ears perked up, ignoring the rambling trio as she turned her head towards singing in the distance. It was a child's lullaby being sung by someone.

"Hey, do you hear that?" she spoke up, making the others halt in their rapid talking. The Doctor tilted his head, listening carefully. He recognized that voice. Hurriedly, he walked around everyone, going off towards a wooden shed that must have been made into a temporary base for the soldiers. Inside, he saw Nancy sitting on a chair, handcuffed to a table while singing a soldier who had transformed to sleep. Making Nancy continue to sing, the Doctor quickly sonicked the cuffs open, releasing her and allowing her to escape with him.

Once they were outside, they managed to turn on the spotlights which surrounded the area and were pointed at the tarp-covered ambulance that Jack had sent down in a crash, pulling back the tarp revealed a very large, metal cylinder. Truthfully, it appeared nothing like a futuristic, space ambulance. Even Nancy was skeptical of it being an ambulance when Jack stated as such.

"They've been trying to get in," Jack muttered as he looked over the controls of the broken ambulance.

"Of course they have—they think they've got their hands on Hitler's latest secret weapon," scoffed the Doctor in a retort. They watched as Jack tried getting the ship open, wanting nothing more than to prove his innocence in this whole mess, when the controls suddenly gave a bright and powerful spark. They all stepped back in shock as alarms began blaring from the ship.

"Didn't happen last time," Jack said in frustration as he tried correct this problem and stop the alarms.

"It hadn't crashed last time," the Doctor replied in sass. "They're the emergency protocols."

"What is that?" Rose asked, beginning to worry greatly by what the alarms could mean. Nothing good, she suspected.

"It's sounding the alarm for the troops to come and defend the ambulance," Wanda spoke rapidly, pulling out her sonic and aiming it at the ship. The alarm shut off, but she knew it was too late. The gas-masked army was already on their way. They all jumped when the wooden gate at one of the site's entrances began being pounded upon. Wanda pointed at it in a hurry as she began walking backward towards where she knew the fence had been cut by Nancy to get in. "We need to secure every entrance into this place until our plan of action is ready."

"And what's our plan?" Jack questioned her quickly.

"Hell if I know!" Wanda shouted back as she turned and jogged over to the broken fence. "I'm still trying to think of one!" Once she was over by the broken side of the fence, she worked fast on putting the barbed pieces together. She knew she should be letting Rose and Nancy do this together, allowing them a chance to bond. Guilt went through Wanda as she glanced over to Rose and Nancy, wondering if she should make up an excuse to get the two over here so that they could talk. Allowing Rose to assure Nancy of the grand future that awaited for England and the rest of the world. But when Wanda looked over to the two, she smiled when seeing Rose and Nancy working together to secure another gap in the fence, talking quietly amongst themselves. Time sure did have a funny way of working itself out. Smiling more, Wanda turned back to her task, glad that Nancy and Rose had their comforting talk.

Going back over to the group after she had finished, she saw how Jack finally managed to open the ambulance, showing them the empty shell inside of the ship.

"It's empty. Look at it," Jack told the Doctor, stepping back to show the Time Lord the truth to his innocence. That Jack, in fact, had not done anything with ill intent on this day. But when seeing the still angered look in the Doctor's eyes, Jack felt his uneasiness from before beginning to creep over him.

"What do you expect in a Chula medical transporter?" retorted the Doctor, voice strict with a bit of sarcasm in the mix while he kept his arms firmly crossed as he glared at Jack. "Bandages? Cough drops?"

"It was transporting nanogenes, Jack," Wanda said softly.

"There was enough nanogenes in there to rebuild a species," the Doctor added in along with her. They watched as Jack's eyes widened in horror upon realizing his grave mistake.

"Oh, god," Jack said as he stared at the ambulance in front of him, unbelieving that he could have overlooked such a thing in his con.

"Getting it now, are we?" sassed the Doctor as he kept his piercing blue eyes on the Captain, furious that the man could have been so stupid and blind. Typical humans in overlooking something so simple.

Wanda gave the Captain a sympathetic gaze. She knew he had not meant for any of this to happen. He would never wish to truly hurt innocent people on purpose. He had just merely been desperate to get back at the Time Agency for stealing away his memories. Sometimes, when one was desperate enough, they would do the most crazy of things to make amends or set things right in their lives.

"When the ship crashes, the nanogenes escape," the Doctor began to both rant and explain while still glaring at Jack. "Billions upon billions of them, ready to fix all the cuts and bruises in the whole world. But what they find first is a dead child, probably killed earlier that night, and wearing a gas mask."

"And they brought him back to life—they can do that?" Rose questioned, shocked by the very idea of a person being brought back by simple little machines. She hoped it was not like the Gleth in how they brought back the dead. That would be awful to have to go through something like that again.

"What's life? Life's easy. A quirk of matter. Nature's way of keeping meat fresh. Nothing to a nanogene," responded the Doctor with a shrug, not finding the idea alarming at all. It was not if he had not run into something similar to this before. "One problem, though—these nanogenes, they're not like the ones on your ship." He gave a nod to Jack. "This lot have never seen a human being before. Don't know what a human being's supposed to look like. All they've got to go on is one little body, and there's not a lot left. But they carry right on. They do what they're programmed to do. They patch it up. Can't tell what's gas mask and what's skull, but they do their best. Then off they fly, off they go, work to be done. 'Cause you see, now, they think they know what people should look like, and it's time to fix all the rest." The Time Lord began walking slowly towards Jack, his voice rising in anger as he stared the Captain down, the Oncoming Storm brewing away in the Doctor's blue eyes. "And they won't ever stop. They won't ever, ever stop. The entire human race is gonna be torn down and rebuilt in the form of one terrified child looking for its mother, and nothing in the world can stop it!"

"I didn't know!" Jack replied, in dismay that any of this was happening. Though he kept his face calm, not allowing the others to see any weakness from him. Though, the way Wanda stared at him with those sympathetic eyes, he felt as if she saw right through his façade. That she knew of his deep regret and guilt boiling away inside of him.

"Doctor, that's enough," Wanda spoke up when seeing the Doctor opened his mouth again angrily, ready to shout in rage some more at the Captain. "He understands his mistake now. And he'll help us fix it, right, Jack?" She earned a firm nod from Jack, showing to them all that he was prepared for whatever it was to make things right again.

The distant call of 'mummy' began to itch at their ears. Turning their attention sharply away from the ship in front of them, they saw a mass of patients from the hospital slowly making their way towards the fenced area. The Doctor began to act fast, sonicking the ship as the rest watching the patients lining up around the fence, staring at them all within and remaining still, waiting for their commander to arrive. The child himself.

"Jamie," Nancy corrected Jack when he began referring to Jamie as 'the child' again. "Not 'the child'—Jamie." The Doctor stared at Nancy in interest by this statement from her. Rose turned to Jack when they heard another German bomb go off not too far away from the hospital.

"So, how long until the bomb falls?" she asked.

"Any second," answered Jack, shifting on his feet in unease. The Doctor noticed this in the corner of his eye.

"What's the matter, Captain? Bit close to the volcano for you?" the Time Lord muttered as he walked over to Nancy. He noticed how Wanda had shifted over to the young woman as well, touching Nancy's shoulder as gentle as possible.

"Nancy, you have to tell him," Wanda whispered to the woman. Nancy stared at the Time Lady, eyes wavering in uncertainty.

"He's just a little boy," Nancy said in desperation, eyes welling up. "He's just a little boy who wants his mummy."

"I know. There isn't a little boy born who wouldn't tear the world apart to save his mummy," the Doctor stated.

"Or a little girl," Wanda said, hand absently clutching at her stomach, not thinking about her action as it was merely a nervous habit now. "With that kind of power he has now, just think of what he'll do to finally find his mummy." She looked at Nancy again in determination. "That's why you _have_ to tell him."

"What does she need to tell me?" the Doctor asked, becoming more and more curious.

"Not you. Jamie," Wanda replied with a shake of her head. "She needs to tell Jamie."

"Tell him what?" quizzed the Doctor, frowning for a moment in confusion. But then all the gas-masked people around the area began calling out 'mummy' once more, making the night ring in the question. The one question Jamie had been searching for all his life. Staring around at all of those calling 'mummy,' it clicked in the Doctor's mind. Finally realizing the truth, he looked at Nancy carefully, seeing her in a new light as the young woman cried.

"It's my fault. It's all my fault," Nancy cried, allowing her tears to slip over and run down her cheeks.

"Nancy, what age are you? Twenty? Twenty-one? Older than you look, yes?" the Doctor began questioning the girl, watching as she gazed back at him with her red, teary eyes. Eyes that held old shame and deep regret. He stood still, unblinking while the others flinched when a bomb struck with a might just on the other side of the fence, hitting a stack of military supplies.

"Doctor, that bomb—we've got seconds," Jack said in urgency. Another bomb hit, hitting a train compartment this time.

"You can teleport us out," Rose suggested to Jack.

"Not you guys," Jack replied with a shake of his head, "the Navcom's back online. Gonna take too long to override the protocols."

"So it's volcano day. Do what you've got to do," the Doctor said gruffly, not bothering to look at the man as the Time Lord already knew what the Captain was going to do. In a flash, Jack was gone, teleporting back to his ship. Rose stared at the spot where he had been in disbelief while neither the Doctor or Wanda paid much attention, keeping their sole focus on Nancy beside them. Each of them knowing what the Captain would do next. Or, at least, the Doctor _hoped_ that he could trust Jack enough to do such a thing. Wanda, on other hand, believed in Jack and knew he would do the right thing in the end.

"How old where you five years ago? Fifteen? Sixteen? Old enough to give birth, anyway," the Doctor continued on with his earlier questioning of Nancy. Watching her avert her eyes away from his, staring at the ground in remorse. "He's not your brother, is he?" He watched as Nancy shook her head, still crying. Wanda reached up, placing a comforting arm around the young mother's shoulders.

"I understand why you lied to him, Nancy," she whispered gently. "It was to protect him. During these harsh times, a single mother and her child living on the streets, if any others had found out they would have taken him away from you. Taken him somewhere out into the country where other children are being sent. The lie had good intentions. But lies can only last so long. You have to tell him the truth. Tell him who his real mother is." They all looked up when the gates to the fence were finally forced open. Allowing them to see the army Jamie led. The little boy stood in front of all the others, staring them all down. Though, soon his sole focus seemed to be on the crying Nancy.

"Are you my mummy?" Jamie asked her. Nancy winced as it had become a repeated question from him for so long now. Even before any of this had happened.

"He's gonna keep asking, Nancy," said the Doctor, trying to urge the mother to do the right thing. Hoping that, perhaps, the small plan of his just might work. "He's never going to stop. Tell him." Still, Nancy did not move. "Nancy . . . that future of the human race is in your hands. Trust me. And tell him."

Jamie walked forward from the rest of his followers, still staring at Nancy who remained sniffling as she gazed back. She stepped forward as Jamie continued to ask his earning question.

"Are you my mummy?" he repeated once more.

"Yes, I am your mummy," Nancy finally answered in truth for the first time. "I'm here." She got onto her knees in front of Jamie, making them both eye level. And still, he kept asking his question. "I am your mummy. I will always be your mummy. I'm so sorry. I am so, so sorry."

Nancy reached forward, pulling her child into her arms as she held him close, letting her tears fall down onto him. Suddenly, a million yellow lights floated around both mother and child. It was the nanogenes, assessing both Jamie and Nancy, swirling around in a ball, circling them. Rose gasped in surprised, worrying that the nanogenes were going to change Nancy. The Doctor kept muttering over and over again, hoping that his idea would work and that the nanogenes would figure it out. Wanda smiled warmly, not worried at all in the least, only growing teary eyed at the touching moment for bother mother and child. Soon, the nanogenes floated away from Nancy and Jamie, and the Doctor rushed forward to see the results.

"Oh, come on. Give me a day like this. Give me this one," the Doctor said in a plea, hoping that, for once, things just might go right. He reached for Jamie when Nancy pulled away from the hug, pulling off the child's gas mask. All beamed with pure joy when seeing Jamie stare back at them with his own eyes, perfectly back to normal. Perfectly healed and healthy. The Doctor gave a merry laugh, picking up Jamie and giving the smiling boy a hug. Wanda bounced over to the laughing Time Lord, giggling away in cheer as she gave Jamie her own elated hug with the Doctor.

"What happened?" Nancy asked as she stood up from the ground.

"The nanogenes recognized the superior information, the parent DNA," the Doctor began to explain.

"They sensed that you were the mother, assessed what exactly you look like and how your human structure is, and reprogrammed themselves to match," Wanda spoke along with.

"They didn't change you because you changed them," finished the Doctor. He laughed again as he and Wanda sat Jamie back down on the ground, allowing the child to hug his mother happily. "Mother knows best."

"Always," Wanda agreed smugly. The Doctor glanced at her, grinning with her as both Time Lords were giddy in the moment of victory. The whistle of an incoming bomb was heard above them, coming in fast. Rose and Nancy looked up in panic when hearing the German bomb coming to destroy the area and them. But, upon seeing Wanda smile with ease, the Doctor remained calm as well, trusting her demeanour as a sign that she knew of what was to come. As she had said once before, if she was not worried, then he should not be either.

Rose, Wanda, and the Doctor smiled when seeing Jack's ship fly up fast, stopping the bomb with the tractor beam just before the explosion hit them. Jack then appeared sitting right on top of the bomb with a flirtatious grin on his face.

"Doctor!" Jack called out with a small wave.

"Good lad!" replied the Time Lord, nodding in approval of the man's heroic save.

"Right on time, as always!" Wanda cheered, jumping up and down as she waved merrily at the Captain. Jack gave a small salute and a wink towards the bouncing blonde.

"The bomb's already commenced detonation," Jack told the group below them. "I've put it in stasis, but it won't last long."

"Change of plan—don't need the bomb," said the Doctor. "Can you get rid of it? Safely as you can." Jack nodded, gazing back at Rose and Wanda.

"Rose! Wanda!" he yelled down.

"Yeah?" Rose responded while Wanda remained silent.

"Goodbye," Jack said in finality before disappearing and taking off in his ship. Rose held a small frown, confused by Jack's solemn sounding farewell.

Wanda watched the Doctor, paying attention to him as he walked forward, holding up his hands and calling in a bunch of nanogenes to hover around him in a brilliant light. He beamed, eager to see what would happen next. Flinging his hands outwards, he sent the nanogenes streaming straight for the mass of other gas-masked people around the area. Everyone surrounded by the nanogenes collapsed for a moment, seeming to be overwhelming by the changing process. Then, one by one, they all stood up, staring at each other in amazement.

"Everybody lives. Just this once . . . everybody lives!" the Doctor cheered in pure elation, watching how everyone had turned back to normal. Completely human and gas-mask free. He beamed at them all, basking in the warm glow that swept through him in knowing, in this one rare occasion, everyone lived on this day. That he had not failed everyone, and that he finally did some good in his meaningless life.

A hand gripping his startled him slightly. He looked over quickly, blinking as he saw light tears rolling down Wanda's face as she beamed in pure happiness, squeezing his hand in joy.

"Everybody lives," she breathed softly, voice filled with warmth. The Doctor's smile grew warm as he squeezed her hand back, realizing now in why she had not told him of what was to happen on this day. If she had told him, he would have missed out in this warm, jubilant feeling that gave him the sensation of flying. He leaned forward, not even embarrassed by his impulse to give her a merry kiss on the forehead, enjoying how he made her giggle lightly after pulling away. They continued to stare at the sight of all the people, at peace and basking in the beautiful sight of everyone being safe and free from harm.

XxXxXxXx

Jack sipped on his drink lightly, coming to accept his fate. The bomb on his ship only had about a minute left before it would go off, destroying the ship and killing him. And there was no way around in stopping it from happening or saving himself. He was a goner. He smiled, shaking his head as he knew this must be life's way of punishing him for his mistake back on Earth. For almost changing history and erasing the human race, turning them into those zombies, this would be a fitting punishment and end to him.

"You know, most people notice when another ship materializes into their own."

Jack swiveled around in his chair upon hearing the giggling voice of his Tink. He blinked in shock, seeing her leaning against the doorway of a blue police box, but with the inside of the small box looking vast with an internal spaceship. He bounced up hurriedly from his chair, going over to Wanda as he peeked inside the TARDIS in awe.

"How—?" he began to question, in amazement of the ship's interior.

"Don't worry. You'll get used to Sexy's gorgeousness," Wanda teased, linking her arm with his and leading him inside the ship. She gave a quick snap of her fingers, closing the doors behind them. They stopped just before the console. Jack stared at Rose leaning against the controls of the ship, waving and smiling lightly. The Doctor was seen fiddling with a few knobs, making the TARDIS go into a drift in space. The Time Lord only half glanced at Jack.

"Welcome to the TARDIS," the Doctor said as an introduction for the ship.

"Much bigger on the inside," Jack commented.

"You'd better be," responded the Time Lord, giving Jack a pointed look.

"Oi, rude," Wanda said, sticking her tongue out at the grumpy Time Lord. The Doctor rolled his eyes, looking away as he continued to mess with the TARDIS controls. Rolling her eyes in return, Wanda let go of Jack's arm, bouncing up to the console. Working quick, she managed to get to the TARDIS to begin playing 'Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy.' The TARDIS herself even began flicking her lights about to match the beat of the music, adding in a fun atmosphere for dancing. The Time Lady turned around, beaming at Jack. "I believe I promised you a dance."

"I believe you did," Jack laughed as the short blonde girl bounced back over to him, grabbing his hands. They both laughed as they began doing a jig together around the control room. Rose laughed as she watched the two, starting to go over to join them. Or perhaps to steal a certain blonde away from a certain Captain for her own dance. But Rose was stopped when the Doctor suddenly grabbed her hand and began making her dance around too.

"I remember! I _can_ dance!" the Doctor cheered loudly as he dragged Rose along, sort of glancing back repeatedly at the dancing Jack and Wanda.

"Good for you, sweetie. Maybe now Rose can enjoy feeling her feet again," Wanda joked in response. Sticking her tongue slightly at the Time Lord who grumbled at her as the two dancing couples passed one another.

Soon, each partner of the Time Lords began to notice a recurring motion from the Doctor and Wanda. Each time, both of them would glance in yearning at one another when the other was not looking. Clearly showing on their faces that both wanted to dance together. But neither seemed to want to take the first step in asking the other for a dance. Wanda just appeared uncertain on whether or not she should ask, while the Doctor seemed simply stubborn in showing any interest to dance with the Time Lady. Still, it seemed as though he wanted to make her jealous with him and Rose dancing.

Jack and Rose looked at each other. Jack nodded at the dejected looking Wanda in his grasp, indicating of the Time Lady's clear disappointment in the Doctor not wanting to dance with her. Rose jerked her head towards the Doctor, pointing out the nervous Time Lord who was too embarrassed in actually wanting to dance with the Time Lady. Both companions gave sly smiles and nods towards each other when they began passing close by the other in their dance.

"Time for a switch, I think," Rose said quickly as she grabbed Wanda's hand from Jack, spinning the short blonde around and making the Time Lady go right into the surprised Doctor's arms. Meanwhile Rose herself grabbed Jack's hands and laughed along with the Captain as the two of them began their own dance.

Wanda and the Doctor stared at each other in shock for a moment. Then Wanda smiled and giggled as the Doctor gave her a small grin. Placing one hand on her hip and holding her hand, he began dancing her smoothly around. Spinning around every once and a while, they match each other's steps almost perfectly as both could not stop gazing happily at the other. All the while, neither Time Lord noticed that both Jack and Rose had stopped dancing. Instead, the companions now leaned against a TARDIS coral pillar, watching the Time Lords in amusement with fond smiles on their faces.

Jack glanced over at Rose, seeing the way she stared at the Time Lords. The longing gaze. The sad smile on her face. He looked away for a second before gazing back at Rose.

"So . . . which one?" he asked quietly. Rose gazed at him in surprise to this question. But then held a soft, sad smile.

"Both," she whispered in a sigh, turning back to stare at the dancing, laughing two. Jack hummed, shaking his head in sympathy.

"That's rough," he replied, feeling for her.

Rose shrugged lightly. "It's not so bad. I get to travel with them both, at least.

Jack stared at her in interest. "You ever going to tell them?"

"Him I will. But her . . . no, I can't. I'm afraid I'll break her hearts if I ever did." Rose showed Jack another solemn smile. "They make a good couple, don't you think?"

"Yeah." Jack smiled, patting her shoulder in comfort. "Don't worry, you'll find your dancing partner one of these days. Maybe even me, if you'd give me the chance." He gave her a sly wink, earning a laugh from her.

"Oh, don't worry about me. I know I'll find my own wandering doctor one day. Wanda had already promised me a while back. And she always keeps her promises." Rose smiled upon recalling the memory of Wanda telling her that one day she would find her own Doctor after revealing just how low the companion felt about the whole Adam mishap on Satellite Five. So, until the time of finding her future doctor, or maybe her own wanderer, she continued to enjoy watching the smiling, dancing Time Lords.

Wanda and the Doctor both grinned at each other. Laughing as they stayed in step with a funny little jig they began making up as they went along. Completely unaware of anything but each other.

XxXxXxXx

Everyone lives! I'm there with the Doctor. I love moments like that. I really hope everyone was able to read this chapter with how crazy the site has been acting lately. If any of you are still having problems, send me a PM so I can document it for the website's support. Or even leaving a review is fine, too, if you do not wish to go through the hassle of a PM. Any way that I can help, I'm here for you all. :)

Reviewers:

 **Momochan77** : Yep! It's always so fun when meeting a companion for the 'first' time. :D I'm so happy that you enjoyed their moments together. Nine is most certainly beyond grumpy at times. But at least he still tries to be a good friend to Wanda. Things especially seem to be getting better now between Wanda and later Nine. :) Hope to see you again in the next update!

 **All The Stories Are True 24601** : I know that my writing is adequate. But I just always know that I could be much better. :) Thanks for always giving me such support. It means so much to me. Though I know I probably sound like a broken record saying that. haha. Twist ending you say? *grins* I love me some twist endings. lol ;) No worries. I know I always get giddy whenever I get a notification that I have a review from you and other readers. I love Jack. Just wish he was around more for Wanda. Yep, I've watched a bit of Torchwood. Only the first two season, though. Aww, I'm always just so happy to hear how much you're enjoying Wanda! I always love reading character development, so whenever I write a story I try my best to do that as well. I hope I can continue to do good development for the next story I'm working on. I hope you'll enjoy that story as much as you've enjoyed this trilogy. Can't wait to see you next time! :)

 **bored411** : They are just too fun together. haha. And younger Doctor being jealous is far too cute. Really hope you enjoyed the new chapter! :) Take care!

 **alwaystherereading** : Woo! I'm excited about him being back, too. It's part of the misdirection circuit in the necklace of Wanda's. They feel her stomach when they hug her, but the circuit will redirect their minds to basically forget about it almost instantly. It's sort of an old tech from the older episodes of the show when I was doing research for the story. Which makes me wonder if they'll ever bring that old tech back into the current show. Wanda notices the changes on her body, just no one else. So when the baby starts kicking, she'll most definitely know. ;) I can't wait, either! Hope you'll enjoy more as the story continues. :)

 **Authora97** : There was no hiding something like that from Jack. ;)

 **swimmjacket** : haha. It's always fun when seeing the Doctor get jealous. Especially when he gets jealous of himself. lol ;) Yep, doing a few time skips with her pregnancy. Also yep, just nine months for her. Time Lords have pretty much the same type of pregnancy as humans and other species. The only difference is the development of the child once they are born. But that's spoilers for now. ;) Oh man, I could never contain myself just to a thousand words. haha. But I'm so happy that you're enjoying the story so much! :D Until next time!

 **QuirkyKim** : Me, too! XD I really hope you enjoyed it!

 **SakuraRcoa** : Jealous Nine is so much fun. haha. Really hope that you enjoyed the new chapter! :)

 **Whovianeverlark17** : Jack is always great. I love him. XD And jealous? Him? Nah. lol ;) Hope you enjoyed!

 **Ruby Slippers** : Always so glad that you enjoyed it! :D

I really hope that I replied to everyone. Had some troubles again with the reviews. If I missed you, please let me know! And thanks again for all the love and support everyone! :)

~Tinker~


	44. Ch 44: Time with the Ponds

Helloooo! :D

I hope everyone has been having an amazing day! Or night, depending on where you live. ;) This chapter is just a bit of fluff, not much adventuring this time around. So I hope everyone will still enjoy it!

 **Warning** : Some adult themes present

XxXxXxXx

Chapter 44: Time with the Ponds

Amy typed away on her computer, finishing up one of her many travelling articles for the countless magazines she worked for. She had a deadline to meet for this particular article, knowing the head of this particular magazine was very grouchy when the articles were not turned in on time. Next to her, Rory sipped on his drink, reading the morning's paper. Both of them currently sat outside in the garden, enjoying the nice summer day of May. The sun shone brightly in the cloudless sky with a nice cool breeze that blew through every moment or so. The flowers in their home's garden were all in bloom. Amy glanced up from her typing, peaking at one of the innumerable black cubes that lay scattered around their house and the world, just sitting there quietly on the table in front of her and Rory.

"Is your dad still making his logs on those things?" Amy asked Rory offhandedly as she went on typing.

"Yep," Rory answered lightly, flipping through the paper.

"It's almost been a year. You'd think he'd get bored by now," Amy commented.

"My dad, getting bored? Yeah, that'll be the day. He stayed in the TARDIS for four days straight once, remember," Rory replied in sarcasm, shaking his head as he took another sip of his drink. "Besides, as he likes to say, his middle name is 'Diligence.'"

"A person can only be diligent so long before they snap. Look at what happened to the Doctor. Only four days of observing those cubes and he almost went bonkers."

"Yeah, but that's the Doctor. I don't think he could ever live a domestic, slow life."

Amy paused in her typing, pondering. "Do you think Wanda ever could?"

"Which Wanda? First, Second, or Third?"

"Hmm . . . Third?"

Rory shook his head as he set his drink down. "Doubt it. She's just as bad as the Doctor is. Can barely sit still for a minute. Could you imagine her living in one place for more than a week?"

"Well, we're all about to find out!" they heard their favourite Time Lady yell from the back door. They both whipped their heads over in shock upon seeing the grinning short blonde in the doorway, holding large bags in each hand. She plopped the bags down next to her feet, bouncing over to her favourite Ponds and gave them both a large hug by placing an arm around each of their shoulders, pulling them all in together. "Hello, Amy. Hello, old man. Guess what! I'm moving in!" Amy and Rory blinked in the Time Lady's hold, looking at each other in shock.

"Um, what?" Rory asked in disbelief.

"Since when?" scoffed Amy.

"Since now," they heard the Doctor say from the doorway. They gazed over quickly when seeing the Time Lord holding bags in his hands too, setting them down in the same manner as Wanda had. He clapped his hands together, grinning at the two Ponds. "We need a place for her to stay, and, being as brilliant as ever, I figure with you two will be the perfect place! I'm sure you both don't mind." He waved his arms out merrily, not noticing the disgruntled expressions Rory and Amy were giving him. He turned around in a flourish, grabbing up some bags and going back into the house. "Come along, Ponds! We need your help with the bags." The three outside merely stayed in place, watching the retreating Time Lord until he disappeared into the home.

"Truth be told, this wasn't really on the top of my list of things to do to you two," Wanda told the companions sheepishly, giving them an apologetic smile. "I mean, I always, always love hanging out with you both. But I don't think you'd want me intruding on your space or time away from our adventures. If you really want me to, I can go somewhere else so that way I won't be a bother."

"No, you're fine, Wanda. It's just . . . we weren't really expecting company," Amy assured the Time Lady, standing up to give the short blonde a more proper hug.

"Why are you moving in with us?" Rory asked Wanda curiously.

"Because the Doctor doesn't trust that I'll be safe enough living with him in the TARDIS," Wanda explained with an exasperated sigh.

"And why aren't you safe?" Rory questioned as he and Amy frowned in concern. Wanda answered this by simply pulling off her marriage ring necklace quickly, showing them her round belly in clear signs of halfway through her pregnancy. Then she placed back on the necklace, appearing her normal thin self once more. The companions nodded, knowing they should have realized this from the beginning. Over time, the Doctor had become more and more protective of his Wanderer. Going to extremes to protect her, becoming agitated by the slightest of things.

Such as now, for example.

"What are you doing taking your necklace off like that? What if someone saw you?" the Doctor demanded as he suddenly rushed out of the house and swiftly came up to Wanda, pulling her close to him in a protective hold, shifting his eyes around the small backyard as if expecting an enemy to suddenly pop out and grab his wife. He then gave Wanda a stern gaze. "You can't be just waltzing around without your necklace on. In the TARDIS is fine, but when we're out and about . . ."

"Give her a break, would you?" Amy sassed the Time Lord, hitting him in the arm. "She isn't made of china, you know."

"Next thing you'll want to do is actually put bubble wrap around her," Rory said, agreeing with his wife.

"He tried that already, actually. Twice," Wanda said, elbowing her husband lightly in the side and giving him a stern expression. "You've got to relax, Spaceman. No one's going to get me in the back of Amy and Rory's yard."

"You never know," the Doctor grumbled, pouting upon the three of them ganging up on him. They just did not understand why he felt this way. Every second Wanda took the necklace off, he felt the instant connection, the bond from little Ember hit him. Surging him with the instinctive need to protect and safeguard his love and child. And every time this happened, instantly his mind went back to all the dangers in the universe. All the enemies that wanted him and Wanda, who would do anything to get at them. River herself was one of those examples. What if the Silence learned of Wanda's pregnancy and tried to do the same to her and little Ember as they had done to the Ponds and their daughter? The Doctor feared of this greatly, not wishing for Ember to suffer the same fate as River had. Or the same fate as . . .

He glanced at Wanda, a solemn demeanour and expression going through him as he gazed at her. If only she understood the real reason for his protection of little Ember and her.

"Come on, we better get those bags into the guest room," Rory said, snapping everyone to attention as he walked over to pick up what Wanda had left.

"No, Rory, here. They're my bags, so I should really—," Wanda protested, not wanting for him to go through the trouble. But she was halted when Amy pulled her away from taking the bags from Rory.

"No you don't, missy," Amy told the Time Lady sternly. "You're carrying around enough as it is. No more straining tasks for you. Or doing anything dangerous, for that matter." Wanda pouted as Amy and the Doctor guided her into the kitchen while Rory took the bags upstairs to the guest room.

"Weren't you just telling the Doctor not to treat me like chinaware," Wanda grumbled at Amy as she sat down on a stool at the kitchen counter.

"Yeah, but it doesn't mean that I can't tell you off when you're overdoing things. As usual," Amy retorted, going into the refrigerator to dig for some drinks instead. "So, what made you decide to come live here?" Amy asked the two Time Lords curiously as she set up some lemonade for them. "Are you both living here, or is it just Wanda?"

"Both of us, but . . . mostly Wanda. I'll be popping out during the day, finishing up a few things I have to take care of and to keep myself busy for the most part. While Wanda stays here to rest," the Doctor explained, accepting a glass of the cool drink Amy offered him. He took a sip, before spitting it back into the glass, making a face of disgust as he sat the drink in hand on the counter. "I'll come back in the evenings, of course. Have to stay around for Wanda in case that—."

"In case that I might wander away to another time," Wanda said for him, taking a small sip of her own drink that Amy handed her. She winced, finding lemons to not be a taste that agreed with her. However, she did swallow her sip instead of spitting it out like the Doctor had. "Can't be away from Spaceman here for too long, or else I might jump away again. So, he goes away for only about eight hours a day before coming back. Kind of like going to work, if you think about it." Amy nodded, understanding this completely. Sounded reasonable to her.

"And the reason you're staying?" she questioned, raising a brow at them.

"Wanda's five months along now. Meaning she's entering into her last trimester of her pregnancy, Ember's last stages of development," the Doctor explained briskly. "Both are at their most vulnerable state—."

"That you say," Wanda grumbled at him as she crossed her arms, pouting at the Time Lord. Both Amy and the Doctor ignored this from her, very much used to it.

"—and she and the baby need a more . . . stable environment," the Doctor finished.

"Meaning the adventures you go on in the TARDIS are too dangerous for her," spoke up Rory as he entered the kitchen, having finished getting the guest bed ready for their new housemates.

"Basically," Wanda sighed, not liking any of this one bit. Why did she have to be away from the TARDIS and the Doctor? She understood it was for Ember, but . . . Could she not even simply just stay in the TARDIS and they park the old girl somewhere safe? Or did the Doctor really not trust them at all in being able to stay away from danger? Most likely it was the latter. "Plus the Doctor's guilty for his Ninth self's doing again. Just came from meeting Jack the first time. Spaceman here got every temperamental back then. And jealous."

"I was _not_ jealous," the Doctor countered, frowning upon the mentioning of that day. A day he still was not too fond of. Damn that Jack and his flirting. The other three in the kitchen smirked at each other, knowing the truth. The Time Lord cleared his throat. "Anyway, so, Wanda needs to stay here until little Ember finally arrives. Do you two think you can handle this?"

"Of course," Rory said while Amy nodded. Both completely fine and willing to help their two best friends along.

"Perfect!" the Doctor cheered, clapping his hands together as he bounced out of his seat. "Then, I'll be off. See you all tonight for dinner!" He started to bound out of the kitchen into the lounge where he had parked the TARDIS. Only to stop upon Wanda clearing her throat.

"Sweetie, aren't you forgetting something?" she spoke up, giving her husband a pointed look. The Doctor smiled sheepishly.

"Yes. Of course. How could I forget?" he responded, quickly going back over to her. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her up to him as she giggled and giving her his famous boyish grin before kissing her with a passion. She draped her arms around his shoulders as she returned the kiss, humming in enjoyment. The companions rolled their eyes, averting their gaze from the very passionate Time Lords. Though soon, Rory cleared his throat when he felt the kiss between the two was becoming a little too heated. The Doctor pulled away with a smack, kissing Wanda's forehead softly.

"Love you. Be back soon," he whispered to her.

"Love you, too. Take care of yourself. Don't get into too much trouble," Wanda replied warmly, letting go of him as he hurried off to the TARDIS. Though not before giving her a wink and a small salute. She kept a smile on her face until she heard the TARDIS departing. Then her smile dropped, earning her face a deep frown as she hopped from her seat and began marching back outside. Amy and Rory glanced at each other, raising a brow upon the Time Lady's change in demeanour.

"Uh-oh," Amy mumbled.

"Think she's cross with the Doctor?" Rory asked.

"Could be. I know I would if my husband forced me somewhere I didn't want to be," Amy said, shaking her head lightly as she stared at where the blonde had gone.

"You know how she is," Rory remarked, adding in on his wife's thoughts. "She always wants to be by the Doctor's side. I doubt she agreed to this arrangement willingly."

"No, I agreed and was quite willing," spoke the mentioned Time Lady. The two companions stiffened, alarmed in having been caught by the Time Lady in their conversation. Wanda stood in the doorway, holding a large bucket in hand. Something that she had spotted earlier when arriving at the home. "I'm not cross with the Doctor at all, nor am I not wishing to be here. In fact, I was excited when he decided that this would be the best place for me." She walked up, setting the bucket on the counter, glaring at a certain black cube sitting there on the table top that she had noticed from before. "I'm cross with _that_." She jabbed her finger at the black cube.

The two companions looked at the small object in surprise. They had grown so used to the cubes' presence that they hardly even notice them anymore. The cubes' arrival was barely a conscious thought on their minds. Unless, of course, if they discussed Brian, Rory's father, and his logs.

"Why are you cross with the cubes? What have the cubes done?" Amy asked curiously as she watched Wanda grab the small object roughly and throw it into the bucket.

"It's more of what they're going to do. But don't worry, that won't happen for a while," Wanda explained, quickly grabbing all the cubes off the counter and slam them into the bucket in anger. "I'm not having any of these damn cubes in the house while I and Ember are here." The two Ponds watched Wanda storm about, gathering up all the cubes in the kitchen from all sorts of odds and ends places. From on top of the refrigerator, under the sink, in the cupboards, and so on. She found the cubes in places the couple did not even realize they had been in.

"Wanda, wait, if the cubes are dangerous, then shouldn't we call the Doctor?" Rory questioned hurriedly as he and Amy swiftly followed after the Time Lady, who continued to storm off into the house to collect the rest of the cubes she could find.

"No. If we told him that the cubes were a threat, then he'd lock me away deep in the TARDIS for the rest of my pregnancy. I'd like to see the light of day again, you know," Wanda replied with an exhausted sigh as she bent down to get a few cubes from under the sofa. "Besides, as long as we get all the cubes out, we'll be fine." She stood up, frowning as she looked around to see where else the cubes could be. But when noticing a certain man walk out of the lounge to come and investigate the voice of someone new in the house, Wanda beamed upon seeing him. "Brian!"

Wanda bounced up, giving the father a hug as he blinked in surprise. It had been a while since she had seen him last. They had met on the Silurian spaceship that had been carrying dinosaurs. During a time in the earlier days of her pregnancy, even before she had known of it. It had been a fun day . . . sort of. There had been a few ups and downs on that particular day. But it was still a blast in finally meeting Brian! It had even been a fun chance for her to give him a gift she had been saving for him. A very fancy, technological pocket knife that had all sorts of survival features on it. Something that he had been wary, and confused by, at first. But soon, it had come in handy for them on that day.

Since then, whenever Wanda had a chance to, meaning whenever the Doctor actually brought her to the Pond's home, she had visited with Brian and had fun in a chance of getting to know him better and hang out, having fun. It was always great to get to know a companion's parent(s) a little better. She had tried doing so too with Amy's parents. But they did not really like neither Time Lord too well. They kind of reminded Wanda of Donna's mother, really. People who were just too wary of anything that was not human. However, Brian was different. Though he had been surprised at first, he accepted the Doctor and Wanda almost immediately. Just like Wilf had, too.

"Oh. Hello again," Brian said cheerfully, patting Wanda lightly on her back in greeting. "It's been a while, hasn't it?" Wanda gave the father a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Too long," she agreed merrily. "How's that pocket knife been doing for you? Pretty useful I bet. Though I do hope the fire feature hasn't been too glitchy for you. I know last time that did give us quite a surprise when it burst out a spout of flame like that. Oh! No wait, I remember. You're watching those cubes for UNIT, aren't you?" She set a determined expression on as she marched past Brian and went into the lounge. The cubes were snatched up by the Time Lady before the others had even had a chance to walk into the lounge with her. She turned to face them, her arms awkwardly holding all of the small cubes as she started to leave the room again.

"Wait, you can't take those away. I've got to keep an eye on them for UNIT and the Doctor," Brian protested. Wanda sighed, grabbing one cube and tossing it over her shoulder to the three behind her. Brian caught in the air, fumbling with it in his hands for a moment having grabbed it at an awkward angle.

"Fine. You're right. The Doctor would get suspicious if you weren't still observing at least _one_ of the cubes," Wanda agreed reluctantly. She turned, pointing harshly at the cube. "But I want that thing under a glass case at all times. You've got that?" Storming off again into the kitchen, she left behind the bewildered humans.

"I don't understand. Should we be worried about the cubes?" Brian asked his son and his wife.

"We have no idea," Amy muttered, crossing her arms and shaking her head, still trying to get her mind around what exactly the Time Lady was going on about.

"If Wanda's cautious about them, though, then I think we should be, too," Rory offered, trusting the blonde's caution more than the other two did. He knew firsthand when to trust Wanda on these things. She had helped him stay safe and keep the Pandorica in protection on many occasions by having her strange logic in fighting against enemies.

"Is the Doctor here, too?" Brian asked them curiously.

"He will be in the evenings. But it's just Wanda staying with us until the baby arrives," Amy answered.

"Baby?" Brian questioned, frowning at this news. He had never heard anything about a baby.

"Oh, right, we forgot to mention that. Wanda and the Doctor are expecting a new arrival," Rory explained to his father. "Her name will be Ember. And yes, Wanda doesn't look it, but she's five months along. Perception filter and other stuff in her wedding ring. Blocks the imagine of her pregnancy." Brian blinked for a moment, then shook his head, going back into the lounge.

"I'll just pretend I understood all of that," the father said before shutting the door behind him. The two Ponds then stiffened when they heard a crash coming from upstairs. Apparently, Wanda had moved onwards in the hunt for the cubes.

"She's going to tear up the house at this rate," Amy sighed, starting forward to go to where the Time Lady had wandered to.

"Yeah. She probably already is," Rory agreed, going with his wife. They heard another loud crash.

"Fine! Be difficult!" they heard the Time Lady yelling as if scolding someone. The two Ponds sighed but smiled nonetheless.

"This is going to take some getting used to," Rory laughed lightly.

"There's never getting used to the Doctor or Wanda," Amy chuckled, shaking her head in amusement as they heard Wanda rambling away in frustration from above. Each Pond knew then that things in their household were only going to get more exciting from now on.

XxXxXxXx

Things in the Pond's house truly did become more interesting from the day Wanda joined the home. Her hyper nature (similar to the Doctor's) made it so there was constantly something new popping up within the house. There was a moment where she had built a breakfast-making device. Something that she had gotten the idea from the _Chitty Chitty Bang Bang_ movie after watching it on the telly one evening _._ As she had told them when they had walked into the kitchen one afternoon, "I got bored!" But then, she tore down the invention later, saying that it would be more fun to actually make the breakfast herself in the mornings alongside the Doctor.

Then, there was a time they had arrived back home after being out for the day to find a large dog just sitting on their sofa, watching the telly. As Wanda had told them later, "He was just passing through. Needed to catch up on the news." Then there was the small fire that erupted in their toilet. Wanda yelled out later, after stopping the flames, "Don't mix sugar with those chemicals under the sink! They won't do any good. Also, you might not want to flush for the next few hours. Might blow up the pipes." Then another time when the Ponds walked back into their house after being out shopping, coming to find the entire interior of their home had been wiped of color. As in everything appeared as though they had stepped in a black-and-white film. They had been even more stunned when Wanda herself came around the corner, just as black-and-white as the interior of the home. The Time Lady had simply huffed in frustration and said, "Don't ask." And of course, this continued on with Wanda making all kinds of goodies for the house, paper decorations, cleaning the place up . . . fighting off small aliens that the Doctor accidentally brought into the house a few times. Nothing really surprising to the Ponds there.

For them, it was actually fun having the Time Lords around more often. They laughed along with (or at) the Time Lady and Time Lord almost constantly. And things went well in having Wanda around the home more steadily than the Doctor. Even though she did get into many antics in keeping herself entertained, she still knew when to keep things calm enough and to not bother Amy or Rory too much as the Doctor would at times. In fact, as a few weeks passed, Wanda actually calmed and settled down. She picked up her violin playing to create gentle music for the house, mostly cleaned, cooked, watched children movies, and sat reading in the lounge to keep Brian company. The Time Lady sort of _had_ to slow down, for too much strain on her made her tired. Plus, it was not necessarily good for the growing child, either.

Amy and Rory, cuddling up together while watching a program on the telly, looked over their shoulders from the sofa when hearing the TARDIS arriving just behind them. Right on time, as usual. It had become routine for the Doctor to leave after cooking breakfast in the morning and arrive back in the evening for dinner before retiring for the night with Wanda in the guestroom. The Time Lord would sometimes bring back guests (sometimes unwelcomed ones), or presents for everyone to enjoy. Mostly though, it was him going off on his own adventures, working on making the TARDIS a more suitable environment for future Ember.

"How's the wife doing?" the Doctor asked merrily the moment he stepped out of the ship, holding up a large box in his arms as his eyes immediately began searching the room for his Wanderer.

"Just fine," Rory said fondly, warmly kissing the top of Amy's head as she lay curled up against him. The two began chuckling as they kissed, causing the Doctor to huff and pout at them.

"I meant _my_ wife," he responded sternly. Amy laughed as she pulled away from her and Rory's kissing.

"She's fine, too. She's in the kitchen starting dinner," she told the Time Lord. "You missed it earlier. She ended up starting a small street game with the neighbor's kids. I think there were water balloons involved at one point."

"And confetti," Rory added.

"And glitter," Amy finished. The Doctor pouted once more, disappointed that he had missed out on that. He should really hang out longer in the day. Or even more permanently like Wanda was. They all jumped when they suddenly heard a loud crashing coming from the kitchen.

"Oh! Doctor! Amy, Rory! Come quick!" Wanda yelled out urgently. Before the companions could react, the Doctor had already dropped the box from his arms and leaped into action, rushing in a flurry into the kitchen. He skidded in, coming up to see Wanda, having taken her necklace off (a habit she had become used to while being inside the house), holding her belly tightly and staring at the round stomach in awe.

"Wanderer, what is it?! Are you hurt?! Is it the baby?! What happened?!" the Doctor panicked, coming up to his wife in an instant, thinking of the worst in his mind. He was surprised when she looked up from staring at her growing belly, having the largest and brightest of smiles on her face. She swiftly grabbed his outreached hand, yanking it forward to press against her stomach. The Doctor looked back and forth between her face and where his hand currently pressed. "What? What is it?"

"Sshh," Wanda shushed him quietly, pressing his hand tighter to her. He blinked, trying to understand what she was trying to do. Had she hurt her stomach? Did she sense something wrong with the baby? Then, blinking again, he felt it. A light, very small, bump against his palm. His mouth fell open in shock, wiping his eyes back to his wife's, seeing how her eyes sparkled with unshed tears of joy. "Did you feel it?"

"I—I did," he breathed. He looked back at her belly, getting on his knees to have his face level with it. He pressed his face to the side, closing his eyes as listened and waited.

"What's going on?" Amy asked as she and Rory entered the kitchen. Both of them worrying about the Time Lady. But they were shushed by the Doctor as he held up his finger, still keeping the side of his face and his ear pressed into Wanda's stomach. He waited, anticipating for it. Then, he felt it once more. A harder kick this time from little Ember inside, bumping against his face. He let out a watery laugh as joy swept through him.

"Ooh, what a kicker. You're definitely going to be an ornery one," he joked, kissing the top of Wanda's stomach so tenderly that the Time Lady could not help but let a few tears slid down her cheeks.

"Oh! Is she kicking? Let me feel," Amy said in excitement, quickly going to the Time Lords. The Doctor stood up, wrapping his arms around Wanda from behind, leaning his chin on her head as they both watched Amy grin happily when feeling kicks from Ember. Rory joined her, feeling for the kicks as well.

"Took her long enough to start kicking, don't you think?" he remarked.

"Nah. It's about normal for Time Lords," answered the Doctor. He hummed as he swayed lightly where he and Wanda stood, closing his eyes as he pressed a kiss to his wife's cheek. His eyes snapped open as he suddenly realized something, however. "You're not wearing your necklace. How many times do I have to tell you to keep it on?"

"I'm inside the house. No one is going to see me," Wanda scoffed, batting the Doctor lightly on the arm. "Besides, I know a certain Time Lord put a perception filter around the house as a means of double protection."

"You put a perception filter around the house without telling us?" Rory questioned in disbelief as both he and Amy sent the sheepish and embarrassed looking Time Lord stern looks.

"It won't affect humans if that's what you're worried about," the Doctor countered in a mutter.

"Oh!" Wanda suddenly exclaimed, surprising them. She held her stomach in shock, blinking as she stared at it. "I think Ember has the hiccups. Kicking and hiccups, all in one day. It's been a big day for her." Wanda laughed, feeling the slight continuous jumping and kicking in her belly.

Soon, Rory and Amy left the kitchen after they all chatted away happily about the development of Ember. Once the companions were gone, Wanda turned back to the stove, continuing to make dinner for them all. The Doctor kept on holding her from behind, nuzzling his nose into the crook of her neck as he hummed in content. Basking in the glow of love and warmth, the two both entwined their fingers together over the Time Lady's belly. Little Ember kicked away as if telling them just how happy she was, too.

XxXxXxXx

"All right, so within in the first three months, she'll already be able to stand. Walking about another month after that?" Rory asked as he wrote down on a notepad.

"Right. And even as a newborn, Ember will be able to hold eye-contact with others around her, and she'll be able to move her hands and legs around pretty well," Wanda answered, flipping through the pages of one of the many books the Doctor had loaned them to study. The two of them have been working on learning as much as they could on what to expect for Ember's birth as a Time Lord child. Currently, they were sitting outside in the dim sunlight, the day slowly becoming evening. Each of them had their own pile of books they were going through. Concurring on information and taking notes on what they should know. There were not many differences between Time Lord and human babies. But there were still a few things to take note on.

"Says here to start teaching her to talk almost a month after birth. If we don't, she'll fall behind in development," Rory remarked as he thumbed through a book.

"We have to teach her to read and write early, too," Wanda sighed. She thumbed through a book absently, beginning to worry. The Doctor always assured her that there was nothing to worry about. Always stating that they would have no trouble at all in keeping up with helping their daughter to grow into a proper Time Lord.

But Wanda still worried.

What if she was not good enough in teaching Ember in what she should know as a Time Lord child? What if Wanda acted as a bad mother because she had not been a normal Time Lord herself? What if she messed up and made it so Ember did not grow properly? Or what if it was worse than that? What if, because of the Time Vortex within her, it was hurting little Ember? What if her body was killing her daughter without any of them even realizing it? Wanda knew the one reason the Doctor was protective of her and her daughter was because a Time Lady's body was known to react against growing children within them in the past. Sometimes, their bodies would assume that developing child was an invading growth, harming the Time Lady. Then, the bodies would react in instinct, of course, in getting rid of the 'growth' by either pumping more regeneration energy through the Time Lady's body. Or even forcing on a full-blown regeneration, causing the child inside to die. The one time a Time Lord's lifesaving defense actually became a fatal flaw. This was why a Time Lady must be so careful as to not have her body think it was under any danger.

Her body might be doing the same to little Ember. With either her regeneration energy or the Time Vortex. Even now as she flipped through these useless books. Wanda's face scrunched up, growing red as she slapped a book shut. Rory jerked his head away from the book he had been reading, alarmed to see the Time Lady across from him, face and eyes red from the crying fits that began to hit her.

"Uh-oh," he muttered as he shut his book. This had been happening quite often now. As with any normal pregnancy, hormones and emotions were very high at this stage. Wanda had been hitting low and high moods quite often. With her becoming hyper and ecstatic one second, and a crying mess the next.

"I'm—I'm g-gonn-a-a b-be a ho-o-orrible mother!" Wanda sobbed as she placed her head down in her crossed arms that were lying on the table, burying herself the best she could from the world. Rory stood up from his chair, moving around the garden table as he began patting the crying Time Lady's back awkwardly. He looked up when he heard the TARDIS materializing in the garden.

"Good news!" the Doctor exclaimed as he stepped out of the TARDIS. "I've solved the riddle of that nasty Oorock problem back on Oogag. Met the Queen. Nice lady. Had a strong grip, like iron. Wouldn't stop trying to strangle me after blowing up her tower. So, I've gotten done earlier than I thought I would, and I was thinking—." He stopped short when he saw the urgent look on Rory's face and his Wanderer crying up a storm with her face buried away. The Time Lord's face hardened as he suddenly glared at Rory the Roman. "What did you do?"

"Me? I didn't do anything?" Rory retorted, cross that the Time Lord would just assume he had done something to Wanda.

"He's fine, Spaceman," Wanda sniffed, lifting her head up to give the Doctor a wavering smile. "I'm just being an emotional train wreck again." The Doctor walked over, pulling around a chair and sat down next to his wife, placing a comforting arm around her.

"What seems to be the matter?" he asked her gently.

"I'm going to be the worst mum," she sniffled. "No matter how much I study, I just _know_ I'm going to mess up. And what if I put her in danger? What if the Time Vortex is hurting her?!"

"Wanda, we've been over this before, remember? Nothing is hurting her, or is going to hurt her," the Doctor assured his wife gently, smiling and giving the top of her head a kiss. "We've looked over the Time Vortex before. It's not showing any signs of hurting her."

"But are you certain?" she urged. She stared at him carefully, seeing the small twinge in his face. She knew there was something he was hiding from her. Something important that involved what was going on inside her. What could be effecting Ember? But he still seemed reluctant to tell her.

"You're having cravings again, aren't you?" asked the Doctor, changing the subject quite abruptly. "You always get emotional when you're craving. Would fish fingers and custard help? They helped the other day."

Wanda sniffled again, rubbing at her eyes, wiping away her tears. She looked at him sheepishly, but also with a hopeful stare. Her big eyes at play in making her appear just as adorable as ever. "Actually . . . I'm really in the mood for . . . cheesy tuna. And—and pineapples. Oh! And apple juice. Lots and lots of apple juice. I've been craving apple juice like you wouldn't believe. Though, I think I could also be in the mood for spinach and turnips. With some fish fingers and custard." She blushed, embarrassed by her many cravings.

The Doctor chuckled, giving her another kiss. "I'll see what I can do for you." He stood her up from her chair, walking her into the house while Rory picked up the books from the garden table. "I'll go pick up some things from the shop. Anything you want. And if you change your mind on what you're wanting, just give me a call. I'm happy to please."

Wanda beamed, bouncing lightly on her feet in anticipation for her treats. "Yay! Thank you, sweetie!" She gave the Doctor a smacking kiss of gratitude on his cheek, making him chuckle.

After the Doctor left, making his way to the shops with Rory in tow, Wanda did just that in calling him. The two husbands chatted as they walked down the sidewalks, reaching the small food shop in no time. Once they were inside, the mobile phone in the Doctor's pocket began to ring.

"Hello?" he answered.

"I thought of something else!" Wanda said quickly, sounding very hyper and giddy. "I'd really love to have some mushy peas?"

"Mushy peas?" He replied curiously.

"Yep! With some chips," she clarified.

Then again later.

"Could you get some custard creams? I forgot I wanted those, too," she said after the Doctor answered the mobile once more.

"Of course," the Doctor responded while he and Rory searched through different shelves of food.

Then again.

"And, if it's all right, could you get some marshmallows for us to share? I'd love to make some s'mores."

And again.

"I'd love some sardines. Do you think they have any of that in the shop? Zucchini too, please. If that's not too much, of course."

"You'd think she'd make up her mind," Rory commented after the Doctor hung up the phone for the fifth time.

"I think your wife's actually the one putting her up to it. I heard Amy snickering and making suggests in the background," the Doctor remarked, smiling and shaking his head fondly as he placed back mobile phone in his inner jacket pocket.

Eventually, the two arrived back to the house. Carrying many bags with both Wanda's requests and of what the Ponds needed for the home. As soon as Wanda saw them come in, she cheered and helped them place everything in the kitchen. Giving the Doctor a large kiss in thanks as well. Then, she dug through the bags, searching for the one thing she craved the most at the moment. She ended up pulling out a large jug of apple juice the Doctor had bought especially for her. Popping open the top, she titled the jug of juice to her lips and began to gulp it down. Amy and Rory paused in what they were doing, blinking in bewilderment as the Time Lady continued to gulp down the jug. Before they knew it, she had the whole thing down in an instant. She popped her mouth away from the jug and gave a sigh of content.

"Okay. Now I need to pee like no tomorrow. Be right back!" she giggled as she bounced out of the room. Amy and Rory remained in stunned silence as the Doctor hummed while putting away items.

"Did . . . did she just drink a _whole_ bottle of apple juice?" Amy questioned in disbelief.

"What can you say? She was thirsty," the Doctor responded with a grin.

XxXxXxXx

The moment Rory walked into the kitchen in the morning, he felt a great tension in the air. He paused in the doorway to the room, blinking as he saw Wanda stirring a mixing bowl stiffly, grumbling loudly under her breath. He glanced over at the kitchen counter, seeing Amy sitting on a stool nervously. His wife jerked her head once she saw him enter, indicating for him to sit with her.

"Is everything okay with Wanda?" Rory asked as soon as he sat down next to his wife, keeping his voice low as to not disturb the fuming Time Lady.

"The Doctor wasn't here this morning when she woke up," Amy whispered under her breath the best she could so that Wanda would not hear. "I think she's cross that he broke his promise of always being here in the mornings for her."

"You're damn right I'm cross!" Wanda barked suddenly, surprising the two behind her. She slammed a wooden spoon down on the counter by the stove, turning around to show the Ponds her red face and twitching left eye. "I _needed_ him this morning, and where was he? Not here, that's where!" She turned back around, slapping pans and dishes around. "Can't keep a promise to save his life. Flies off in the TARDIS whenever he damn feels like it. What's more important: his wife, or a flipping tea meeting with the Frayrkbium?"

The Ponds watched anxiously as Wanda continued to mutter angrily, harshly making a soufflé during her small fit of rage. They glanced at each other, each giving a raised brow. Each of them pitied the Doctor when he turned up again. And just then, they heard the TARDIS materializing in the living room. Looking at Wanda cautiously, they saw how she tensed, slowly putting her mixing bowl down on the counter. Amy and Rory stood up quickly, going into the living room to give the Doctor a warning. They stepped into the room the same time the Time Lord stepped out of his ship. He seemed to be backing up from the TARDIS doors slowly, softly closing them as if afraid to alert someone to his presence. Facing away from the TARDIS, he was surprised to see Amy and Rory standing there.

"Oh! You're both up already?" he asked curiously.

"Doctor, it's mid-morning," Amy told him. The Doctor blinked, flipping up his arm to check the watch on his wrist.

"Must have gotten a bit off course," he muttered as he tapped his watch. He lowered his arm and looked over to the kitchen archway when he saw Wanda storming towards him. Her eye twitching in warning. He immediately smiled and backed up against the TARDIS doors. "Wanda! Good morning! I was just—." He was cut off as Wanda got right up to him, pushing him against the ship's doors and thrusting her lips against his, holding one hand on the back of his head and the other gripping his bow tie.

"You weren't here, and I needed you this morning," she grumbled as she pulled away from the kiss, though kept their lips slightly pressed against each other.

The Doctor blinked in confusion, asking, "You—you needed me?"

"I _needed_ you," Wanda clarified, pressing her lips against his again. She pulled back once more, snapping her fingers. The TARDIS doors opened swiftly, allowing her to drag the Doctor back into the ship by his bow tie. Amy and Rory gave quick looks to each other before hurriedly following after the two Time Lords inside the ship.

"Where are you two going?" Amy asked.

"Swimming!" Wanda barked in answer, dragging the Doctor down the corridor. The Time Lord looked over his shoulder to the Ponds as if pleading for help before he and Wanda disappeared around a corner. The two companions left in the control room sort of blinked for a moment before they shook their heads and walked back out of the ship.

About a half hour later Rory glanced up from his paper from where he sat on his lounge chair, and Amy looked over her shoulder from watching the telly while lying on the sofa, seeing Wanda bounce out merrily from the TARDIS. She beamed at them in joy, looking as though she had never been fuming at all that day.

"You both up for some brunch? I know I am. I'm starving!" she said merrily, skipping into the kitchen. Moments later, the Doctor came out of the TARDIS as well. He leaned against the open way of the TARDIS, appearing exhausted. His hair was a mess, looking wild on his head. With his shirt untucked from his trousers, tweed blazer completely gone, and bow tie not even tied around his neck. He let out a long sigh.

"Have fun 'swimming'?" Amy chuckled cheekily. The Doctor merely responded with another long sigh.

"Learn your lesson about leaving Wanda alone in the mornings?" Rory quizzed, absently thumbing through his paper. Running a hand through his messy hair, the Doctor gave a small laugh before going into the kitchen to be with his wife.

XxXxXxXx

Wanda sat on the sofa in the Ponds living room, running her fingers through a certain blonde woman's hair. Distantly she heard clinking and clanking coming from the kitchen in the house. Amy and Rory, along with Brian, were working together to prepare for the upcoming baby shower. Gazing around the room, Wanda smiled warmly upon seeing all the decorations that had been made. Streamers, balloons, cards, and all sorts of brightly coloured things that made the room appear so cheerful.

"I can't believe I'm going to be a sister," Jenny said softly, happiness heard quite clear in her voice. She kept the side of her face pressed against Wanda's stomach, listening in to the baby within and enjoying the small kicks every few moments from little Ember. Wanda chuckled softly, rubbing her fingers fondly through Jenny's hair as she simply enjoyed having her older daughter cuddle up against her.

"You say that every time," Wanda laughed softly.

"I know. Still can't believe it," Jenny remarked, sitting up to grin at her mother. The two of them have been meeting up more often than they had been in years. At least once a month during Wanda's pregnancy, as a courtesy from the Doctor. It had been a blast for them both in getting to hang out and catch up.

Jenny had grown quite old over the years, yet still appeared rather young than from what she should look like. Thanks to the Doctor's DNA, she aged much slower than any back on her home. Instead of looking in her late eighties, she appeared more in her late thirties instead. Which made things a little awkward for her when introducing herself to her grandchildren's friends and partners.

"I can't wait to show Ember around my home," Jenny remarked as she patted the large belly. "I'd love to get her into gardening with me."

"I know she can't wait, either," Wanda laughed as she felt another happy kick from the little baby within. Both of them looked up when they heard the TARDIS arriving in the home, parking just behind the sofa. The Doctor stepped out on the other side, poking his head around the corner of the TARDIS to beam at his two lovely women sitting on the sofa.

"Guess who I brought!" he exclaimed in a flourish. Wanda squealed in delight when she saw River, Vastra, Jenny, and Strax all wander out of the ship. She jumped up from the sofa (well, more like awkwardly got up from her seat while holding a hand on her belly) and made her way over to the arriving party, giving each one a large hug and laugh along with them in delight in meeting again. All laughed, say for Strax. He more or less grumbled about the hug. Amy, Rory, and Brian came into the room as well, giving their own greetings in the newcomers.

"It's been too long, sweetie," River said, smiling brightly and giving Wanda a kiss on the cheek.

"Yes, I dare say I have almost forgotten just how small the Wanderer is," Vastra agreed with River, smirking as Wanda pouted at her.

"I'm not that short you lot!" the Time Lady said, stomping her foot while everyone laughed at her. "And call me Wanda, Vastra. We're friends. You don't have to be so formal with me."

"She's always formal," Jenny said, giving a small shake of her head.

"Here," Strax stepped up, handing Wanda a large china bowl filled with some kind of stew, "I prepared a customary dish from my homeworld for this occasion. It will help give the unborn child perfect strength for future combat."

"Um . . . thank you, Strax," Wanda said, smiling in thanks. Strax marched into the kitchen with Jenny and River following on behind. Wanda glanced down at the contents in the large bowl. Amy and Rory peaked over her shoulder to stare as well, highly skeptical of the dish. It had a strange brown-green tinge to it, with odd chunks floating around it.

"Is that even edible?" Rory asked.

"Nope," said the Doctor as he grabbed the dish from Wanda, taking it back into the TARDIS. Wanda laughed, walking into the kitchen with the others as they began to start the celebration. Only one remained behind from the group, waiting patiently for a certain Time Lord to come out of his ship. The Doctor stepped back only, adjusting his bow tie absently when he stopped short. He slowly lowered his hands from his bow tie, staring warily at Vastra, who currently held a very leveled gaze with him.

"I have been trying to contact you lately, Doctor," she said evenly.

"Oh? Sorry, I haven't noticed. TARDIS phone doesn't always pick up calls. At least, not in the right order in time," the Doctor replied, trying to keep his voice light to avoid suspicion from the tension he felt.

Vastra gazed back at the Time Lord as if she had raised a brow at him in skepticism. "I haven't been trying to contact you by telephone. I have been sending you letters. Professor Song said she had given you one a while ago. Did you not bother to read them?"

"I don't remember getting any letters." He tried to walk into the kitchen where he heard laughter coming from. His Wanderer's all too familiar giggling of delight catching his ears more specifically. But Vastra blocked his path by swiftly walking in front of him.

"Doctor, a word, please," Vastra said calmly, nodding her head back to the TARDIS.

"Can't it wait?" the Doctor mumbled in a hard tone, glancing over the Silurian's shoulder when he heard a cracker pop and more laughter come from where the party was. He wanted to be there with his wife on this very special day.

"No. You promised me an explanation that has been long due."

The Doctor stood tall, giving her a hard stare. "And what explanation is that?"

"What exact species the Wanderer is."

"Ssh," snapped the Time Lord, holding up a hand to make certain she stayed quiet. He looked over her shoulder again, fearful for a moment that the others had heard her. But he was relieved to still hear the continuous chattering from the party. Jerking his head to the TARDIS, making it clear that he would indeed talk to Vastra in the ship.

"I have been discussing concerns along with Professor Song," Vastra said the moment the two of them were inside the TARDIS. "We are worried as to what will become of the new child."

"You're worried about Ember? I thought you wanted to know more about Wanda?" the Doctor responded, raising a brow as he crossed his arms, leaning against the railing by the console.

"The Wanderer is a main concern, yes," Vastra clarified. "Professor Song explained to me about the Time Vortex living inside of her."

"Of course she did." A large spike of irritation ran through the Doctor as he knew he would have to scold River later about just letting information like that slip out. Even amongst trusted friends.

"How did this come to pass? I know the Time Vortex is—."

The Doctor waved his hand in dismissal. "'The most dangerous thing in the universe. It'll turn anyone who has absorbed it into a terror unlike any other.' Yes, yes, I know the sayings. What's your point?"

Vastra sniffed in annoyance. "My _point_ is that the Time Vortex made the Wanderer into something even beyond a Time Lord. What if the same happens to your daughter Ember?" She saw the worried expression cross the Time Lord's face and the way he averted his eyes from her. Clearly, he had been worrying about the same thing lately. She walked up closer to him. "Doctor, what will this child be once she's born?"

"A perfectly _normal_ Time Child. Nothing more."

"But you've said it yourself. The Wanderer's DNA makes her unstable. The same will happen to Ember."

"No, it won't." The Doctor turned to the console, working to get the scanner on to show Vastra a number of scans. Particularly those of DNA. "You see," the Doctor pointed to the screen as Vastra walked up closer to stare over his shoulder, "my DNA will help balance out the instabilities." They watched as his own simulated DNA mixed with Wanda's, showing a more normal strand that would be seen for any Time Lord. But . . . the simulation fluctuated, showing the DNA shift back to what Wanda's would be. Or, possibly even more intricate than the Time Lady's. The Doctor hurriedly shut off the scanner, pushing it away as he cleared his throat nervously. "See? Nothing to worry about."

Staring at him coolly, Vastra shook her head. "Doctor, you cannot be certain on the outcomes of what that child will be."

The Doctor slammed his fist against the console furiously, glaring at Vastra. "That _child_ is my daughter. And I will not treat her, or have anyone else treat her, like some sort of dangerous monster!"

Vastra remained as calm as ever, not fazed by the Time Lord's fury in the least. "I'm not saying to treat her as such. All I am saying is that you _must_ have caution when it comes to how Ember develops. I know how emotional you can be at times, and I fear for your lack of being wary of what is to come. You need to be prepared for the worst, Doctor. Not simply live in your dream of having a family in your TARDIS. Dreams can crumble if one is not wary of the path they travel." Moving up to the Doctor, she placed a firm hand on his shoulder. "I'm troubled for you and the Wanderer. I am a friend to you both, and if I wasn't, then I would have never raised concerns in the first place."

They turned from the console when hearing the TARDIS door open. Poking her head inside the ship, Wanda blinked in surprise when seeing both the Doctor and Vastra by the console.

"Is everything all right?" she asked them in concern, walking inside the ship and up to them. "Everyone's wondering where you two wandered off to."

"We were just discussing matters on a case I've been working on," Vastra told the Time Lady, smiling in assurance of everything being fine.

"Oh. Okay," Wanda replied. She seemed to accept this answer but held small suspicion in her eyes as she observed the Time Lord and Silurian carefully. "Well . . . we can worry about your case later, Vastra. Gotta give yourself a break every once and a while. Come on and enjoy the party." Wanda grabbed Vastra's hand in excitement, giddy to have fun with a friend she never did get a chance to spend time with all that often. The TARDIS door closed, leaving the Doctor alone in his ship.

Standing there in silence for a moment, he started to make his way towards the doors, only to stop when he heard the console beep in urgency. Something that has been happening quite often lately. He looked over his shoulder, seeing the images of the fluctuating DNA of the sample he had taken from Wanda. The growing DNA of Ember's. He saw how the scanners showed the shifting strands, indicating to the child being something . . . different. Beyond even what the Doctor could predict to happen.

"Not now," he grumbled at Sexy, knowing she was trying to get onto him like Vastra was. With this said, he ignored the scolding beeps and hums from his ship as he went back into the Ponds house.

XxXxXxXx

Yay for fluff, but then the ending is worrying. I'm sure everything will be fine, though. :) I really hope everyone has been enjoying the story so far! Getting very close to the end now! If anyone has any theories on what they think will happen for the ending, let me know in a review. I always love seeing thoughts and theories from you guys, and I know other readers enjoy them just as much. :)

Reviewers:

 **X-Lisa-Anne-X** : There really has been a ton of problems lately. I think the site has been working more on the app than focusing on the main site, so there's been a lot of errors. Not that I blame them for that because the app is very nice. I just hope that things get easier for those working on the technical side of the site. And I hope that you won't miss out on any more notifications. :) Hope you enjoyed all the chapters you've missed!

 **Rixelated** : Great theory! I love it! Can't confirm on any of it, but thank you so much for sharing! If you have any more thoughts you want to share, feel free to always leave a review. I always love hearing from every reader. :) I hope that the story will always be a joy to read for you! Take care!

 **alwaystherereading** : Well, a little more than a crush, but yes, Wanda will never know. Which is very sad considering Rose almost did tell Wanda a few chapters back. If only Rose had enough courage to say it. :( Jack is one of those characters who is great with anyone. haha. And a jealous Doctor is always fun. ;) Until next time!

 **All The Stories Are True 24601** : Hope that means you enjoyed that little 'twist' at the end there. ;) I love me a twist ending. haha. Glad that you think I'm more than adequate. :) Actually, the next story involves Torchwood, Sarah Jane Smith Adventures, and the seasons with the Twelfth Doctor. It's going to be much different than this trilogy, so I'm very, very worried that many people won't like it. But I'm glad to hear that you'll still stick around to give it a chance. :D Glad you liked that part with Rose. I was afraid that many people would pick up on that throughout the trilogy before this chapter came out, but it was nice seeing how surprise many people were. Wanted to keep how Rose felt about Wanda so subtle that the only way people realized it would be until after this chapter. So anyone who goes back and gives the story a re-read would suddenly be like 'I can't believe I never noticed!' sort of thing. At least, that was my hopes with this. :) Until next time! Take care!

 **silverhawk88** : Aww, I'm just so happy to hear that! I really hope that it continues to bring you joy as you read it. :) Yep, the time of the Master will be coming up soon. Though with there being more than just a perception filter on Wanda's wedding ring necklace, I think there might be hope for the Master to not see Wanda's pregnancy. Let's just hope it works out for her and Ember in the end. Can't wait to see you again in the future! Take care and have a fantastic day! :)

 **swimmjacket** : Agreed! It is always fun watching a jealous Doctor. lol ;) Glad you enjoyed the chapters. It's one of my favorite adventures, too. More baby stuff coming right at you. ;) Hope that you enjoyed it. Tried to make it all rather cute. Yeah, it's something that sadly never gets resolved between Wanda and Rose. Very unfortunate, but that happens sometimes in life. :( But at least everyone is happy at the end of it all. So glad you're enjoying the story just as much as before! Hope I can keep up the good work and to see you again for the future. :)

 **Ruthyalva96** : haha. I'm sorry. I hope that means you enjoyed it at least. :)

 **Owl** : lol I suppose I can be evil from time to time. ;) I think they would have made a great couple. Too bad the universe had other ideas for the two. *sigh* Oh well, at least everyone is happy in the end. I hope this new chapter made up for my evilness from last time. :)

 **Momochan77** : I'm so glad you liked it! I was really afraid that everyone would be cross with Rose loving Wanda as well as the Doctor. But I'm happy to see so many people supporting the idea. :) Hope you enjoyed this new chapter just as much as the last one!

 **bored411** : Jealous Doctor is always fun. ;) Hope you liked the new update!

 **Amber0522** : I'm not certain, but hopefully things turn out all right. I really hope that you'll enjoy the story throughout the rest to come. :)

 **Kylie Winchester** : lol I am, too. Too bad it never worked out for them. :( Oh well, at least everyone is happy at the end of it all. :)

Thank you all once again for such lovely reviews! I always love them! :D

~Tinker~


	45. Ch 45: Invasion of the Cubes

Surprise!

Couldn't help myself. I just had to surprise you all with another chapter today. ;) I hope everyone enjoys!

XxXxXxXx

Chapter 45: Invasion of the Cubes

"Are you _sure_ he's going to show up?" Amy asked Wanda again for the hundredth time that day. Wanda ducked as someone passed by her with a large plate of food. Everything in the Pond house was busy and bustling with friends and family from all around showed up to celebrate Rory and Amy's wedding anniversary. There was a grill going on outside, with many tables scattered around the backyard. Tons of food was being passed around that smelled all so good. It was a very special day indeed.

"Yes, Amy, he will be here soon," Wanda sighed, rolling her eyes as the companion merely gave her a skeptical. "You have _no_ faith in him."

"I have faith in him. I just don't have faith in his driving skills," Amy scoffed. Both of them laughed at this, agreeing upon this statement of the Doctor's infamous timing with the TARDIS.

"Oi, I can drive just fine, thank you," they heard the Doctor retort just behind them. Turning around, they saw the Doctor poke his head over a large bouquet made of many wildflowers. Many which appeared too exotic for planet Earth. The Time Lord smiled brightly, stuffing the flowers into Amy's arms, who blinked in shock at the gift. "Happy anniversary!" He grabbed Wanda's hand, beginning to pull her towards the house to go back inside. "Come with us and bring your husband."

Rory, who had been munching on one of the party treats outside with the other guests, looked over in surprise when seeing his wife holding a large (and very strange) bouquet. With the indication from her head, Rory followed Amy into their home. The Time Lords were standing by the TARDIS inside the lounge, waiting for the arrival for their Ponds. The Doctor clapped his hands merrily together.

"Ready for your anniversary present?" he asked, excited to show the Ponds what he had cooked up this time.

"Where are we going?" Amy questioned.

"It wouldn't be a surprise if I told you," the Doctor responded, turning to go into the TARDIS. Amy and Rory followed in quickly. Though one particular person remained behind in the lounge. The Doctor poked his head back out of the ship, frowning in confusion when seeing Wanda still standing there, not making a move to join them. "Come on, Wanda. We don't have all day. Though, technically speaking we do. But I still like to keep to my own schedules."

"Oh, don't worry. I'm coming with you. Just not _this_ me," Wanda said, smiling knowingly at him. "I'll show up about the same time you lot arrive in the Savoy Hotel."

The Doctor stepped out of the TARDIS, letting the door shut behind him as he walked up to his wife. "Which face?"

"Second me."

The Doctor pouted, looping his arms around her waist as he held her close. "But I was going to make this day our anniversary, too. I realized, after listening to Amy's calls, that we've never taken the time to celebrate the first day we met. The Savoy Hotel would have been perfect for that. There's a very exclusive couples' suite I've arranged just for us. Even Amy and Rory wouldn't have been able to get into it. Let's say the owner owed me a favor or two. It would have been our own anniversary."

"Well, now you can celebrate our anniversary with the very first face you've met." Wanda giggled at the puppy eyes he gave her. Clearly disappointed that he could not spend time with current her as his wife. "We can always plan another anniversary for us somewhere else. Maybe even after Ember is born. I'm certain at some point we might need a break after taking care of a baby all day. How does that sound, sweetie?"

"Oh, yes, I suppose that's fine." He smiled warmly, giving her a loving kiss. He then stepped back, going into the TARDIS once more.

Wanda waved lightly at the ship as it dematerialized from the room, disappearing with an after draft of wind sweeping through her hair. Once the room had stilled, she let out a long sigh, placing a hand over her mouth as she yawned. Boy, was she exhausted. A feeling she had become quite used to over the two months she and the Doctor had been living with the Ponds. She had been getting more and more sleep lately. Almost having a regular human night schedule of eight hours each time. Something that she was not really fond of as she felt each day was wasted away from her constant need of sleep. The Doctor agreed on this, of course, as he too wanted to be up more often in them having adventures together. But he also made her sleep whenever she grew tired, knowing she needed as much rest as she could get. It was normal, after all, for Time Ladies to sleep such long periods of time while with child.

Walking over to one of the lounge's chairs, she sat down, waiting patiently for when the TARDIS would arrive again. She knew it would not be that long. The Doctor planned on only arriving a few minutes after he and the Ponds left. Even if it did take them seven weeks in their time to get back. She smiled softly, enjoying the calm atmosphere in the quiet room, away from the loud guests outside. It had become sort of a change in character for her during her pregnancy. Yes, she was still giddy and hyper during many moments. But now she had a very calm streak to her. Growing a habit of simply sitting in a nice spot and enjoying the peace. Carrying a baby, trying to always keep stress away from her and the child, really did wonders in settling her very active body.

Glancing around the room, she made certain no one was in sight and that the lounge door was tightly closed before she allowed herself to take off her necklace. Her thin body changed in an instant to show her round belly. She smiled tenderly as she rubbed the swollen stomach, basking in the glow of feeling her little Ember within. Seven months and three weeks. She could not believe it was arriving so soon. The due date of Ember's birth. There had been so much planning going on for it, too. The Doctor had the nursey in the TARDIS all made up. Ready for a baby to sleep and grow in. Amy and Rory made arrangements for a place in their home, too. For whenever Ember needed a safe place to stay in case the Time Lords needed to travel somewhere too dangerous for a child. And there were school arrangements, play dates with certain friends, and so forth. Yes, little Ember was going to have a quite busy life. A life filled with loved ones and cheer.

Wanda sighed softly, relaxing into her chair more. She could also not believe that she had been able to stay for such a long time with the Ponds without wandering off. Well, stay without the Doctor always present, more or less. Usually, without him nearby, she would have been gone in a blink. Even if he was to return later in a few hours. The Doctor theorized that perhaps her wandering slowed down in the conservation of energy for the baby. It has been a blessing, really. She was having such a wonderful time with her family . . .

Her hand tightened over her belly as her mind began wandering for certain thoughts she had been trying to avoid thinking lately. Questions that have been plaguing her mind. One in particular stood out from the rest. _When_ exactly Ember would be born. As in what stage of the Doctor's timeline. She knew Ember was not going to be born in the past. That much was obvious. But just how far into the future would Wanda appear to give birth? Future Eleven never really mentioned it. Of course, he could have been hiding the truth from her in fear that it would be spoilers. But . . . there should have been at least _some_ hints that she could have picked up on. Nothing had been out of the ordinary, nor had she seen any indication whatsoever of a child being raised on the TARDIS. Could it be the Ember would be born even farther into the Doctor's timeline? Even farther than Wanda herself had seen on the show? Maybe even during the incarnation after Eleven. That old face with the big eyebrows. . . Huh . . . Now that Wanda really thought about it, she wondered if she would ever meet the future, much older, Doctor to come someday.

"Wanda, have you seen Amy or Rory?"

Wanda glanced up when seeing Brian walking into the room. She hurriedly placed back on her necklace in case anyone else was following behind him. Thankfully, he was alone. He frowned as he gazed around the room, seeing scattered papers in the indication of a departed TARDIS.

"Has the Doctor been here?" he asked the Time Lady.

"You just missed him, actually," Wanda replied. "The Doctor took Amy and Rory off to an anniversary present. We're going to have our own little anniversary, too. But only more of for friends instead of for a husband and wife. We're not married yet for me during that moment, you see. And Spaceman's going to be even more disappointed when he sees that it's Second Wanda before the time when we finally got together as a couple. She's really not all into the whole 'relationship thing' with the Doctor when believing him to be married to another woman. She'll stop each one of his advances through the whole thing. It's funny now that I'm remembering it. The pouts he gave me that day. Oh, how naïve I was back then." She laughed quietly, shaking her head fondly as she stood up stiffly from her chair, holding one hand on her back and the other over her stomach. Man, did she hate these backaches.

"Will they be back soon?" Brian questioned, appearing anxious for his son and Amy.

"Of course. They'll only be gone ten minutes at the most," Wanda assured the worried father. She walked by Brian, patting him gently on the shoulder. "And they'll be safe. I promise."

"Is that one of your special promises. The ones you never break?" He replied lightly.

"Any promises I make are those I'll never break. I promise." She gave him a wink, going towards the stairs. "When they get back, just tell them sorry that I'm not around for the rest of the night. I'm kind of all partied out, and the bed upstairs is calling my name."

Brian waved her goodnight as she traveled up the stairs. The babbling chatter from the guests below grew muffled through the floor as she made her way into the room that had been hers and the Doctor's over the past months. It was a small room. Very cozy in the white walls with light yellow designs. She sat down awkwardly on the queen bed, holding her stomach as she slowly sank into the comfy mattress. Lifting the white cover, she wrapped it around herself as she scooted into the bed and lied down on her side. Taking off her necklace again, placing it on the small table next to the headboard of the bed, her eyes slowly began to drift shut as sleep crept over her.

It was only about ten minutes after Wanda had fallen asleep when the door to the room slowly creaked open. The Doctor walked in as carefully as he could, not wishing to wake his love. Closing the door behind him, he inched he way around the bed, sitting down to take off his jacket and shoes. Undoing his bow tie and pushing his braces off his shoulders, he scooted into the bed, letting his shoes, jacket, and tie lay on the ground at the bed's feet. Grabbing the cover, he lifted it over himself and moved more into the bed, pressing his chest into his Wanderer's back. The covers fell around them both as he snaked an arm around her stomach, holding a gentle hand over the feeling of his child.

"She has the hiccups again."

The Doctor stiffened in surprise, blinking when seeing Wanda still had her eyes closed yet seemingly awake.

"Sorry, did I wake you?" he questioned in a soft whisper, sounding disappointed that he had been too loud getting into bed.

"It's fine, Theta. I don't sleep as deeply as I used to," Wanda mumbled, yawning as she turned over on her back to face him. She gave him a sleepy smile. "How was the trip?"

"Fun, fun," the Doctor said, trying to sound casual. Upon Wanda's snickering, he rolled his eyes. "But of course, you already know what happened."

"Zygon ship under the Hotel with most of the staff staged as humans, at the ready as an attack unit. Fond memories," she sighed as if recalling a great adventure. She giggled again as the Doctor poked her in the side.

"Well, things could have gone better in the next adventure if _someone_ didn't say 'yes' to marriage proposals," he retorted crossly.

"Actually, it was both me and Amy who said 'yes' to Henry there. And as if it was either me or Amy's fault that we couldn't hear what old Henry was saying over the loud party in the first place."

The Doctor popped her on the nose lightly. "I blame your sassy charm for seducing him in the first place."

Wanda stuck out her tongue, giggling as he began nuzzling his nose into her neck. They both sighed as they held each other. The Doctor's arm laying across her middle while she had her arms wrapped around his shoulders as he lay with his head on her chest, listening to her hearts beating. She absently ran her gentle fingers through his hair while he, in turn, rubbed her stomach in soothing circles.

"Can you sense her mind yet?" Wanda asked after a moment of peaceful silence.

"No, not yet," muttered the Doctor, frowning as he still felt irritated that he could not feel their child's mind. It was the one thing any Time Lord parent looked forward to. The first time they could communicate in such a way. The first moment the Time Lord bond between all of them could be established and grow. Yet, Ember remained as silent as ever. It was what human pregnancies were like. All that waiting for so long to see their child. He hated waiting.

"Maybe she's just shy," Wanda offered in thought.

"Or maybe she's stubborn like her mother," the Doctor replied lightly without thinking.

Wanda poked him in the head lightly. "Rude. And besides, _you_ are just as stubborn, Spaceman."

He chuckled under his breath for a moment before his face fell once more. Though, unseen by Wanda. Truthfully, not being able to sense their child properly worried him. Back on Gallifrey, when this happened it usually meant warning signs for the growing babe. Either that the child's mind was not developing properly, or that they were going to be weak upon birth. And then there was the fact that Wanda's belly was not much bigger than what she had been during the late fifth month. Though, this did not worry him too much as he remembered his mother once tell him of just how small he was when he was born. That could just be hereditary in some ways. However, he still had that proper bond, so why could he not sense Ember then? All of the worries on his mind he did not share with Wanda. He was afraid he might make her worried and stressed if she feared for the growth of their child.

"Maybe she'll need help with mental abilities like I did?" Wanda offered in thought. "Remember, I wasn't able to communicate with you properly until you unblocked my mind for me."

"Hmm . . . Maybe," he mumbled, frowning as he thought that over. Shaking his head, he merely patted and rubbed her stomach tenderly. After a moment longer, he finally spoke, "I'm . . . I'm going to stay. Permanently this time around."

Wanda raised her head to stare curiously at him. "What do you mean?"

Not answering for a moment, he continued to watch his hand as he rubbed it around on her stomach. "I've realized that . . . we're slowly losing touch with Amy and Rory. After Ember is born . . . it might not be too long before Amy and Rory themselves might want to settle down in their normal lives. Maybe even adopt a kid of their own. Give River a younger sibling. Besides you, of course."

"I'm not really River's sibling."

"You are to her, though." Pausing for a second, he gave a kiss on her belly. "I . . . I want to spend as much time with them as I can. As much time as I can with all of us together."

"Of course. Whatever you want, Theta. And, truthfully, these past months have been the happiest I've ever had with you and our family. I wish it could last forever."

"Nothing lasts forever, Wanderer."

Wanda let out a heavy sigh as images of the future to come for the Ponds went through her mind. "Yes. Don't I know it."

The Doctor smiled softly, forlornly as he scooted up, pulling her close to have her head press against his chest. "But we'll make the most of it. Until forever ends, we will have the best of times with our Ponds."

Wanda matched his smile, giving him a tender kiss. "The best," she said in agreement.

XxXxXxXx

It was July. Exactly one year since the cubes arrived. Exactly eight months and two weeks of Wanda's pregnancy. It started like any other day in the Ponds house. But of course, as life would be for them, things never stay normal.

"Twenty-six. I start with twenty-six knits, just like I'm supposed to. But every bloody time I reach the end of making the scarf, I end up with forty-eight knits. How the bloody hell do I manage that?" Wanda complained loudly, huffing as she sat the knitted scarf she was trying to make down on her lap. She glared at it, cross that it dare play a trick on her like this, ending up wider at one end than the other. It looked like some kind of strange scarf made for aliens. Well, not that she wasn't trying to make it for aliens in the first place. But that's beside the point!

"I still don't understand why you took up knitting in the first place," the Doctor replied. He did not even look over his shoulder at her as she sat on the sofa. They were both currently occupying one of the lounges in the house. He played tennis on the Wii, while she sat there knitting and watching his funny antics.

"Because, while you were away during the days a while ago, I got bored. I tried a number of hobbies to keep me distracted until you got back," she told him.

"And you found that you enjoy knitting?" he questioned skeptically, swinging the Wii controller wildly as he kept up with his fast pace game.

"No, I despise knitting. It's the most boring thing in the world," Wanda huffed, crossing her arms and pouting at the knitted mess in her lap.

"Then why do you still knit?"

"Because I'm damn determined to get this scarf right! I know I can do it, it's just being difficult." Saying this while she grabbed the scarf and shook it in the air to show the Doctor just how frustrated she was with it.

The Doctor suddenly gave a loud cheer as he scored on his game, earning the win. He threw his arms up into the air, jumping back on the sofa to celebrate his victory. Wanda scoffed, pulling him down to sit on the sofa instead.

"Don't put your feet on the furniture," she scolded him playfully.

"Look who's talking. You used to jump on any bed you'd come across," the Doctor responded, bopping her on the nose as he grinned at her in a teasing manner.

Wanda took the game remote from his hand and tapped him on the top of his head with it. "Yes, but not on Amy and Rory's furniture. We're the guests. We have to obey their rules. Many of which you love breaking, I've noticed."

"Only because most of their rules are boring. No fireworks in the house? Really? They were perfectly safe fireworks."

"You almost burnt down the kitchen."

Shrugging, the Doctor stood back up. "Okay, fine. I'll have to work on the whole 'safe' factor when it comes to my fireworks." He swung the gaming remote around once more as another tennis game started on the Wii. "Third set decider, come on, then."

Wanda giggled lightly, loving the boyish grin and funny antics of his. Continuing to knit her failed scarf, she thought on what else they could do for that day. Maybe go strolling through the park? That had become a routine for them to do lately during the evenings. It was always something she looked forward to do with the Doctor. She gave a small sigh of content, truly enjoying the normal, slow life they were living. She wished it could last forever. Blinking, she stared at a black cube that now hovered in front of her face. Her face dropped in pure disappointed. But sadly, nothing ever truly lasts forever.

"Oi, what are _you_ doing in the house? I thought I threw you all out," Wanda whispered crossly at the cube that hovered in front of her. The cube turned at an angle as if to point. She looked over her shoulder with the cube, seeing the open window. Her and the cube both face each other squarely once more. "You cheeky thing." The cube whizzed around her head in a couple circles, coming up to her face once more. She glared at it. "Well, you'll be happy to know that you won't succeed. Ever. The human race will stand for they are defended. You can count on that."

"Wanda, who are you talking to?" the Doctor asked, still keeping his sole attention on the television screen before him.

"The cube," Wanda answered. "It's being a nuisance." The cube turned, seeming to take the Doctor in interest. It hovered over to be in his face this time, blocking his view from the game.

"Out of the way, dear, I'm trying to . . .," the Doctor began to say, not even fazed at first by the cube, merely thinking it was Wanda teasing him again, but upon a closer look he took in the floating black square. "Whatever you are," he gave the cube a very cool gaze, "this planet, these people, are precious to me, and I will defend them to my last breath." He frowned as he watched the cube, seeing how it still merely floated there, humming in a strange way as it hovered. "Is that all you can do? Hover? I had a metal dog that could do that." The cube's side facing the Time Lord suddenly slid open, showing a small metal tube at him. "Ooh, that's clever. What's that?"

"Doctor, duck!" Wanda cried as she grabbed her husband by his collar and jerked him down to the ground with her as fast as she could. The cube then began firing a laser beam around the room. Smashing vases, destroying paintings, and anything else that its deadly beam hit. The Doctor covered Wanda in protection, immediately running her out of the room. They stood just around the corner of the doorframe, letting out a breath as the firing from the cube ceased. They peeked back inside the lounge once nothing more was heard, seeing that the cube now began downloading the internet off of the television.

"Ooh, you really have woken up," the Doctor remarked as he stared at the hovering cube curiously.

"Damn cubes," Wanda murmured as she and the Doctor backed away from the door.

"Doctor! Wanda!" Rory called out to the two Time Lords, rushing up to meet them in the hall. "Hi, uh, a cube showed up in the kitchen, it just sat down on the table and began opening up."

"Did it sneak through a window, too? Ugh. The nerve of those cubes!" Wanda gashed in aggravation. And the day had been going so well . . .

"A cube upstairs just spiked me and took my pulse!" Amy yelled as she came downstairs to meet them all in the hallway. "I don't even know where it came from. I thought Wanda threw them all out except for Brian's cube."

"She what?" responded the Doctor. He turned in confusion to his wife. "You did what?"

"Hadn't you noticed all the cubes in the house suddenly missing?" Rory questioned the Time Lord.

"No, not really. I assumed UNIT had taken them or something," commented the Doctor. He jabbed a thumb over his shoulder. "A cube in there fired laser bolts and now it's surfing the net."

"You're never going to believe this," Brian said as he quickly joined the group, coming out of the smaller lounge area where he had been studying his only cube under the large glass case that Wanda had made for it. "My cube just moved. It rattled."

At the moment, Rory's mobile phone began to ring. It was his work call him in. Apparently, there were countless numbers of people being hurt by cubes throughout the city. The hospital was now swamped, needing as much help as they could get. Rory assured them he would be there, hanging up and leaving them to figure out the cube mess soon after. Then, just when Rory left with his father, the Doctor received a message via psychic paper requesting their presence at the Tower of London.

It was UNIT. Or, more specifically, Kate Lethbridge-Stewart, Chief Scientific Officer of UNIT, daughter of Alistar Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart (very old friend of the Doctor's). She needed their help as quick as possible. Even sending them an escorted ride in her urgency.

"And where do you think you're going, missy?" Amy scolded Wanda, pulling the Time Lady back into the house when she tried leaving with them in the escort from UNIT.

"Um . . . I thought I was going to UNIT," Wanda replied, frowning at Amy. This had become a normal thing for Amy. If anyone was more protective than the Doctor during the Time Lady's pregnancy, it was the ginger companion. That, and Rory at times, too. The irony of Amy and Rory getting onto the Doctor for being overprotective. Wanda swore they were just as bad as her parents back in her old world. Or, possibly as bad as Shelly at times.

"No, you can't. You've got to stay here where it's safe," Amy told the Time Lady.

"Actually, I would be much safer by staying with you two. The cubes have already broken into the house once. What's to say they won't do it again?" Wanda disputed, holding her hands on her hips in her stance, determined to go with Amy and the Doctor.

"How would you be safer running around with us to god knows where. So, you can't. Doctor, tell her she can't." Amy turned to the silent Time Lord, holding a cross demeanour as she stared at him.

"Uh . . ." the Doctor uttered, glancing between the two females. He was sort of at odds. Not with them, but himself. A part of him agreed with Amy heavily, believing his love would indeed be safe indoors and away from the danger. But then again, another part of him agreed with Wanda, realizing that she was right and the danger just might come here for her. Being in numbers was always safer, so . . .

"She can come with us," the Doctor told Amy, earning a stern glare from the companion. So, in the end, both the Doctor and Amy (reluctantly) agreed Wanda could come, but she would have to be watched carefully in case of anything. So, they left with the escort, arriving later into the evening to the Tower of London. They were led straight into the secret headquarters of UNIT. Kate met them immediately.

"What's the situation, Kate?" the Doctor asked as they walked through the halls leading deeper into UNIT.

"Every cube across the whole world activated at the same moment," Kate explained. The Doctor grinned in enthusiasm.

"Now we're in business," said the Doctor almost cheerful, excited for a development finally happening with those mysterious cubes. He then stared at Kate curiously. "You sent a message to my psychic paper. You know what? I'm almost impressed."

"Well, I know that I'm completely impressed," Wanda said, grinning in giddiness as she walked up from behind the group and shook Kate's hand. "I'm so glad to finally meet you, Kate."

"I'm pleased to meet you as well," Kate responded politely, smiling kindly at Wanda. "I've heard and read many stories about 'the Wanderer,' the Doctor's one constant companion."

"Besides the TARDIS. She's the true constant companion," Wanda countered.

"And Wanda is more than just a companion to me," the Doctor spoke up, grabbing Wanda around the waist and pulling her close to him. "She's my wife."

"Oh?" Kate responded, raising a curious brow, appearing shocked by this news. "I'd never have believed the day that you would finally be tied down, Doctor."

"I'm not tied down. With Wanda by my side, I'm always on a new adventure," replied the Time Lord with a boyish grin, giving Wanda a kiss on the cheek which made her giggle in delight. They were lead into what appeared to be a tight security, highly armoured, experimental room. Each black cube had been placed into a large thick metal cube. Undergoing a variety of monitored tests. Watching what each strange action the cubes were doing.

"There are fifty being monitored," Kate explained to them as they walked into the room, "and more are coming in all the time. I don't know how useful it is. Every cube is behaving individually, there's no meaningful pattern."

Amy and Wanda trailed off from following the Doctor and Kate, looking through a heavy glass case where one cube was blowing out fire. Wanda saw another where it was shooting out a scalding steam of water. Another had a woman within the room with a cube, which caused her to either laugh or cry at random. There was a different cube that lit up with an assortment of colours. Then one that Amy inspected played the Chicken Dance on repeat. Kate directed them over to a large desk of computers running diagnostics of system hacks that have been occurring throughout the world. Apparently, the cubes were getting into every nations' tight securities and top-secret government facilities. Kate appeared to be at a loss on what to do, but the Doctor assured the woman there was nothing to fear. He (along with his Wanderer and companions) was on the case. Then, the monitors began to beep.

"They've stopped," one of the scientists who sat the computers told them. "The cubes, across the world, they just shut down."

"Active for forty-seven minutes and then they just die?" Kate said in disbelief.

"They're dormant maybe," the Doctor offered in thought.

"Then why shut down?" Amy countered. The Doctor hummed as he gazed around, looking at all the different cubes close by.

"I don't know. I don't know, I need to think. I need some air," murmured the Doctor. He frowned as he shook his head, beginning to hate the UNIT headquarters. It felt so . . . cramped down here. "Who has an underground base? Terrible ventilation."

"I think it's a tradition for secret human organizations," Wanda said as she followed alongside her husband who walked away from the others. "Torchwood, H.C. Clements, Area 51: just to name a few." Reaching out, Wanda grabbed the Doctor's hand, halting him in place. She then began speaking in his mind. _Doctor, I know you want to talk to Amy, discuss your fears of losing her and Rory with her. But at the moment, we have to work fast on stopping the cubes._

 _Can you tell me what they're up to?_ he asked in response, raising a brow.

 _Not . . . exactly. I can tell you that the reason they've stopped is because they've got what they needed._ she replied. They glanced up when the room suddenly went dark. The power disappearing from the building entirely. _And they've begun their plans of action._

"Problem with the power?" questioned the Doctor as he pulled out his sonic screwdriver.

"Not possible, we've got backups," Kate told him as she and everyone else took out torches.

"The cubes got what they were searching for," Wanda told the Doctor again, urging him into action. They needed to act fast for she knew things were only going to get worse from here if they did not move swiftly enough.

"That means before they shut down, they scanned everything, from the Earth's medical limits to military response patterns. They made a complete assessment of planet Earth and its inhabitants. That's what the surge of activity was," mentioned the Doctor, walking up quickly over to the computers to check to see if he could find out what was happening somehow. Amy happened to glance over, seeing one cube inside a glass case had a glowing number seven.

"Doctor? Look!" she called to the Time Lord, making him come over to inspect the cube as well. The group crowded close to the case, then glanced around towards the other cubes, seeing the same thing with them.

"Why do they all say seven?" Kate wondered aloud.

"Seven. Seven, what's important about seven?" the Doctor mumbled to himself. "Seven wonders of the world. Seven streams of the river Ota. Seven sides of a cube."

"A cube has six sides," Amy countered.

"You're forgetting the inside of the cube," Wanda told the companion.

The lights suddenly snapped back on, with the cubes changing to the number six exactly at the same moment. The Doctor flipped his sonic in the air, placing it back into his inner jacket pocket before walking in a fast pace out of the room. Amy, Kate, and Wanda hurried on after him, trying to keep up. He concluded that the numbers must be a countdown of some kind. Something that would lead to an attack on the humans all across the Earth. It would be easy for the cubes to attack, after all, since so many humans had taken cubes into their homes and lives. So, he told Kate to spread the word to all higher authorities, telling the world to get people as far away from the cubes as they could. All the while the Doctor himself would search through UNIT's computers to see if he could find a trace of the signal controlling the cubes.

Wanda sat next to him by the computers, patiently waiting for what he would do next. Though, with her one leg constantly bouncing anxiously as she repeated glanced over to the larger room with a certain cube. The one that had been causing mood swings to one of the workers for UNIT. She knew what would happen next . . . what must happen next . . . But it still did not mean that she liked it. Not one bit.

"Countdown is getting closer to zero," the Doctor stated after a long while had passed. He turned, taking in the site of where he could be closer to a cube without having anyone else be in harm's way. Clapping his hands and rubbing them together, he made his way quickly over to the observation container. "Right. Better get a closer look." Wanda stood up swiftly, as Amy and Kate tried to stop him.

"Doctor, please, you don't have to do this," Amy pleaded for the Time Lord to change his mind.

"She's right. You don't have to be in there," Kate agreed. "We can do this remotely."

"Remotely isn't my style," disputed the Doctor, waving a hand in dismissal to their worries. He glanced towards Wanda, seeing her anxious expression, yet lack of stopping him. "As long as Wanda tells me I can, then I will. Right, Wanda?"

"She can't agree to this," Amy scoffed, turning to the Time Lady. "You can't agree with this." Wanda gave an exasperated sigh, crossing her arms as she averted her eyes with the others. She hated what she was about to say, but . . .

"I . . . agree with the Doctor," she told them, forcing the words out. She winced after she said them, peaking at the Doctor in the corner of her eye. "But I won't say that I like it. You better be careful, Spaceman."

"Will I be in any danger?" he asked.

"Yes. But it's not like I don't know how to save you in the end," she sighed, shaking her head lightly.

The Doctor beamed, going over and giving her a kiss on her forehead. "Then I know I have nothing to fear."

With that said, he turned and went inside the small room. He made certain the room was sealed tight behind him, not wanting the cube to get at anyone else. Sitting down at the table which held the cube, he stared hard at it, waiting and anticipating for its move. The number continued down, now landing on two as the Doctor watched it. Wanda, Amy, and Kate watching the Time Lord anxiously. The Time Lady even began pinching her thumb. A habit that she thought she had broken a while ago. But in knowing what was about to happen to her husband, her love, and the father of their child, it almost drove her out of her mind in worrying over him. The only reason she kept her cool was in reminding herself repeatedly that she would save him in the end. She would always save him.

Eventually, the cube's countdown ended, leaving them all staring intently at the small object. The top of it suddenly slid open, revealing pure blackness inside the cube.

" _Geronimo_ ," they heard the Doctor murmur before leaning over to stare inside the cube.

"Well, what's in there?" Amy asked.

"There is nothing in here," stated the Doctor, sounding both disappointed and cross in the lack of something not happening.

"Um, well that's good. You know, it's not bombs, it's not aliens," Amy offered in thought.

"Why? Why is there nothing inside? Why? It doesn't make sense," spoke up the Doctor, not paying attention to what Amy was saying. He even banged his hand on the table in his frustration. Looking in the corner of his eye, he saw the very anxious expression on Wanda's face as she continued to stare at the cube, as if waiting for something to happen.

He stood up, quickly leaving the small room as he went back over to the UNIT computers. The one scientist from earlier was still monitoring the situation around the world, seeing what the cubes were doing. All around the planet, the cubes had done the same thing as what the Doctor's had.

"They're empty," Kate said, relieved that perhaps all of this might just be a false alarm. But she would not let herself feel that everything was fine until the Doctor said so. "We're safe, right?"

"No, no, no, we are very far from safe," the Doctor said rapidly. "All along, every action has been deliberate. Why draw attention to the cubes if they don't contain anything?"

"Because they've just haven't gotten what they're built to contain just yet," Wanda bit out gruffly. She glanced at the Doctor, going over to him and giving him a very strong hug. He blinked in surprise, slowly putting his arms around her.

"Wanderer?" he asked, hesitant to know what was making her act so worried.

"I'm so sorry, Doctor. But it's going to hurt . . . a lot," she told him in apology.

"What do you mean?" he questioned her, staring at her in confusion. He looked up quickly when the scientist at the computers got their attention, showing them video feed from across the world. People on screen were seen stopping in the middle of walkways or streets, clutching at their chests before they suddenly collapsed to the ground.

"People are dying," Kate declared in dismay. The Doctor hurriedly moved Wanda away from him, getting closer to the screens.

"What? They can't be dying. How? How are they dying?" he queried, staring at the videos in disbelief. In observing the images . . . it almost looked like the people were all having— Out of nowhere, the Time Lord gave a shout in agony, clutching at his chest. Wanda rushed over, helping to hold him on his feet. Amy came over, helping as well as she knew Wanda would not have the strength to keep the Time Lord up.

"Doctor, what's the matter?" Amy asked quickly in concern.

"Heart attacks," Wanda stated. "That's what the cubes are doing. They're making everyone's hearts fail all at once. Everyone who had been in contact with the cubes when they opened were targeted for their hearts."

"Ah! Ah! Only one heart," the Doctor managed to ground out through his pain as he groaned. He started to bang on the left side of his chest, trying to get the dead heart to start up again. "Other one's not working."

"We've got to get you to a hospital!" Amy exclaimed in fear, pushing him onto a rolling chair and began to push him towards the door.

"No, no, no, no, no, no! Turn around, turn around, turn around!" the Doctor ordered the companion, trying to get her to take him back to the computers so that way he could figure out what the cubes were doing or where they originated from. Wanda came up and steered him back around to the computers in a rush.

"Okay, glasses guy, show ten seconds after the cubes died down," Wanda ordered the one scientist at the computers. The man quickly ran the program she asked for, showing them all the great pikes on the scans of the cubes. Wanda patted the Doctor's shoulder. "See? Signal boxes, cut the power, targets the nearest heart that had looked inside, and steals the electrical current from the heart. Okay. Now your scans from earlier of the cubes' transmitted signal just finished." As she said this, the complete scan popped up on screen. "Seven places, seven minutes, all of it tied, and I know where the first one is. Okay, now, let's go!" Wanda spun the Doctor back around and began pushing him back towards the entrance.

"Wasn't that all spoilers? You didn't even let me figure it out," pouted the Doctor, though giving another cry of horrible pain as his body tired keeping up with only one heart. Wanda knew just how painful that could be having felt that pain first hand quite a few times.

"I can give a damn about spoilers when my husband is dying. Now shut up. I'm getting you to the hospital. Stat!" Wanda declared as she and Amy pushed the groaning Doctor along.

XxXxXxXx

Kate had helped them get to Rory's workplace in record time. Along the way, she estimated that about a third of the world's population had died from the cubes. The Doctor instructed her to keep charge and spread the world on how to avoid any more deaths on this day. Once Kate left them to do their part in the hospital, Amy, Wanda, and the Doctor went as quickly as they could. Going through the panicking and rushing crowd inside the hospital in hopes to find what they were looking for. In hopes that they would succeed in getting to one of the seven portals, stopping whatever or whoever was behind all of this. The Doctor gave another painful groan, stumbling as he clutched at his chest, panting out in breath as he struggled to breathe. Amy placed one of his arms around her shoulders, helping to keep him on his feet.

"Okay, how long are you going to last with only one heart?" Amy asked.

"Not much longer," uttered through his wheezing breaths. "I need to locate the wormhole portal." He pulled out his sonic, scanning for where the portal might be hidden in the hospital. The screwdriver quickly began to alert him of something not of this world close by. Turning, he saw a young girl with pretty melanin-rich skin, holding a black cube in her hands while staring off at nothing in particular.

"Hello, hello. You are giving off some very strange signals," commented the Doctor as he walked away from Amy and over to the young girl. The girl did not even give the Time Lord a glance as she continued to stare off towards nothing. Almost appearing in a trance of some kind. As the Doctor scanned the child, her eyes glowed the same shade of blue as the cubes had before. Then her whole face showed blue, underlining electronic designs. It made it quite clear that this girl was nothing like the simple human girl as she was designed to appear as.

"Oh, my god!" Amy gasped in shock upon seeing the girl's change in face.

"Outlier droid monitoring everything," the Doctor told the companion, explaining the strange girl's existence. He continued on to do scans on the droid. "If I shut her down, I can . . ." Concentrating, he aimed the sonic right at the droid's neck. There was a strange electrical warbling noise coming from the girl as her blue features lit up brighter. The droid began to sway. The Doctor tried holding the fake girl up but grunted as his body began to go through a fierce ache. "I can't! I can't do it." He fell against the wall, leaning heavily on it as he began sliding to the floor. "I need both hearts."

"Um, okay, okay," Amy muttered, scanning the area around them in a desperate search for something that could help her save the Doctor. She blinked as she suddenly noticed someone was not with them. "Where's Wanda?"

"What?" The Doctor jerked up for a moment in panic of his pregnant, vulnerable wife being gone, but yelled out in agony again as he gripped at his chest. "Did Wanda get lost in this mess?" He pointed to all the commotion happening in the hospital.

"I don't know," Amy said, shaking her head in confusion. She could have sworn Wanda had been right beside them just a moment ago.

"Clear the way!"

They suddenly heard the cry of the Time Lady. They both looked over, seeing her rushing over to them with a defibrillator in its bag, slung over her shoulder, while holding both paddles in hand. She ran right up to the Doctor lying on the floor, coming beside him.

"What?! No! No, no, no!" the Doctor yelled, waving his hands wildly as to stop her. Wanda ignored his fearful rambles, surprising both him and Amy by ripping his shirt open, sending buttons flying everywhere. She then started up the defibrillator and, ignoring the Doctor's protests, thrust the electrified paddles against the Time Lord's bare chest. The Doctor made a loud exclamation as the electricity coursed through his system, making both of his hearts stutter and got a boosted jolt. He sat up from the ground, sitting there for a moment panting as his body adjusted back to the normal two hearts beating and pumping through his system.

"Ooh!" the Doctor yelled in cheer as he stood back up. "Welcome back leftie!" He gave a shuffled dance in his happiness, grinning at the two females watching him.

"Sorry to do that to you," Wanda apologized as she left the defibrillator on the floor. She went over to him, giving him a strong hug. "I knew I needed to find that defibrillator in time to save you. I know it hurt, but I'm just so glad that you're alive." She held the side of his face as she gave him a big smacking kiss. Then, she helped him button up his ship with the last few remaining buttons on his shirt. Looking at him with big, sheepish eyes, she held a small sad face. "I hope you're not angry with me in using the defibrillator on you."

"No, I'm not angry about that," the Doctor chuckled, kissing her on her nose. But then he held a stern look with her. "I'm cross that you had ran off like that—."

"And ran around with a defibrillator!" Amy finished, waving a finger at the Time Lady.

"But," the Doctor interrupted the companion before she could begin scolding, "you saved me just like you always do. Thank you." He kissed Wanda once more, smiling as they held their lips together in a tender embrace. _I love you._

 _Love you, too, idiot._ Wanda replied softly in his mind.

 _Why am I an idiot this time?_ he responded, sending her a pout as he pulled away from their kiss.

 _Because you're always an idiot._ Wanda said, sticking out her tongue coyly at him. He rolled his eyes as he grabbed her hand, pulling her along as they sped through the hospital. Eventually, though, he was stopped short by Wanda. She halted in the middle of the hallway, pulling him back abruptly. He turned, curiously staring at her and wondering why she suddenly gave him such a look of disappointment.

"What's wrong?" he asked her in concern.

"Is everything all right?" Amy questioned next.

"Looks like it's my time to leave," Wanda said, pouting as she stared at her and the Doctor's clasped hand. The white light slowly spreading around her hand and through the rest of her body. It even began to become a bit difficult to see everything with the blinding white light that was forming around her eyes. Warmth went in waves through her as well.

"Already?" Amy responded in surprise. The Doctor walked closer to Wanda, pulling her in for a hug.

"Well, wherever you wander to next, just make certain to stay safe," he said softly.

"Of course. I did promise you, didn't I?" Wanda replied warmly, kissing him on the cheek as she hugged him in return. She tightened her hug as she pressed her face into his shoulder, breathing in his jacket's smell one last time. "The next time we meet, I'm certain will be the moment our daughter arrives. And it'll be _eccellente_."

"You bet it will!" the Doctor beamed as he held her at arm's length, making her giggle as he gave her an excited kiss just before she disappeared.

XxXxXxXx

Welp, that's the end of that. Did you all enjoy it? Hate it? Was it terrible? Let me know in a review. It always helps me keep on the right track for all you lovely readers and for the story. :) Also, will love to see what you all think of where Wanda will be going to next. I can't wait!

~Tinker~


	46. Ch 46: The Manhattan Paradox

What's up, everyone! :D

Hopefully everyone's week has gone well and that this day, or night, will be something amazing. :) Looks like the issues the site has been having are finally gone. Yay! Let's just hope no more issues.

So, enjoy the new chapter!

XxXxXxXx

Chapter 46: The Manhattan Paradox

The day was sunny. Very sunny. Cheerful and sunny, with a few drifting, fluffy, white clouds hanging about. The city of the sunny day was just as cheerful. With music blasting off into a merry tune, cars honking in 'hello,' sirens yelling out as they passed by, and so much babbling of thousands upon thousands of people of the massive city, it was no wonder the day decided to be happy.

None of this cheer was matched by a certain trio who was sitting down on a large rock in the middle of Central Park, Manhattan. People passed them by, strolling down the parkway, not even giving them notice. The lush green of the park made the area perfect for strolling, merriment, and fun. But neither person in the group of three sitting on the cold stone gave care to join in on the fun. Each one of them seemed to be trying to distract themselves from something or another. Distracting themselves from each other, perhaps? Or it might have even been what was on their minds? One male sat next to the lady beside the abandoned, untouched picnic basket they had brought along with them to the park. Facing upwards, the man watched the lazy clouds drift overhead. The woman, with long ginger hair, held a newspaper tight in her grasp, repeatedly pushing up her round reading glasses as they slid down her nose. Sweat built upon her brow as she tried to focus a little too hard on her paper.

Both she and the man glanced at the person sitting close by them. Each giving the second man either a look of pity, sympathy, empathy, or apprehension. They could see the clear tension in the other man's shoulders. With how quiet he had been lately . . . it was never a good sign. He had been tense and silent for some time now. For . . . certain reasons. None of which any of them wished to discuss or think about. The ginger woman and her husband glanced at each other. Both held haunted glimpses in their eyes as they stared at the other. Each of them wishing they could forget what events they had witnessed not too long ago.

"Doctor . . .," Amy finally spoke up after she and Rory seemed to be done with their silent conversation, "do you think . . . do you think that things might change?" The Time Lord, as he had been, remained deathly silent. Not even bothering to glance back at the two as he kept his dull, green irises staring ahead towards a large, dead tree in the park.

"You always say time can change. Maybe this time can?" Rory added, seeming to want to help his wife get the Time Lord to talk to them again. Again, silence was their answer.

"No . . . It can't," the Doctor said, breaking his silence at last. His voice having no emotions or tone. Simply droning in his response.

". . . At least things didn't turn out . . . so bad?" Amy offered in thought. The Doctor suddenly turned. The companions flinched at the hard eyes gazing back at them.

"Oh? And how _bad_ could have things gone, Amelia?" retorted the Doctor darkly. In seeing the wary gazes of his companions, he sucked in a sharp breath and breathed out slowly. He rubbed a hand down his face, keeping it resting on his chin as he gazed off once more. His mind, wandering in their thoughts. "I'm running out of time. Our story is coming to an end."

"And you hate endings," Amy said softly. The Doctor glanced at the hand that placed itself gently in comfort on his shoulder. Looking up to the one whose hand it was, he saw Amy stare sadly at him, empathizing with him completely. He grabbed her hand, giving it a squeeze to let her know he truly appreciated her compassionate friendship.

"Hey, you lot!"

All three of them looked over quickly towards the call. They saw the last effects of the white light leaving from Wanda's body as she waved cheerfully at them. She walked up on the large stone, joining them in their unfinished picnic.

"So, I've just come from that cube invasion. We've done that, right? Or am I a little earlier than that," Wanda said, going into her happy, rapid rambles as she usually does. "Anyway, if I'm early or not, I still hope things had turned out all right. Didn't get to finish the adventure with you all. Wish I could have. Why in the world do my stupid wanderings take me away just before things get good? It would be much more fun if it waited afterward like it usually does. I think, after Ember is born, Doctor, that we should try figuring out how to control my wandering abilities. It won't do for Ember to constantly have her mother whisked away on her. How disappointed would she be if I left during something really important, huh?"

She stood there, beaming away so carefree in her happiness. Sill the trio she stood in front of her, remained seated as they gazed back. Her smile dropped swiftly as she saw how hesitant, solemn, and haunted their eyes were. She wondered briefly if perhaps she had spoiled Ember's arrival too soon for Amy and Rory, but judging in how much older they looked then from long before, she knew this was not the case. Then . . . why did both of them stare at her with such sad eyes? And the Doctor . . . the way he stared at her, it was as if seeing a ghost.

"What's wrong?" she asked in concern, immediately worried for them all. "What happened? Are you all okay? Was it the Shakri? Did they hurt you? Was it someone else? I swear if someone hurt you all I'm gonna sock them good." Balling up her fist, she held it up as her eyes searched the park as if looking for the person who had dared mess with her family.

"No, we're fine, Wanda," Amy laughed, a small, fond smile forming on her lips as she watched Wanda going through her quick tempers. Wanda's adorable tempers . . . that was another thing Amy added in her mind of things she will miss.

"Why don't you sit down and join us?" Rory offered, standing up and going over to the Time Lady. At the ready to help her sit down on the rock with them. He knew, with how long she was in her pregnancy, even if she did not look it at the moment appearing skinny and all, that it would be difficult for her to get up and down off the ground. He wanted to make she would be comfortable and happy through the rest of her pregnancy until . . .

The Doctor suddenly stood up and went right up to Wanda so fast that it shocked the others. Wanda blinked, taken back by the Time Lord's apparent urgency as he held her tight on her upper arms.

"Take it off," he instructed her in a hurry.

"W-what?" Wanda stuttered, blinking rapidly now with her face blushing. What was he wanting her to take off? Her clothes?

"The necklace. Off. Now," the Doctor pushed, reaching up in swift speed, yanking off her necklace before any even knew what he had done. He then promptly stuffed the necklace into his tweed pocket. Wanda gasped as she hurriedly placed hands on her stomach. Feeling almost naked without her necklace, she felt so vulnerable in anyone being able to see her with her large belly. Was he crazy?! Anyone in the busy park could see her stomach as clear as day, and any of them could be after Ember.

"Doctor! What are you thinking? What if someone sees me like this?" Wanda yelled angrily, waving a hand at her change of appearance. "How come you're—." She was silenced by the Doctor, who had slammed his lips against hers. He held her so tight against him that she wondered if he was trying to squeeze the air out of her. He then pulled back, leaving her blinking in a daze.

"It doesn't matter," he said, his voice rumbling like a gale. Tilting her chin up, she stared into his green eyes, seeing the storm brewing away in his irises as he seemed to take in all her features with care.

"What's wrong?" she asked, her voice quiet in her uncertainty.

He gazed in a forlorn manner at her for a moment longer before dropping her chin. "Nothing. Just . . ." He seemed unable to explain to her what his actions meant. Almost as though he himself did not understand what he was doing. So, not really trying to contemplate on why he was acting strangely, or give Wanda an explanation on anything, he merely kissed her again. Harder this time. Then, while she was still in a daze from the Doctor's almost desperate kiss, he pulled her over and, as tenderly as possible, helped her down to the ground. He sat down next to her, scooting down to begin cuddling up to her side. Hugging her around the middle, he lay his head on her stomach, slowly stroking it.

"Um . . .," Wanda spoke up, staring at her husband anxiously, truly beginning to fear on what his behavior meant, "is everything okay, sweetie?" She threaded her fingers through his soft hair, tenderly massaging his scalp.

"No," he mumbled as he continued on rubbing her stomach, keeping his eyes closed as he allowed himself to feel the bond between his wife and his child. Those two little hearts beating away . . . The sound weighed in his stomach like heavy stones.

"All right . . ." Wanda glanced at Amy and Rory, seeing how each of them stared at the Time Lords as though they were walking on thin ice. Wanda then stared at the Doctor once more. "Are you going to tell me what's wrong?"

"No," the Doctor repeated.

"Right then." A heavy frown set on Wanda's face as she stared at Amy and Rory once more. Waving a confused hand, gesturing at the Doctor, each of them averted their eyes. Great, now they were all keeping secrets from her. "Well, can I at least have my necklace back?"

The Doctor's hand tightened on her green blouse. "You don't need it."

"Says who? You've been nagging at me for months now on always keeping it on. Why the sudden change of mind?"

"Because . . . I want to remember this." He sat up, getting closer to her, holding her face in both hands as he stared deeply into her eyes. "I want to engrain this moment into my memory. Forever."

Wanda blinked. "Why this moment in particular?"

He did not answer as he merely kissed her again. Then, once more, scooted down to lay his head on her stomach and continue his tender petting. Wanda gave up on trying to ask him anything else. She knew she would get no answer. But looking at Amy who sat close by, and Rory who still stood facing away, she wondered if she could get answers out of someone else.

"So . . . where and when are we?" Wanda asked, trying to bypass the strange behaviour of a certain Time Lord and act casual.

"New York. 2012," Amy answered as she thumbed through her paper. Wanda pondered this date for a moment. New York. Something tried clicking in her mind on what this meant. It was something important, she knew this for certain. Why it was important, though, she could not remember. Shrugging this off, she knew that she would remember eventually. She looked over at Amy, realizing with interest that there was something different about the companion.

"You're wearing glasses. Since when?" Wanda asked curiously, smiling eagerly at the sight of glasses.

"Since a while ago," Amy laughed, lifting her eyes from the paper to see the Time Lady's eager grin of delight. "My eyes sight isn't getting any younger, you know."

"Yeah, I can tell by the lines under your eyes," Wanda responded casually. Amy scoffed, hitting Wanda on the arm while the Time Lady snickered.

"I do not have lines under my eyes. Right, Rory?" Amy turned to her husband, seeing the almost panicked look on his face when realizing he had to answer that. While Rory stuttered for an answer, Wanda snatched the glasses from Amy, spinning them around on her hands. Smiling when she had an idea, it was quick work of her to get the Doctor to sit up properly and push the glasses onto his face.

"There. I knew there was always something missing from this face. It was clever glasses. I miss the clever glasses. It always did make your Tenth face look so sexy." Wanda giggled as the Doctor blinked in shock, taken back by the glasses being put on his face. He pulled them off for a second, inspecting them, before promptly placing them back on with a small boyish grin.

"Do I look sexy now?" he asked her teasingly.

"Oh, yes, Definitely," Wanda chuckled. They both leaned forward and gave the other a kiss. She then pulled back, observing the Doctor's expression and actions carefully. Trying to see if he was easing somewhat from his earlier apparent dismay and utter loss in cheer. If he, and the other two, did ease into laughter easily, then Wanda knew that it was something bad, but not too horrid that they could not get over it. However, as she stared at the Time Lord and companions, she could tell that all of the smiles, the laughter, the jokes: they were forced. Each of them seemed to strain in keeping up a lighthearted charade for her. So, whatever was causing them woe . . . it must have been something so unspeakable . . .

"So, are any of you going to tell me what's wrong? For real this time," Wanda said calmly, holding an even stare with them all. Amy quickly looked back to her paper, though unable to read it now. Rory cleared his throat, staring off towards the sky. The Doctor was the only one who kept his gaze with Wanda.

"Spoilers," the Doctor whispered. He lifted a hand up absently, brushing a stray strand of blonde hair behind Wanda's ear. She blinked, grabbing the hand that stayed on her face, wishing she could ease the pain away for her Theta for the despairing expression on his face broke her hearts.

"I'm going to go and get us some more coffee. Who wants more coffee?" Rory suddenly asked in quick fashion, seeming to want to avoid the dreary atmosphere around them all. Wanda blinked out of her stupor of staring at the Doctor. Looking towards Rory, a quick plan formed in her mind.

"Can I come with?" she questioned, forcing a happy and light tone out. "I really want some, but I'm not certain what I'm craving at the moment." She struggled to get back up from the ground, and found the Doctor, acting fast, helped her right up. But he did not let her go, keeping her close.

"Stay with me. Please," he whispered in a plea. His voice only high enough for Wanda herself to hear him. Staring cautiously at him, Wanda felt almost as though he were not really asking her to not go with Rory to get coffee. No. It was almost as though he were begging for something else entirely.

"I'm just going to get coffee with Rory, sweetie," Wanda replied in assurance. Leaning up, she gave him a loving kiss, reaching into his pocket discreetly to pull out her necklace. "We'll be right back." Placing on her necklace, she turned on her heels, marching right up to Rory and linking her arm with him. "Come on, old man. That coffee ain't going to get itself."

She practically pulled him along as they walked off, heading over a bridge and through the trails of the park. Soon, while passing through a tunnel under another bridge, they came across a large open area for people to mingle. A very sizable fountain sat right in the middle of the area. A nice spot for people to sit and relax by. Dropping Rory's arm, Wanda walked right towards the fountain, crossing her arms as she stared down at the rippling waters. Rory shifted over hesitantly beside her, placing his hands in his pockets, watching the water, too. He repeatedly glanced at her, wondering if she was going to say something. Still, though, she remained silent as her eyes stay fixed on the water of the large fountain.

Finally, she said, "I really like fountains." She let out a sigh, looking over to Rory. "You know why I like fountains? 'Cause they are a good thinking place. A good calm place. It's soothing being by them, being able to let the sound ease your mind." She stared at the rippling water once more, trying to let the smooth motion and gentle sound of the falling water wash away her worries. "Wish they worked all the time." Turning to the still quiet companion, Wanda tightened her crossed arms as she held a soft stare. "Rory . . . if there's anyone I know that won't beat around the bush when it comes to secrets and spoilers, it's you. So, spill. What's got you all down in the dumps? I want to know what has caused you all sadness. I hate seeing my family in misery more than anything, and I want to help make you all feel better any way possible."

Rory opened his mouth a few times as though he were trying to come up with an answer for her. Soon though, he appeared to give up as he let out a heavy sigh.

"You know the Doctor's rules, Wanda. No spoilers," Rory mumbled.

"Oh, come on, Rory. This isn't the time for sticking to the rules. You and I broke more of the Doctor's rules than any ever had when it came to protecting both him and Amy during those two thousand years," Wanda stated in frustration.

"Yeah, in an alternate universe. It didn't matter then about rules. And, frankly, these are _my_ rules, too" Rory retorted crossly, shooting Wanda a look in the corner of his eye. "I'm not having the universe blow up again because of your curiosity."

Wanda let out an agitated noise, throwing her hands up into the air. "Fine, then, at least give me a sneak peek or something."

He shook his head, firm in his stance. "I can't. I'm sorry." And he truly did look sorry. His eyes stared at her in remorse. "It's for your own good."

"Ugh!" She groaned, giving into the sad look Rory was giving her. "Fine. Fine. Fine! I won't ask for any more stupid spoilers." Turning, her motions sharp, she marched right back toward the tunnel that they had come through.

"Wanda, wait, where are you going?" Rory sped up, trying to stay in step with her.

"I don't want coffee anymore. I shouldn't drink it, anyway. Not healthy for the baby. You can go ahead and get drinks for the others if you want."

As they walked through the tunnel, the noise of the park seemed to almost disappear. The sunny day leaving them for a gloomy one. Things were almost too quiet. This did not improve Wanda's worry and anxious mind over what could possibly be plaguing her family. In fact, she only felt worse as her mind kept on trying to remind her of something important from earlier. Something she needed to remember and fast. But what? Then . . . she heard the squeaking laughter and the fluttering of feathered wings. Wanda halted in place, her eyes going wide. Rory bumped right into her.

"What? Did you change your mind about the coffee?" Rory asked her, staring curiously at her, wondering why she would suddenly stop like that. Wanda sucked in a shaky breath, closing her eyes tightly for a moment before opening once more, turning to stare at Rory with such sorrow.

"Oh, Rory. I am so, _so_ sorry. I'd forgotten," Wanda let out in a small sob of sorts. Rory, confused by the Time Lady's apparent dismay and fright, held her shoulders steadily in hopes to calm her down as she looked ready to break down.

"What did you forget?" Rory questioned.

Wanda's lower lip quivered as she heard the fluttering of wings draw closer. "The Angels. I forgot all about the Angels." Lowering her gaze, she reached up and held onto Rory's hands that were still on her shoulder very tightly. "I'm sorry, Rory."

"Why are you sorry?"

"Because, now, there's nothing I can do to change it." She closed her eyes tightly and hugged Rory. Holding onto to him as strong as she could while the fluttering of wings and squeaking laughter surrounded them.

XxXxXxXx

Amy constantly glanced at the Doctor, still nervous as ever by him remaining so silent and solemn. He kept on her round glasses from earlier. Simply sitting there on the rock, with his elbows resting on his knees as he slumped in his posture, staring off at nothing in particular. He barely moved or shifted while they remained sitting there, watching the people of the park stroll by. Letting out a long sigh, Amy let her gaze wander over to the picnic basket next to her. Peaking at the Doctor in the corner of her eye once more, she cleared her throat.

"Do you want to start digging into the basket?" Amy suggested. She frowned when she received no response. Letting out a huff, she turned to the basket and began shifting through the contents inside. She was puzzled by the strange book that was inside, right on top of all the food and such. Pulling out the book, it was odd to her on why the book was there, what kind of book it was, and that there was a sticky note right on top. The note read:

 _Page thirty-four is what you're looking for._

 _Be careful._

 _I love you all._

 _A.T._

"I think this is for you," Amy said, handing the book over to the Doctor. It was very peculiar on why this certain book would be in the basket. But knowing who had packed the picnic for them, Amy knew it was not the oddest thing ever for them to do. The Doctor took the book from Amy, staring at it curiously as he held it. Taking off the sticky note, he stared at the small message for a long moment, taking in the handwriting, and the love and affection it portrayed.

"Her handwriting . . .," the Doctor trailed off thoughtfully.

"What about it?" Amy asked.

"It's just like . . .," he began saying, unable to properly finish his thoughts as the realization of how the message was written struck him with awe.

"Yeah," Amy agreed, knowing what the Doctor was trying to say. She even smiled while glancing at the sticky note.

Humming, even smiling a bit, the Doctor sat the note down into the basket, taking in the book's cover. On the front, there was drawing of a woman, with frizzy hair, wearing a dark trench coat, and a dark hat which covered her eyes while she smirked cheekily out at him. The title read, _Melody Malone: Private Detective in Old New York_. Seemed like an interesting book. He would have probably picked it out himself under normal circumstances. Though at the moment, he did not precisely feel like reading anything for amusement. However, if it was suggested to him for an important reason . . .

Turning to the page in quick fashion, he scanned through the writing, amused by the character of the book. She had a unique style that he could admire. As he read through one paragraph, even though he was through half the story, he could tell that she was trailing someone. Or rather a few persons. Two people, in fact. A skinny guy and girl. One taller than the other. The guy seemed at a loss as he walked around the streets, while the girl was observed by Melody as shaken, yet calm.

"What does it say?" Amy asked the Doctor, curious as to what was on the page that he was told to read. Gazing at the Time Lord, the ginger companion was caught off guard by the sudden wide-eyed, pure terror, expression on his face. The line that caught his eyes read: 'The skinny gal looked hard at me and said, "Doctor, please, find us in 1938, April 3rd. Hurry, the Angels are coming."'

"Wanda is telling me to come find them in New York of 1938," he breathed, standing up slowly as he held the book tight in his grasp. His eyes began scanning the pages in front of him in rapid pace, beginning to process on what exactly was going on. He then promptly stuffed the book into his jacket and began to run down the park walkway.

"Doctor?!" Amy called out to him, running after him.

"Come along, Pond! We haven't got all day!" he shouted in return.

XxXxXxXx

Travelling by a Weeping Angel's touch . . . it was best described similar to a Time Agent's Vortex manipulator. Sudden, uncomfortable, and gave a nasty headache afterward. Rory fell against a brick wall just behind him. Wanda rocked on her feet, keeping her balance the best she could. Breathing in sharply, she gazed around their surroundings, seeing that they were close to where Central Park would be in Old New York. It seemed the small Angel Cherubs had sent them a few blocks away from where they had just been. Now, they were located in an alleyway. A dirty one at that.

"What the hell just happened?" Rory panted, trying to catch his breath from the abrupt sensation they had gone through. He gazed around, taken back when seeing the dark night around them. "Wasn't it just the afternoon a moment ago?"

"It was in 2012. Not here," Wanda answered, narrowing her eyes as she searched for anyone who might be nearby. It seemed they were relatively safe at the moment for there was no soul in sight. Though 'safe' was not at all a guarantee on this day. Turning to the still unsteady Rory, Wanda walked over and helped the man keep on his feet. "There. I've got you. You've got to take it easy. Time travel without a capsule is real rough on the body."

"It's never been rough on your body. You travel through time without the TARDIS daily," Rory countered.

"Yeah, well . . . I'm a special case." Wanda gave a quick glance around when she thought she heard feathered wings flying about. She hoped it was just a pigeon or something. But in case it was not, she made certain to link her arm with Rory's and start steering him down the alleyway. "Come on. We need to find River."

"River?" Rory blinked in surprise, beginning to gaze around in wondering where his daughter could be. "She's here? And where is _here_ anyway?"

"We're still in New York if that's what you're wondering." Wanda looked over her shoulder as they walked briskly through the empty streets of 1938. Things were much dimmer and quieter during the night then what New York would be in the future. It made things feel even more uneasy for her. "We've been transported by to New York in 1938."

"What? How?" Rory was appalled by this news, completely blown away that they could have been in one place just a few seconds ago, and suddenly find themselves in another time period. He could believe it if they had travelled by TARDIS. But to travel out of nothing?

"The Weeping Angels. Remember them? Creatures who you have to keep staring at, keep them locked in stone, or else they come to life and send you back in the past to eat up what would have been your future. Don't stare at their eyes, whatever you do. Might have an Angel living in your head after that, and we don't have a crack in time to send it away this time around. I wonder if the Doctor has already gotten to the page where we arrive. Do you think he has? Was he even reading the book in the first place? I don't remember a book being around."

"Wanda . . . can you breathe for a moment? I don't think you hyperventilating from talking will do us any good." Rory patted her arm lightly, hoping to calm her as she appeared to be having a small panicked moment, talking at a very rapid and high pitched rate.

Taking in a breath, Wanda let out her next exhale slowly. "Sorry. I just . . . things are gonna . . . I don't want . . . you and Amy . . . the Doctor . . ." No real sense came out of her words as she struggled to explain to Rory exactly how terrified she felt.

". . . Right. Okay. You're scared about something, I get that." Rory frowned, having a million questions running through his mind, but wondered if Wanda would even be able to answer them. She seemed just as lost as he felt. Still, he needed to know what they were up against. "You said earlier that River was here?"

"Yeah. She's using an alias by the name of Melody Malone, sort of looking into the strange happenings in New York. During this era of New York, anyway. It's a massive time distortions at the moment because of all the paradoxes the Angels are creating. In fact, this moment in time, for New York, is going to become an alternate timeline of sorts. Specifically, after a . . . certain event happens." Wanda grew quiet after this. Her voice trailing off to nothing as she let the silence hang heavily around them. Only their marching footsteps on the concrete made a sound.

Rory, staring carefully at the Time Lady, noticed her ever-growing somber demeanour. A glum mood seemed to grow heavier and heavier on the blonde the more they talked and walked. "What sort of event will that be?" He received no response as Wanda remained as silent as ever. Simply, she leaned her head against him and hugged his arm even more.

Soon, she finally spoke. "Your face was the first face that I saw of this universe. Did you know that?"

Staring at her curiously, Rory raised a brow at her sudden statement. "Yeah, I was kind of there."

"Right." Wanda nodded absently, staring off distantly towards the dark street ahead of them. She smiled and gave a small chuckle. "The very first companion I ever came across. Rory Williams, the Roman nurse, right there to comfort me upon my arrival into this new life of mine. I wouldn't have wanted it any other way, really. You're the perfect person to keep things calm, to keep people from freaking out or stop them from going overboard with crazy antics. You've kept the Doctor and Amy in line more times than I can count. They'd both be lost without you there to keep them in line . . . I know I would be, too. So . . . it was great being able to have you there. That day . . . heh, it's one of my favourite memories. The waking up in a grave part, I mean."

"Being found in an open grave is one of your favourite memories?" Rory chuckled and shook his head. "Only you or the Doctor could think of that as a good day." Glancing at her once more, he saw that, even though she was recalling a fond memory, she still held such a sad expression. "So . . . why are you bringing this up?" Again, she grew silent. "Wanda?" Still, she did not answer. Then, it sort of clicked in his mind. ". . . I'm going to die, aren't I?"

In a flash, she whipped her head up to stare at him, stopping them right in the middle of their tracks. She held onto his arm, beginning to tremble and her eyes welling up. She wanted to sob right there and then. Losing a companion was always hard. It was depressing with Donna. It was misery with River. It was heartbreaking with Rose. With Amy and Rory . . . she and the Doctor would be in anguish after everything is said and done on this day. How could she just sit back and let a part of her family go? Yet . . . she had to because . . . she already knew that it happened. Though . . . could she still stop it? Change time and all that?

Closing her eyes tightly, lowering her face away from Rory, she let her mind leap into any possibilities of the day. Many images flashed through. None of which were pleasant. From what was going to happen, meant to happen, and might happen, everything simply led to the same conclusion. Rory and Amy . . . the two wonderful and brilliant Ponds . . . could no longer travel with the Time Lords in the TARDIS. If they did not leave today . . . If they were not taken away from them by the Angels, then . . . in another time, in another possibility, Amy would die. She would die right before them all, and there would be nothing they could do about it. Rory would be distraught beyond comparison. He could not take life without his love, the one person who gave him meaning. He would leave the TARDIS in dismay and misery. Soon to follow after Amy's fate by his own hands.

No . . . Oh, god, not that, Wanda knew she must not let this happen. It . . . it was horrible. Beyond words. It . . . They . . . No. No. NO!

"Wanda?!" Rory yelled as he shook Wanda by the arms. She gasped loudly as she opened her eyes, staring wide-eyed at the man in front of her. Still alive. Still unaware of what could be lying for him in another timeline. Her body shook as she stood there. Whether it be from exhaustion in using her abilities of insight or from dread of what might come, she did not know.

"Are you using the possibilities again? You know what the Doctor said about using your abilities while being pregnant," Rory began to scold her. But he stopped in his rant when the Time Lady swiftly hugged him around the middle, crying right into his chest. "Um," he responded, glancing around as if hoping for the Doctor and Amy to show up to help him calm the Time Lady, before he wrapped his arms around her and patted her back, "hey, it's okay. It's . . . it's not like this is the first time that I've died." He tried chuckling humourously, but found himself unable to laugh at something so bleak. "That _is_ why you're upset, isn't it?"

"No . . . Yes . . . I—I don't want to talk about it," Wanda's voice came out muffled in Rory's shirt.

"Well . . . at least I know that you and the Doctor will figure something out. You both always do." Rory swallowed heavily when seeing Wanda lift her tearful eyes to stare at him. The bleak expression she held . . . it was obvious that this time would be different than all other times. He kept his mouth shut for a while, thinking things over as Wanda buried her head into his chest and continued to weep for what was to come. Patting her back in kindness, he spoke, "How is it going to happen?"

"Rory . . . I don't' want to tell—."

"Tell me." His voice stern and strong. He held a firm gaze with her when she looked back up at him. "I want to know how it happens. If I'm going to die, permanently this time, then I want to know what to expect."

"You can't change this, Rory. This . . . this is a fixed point in time for you. And if you try to change it . . ."

"You saw in a possibility that things would go worse if it was changed?" Wanda's nod confirmed his suspicion. "Don't worry. I'm not going to try and cheat death. I've worked with death for years now. I know when it's time for someone to go, there's just nothing you can do about it. You and the Doctor know that all too well, too." Rory felt Wanda shiver as she held him tighter. "So, how does it . . . ah, how do I . . . um, well, die?"

Wanda whispered, "The Weeping Angels. They'll . . . they'll keep you locked here . . . in New York's past."

"Can't you and the Doctor just travel back and pick me up again?"

"No . . . not this time." Wanda sighed, taking a step back from Rory as she gave him such a look of remorse. "There are far too many paradoxes here. The Angels are creating so many. It'll be hard enough for the Doctor to travel here just for _one_ trip. And after his one trip, another, more massive, paradox will be created. If he tries to make another after that . . . then the whole city, and all its people, will be destroyed." A gloomy cloud hung over them after this was said. Neither of them knowing what to say to the other.

Finally, Rory cleared his throat weakly. ". . . After this massive paradox, I'll be trapped here? So, then . . . it's not really _dying_. More or less just me living in another life. I guess I can deal with that." Soon, his eyes grew set in a determined gaze. "Wanda, can you promise me something? Can you make sure that Amy is taken care of? I don't want her to be alone after I'm gone."

Wanda pinched her thumb, staring down at the ground. "You don't have to worry about her being alone, Rory. She's going to be with you in the past, too. You know how she can't stand to be apart from you. And I did promise you a long time ago that you two would always be together, didn't I?" Wanda gave him a weak smile with her bottom lip trembling.

Rory blinked in surprise. "We'll be together?"

"Y-yeah. You'll always be together."

The nurse gave a sigh of relief, glad to at least some good news this day. He could go through anything that the universe threw at him, as long as Amy was by his side. However, in seeing how distraught Wanda still appeared to be, he knew just how deeply both he and Amy would miss the Time Lady and Time Lord. He smiled kindly, petting the top of Wanda's head in a reassuring gesture. "Well, Amy and I have been talking about whether or not we should settle down in our lives. Though it meant choosing between you, the Doctor, and the TARDIS, or normal life. Guess this is life's way of choosing for us." Wanda began to cry again. Rory shook his head, not wanting her to cry. "Hey, hey. Don't be upset, Wanda. Amy and I will manage. We'll be fine."

"B-but I do-don't want you two to go!" Wanda rubbed at her face, trying to quell her tears.

"We don't want to go, either. But we don't have a choice now, do we?"

They both remained solemn and quiet after this. Neither one knowing what to say. So, as if silently agreeing, they linked arms again and continued walking down the walkway. Rory stared on ahead, letting the information Wanda told him soak in while Wanda kept her gaze down on the concrete. Everything on her feeling too heavy to bother looking up. Soon, she looked back at Rory once more.

"I wish I could have spent more time with you, Rory. I mean, time with just me and you on our own adventures," Wanda told him. "I've gotten plenty of times to have my own adventures with just me and other companions. No Doctor or anyone else. Just us. But I don't think you or I have ever gotten that chance very often or for very long. I would have liked to. I enjoy getting equal times with all companions."

"But we have," Rory replied. "I guess it's just in your future."

"Oh . . ." Wanda glanced at him hopefully. "Do we have fun? I wasn't a bore, was I?"

Rory laughed, shaking his head. "No. You, a bore? Never." Pondering in thought, he grinned as he decided to give Wanda a few sneak peeks of his own. "There was one time, when Amy and the Doctor were stuck in this jail cell, and we had to figure out a way to get them out by using a blow horn, duct tape, and a rubber ducky."

Wanda snorted. "What? They were in jail?"

"Yeah. They both insulted this Lord—guy. Amy lost her temper, and the Doctor wouldn't stop calling this guy . . . um, I don't really think I should repeat it, but it was actually funny now that I think about it."

Rory continued to give Wanda small sneak peeks on what adventures they had gone on, or rather would go on for her. Many times would they have to get Amy or the Doctor, or both of them, sometimes with River thrown into the mix, out of trouble. Or vise-versa with them needing to get out of trouble with help from the others. To Wanda, it all sounded fun, and she was so glad to have made Rory and Amy so happy with all the fun adventures.

A figure shifted up ahead of them. Wanda observed the dark area with careful eyes. Squinting through the darkness, the figure was barely made out to be a woman, judging by the curvy hips. Then, when the frizzy hair was seen under the dark hat, Wanda knew who it was.

"Mels!" Wanda cried, running away from Rory and straight into the open arms of River. The woman laughed lightly as she hugged the Time Lady in return, even giving Wanda a kiss on her forehead.

"Hello, sweetie. I'm happy to see you, too," River said. When Rory came up to the two, River smirked cheekily. "Hello, dad." Rory gave her a nod in greetings. Wanda suddenly backed away from River, holding a very determined expression.

"Doctor, please, find us in 1938, April 3rd. Hurry, the Angels are coming," Wanda stated, voice full of authority. River was not even fazed by this statement from the blonde girl, as she only raised a sly brow with a cheeky smile. Rory, on the other hand, blinked rapidly.

"Um . . . why did you say that?" questioned Rory.

"'Cause the Doctor needed to read it in a book," Wanda answered casually, glancing back to look over Rory's shoulder. "You'll probably want to put your hands up now."

Confused by what she had said, he turned around slowly, going wide-eyed when seeing a gun pointed right at his face. His hands instantly shot into the air, surrendering immediately as River told him. Wanda backed up to stand with her back against Rory's, holding up her own hands as another man with a gun came up behind Mels.

"Melody Malone?" the man said gruffly. A car screeched right up to them, coming to a halt in the middle of the road. "Get in."

XxXxXxXx

"Oi, watch where you're pushing me about! I'm not some kind of rag doll for you to play with!" Wanda barked at the man who kept repeatedly shoving her forward into the large manor. She continued to grumble under her breath when the man's only response was to shove her even harder.

The mansion that they were being led to was massive. With tall stone pillars decorated on the outside, and . . . stone statues . . . everywhere. Wanda tensed as she swore she saw one of the Angels standing guard outside moved. She knew why there were so many here in this particular spot. The man who owned the mansion, Julius Grayle, was a crime boss, and collector of anything unique and unusual that he came across. Some of which happened to be Angels. Mostly baby Angels. But there was one adult who he had chained up in his office, slowly torturing it. And by doing this, he was causing the Angel to scream out to any other Angel in New York, gathering up almost a whole squad to come rescue it. That idiotic buffoon.

Inside the mansion was much more grand in appearance than the outside. Warm coloured wood made up the interior, with the place decorated by many old vases, plates, paintings. All of which appeared to be from the early Qin Dynasty.

"Ah, lovely pieces. The artist truly outdid himself with these. And I should know. Me and the Doctor met him," Wanda spoke up casually. "Isn't that right, sweetie? We met him in a bar fight, if I remember correctly. About 221 B.C." She stared up towards the ceiling as if talking to someone.

"Um, who are you talking to?" Rory asked her.

"The Doctor. I'm trying to remind him of which artist to go to," Wanda answered, rolling her eyes as if what she was doing and saying was obvious. The crime boss Grayle then came down the stairs, eyeing up River next to them with a sly smirk on his face. He then looked at Rory and Wanda with little disdain.

"These two, put them somewhere uncomfortable," Grayle ordered his men, pointing at Rory and Wanda.

"With the babies, sir?" the large man asked as he walked up behind the two.

"Yes. Why not?" Grayle replied, smiling as if pleased by this. "Give them to the babies." The man grabbed both Wanda and Rory harshly by the upper arm, ready to drag them off like his boss instructed him to. Wanda glared at the man when she heard Rory let out a sound of pain from the rough grasp the goon had. Her arm hurt just as badly, but the fact that Rory was in pain just made her feel even worse about what was going to happen later. She did not want any pain for either him or Amy this day.

Rory was pushed down the stairs of the cellar. He fell down the steps in a jumble, groaning out loudly in pain once he reached the bottom. The man who had pushed him chuckled cruelly under his breath. Scoffing in anger, Wanda raised her foot up and stomped sharply on the man's foot. He let go of her immediately as an instinctive retreat, crying out from the pain. Wanda then promptly marched down the steps after Rory, kneeling down to check up on him. She glanced over when hearing something hit the ground beside her. It was a box of matches. Very few matches. The man up on the stairs sneered at her before turning and walking back up the stairs. Once the door up above was shut, both people in the cellar were thrown into darkness.

"What is that?" Rory asked the moment the squeaky laughter started up from the darkness.

"Angel babies. They look like cherubs," Wanda answered steadily as she began searching through one of her trouser pockets. "Or, they could just be cherub statues that were converted into Weeping Angels, and are just called babies. Not quite sure. Never bothered to ask an Angel if they even have children biologically, or if they merely convert smaller statues into their race. Don't think they would answer that one. Question like that gets into the more private, personal life." Finding what she was feeling for within her pockets, she quickly pulled out her torch and clicked it on. Rory jumped up from the ground and backed away in panic when seeing all the cherub statues reaching their hands out towards them. Wanda stood up slowly as she took in the sight, seeing the almost playful smiles on the little statues faces. "Either way, they are just children. Murderous children, but children all the same."

"What kind of kids murder people for fun?" Rory retorted sarcastically, fearful of what was about to happen to them both. Would they be sent even farther back in time? Would the Doctor be able to find them if they did?

"The Weeping Angels feast on people's lives. It's not exactly their fault that's how they live themselves. You can't blame a lion for being a lion." She narrowed her eyes as she glared at the statues. Children or not, they needed to learn when enough was enough. "But, sometimes, a lion oversteps its natural ways. And then people must take their own step to correct the lion's disregard, reminding the lion that he has his place in the world and there _must_ be balance. The Angels are doing that just now. They've gotten lazy, going for a loophole in the universe for an easy feast. The bloody cheating bastards."

"What are you talking about?"

"It's the reason why we're here, Rory. The Angels have created paradoxes, a huge mess of them, by repeatedly sending people back into this one particular time. Over and over again, never letting them escape. They've even turned an apartment complex downtown into a place of harvest." She backed up closer to Rory when the light on her torch began to flicker. "Time to get a move on. Here." She handed him the torch. "Hold onto this. Keep your eyes on them at all times. Blink one eye at a time if you have to. I'm going to get the door unlocked."

Pulling out her sonic, she made it light up and buzz briefly before marching upstairs. Rory walked up the steps backward, keeping his eyes trained on the little Angels. It was hard, however, as whatever power the Angels had were making the torch flicker even more. Each time the light wavered, the Angels grew closer to them up on top of the stairs.

"Wanda, you better hurry up. I don't think this torch is going to last," Rory pressed the Time Lady, pushing himself as close as he could get to her. Making certain that his way blocked the Angel's path towards her. Even if they were to be taken through time again, he hoped that he could do some good as to at least give Wanda a chance of escape.

"I'm trying. They're messing with my sonic, too," Wanda grumbled in frustration, banging on her screwdriver at it too wavered in light and power. Jamming it at the cellar door's lock, she gritted her teeth and focused her mind on the lock. Finally, the very satisfying click of a lock sounded off. "Yes!" Wanda jumped in cheer, turning to pull Rory out of the cellar with her. She froze in place when she saw her torch sitting on the step next to her, rocking back and forth while the light flickered weakly. The cherubs held out their hands towards her, grinning in glee as they ready themselves to get her next. Wanda glared at them in rage. "You all need a timeout!"

Snatching up her torch, she hurriedly backed up out of the cellar and slammed the door shut. She then speedily locked the door with her sonic, making certain to keep all the Angels inside. A clock ticked away somewhere in the hall as she stood stalk still by the door. She held onto the handle tightly, unmoving as she stared at the graining of the wooden door. A small sigh escaped her lips, letting her forehead lean against the door while closing her eyes. If anyone were to come across her at that moment, they would have assumed she was merely tired, unable to see the true weigh of time rest on her shoulders, making her feel so worn in her life. The weary nature of her life was finally starting to catch up with her. Just as the Doctor's timeline was. Now, after everything she has been through during her time with her precious Doctor . . . she wondered if she had finally and completely lost that innocence of her First self that still remained stubborn within her.

"Oh, Rory, Amelia. If only time can change. Just this once, can't it change?" Wanda breathed. Sucking in a wavering breath, she steeled herself, straightening up from the door and storming off from it. She knew by now the Doctor and Amy must have arrived in New York with the help of River. The TARDIS's one trip ticket into old New York used up.

"WHERE IS SHE?!"

Wanda jolted in her step when hearing the bellowing shout coming from her Theta from the front of the mansion. There was banging and yelling going on in a frenzy from what she could hear. It almost sounded like someone was creating a storm of chaos through the place. She quickened in her footsteps, trying to reach and calm her Doctor as fast as she could. Reaching the main entrance to the manor, she met with the chaos that she had heard from the back.

Papers scattered everywhere in the room. The TARDIS was parked by the stairs in a haste, not even aligned right as the Doctor usual did. Men of Grayle's lied around the floor, out cold with injuries on their hands and heads. Nothing too serious, but . . . it still appeared as though someone had given them a good thrashing. Wanda jumped, letting out a startled yelp when a door suddenly burst outwards with someone flying through the doorway and onto the floor on their backs. The Oncoming Storm, boiling in his fury, stomped right over to the goon he had thrown through the doors. The man on the floor stared back fearfully as the Doctor crouched over the human, snarling in his face.

"You have until the count of three to tell me where my wife is," the Doctor growled in a low, dark voice. "One . . . Two . . . Thre—."

"Doctor! Stop! I'm right here!" Wanda yelled, rushing over to him in fear that he might do something to the man that he would regret later. The Doctor glanced up from where he crouched, standing up so fast and reaching for Wanda before she knew what he was doing. He crushed her against him, keeping her locked to him as though fearful she might be torn away again.

"I'm sorry I let you out of my sight. Never again. I promise," he breathed strongly into her ear.

"Well, that'll be impossible. I can hardly keep track of myself at times," she joked weakly, patting his back in hope to calm whatever storm he had been raging through. She glanced over to see the man who had been lying on the floor now stood up and was running out of the mansion. The poor bugger must have had one hell of a scare from the Oncoming Storm.

"Doctor, I can't find Rory or Wanda anywhere!"

Amy came running down the stairs from above, appearing panicked in trying to find the two missing people that she and the Doctor had been in search for. Then, when the ginger woman spotted Wanda in the Time Lord's arms below, Amy practically leaped down the rest of the stairs to pull the blonde into a death grip.

"Why does everyone insist on choking me today?" Wanda joked humourously, smiling as she patted Amy's back in comfort. The Time Lady's hands tightened around Amy as painful thoughts went through Wanda's mind. It suddenly dawned on her . . . that this would be the last time that she and Amy might ever hug. For the companion, that is. Wanda's eyes began to well up, and she quickly buried her head into Amy's hair to hide her sadness. Amy tried pulling away, sensing something was wrong, but Wanda held her even tighter.

"I didn't say I wanted you to stop hugging," Wanda joked again, adding a weak giggle into the mix as to not alert Amy to her remorse for what was to come.

"Is everything okay, though? Where's Rory?" Amy asked the Time Lady, patting her back soothingly.

"I'm sorry, Amy. I tried getting us out of the cellar as quick as I could. But the baby Angels got him just before we escaped," Wanda explained, backing up to meet Amy's gaze. She hoped that her deep miserable expression might have been merely passed off of her being guilty for letting Rory get caught and not in suspicion of what was to come. Wanda then smiled as though to reassure Amy. "But don't worry! I know where he is. He was taken to the Winter Quay apartments. They're not that far from here."

"She's right. He's been moved in space, not in time," came the voice of River. The three in the grand hall turned to see River walking out of Grayle's study. She held a scanner up to her with one hand, while her other hand stayed limp at her side. The Doctor raised a brow in surprise at the sight of the woman.

"You got out," he stated in disbelief. Though, also in a little bit of joy.

He could not help but smile at the possibility of seeing River, wrist free from any breaks from the Angel's hold. They had been in an argument a few moments before he had lost control of his temper upon the arrival of Grayle's goons and their jeers of having thrown Wanda away somewhere. He insisted that they try to get River's wrist out somehow without breaking it from the Angel's hand. That was . . . until he saw the ending chapter to the book. A title that bore into his mind, reminding him over and over again just how powerless he was when it came to changing the fate of his loved ones. Fixed points in time. That phrase that haunted him since the time when the Earth had been stolen. Was there anything in his power to stop this? Any of this? Could he save Amelia, one of his very best friends? Could he . . . could he also, in the end, gain the ability to save . . .

His mind refused to think of the last one which he must save. It hurt his hearts far too much to even ponder over the ending story in his life. But with River saving her wrist, maybe, just maybe, things could finally change to turn out brighter for him. For them all.

Then, his hopes were crushed when Wanda suddenly stepped around him and rushed over to her sister in concern. The Time Lady, as gently as possible, lifted River's injured hand and wrist, showing them all the swollen appendage with deep red, bruised skin. River winced in pain as Wanda held it. Even though the Time Lady was being as loving and tender as possible in holding the injury, it still hurt River greatly.

"Oh, Mels, I'm so sorry you had to do that," Wanda whispered sadly. "It doesn't hurt too badly, does it? Is there anything I can do? Maybe there's something in the TARDIS . . ."

"I'm all right, sweetie," River assured the blonde. "I've been through worse injuries."

"Are you sure?" Wanda asked, still worried for the broken wrist. River had to go through such pain. To break one's own wrist like that was just torturous.

"Positive," River replied, smiling warmly and leaning forward to give Wanda a convincing kiss on the forehead. Wanda smiled weakly in response, still troubled by her sister having to go through such pain. Lifting River's hand, she gave the broken wrist a light kiss in return. Wanda then held the hand in both of her own, looking as though she were concentrating hard. She even gritted her teeth. River raised a brow. "Sweetie, what are you doing?"

"Trying to start up my regeneration energy. I want to heal you. But," Wanda sighed, removing one of her hands from River's to see the still horrible wound, "I can't access my energy. I'm so useless."

"Don't. You're not useless. And don't try wasting your energy on something like this," River countered, shaking her head firmly. The Doctor walked up to them both, staring guiltily at River's injury. He took the woman's hand out of Wanda's, examining it.

"I'm sorry. It must hurt," the Doctor said quietly.

"Pain just lets us know that we're alive," River shrugged, trying to bypass her inability to change time. She wanted to give the Doctor some hope that things could be different. But they both knew that some things just simply could not be altered. They both looked at each other for a moment, glancing together at Wanda, who still stared worriedly at River's wrist.

"Don't remind me," the Doctor muttered, an underlining tone of deep anger was heard in his voice as he covered River's hand with both of his. With his hands suddenly glowing with golden energy, River tried pulling away, staring at him in shock. She tried protesting what he was doing, but even Wanda held onto River's arm in determination for her to be healed. In a quick second later, the Doctor's hands stopped glowing and he patted River's now healed one. Smiling at her kindly, he said, "There you go."

"All better," Wanda added, giving River's hand another kiss. The woman frowned heavily, cross with them both. She opened her mouth to throw out a scolding when Wanda shushed her. "Yes, I agree completely with you. That was a waste of regeneration energy. But you know how the Doctor and I can't stand to see our family in pain. And we also can't have you running around with a broken wrist with the mess we'll be facing. Now, come on, we have to get going if we're going to save Rory. The old Roman has to have gotten himself backed into a corner by now knowing his luck."

XxXxXxXx

They ended up 'borrowing' a car from Grayle, driving in high speeds down the deserted roads of 1938 New York. Tension was high for everyone as all felt dread in what was to come. Amy, still unaware of what the final chapter read in the book, did not notice all the glances everyone else was sending her. Soon as they arrived to the apartments where Rory had been taken to, Amy jumped right out of the car and ran towards the building. The Doctor was not far behind her, with River and Wanda bringing up the rear. Once inside the building, they took the lift to the floor which River's scanner detected Rory. Amy pushed her way out of the lift as soon as they reached the floor. Not even letting the lift's doors to slide fulling open before she was out. The ginger woman then bolted through the open door that she found, letting out a happy cry when she finally found Rory.

The three outside the doorframe watched as Amy held Rory in a death hug, overwhelming in her joy in finding her lost husband. River and the Doctor began muttering to each other when seeing the name beside the apartment. Rory's name. Then, the Angel that was down the hall, smiling at them all. Slowly, Rory and Wanda's eyes met. He spoke of deep forlorn while Wanda's only held misery. He nodded to her, as though telling her that everything would be all right. She shook her head in return as if to say they would not be. Wanda gasped when she was yanked into the room with the Doctor and River. They slammed the door behind them, trying to grab for Rory and Amy to get them out of the room before the Angels came after them. But all halted when a wheezing voice called to them. Or rather, to someone in particular.

"Amy," they heard through the darkness. Amy let go of her Rory, gazing curiously into the room up ahead of them.

"Who's that?" she wondered aloud as she made out a very old man lying in the bed. Little light from the window beside the man fell over his features, allowing her to see just how weary the elder man was. However, it was strange to her in just how teary-eyed the man was. With an expression that crossed his face that could only be described as complete and utter elation as he stared back at her. The man lifted his hand towards her in desperation.

"Amy. Amy, please . . . ," he repeated weakly, pleading for her. Amy hesitated for a second before slowly walking over to the wheezing, coughing man. She took his shaking, outreached hand, kneeling down next to the bed. Confusion was written all over her face as she gazed upon the seemingly dying man. Then, the realization hit her as a few features on the man's face became recognizable.

"Rory?" she asked in uncertainty. The dying man did not answer, appearing unable to say much through his struggled for breaths. Amy stared back at the others behind her. More directly gazing at the younger Rory. Her husband held her gaze with his own heartbroken one. "He's you." Amy said this, wishing Rory would help either confirm it, or (hopefully) deny the man's existence. But Rory only answered her by looking away solemnly.

"Amy," Older Rory breathed one last time before life slowly left him. Amy slowly removed her hands away from her dead husband's, shaken by what she had witnessed.

"What—what just happened?" Amy questioned, standing up from where she kneeled and faced the rest. "Why is there another Rory here? Why is he older, and . . ." She could not bring herself to speak anymore.

"I'm sorry," responded the Doctor while all others remained silent in remorse. "Rory just died." Amy did not respond for a moment, simply staring at the mournful Time Lord in incredulity.

"What?" Amy stomped forward, going over by her still silent husband. "He's not dead. Rory's right _here_." She waved a hand towards her current husband.

The Doctor shook his head. "This place is policed by Angels. Every time you try to escape, you get zapped back in time."

Amy frowned, confused by this for she had never heard of Angels doing something like this before. From what she has always experienced, the Weeping Angels always seemed more like creatures of shadows and the night roaming from place to place. But doing something like this? "So, this place belongs to the Angels? They built it?"

The Doctor seemed to ponder over this for a moment, thinking carefully over the Angels' actions. "Displacing someone back in time creates time energy. And that is what the Angels feed on. But normally, it's a one-off, a hit-and-run. If they could keep hold of their victims, feed off their time energy over and over again . . ." He went quiet upon the implications of what kind of hell people within the building were going through. What kind of hell the Angels had created. A chill went down all of their spines. "This place is a farm. A battery farm."

"And every statue in the city have been converted into an Angel," Wanda spoke up. Rory and Amy both jumped slightly when realizing that the Time Lady had moved right in between them. Both of their hands were held tightly in the blonde's shaking grasp. She refused to meet either of their eyes, but . . .

The Doctor glanced at Wanda, taking in her expression, the trembling hands, the way she grasped so tightly at the companions' own, how desperate she appeared to hold onto Amy and Rory. All the signs of . . . of a companion ready to depart from their lives within the TARDIS. The Doctor winced, turning away from the sight. He could not think on it. It could not be true. Amy and Rory . . . they would always be with them in the TARDIS. Always. He would make certain of it. He had already lost so much in his life . . . both past and recent . . . he could not let anyone else slip through his fingers.

They all rocked on their feet when the building gave a slight shake. Something enormous was heard stomping slowly towards the apartments, getting closer by the second.

"What is that?" Amy asked, fearful of what was coming.

"I don't know," the Doctor said, staring briefly out the window in the room to see if he could spot where the noise was coming from. The noise had paused for a moment, seeming to halt. Turning, the Doctor stared at Rory, noticing briefly in interest in just how quiet and calm the man has been all this time. Why was the nurse not appearing alarmed by the events that had and would happen to him? "I think they're coming for you." He received no reply from Rory, so the Doctor pressed on more urgently. "The Angels are coming to zap you back in time to this very spot, 30, 40 years ago. And you will live out the rest of your life in that room until you die in that bed."

Rory swallowed thickly, not at all seeming shocked by this news. But, then, his eyes steeled as he gazed around the apartment, staring at the Doctor once more and asking, "And will Amy be there?"

The Doctor stared evenly at the man, and replied, "No."

"How do you know?" Amy questioned the Time Lord, skeptical of this response, refusing to believe it.

"Because he was so pleased to see you again," responded the Doctor, remorseful in his answer. Rory furrowed his brows, confused by what the Doctor said. He glanced at Wanda, who still held tightly onto his hand, wondering for a moment if she had lied to him earlier in a way to keep him calm and hopeful. But that was not right . . . Wanda would never lie, would she? No, not to her family. She would never lie to them. Then, what had she meant earlier? Was this not what was supposed to happen? Unless . . .

"Well, they haven't taken me yet. What if I just run? What if I just get the hell out of here? Then that never happens," Rory said, growing determined to keep fighting until the end. Even if Wanda said otherwise, he knew that he must at least try to change this. He would fight with everything to be with Amy, the love of his life.

"It's already happened, Rory," argued the Doctor. "You've just witnessed your own future."

"Doctor, he's right," disputed River, realizing their potential in saving her father.

"No, he isn't," countered the Doctor.

"If Rory got out, it would create a paradox," River challenged. Upon the mentioning of paradox, Rory looked at the still silent Wanda, beginning to realize where things might be going. Then again, he was still uncertain about how he and Amy were supposed to end up together in the end. They all tensed when they heard the loud crashing noise from outside once more.

"This is the Angels' food source. The paradox poisons the well. It could kill them all," River stated quickly. "Oh, this whole place would literally un-happen."

"It would be almost impossible," the Doctor grounded out, firm in his belief that there could be no changing this. There could be horrible consequences if anyone tried changing time in such as way. He knew that from experience.

"No such thing as impossible, Doctor," spoke up Wanda, making him suddenly realize just how quiet she had been in the past minutes. He looked at her, seeing how calm she tried keeping her face. But the storm of emotions brewed away within her emerald irises. No exact emotion which he could pinpoint on what she was feeling, but he knew that something must be troubling her deeply. Again, he glanced at the hands which she held onto tightly.

"But to create a paradox like that takes—," he tried to counter.

"—something with unimaginable power. Yes, I know what it'll take, Spaceman," Wanda spoke over him. Her eyes growing so sorrowful as she stared back at him. "I've always known." She sucked in her breath as the thunderous footsteps drew ever closer. Quickly, she let go of Amy and Rory's hands, making them each hold onto each other instead. "Amy, don't let Rory go for anything. You do the same, Rory. It's the only way we're gonna beat them today. Now, you two need to run like hell."

Pulling Rory—who dragged Amy—by the hand to the door, Wanda opened it to see an Angel standing just on the other side, with hands clawed up and teeth bared in rage. Wanda swiftly pushed both companions out of the room and past the Angel.

"Run, Ponds!" she shouted at them as they ran from the Angels. Wanda backed into the room once more when the lights in the hall began to flicker. Another Angel appeared, at the ready to strike the last three who remained in the room.

"Wanda, I'm not sure this can work," the Doctor said quickly as he jumped forward, whipping out his sonic screwdriver. He, Wanda, and River all stood side-by-side, ready to face the incoming Angels.

"Shut up, idiot, and have some faith in our companions," Wanda replied, grabbing onto her husband's hand while she too held out her sonic. They all backed up as the Angels advanced when the lights flickered once more. Sucking in a breath, Wanda took her eyes off the Angels for a moment, looking at both the Doctor and River beside her. "I just wanna let you two know that I love you dearly. Okay?" She felt a hand squeeze from the Doctor.

"We love you, too," both he and River said together. With that said, they got ready to run.

XxXxXxXx

The first thing Wanda heard next was the light chirping of birds. Sunlight hit her closed eyelids at an angle in a warm glow, making her feel as though whatever time she reappeared in was perhaps towards the beginning of the evening. The feeling of cool grass was felt all around her. Lightly her fingers threaded through the green blades, enjoying the comfort it gave her. Slowly, she allowed her eyes to open. She blinked, staring up towards the blue sky overhead with what appeared to be a gravestone right at her head. Suddenly, Rory's face appeared around the gravestone, smiling down at her.

"Never thought I find you _twice_ in a graveyard," he joked lightly with a sarcastic tone. He then looked over his shoulder. "She's over here!" Wanda sat up as she heard rushing footsteps coming over. Next appeared Amy, River, and the beaming Doctor. The Time Lord immediately went to the blonde, picking her up from the ground and dusting her off before giving her a right big smacking kiss and hug.

"Haha! They did it! Can you believe it! They changed time!" the Doctor exclaimed in merriment. He stepped back, throwing out his arms. "The Ponds changed history! Oh, just think of the possibilities. If we can use more paradoxes like this, then maybe, just maybe, we might be able to save—."

"Doctor, shut up," River suddenly barked, in a warning of sorts as she gave the Time Lord a stern gaze. "You're going to chatter our ears off at this rate." River then plastered on a smile as she stepped forward and gave Wanda a hug as well before allowing Amy to do the same next.

"All right there, Wanda?" Amy asked, beaming away at the short blonde.

"Yeah . . . Never better," Wanda replied, trying to give Amy the best smile she could manage, though still felt as if it were a weak one. Still, none noticed the less than enthusiastic demeanour of the Time Lady as they all turned to walk back to the TARDIS, which was parked towards the front of the graveyard. Wanda trailed just behind them, not really joining in the cheer. She even heard the Doctor excitedly talking about going to a pub for a family outing. Something which Wanda would have been so happy to do under any other circumstances. But now . . .

She closed her eyes briefly, trying to keep herself calm. But she could not feel calm. Not now. Not now when it was just seconds away. Moments away from . . . from Amy and Rory's departure from their lives . . . forever. Oh, why could she not have been more useful for them on this day? She had just sat back for it all and done nothing. She knew she could not have changed time. That much was certain. But she could have at least been more cheerful for them all. She could have made their last moments special . . . right? Though, really, nothing truly special could come out of any of this.

"I guess not everything you see is always right."

Wanda blinked out of her stupor, seeing Rory walking right beside her now. He had let the others walk ahead, falling behind to trail next to the Time Lady. He held his hands in his pockets, observing Wanda closely.

"I mean . . . we changed time, didn't we? Fixed everything. Erased that timeline," he mentioned, looking away to stare ahead towards the TARDIS. "Were you just worried, or talking about me and Amy, kind of, uh, jumping off that building there. 'Cause I'll admit, that did feel like _the end_ there. And after today, I think Amy and I have some overdo discussions to go over about trips in the TARDIS."

"Well, I will admit, seeing you and Amy jump did give me a heart attack," Wanda joked, punching Rory lightly in the arm. He chuckled, hiding his wince as he rubbed at his arm. Wanda let out a warm, sad smile. "I'll agree with you, though . . . maybe . . . less trips in the TARDIS. Especially ones involving Angels, or statues of any sorts." They both chuckled lightly, really trying to get past their strong sense of dread and foreboding. Her hand shook and she reached over and grabbed Rory's hand. He stopped in the middle of his walk, blinking when seeing her simply standing there, keeping her eyes locked on the TARDIS ahead, refusing to gaze upon any gravestone near them as her eyes became misty.

"Rory Williams . . . I want you to know . . . you were, are, and always will be, one of the very best," Wanda whispered, her voice barely carrying over the breeze of the day and noise of the city around them. She then smiled a genuine smile of content for him. "You're going to make one hell of a doctor you know." She gave his cheek a quick kiss, patting the spot before walking away from the confused companion.

She tried not looking back. She really did. She tried focusing on keeping herself from giving into her urges to stopping what was going to happen. She knew it must happen. It _had_ to happen. It was the only way to give Amy and Rory the best life. But, in the end, her weakness came out. She turned around, seeing the brief confused look on Rory's face as he stared at one particular gravestone that stood out from the rest. _His_ gravestone. Wanda swallowed heavily, her eyes widened, and her hearts raced.

No. She could not do it. She . . . she could not just stand there. What was she thinking?! How could she just sit back and let this happen?! She had to stop this! Now!

"RORY, DON'T LOOK AT IT!" she screamed in panic, rushing forward back towards him. He looked up at her in a start, frozen to the spot as she came at him. Then, in the most unwanted moments, Wanda felt the warmth beginning to spread through her. The early warnings that she was getting ready to depart. She tried getting to him faster, but, as it always was and will be, the universe had its own plans.

At the same time of Wanda slamming into Rory, each of them went their own separate ways. Rory, by the touch of an Angel, and Wanda, taken away by the white light. Neither one realized what had happened until it was too late.

XxXxXxXx

Welp, the ending is coming up fast by this point. It's all downhill from here. Or is it? Won't know until we get there I suppose. What did everyone think of this chapter? The goodbye of Amy and Rory. I cry every time. :( I hope it was good! Leave a review to let me know what you thought. Especially if it was bad, for that way I can make certain the next chapter is even better.

Reviewers:

 **NerdWithAPencil** : Nine is nice most of the time. We just happen to see his more temperamental moments. But later Nine is most definitely less likely to have a temper. Things do seem to be heading in a stormy direction. Let's just hope things turn out for the best. Thank you so much for all your support. :) Until next time!

 **bored411** : No, nothing good I think. And nothing good from this chapter, either. Cliffhangers. Gotta love them. ;) I feel you on procrastination. Truthfully I use writing to procrastinate doing homework. haha. Hope to see you next time!

 **swimmjacket** : I love baby cute moments between couples, too. :) Well, the Doctor knows she never did that in the past, so it's mostly not a worry for them. Not unless time changes on them . . . Anyway, love them all, too. I think Kate and Wanda don't ever get much time to really meet. Which is unfortunate cause I think they would be friends as well. Aww, thank you. You're much more amazing than I am. ;) Overprotective Doctor is always fun. We'll just have to wait and see about Martha and Clara finding out I suppose. Not really that the Doctor 'knew' that she was going to have Ember next time. It was more of he's just super excited for the arrival of their daughter and can't wait for it to happen. Hope you enjoyed the newest chapter. Even if it was sad with Amy and Rory leaving. Until next time!

 **SakuraRcoa** : I think they will be. I also think everyone will be okay in the end. Though no promises. Hope to see you again soon!

 **Authora97** : I'm excited, too! I just can't wait for the next chapters to come now. :D Take care until the next update!

 **TheGirlWhoWept** : I love pregnant Wanda moments, too. They really are the best. :) So cute! So glad you enjoyed the fluff chapter. I think they were futuristic fireworks, but as we know the Doctor something went wrong. haha. Can't wait to see what you think of this chapter. :)

 **All The Stories Are True 24601** : Glad you like the idea of it so far. :) I've seen a few episodes, but I'm going to have to sit down and actually watch the rest so I know what to work with for the new story coming up. Which, after this part three is finally completed, I might be taking a break from the site for a while just so I can get the next story together and ready for the site. Hopefully it won't take me too long to work it out. I know the main reason for it to take so long is me worrying about post it. haha. There's a lot of things that will make sense through a re-read after this trilogy is all done. Maybe even after part four is done, too. ;) I love them, too! But sadly, we'll have to wait sometime before we see them again. Until next time! Can't wait to see you in the future. :)

 **Momochan77** : Well . . . it's a thing that happens to pregnant women. Won't say more than that. Don't want to gross anyone out or make you uncomfortable talking about it. But yes, Wanda 'needing' the Doctor is funny. I hope so, too! That would just be horrible for them. :( So glad you enjoyed the ending! They are just so cute. haha. See you next time!

 **X-Lisa-Anne-X** : I'm so happy that you're happpy! :) As always thank you for the lovely review. Can't wait to see what you think of the new chapter!

 **AGBreads** : Aww thank you! It's not one of my favorites either. But it was a perfect moment for baby times. Haha. So glad you enjoyed it!

 **grapejuice101** : Yay! So glad you liked them! I can't wait, too!

 **Jerry Skeleton** : haha I'm so happy you're excited with everything! Yeah Rose's love for Wanda was something I wanted to be so subtle through the first two parts that I hoped no one saw coming until that chapter. But now anyone after reading that can look back and be like "I should have seen it coming!" Lol ;) That was my intentions anyway. Great theories! I love them! Sadly, can't give away any spoilers by telling you if all of that is true or not. Sorry. Aleena is . . . something. Won't say more than that. ;) You got it mostly spelled right! Just no "I" in it. I'm just so overjoyed that you're loving the story so much! Yep, the Doctor knows. He's known for quite a while. That's why sometimes when he and Rose got into arguments it was sometimes over who would get Wanda's attention. Lol ;) If you actually look back at Rose's departure chapter, there was that subtle hint that the Doctor was trying to help her tell Wanda the truth. But unfortunately Rose decided never to tell her. :( Aww, I love you, too! You're much more awesome than little old me. ;) And you're always welcome to rant away. I love seeing everything you and all readers have to say. :) Can't wait to see what you think of the rest to come! Until next time! Take care!

 **Amber0522** : Well, since this is the last part of the trilogy, I'm leaving it up for a surprise when the end will actually come. But I will say that the end will finally be here when we reach the Day of the Doctor adventure. So when we get to that adventure, then you know the end has come. As for when the Day of Sorrow is . . . Let's just say spoilers for now. Sorry I really couldn't answer your questions. I hope it will still be a good read either way. :)

 **Ruby Slippers** : Thank you! Hope this chapter was just as good. ;)

 **alwaystherereading** : Something I think Wanda always secretly wanted. To go domestic. Lol ;) Nah, thank you! But it was a very cute moment, wasn't it? I just love moments like that. :) Umm I don't think it would work out exactly that way as most likely Wanda would be in the 'eye of the storm' so both her and the baby would be fine. I mean, if she does end up there. Who knows by this point. From the research I've done, Time Lords have the same kind of pregnancy as humans do. It's just that the baby develops much quicker than human babies do. Hope that helps and to see you in the next time! :)

 **DRESDENFANatic** : Oh, well . . . I'm certain everything will turn out all right. I'm a big softie, too, so I feel you there. :( But after this chapter . . . Let's just keep our fingers crossed until we reached the end of that dreaded Year That Never Was. Hope this helps! Sorry I couldn't give away any spoilers. But I'll tell you what, if you want spoilers, just PM me and I'll let you know anything you wish. :) Really hope to see you again in the future! Take care!


	47. Ch 47: The Final Chapter

Ready for the new day, readers?! :)

I'm excited! But also terrified. Hope you all like the new chapter!

XxXxXxXx

Chapter 47: The Final Chapter

White light flashed briefly down a dirty metal and rock hallway. Wanda blinked, allowing her eyes to adjust to her new dark surroundings. There was steam coming up from metal gates here and there, along the walls and floor. Boxes lined the area, appearing as though holding supplies that would last through a long journey. Pictures and papers scatted the walls, posted up as seeming a simple way to make the place look a little cheerier than what state it was in currently. Ears perking up, she could hear people in the distance to her right chattering away in hushed tones. Where was she? She tried sniffing the air, but . . . her brain would not jump to the time period as it normally would. Something felt wrong. Something felt really, really wrong.

Sniffling, trying to get rid of her tears, she rubbed furiously at her face. Why . . . why could she have not saved them? Why? Poor Rory. Poor Amelia. Poor River for losing her parents. Oh, god, she and the Doctor had lost the biggest piece in their family. Amy . . . Rory . . . the best family they could have ever wished for. And now . . . neither Time Lord could ever see them again. Wanda let out a weeping sob, her tearful cry sounding shaking as she wrapped her arms around herself the best she could. She had been so close. So close to saving Rory. She had been just there, and . . . he had slipped through her fingers. Just like that. In knowing that Rory was gone, even though Wanda had not been around to see Amy go, she knew the ginger woman would not be too far away from joining her husband. Amy and Rory could never be apart. Not ever.

Rubbing her face again, she gave her cheeks a few slaps. Trying to snap herself out of her funk as she knew she must pay attention again to where she was. It especially made it more urgent as a strange alert kept going through her mind. All the barriers were on edge about something or another. Especially the certain one that always acted up. Was it because of her stress from earlier, or . . . No, something definitely felt wrong about this place. Something dreadfully wrong. A hand out of habit went to her stomach, tightening on her clothes in an anxious manner. Lifting another hand, she made certain that she was wearing her wedding necklace. Making certain that no one would be able to see her true form at this moment. It would be dreadful to have someone see her with her large belly in a place like this. Especially if that someone meant harm to others.

Quick footsteps coming towards her made her stiffen on the spot, fearing that someone was coming to attack. All she saw through the dark and steamy hall was an older man, with pure white hair, appearing to be pulling along someone else in excitement and glee by their hand. The moment she saw this elder man's face . . . the moment she got a clear view of him . . . her hearts froze. She stood, like a deer in headlights, staring wide-eyed in horror at the man. Her mind ceased to function. Her body felt ready to collapse, to faint from the shock of seeing him. The fight or flight response kicked up in her, screaming for her to flee. Flee for her life, run with all her strength and power, leaving this forsaken man far, far behind forever.

No . . . No, it could not be _him_. It just could not. Not him! Anything but him! Oh, god, no!

But it was. It was Professor Yana. Yana, who was really . . .

Her body began to tremble as she took a step back as the man drew ever closer. Immediately, she stepped out of his way, wanting to stay clear of him. In her fear, she felt desperate in search for any welcoming, loving face. Someone who she could cling to and find comfort in. So, swiftly her eyes caught sight of a familiar, very welcomed, very much loved face. It was Ten. Her Doctor. And he caught sight of her just as soon as she did. He beamed widely, completely unaware of the danger he was in by holding the hand of the elderly man's. He simply let Yana drag him through the hall while smiling away at ease. Oh, how it broke Wanda's hearts in knowing his smile would not last.

The Doctor, as he rushed by while still being dragged along by Yana, reach out and snatched up Wanda's hand. Beginning to drag her along with him to join the quick jog through the hall. She felt how gentle and loving the Doctor squeezed her hand. She could not help but smile warmly while she kept up in the fast pace with him. She knew why he was acting in such a way around her. It was because of this current Doctor was still recent from their first time bonding. In this moment, their true relationship was still new (and still, always will be, growing) to him. So, just as she had been during the early moments after their bonding, he was still rather giddy about it all. Not that Wanda herself did not feel giddy as well. She would always feel that way when it came to being with the Doctor.

They went deeper and deeper underground. At least, from what Wanda could tell, that was what they were doing. The walls became more stone than metal as they went. Her mind taking note, she realized that they were inside a sort of refugee camp for the last humans in existence. The very last life forms in the whole universe. For this was the year hundred trillion. The last year for the inhabits and the whole universe. The final chapter for them all. Wanda felt such deep sadness in knowing how once such a vast, endless, magnificent universe was now empty, cold, and dying. There was nothing left. From such endless life, came the ending death.

But, in the end, she knew that even though it was saddening, it was also peaceful. It was the purest circle coming to an end. The universe coming to a final close, it's final chapter. And yet, one day, just as life always does, things would find a way to live again. The universe was an infinite loop. It would repeat the process of experiencing rebirth once more. It would be a brand-new universe. A new start to everything. There would be brand new creatures, planets, homes, worlds, of which the like she doubted she could ever imagine. It was always possible that there would even be a new form of humans or Time Lords born into the new universe. Yes, things would find their way into life. And in having this strong and hopeful thought in mind, Wanda felt her spirits lift.

Things may be hard, even cruel in life, but if life could find a way to surpass the hardships, then so could she.

"Chan, welcome, tho," greeted a woman once they had reached their destination. Or, well, not a human woman, to say. She appeared to be a humanoid bug of some kind. Her skin was a deep bluish-green, face had what looked like antennas, and had a hard shell for what would have been hair for a human. Her eyes were very kind when she gazed at them, making Wanda smile gently at Chantho. Though there was no real time for greetings, as the Time Lady was yanked around by the Doctor while Yana from before steered the Time Lord about. The man began pointing out all the different works around what was clearly a high-tech laboratory of some kind. Or it could also be low tech for this era, but because the Doctor and Wanda had never seen anything like most of what Yana had in his lab, they knew no difference. Though, there were a few things of which Wanda assumed was indeed similar in design to what she did know of.

Eventually, Wanda pulled away from the Doctor as he got out his 'I'm being clever glasses' and began observing Yana's lab while listening to the man intently, trying to figure out on what kind of aid Yana was searching for.

"What, you're not going to say 'hi'?" Martha teased Wanda as the Time Lady came up beside her and the rest. All of them standing in a corner of the lab while they let Yana and the Doctor continue on in what they were doing. Wanda shook off her worried nature from earlier, plastering on a strained smile as she gazed at the companion.

"Hey, Martha, my dear! How's my favourite doctor doing?" Wanda replied back as merrily as she could, even giving Martha a hug, trying not to let any see her worried demeanour, nor wishing to be a drag on anyone this day. She had to keep up her happiness. She could not fall victim to her fears. Her fears of the most dreaded day of her life. This day, the one of which she had so many nightmares over . . . nightmares of _him_ and what his plans might be for them all . . . Again, she reminded herself of the universe's future rebirth. It was the one thing that kept herself from drowning in her qualms.

"Again, I'll try not be an offended by that," the Doctor responded when hearing this, briefly looking over at Wanda, pretending to be hurt by this comment. Though he failed in his act as he still had a large smile on his face.

"And you're not going to forget to say 'hi' to your one and only Smexy, are you?" Jack said as he walked up closer as well, giving Wanda a cheeky grin. The Doctor suddenly shot the man a sharp gaze, scowling at Jack.

"Stop it," the Doctor seemed to scold strictly.

"Can't I say hello to anyone?" Jack retorted in a scoff.

"Jealous as ever, Spaceman," Wanda teased her love, smirking at the disgruntled pout the Time Lord sent her. Turning to Jack, Wanda smiled as she gave him a hug. "Good to see you again, Jack. It's been too long."

"Far too long," Jack agreed as he returned the hug. Glancing up, Jack saw how the Doctor glowered for a moment longer before turning back to the elderly man from before that wished to get the Time Lord to help him with his lab. Leaning down closer to Wanda's ear, making certain none other can hear, Jack whispered, "Do you have the ring?"

"Yes," Wanda replied back, keeping her voice hushed, barely above a breath. They pulled back from their hug, beaming away. She then discreetly held up eight fingers, bouncing on her feet in excitement to indicate to Jack how far along she was.

"Really?" he laughed in response, giving her another hug. As he hugged her, his hold around her tightened. A brief solemn expression crossed over his features so quickly that none noticed. Once he and Wanda pulled away from their friendly embrace, he had a smile back on his face.

Wanda stared at both Jack and Martha. Really taking in their faces, their smiles. She knew, that after today, this would be the last time in a very long time of both of them smiling. Of them both being companions to the Doctor and Wanda. Though Jack would still be around for her and the Doctor in the future as they did visit him on holidays and such. A way to keep him company in his long, weary life. He was family, after all. As for Martha, yes, there were a few times the Doctor and Wanda visited the old companion as well. Just to check up on how she was doing. The same as they did for Sarah Jane and Donna. But still . . . this would be Martha's very last adventure with the time travelling family. They would never get to spend time together in the TARDIS, or laugh at all the bizarre shops the Doctor took them to, or . . .

Walking forward in a rush, Wanda pulled both Martha and Jack back in for another hug. Holding each of them tightly as a few tears began to fall down her face. This had been a day of dread, such a day she never, ever wanted to face. Even worse than all the other days of which she has gone through. Knowing what . . . _who_ , was to come . . . She shivered as she held the two companions tightly. Having just been through a loss only minutes ago, Wanda felt her emotions wildly fighting inside of her in knowing she and the Doctor were about to lose two more. More tears escaped, streaming down her face. She glanced over in the far corner, seeing how Chantho watching her out of curiosity.

"Wanda?" Martha asked, uncertain by the Time Lady's behavior. The companion hoped that everything was all right. She never received hugs this tight from the Time Lady before. At least, not a hug that spoke of such desperate attempts to keep hold.

"Tink, is everything okay?" Jack questioned Wanda quietly, gently patting the short blonde on the back. The Time Lady was immediately pulled away from the two as the Doctor grabbed Wanda by the shoulders, turning her around to face him as he stared carefully at her. Immediately worried and concerned for her.

"Wanda, what's wrong?" he asked, lifting her chin when she tried avoiding his eyes. Soon, her lip quivered, unable to keep herself from breaking down upon seeing his loving brown eyes.

"Doctor, I'm so sorry. I wasn't able to save them," she cried. She surprised the Doctor in just how fast she hugged him, burying her face right into his chest. He patted her awkwardly at first, unsure of why she was so upset, or how to even calm her and make her feel better. Then, he wrapped his arms around her in a warm hold.

 _Who_ _couldn't you save, Wanderer?_ he decided to ask in her mind, knowing this might be a conversation best left private as he noticed everyone giving them curious stares. He felt Wanda shaking her head against his front, telling him that she could not say who. _What couldn't you save them from_?

 _The Angels. I couldn't save them from the Angels._ Wanda sobbed so brokenly in his mind.

He tightened his hold on her, wishing he could ease her sorrows. He stiffened as something suddenly pulled at his mind. There it was again. Something odd he sensed about the Time Lady. That had happened a few times in the past, such as when he first felt it back during the London Blitz, but . . . what was it? Then, his mind seemed to drift away from this thought. Not really on his own accord, either. Instead, his mind simply focused on making his Wanderer happy once more.

"You can't save everyone, Wanderer," the Doctor spoke softly as he pulled away from their embrace, thumbing the side of her face tenderly. "And . . . whatever happened, don't blame yourself. I know that, whoever you're talking about, would not blame you, either."

Wanda shook her head quickly, staring at the Doctor in urgency. "It's not just that, Doctor. You really should have left. You really, really should have gone back into the TARDIS once you got Jack awake again."

The Doctor and the two companions frowned, glancing at each other in slight worry. When the Time Lady was this worried about something, then they all knew that they had to be as well. The Doctor looked back at Wanda carefully. "What do you mean? Is something going to happen?"

"Y-yes," Wanda cried softly, keeping her voice low so not everyone in the room would hear her.

"How bad?" asked the Doctor, raising a brow at her.

"On a scale . . . one to ten . . . it's unimaginable," Wanda breathed, letting out more tears, placing a hand over her mouth to stifle any sounds of woe that might come out of her.

The Doctor pulled her up to him again, hugging her close, torn in trying to think of a way he could make her feel better. He hated seeing her upset like this. He pressed his lips close to her ear to whisper. "Whatever is going to happen, I'm sure we'll figure it out together, eh? You and me, together along with the others, we can brave through anything. We have in the past, haven't we?" He rubbed her back in encouragement, trying to lift her spirits.

Wanda sniffled as she rubbed the last of her tears away, giving the Doctor a wavering smile. "I know. Sorry, don't mean to be bothersome again. I'm just . . . being emotional as ever." She let out a watery laugh, still trying to give her love a smile.

Smiling gently, the Doctor gave her a kiss on top of her head before going back over to Yana. "So, where were we? Something about footprints, right?"

"What?" Yana responded, blinking as he seemed to snap himself out of something. He had been staring intently at the crying Time Lady and comforting Time Lord. "Oh! Yes!" Yana and the Doctor continued on with their discussion on what the Professor had in his laboratory.

"So, what were you upset about?" Martha asked cautiously as she walked up close to Wanda, staring at the Time Lady in deep concern.

"Nothing. I'm fine now. All better. _Eccellente!_ " Wanda responded in merriment, quickly forcing her saddening emotions from earlier to change to merriment. She would have plenty of time to be all sad and depressed later. Most definitely with what she knew was coming.

Even though the man who would arrive later and torment them all scared her to no end. Even though she knew that—most likely from the hints she has picked up from over the years—this would be the day she finally . . . remembered her dreaded past. And even if she were to be separated from the Doctor and put through hell just as he and the others would be. She knew that she _must_ always try to keep her and everyone else's' spirits up. She _had_ to keep fighting and to not let anyone, especially _him_ , become the one who ruins her life for good. She would always bounce back from whatever the universe threw at her.

Always.

For her Doctor, she would smile. For her family, she would grin. For her daughter, she would beam ever brightly. For them all, she would be their comfort.

With this determined thought, she truly felt her mood lift.

"So! I'm curious as to what's over here," she beamed, bouncing over to an area in the lab that had couches and desks, peeking around, observing the area. Jack came over to do some of his own investigations, dropping off his large backpack beside a small table. Glancing at the pack, a handle sticking out caught Wanda's eye. She reached over, grabbing the handle and pulling out a large, bubbling container that held a hand within. Preserving the appendage within a strange liquid. Wanda then sat down the container onto the table with a loud thunk for all to see.

"Oh, my god!" Martha exclaimed upon the sight of it, walking over to join the two. She looked at Jack in disbelief. "You've got a hand. A hand in a jar. A hand in a jar in your bag." The three in the small area were soon joined by the bewildered Time Lord and curious Yana. The Doctor crouched down to stare at the hand in shocked astonishment.

"Well, t-that's—that's my hand!" the Doctor stated, looking quickly at Jack for an explanation.

"I said I had a Doctor detector," Jack shrugged.

"Chan, is this a tradition amongst your people, tho?" Chantho asked them curiously.

"Not on my street!" Martha cried, clearly taken back by what the Doctor had claimed. "What do you mean, that's your hand? You've got both your hands. I can see them."

"Long story—I lost my hand, Christmas day, in a sword fight," explained the Doctor.

"On top of a spaceship," added Wanda as she crossed her arms, staring at the hand intently. "Sword fight to save the world. Nothing really unusual for the Doctor."

"What, and losing a hand is normal?" scoffed Martha, amazed at just how causal each Time Lord was saying this and seeing the hand just sitting there. "You just grew another hand?"

"Um, yeah. Yeah, I did, yeah," replied the Doctor, staring at his old hand in interest as he was still trying to piece together on how exactly Jack had found it. Knowing who Jack was, though, the Doctor realized it should not come as a complete surprise. He glanced up at Martha, seeing how the companion stared at him with her mouth hanging slightly open in pure astonishment. He gave her small little wave with the hand he had grown back. "Hello."

"Trust me, Martha. It isn't the strangest thing he's ever done," giggled Wanda, finding it amusing in seeing the companion's reaction to the whole hand and its story.

"Might I ask, what species are you?" Yana spoke up in question, staring at the Doctor in high curiosity.

"Time Lord—one of the last," replied the Doctor. Upon the blank stare given to him, the Doctor raised a brow. "Hear of them? Legend or anything? Not even a myth?" He glanced back and forth between Yana and Chantho, still receiving a blank look. "Blimey, end of the universe is a bit humbling."

"Chan, it is said that I am the last of my species, too, tho," Chantho mentioned as a way to show condolences to the Doctor.

"Sorry. What was your name?" the Doctor asked her.

"My assistant and good friend, Chantho, a survivor of the Malmooth. This was their planet, Malcassairo, before we took refuge," Yana introduced for his friend. Chantho smiled and nodded.

"The city outside, that was yours?" the Doctor questioned thoughtfully.

"Chan, the conglomeration died, tho," Chantho replied with a nod.

"Conglomertaion—that's what I said!" the Doctor responded, grinning away when realizing his earlier guesses had been right. He and the others had passed by the large city built out of the planet's stone in a canyon when they had first arrived there. It was always nice when he was right on the dot about things. He winced when he felt a sharp smack on the back of his head.

"Rude," Wanda muttered to him sternly.

"You're supposed to say 'sorry,'" Jack told the Time Lord. The Doctor held an apologetic look to Chantho, realizing his mistake in being insensitive.

"Oh, yes. Sorry," he told the Malmooth. Chantho smiled kindly in response.

"Chan, most grateful, tho," she replied, nodding in thanks. Not really paying attention to what everyone else was saying, Martha still stared at the Doctor in bewilderment and astonishment.

"You grew . . . another hand?" she said aloud as if still trying to wrap her mind around the news.

"Hello again," the Doctor said to her, giving her a foxy grin and small wave of the hand once more. He ended up letting Martha shake his hand in a way to quell her unsettled feelings towards the idea of growing an appendage.

Upon the interest of the Doctor in wanting to understand the occurrences going on around them, Yana explained to them everything about the Utopia Project. It was a project created by a science foundation to make all efforts in search for the mysterious Utopia that had been calling out to all humans. For thousands of years now, the last of the human race worked to build a way to travel to Utopia in hopes of escaping the fall of reality and the death of the universe. Wanda watched the way Yana explained all of this. His kind face, the look of hope coming from him, the way he so desperately wished to help save people and give them a chance at a better life . . .

How could this man have ever been a piece of _him_? The Master. She remembered how John had been different from the Doctor in personality. But there were still many similarities that if one looked at the Doctor and John together, they might say that the two were brothers. The Master and Yana, on the other hand, were almost complete opposites. Was this something the Master had done on purpose upon using a chameleon arch on himself? Or was Yana some kind of inner personality of the Master? Like a deep part of him that he had suppressed a long time ago. Or, just like John, Yana could merely be his own person? An identity that had been created through what the Master had done to himself. Wanda was not certain of any true answer to her questions. All she knew, though, was how much she wished Yana would always be alive and stay the man he was.

Then again . . . could he? She had not looked into the possibilities just yet . . . but . . . from what Martha and the Doctor had mentioned of the Year That Never Was . . . and how they acted . . . it must be a fixed point in time. Wanda might not find any way of getting around the dreadful year. However, time could always change, could it not? She might find something past all of this. Something that other Wandas in different timelines did not figure out. She had to try, at least. Even if time was fixed, she had to try. She just could not, for anything, stand back and let the Master hurt her family. And then . . . she could also not make the Doctor upset in losing his long, lost, old friend. Even if said friend did try to kill him on multiple occasions. Still, there was the deep connection there between the two of them. Always at odds with each other, but still having that sense to be there for the other in some way or another. It was complicated, really. Of course, Time Lord relationships were always complicated. Especially when it came to the Doctor's relationships. Whether it be a relationship through friends or lovers.

Wanda closed her eyes as everyone continued to talk on about Utopia. Letting her mind drift, she began focusing on what possibilities this adventure had. Some things seemed fixed in the timeline for the Doctor. Other things, however . . . She could potentially stop Yana from opening his fob watch, keeping the Master at bay and having it so the dreaded Time Lord never came back. It was only a very, very slight chance, but it could be done. Yana could remain alive and well. Living in his own life, with his dear friend Chantho, and creating some kind of good in the universe. Whether that be a living or dying universe. But . . . then the Doctor would never get his old friend back. A piece of his history, a piece of his past from Gallifrey, something which he desperately wanted in his life . . . the Doctor would lose his old friend if she stopped Yana from opening the watch.

Could she do that to her Theta? Make him sad in such a way in knowing he would lose a friend? No. She did not think she could ever make her Theta sad on purpose. She had to find another way that both the Doctor would find happiness in being able to help the Master become a more 'stable' individual, and for everyone being safe from the Master's insanity. But how?

She pulled away from the images flowing through her mind when her headache became too painful. Relaxing her mind, easing away the ringing in her ears, she knew she would have to think and focus again later on what to do on this adventure. Figure out some kind of plan. Until then . . . she would work on helping as much as she could. At this thought, she still felt wary with the feeling of dread and fear still hanging over her like a weight as she glanced at Yana. Seeing how the man stared off as the Doctor rambled on about how they could power up the rocket outside to get to Utopia, the look of pain on the Professor's face . . . Wanda knew it was the drums beating away within the man's mind. The source of many problems that had been created between the Master and the Doctor.

Scooting back, she let the Doctor and Yana go back over to the equipment of the lab, talking about the way the footprint was not working as Yana had hoped. Though, the Professor had still yet to tell any of the other refugees outside of the failure in their rocket's system. In many ways, as Yana explained to them, he could not bear to take that hope away from the people. Then, upon hearing this explained by the Professor, the Doctor smiled, made quick work with his sonic screwdriver, and got many of the dead and lifeless controls around the lab to suddenly light up brilliantly. The footprint Yana had created was now at the ready to take everyone to Utopia. The Professor and Chantho announced immediately to the others in the compound of the success of the footprint. Soon, the rocket would be ready for takeoff.

"Is there anything I can do?" Wanda asked the Doctor as he began bouncing around the room, working together with everyone else to set up the rocket's systems precisely. There had to be no flaws, for if anything went wrong during flight, it would be disaster.

"Yes! Help Chantho get the stabilizers working over there," the Doctor instructed her, pointing quickly to the corner in the lab where Chantho was putting some kind of metal circuit plates into slots of a large machine. Wanda walked over to the Malmooth, grabbing some of the metal circuits and helping along the best she could.

"Chan, you do not have to help me, tho," Chantho said to the Time Lady.

"No, I suppose I don't have to," Wanda replied with a nod. She slid a plate into a slot of the machine, grinning at Chantho. "Doesn't mean that I don't _want_ to help. And I can be pretty good with my hands when I want to be." There was a spark made by the machine, seeming to be rejecting the circuit. Wanda swiftly pulled out her sonic, aiming at the spot that was growing a fault, fixing it immediately. She then grinned as she flipped her sonic in hand, placing it right back into her trouser pocket. Chantho smiled in thanks.

"Chan, you are very kind, thank you, tho," the Malmooth nodded to her.

"Nah, it was no problem. I'm always happy to help," Wanda said, waving a hand as she smiled and began working as quick as she could. She glanced over when the Doctor and Martha had ducked out of the room, seeming to be getting supplies for something or another. So, now that only left Jack, who stood over by the computers monitors, working on something the Doctor assigned him there, and Yana, who was actually rather close to Wanda and Chantho, working on his own circuits and connectors. Wanda swallowed thickly, turning back to the task at hand.

"Chan, I do not mean to be rude, tho. Chan, but may I ask a personal question, tho?" Chantho suddenly spoke up, making Wanda look away from her task.

"Sure. What would you like to know?" Wanda responded, curious on what the Malmooth was wondering about.

"Chan, from what I noticed earlier, the Doctor seemed to be talking about both you and him as the last of your species, tho. Chan, is this true, are you a Time Lord as well, tho?" Chantho quizzed.

". . . Yes, it's true," Wanda answered reluctantly. Nervously, she glanced over to Yana, seeing how the man was still close to them. Could he hear what they were saying? Even though they were speaking in hushed tones, she was certain in the small room that voices would carry.

Chantho smiled brightly. "Chan, oh that is wonderful, tho! Chan, I am happy for you both in having company in your species, tho."

Wanda could not help but smile in return. "Yes. It is nice in not being the only one. But, it doesn't mean that we don't have others that keep us company as a family. We have Martha and Jack. They're some of our best mates."

"Chan, yes, I understand having others as a new family, tho. Chan, many here are close to me as well, tho." Chantho paused in thought, smiling as she seemed to think over something in a dream in her head. "Chan, though I still have wishes to see others of my kind again, tho." She turned to Wanda once more. "Chan, what is it like, finding another of your species and growing a family together once more, tho? Chan, I have always wondered what it would be like to experience childbirth myself, tho."

"W-what?" Wanda stuttered, alarmed by Chantho's seemingly innocent question. In her shock, Wanda was not paying attention as she handled one of the metal circuits. Being crude in its design, it had sharp edges that she was not aware of. And with her fumbling with the metal plate, it sliced right in the middle of her palm. Wanda dropped the plate in surprise, hissing as she gripped her bleeding hand. "Dang it."

"Chan, oh no, I'm sorry, that was rude for me to ask, tho!" Chantho said in alarm, grabbing a rag off the counter next to her to hurriedly place on Wanda's wound. But then both females were shocked when a kind, old hand placed a handkerchief onto Wanda's injury. Wanda gazed up slowly as a shiver went through her when seeing Yana holding her hurt hand kindly.

"Sorry, I should have warned you earlier. Those plates I made have rough edges. They can be quite difficult to handle sometimes when you're in a hurry," Yana said, wrapping his white handkerchief around her hand to stop the bleeding.

"T-that's all right. It's . . . it's not like it's the first time I've been a little roughed up," Wanda laughed weakly. She glanced at Yana, then at her hand, feeling weird as he had such a kind smile and was treating her so nicely. Something she was certain the Master himself would never do.

"Did I hear Chantho correctly? Are you having a baby?" Yana asked her in interest. Wanda stiffened, feeling backed into a corner as the Professor's kindhearted eyes stared back at her. Eyes whipping around the room behind the man, she searched for a way out. To see who else might be within the room with them. But now even Jack was gone. Where was everyone?

"I—I—I . . .," Wanda stuttered, unable to process an answer to give the man. What should she say? Was it a good idea to tell the man who would soon become the Master of her upcoming delivery? No, of course not! But what could she do? Deny it?

"Chan, I am sorry to upset you with my questions, tho. Chan, it's just I smelled your milk earlier, and I grew curious, tho," Chantho apologized again, holding the rag in her hand tightly as she stared at Wanda in concern. The Time Lady swallowed thickly as she stared wide-eyed at the Malmooth.

"You . . . You _smelled milk_ from me?" she breathed in question, horrified by this. Smell? Someone _smelled_ her being pregnant? Perception filters, perception camouflage matrixes, misdirection circuits, telepathic deluders, all to mask her pregnancy. But nothing to cover up _smell_?! And she had only begun lactating a week ago! Annoying as it was for Wanda, she and the Doctor had not been concerned by the occurrence for they thought nothing of it. Why did they not think of the possibility of a smell-sensitive species being able to detect it? How could they have missed that?

"So, I suspect this means you and the Doctor are—," Yana began to ask, curious as to how the two Time Lords' relationship worked.

"No!" Wanda exclaimed, fearful of the Master using this information of her and the Doctor's future child against her Theta in some way. Or causing harm to Ember. Or just—just ruining time all together. She promised the Doctor, herself, and their child that she would protect the baby at all costs. She could not break that promise now! Wanda sucked in a breath, thinking quickly on what to say to Yana (to the Master) in keeping him from ruining anything. She smiled shyly as Chantho and Yana stared at her, worried by her outburst. Trying to play it off, she chuckled nervously.

"I mean . . . he doesn't know yet. See, I come from his future . . . where he and I are together already, and he knows about . . . um . . . everything," Wanda explained carefully. glanced away, not wanting to say her being pregnant out loud in front of this man. ". . . But I sort of . . . wandered back into his past. So, he doesn't know anything about me . . . or us, yet." Her eyes turned to Yana's once more, urgent in her trying to convince the man not to tell the Doctor or ruin time. "So you can't tell him. Please, don't tell him. Me telling him in the far, far future is a fixed point in time. If he found out any sooner, it would destroy the universe. I mean, literally, poof, time corrupted and everything." This was a lie, of course. Or, at least, she hoped it was a lie. It could destroy the universe in the same way when River refused to 'kill' the Doctor. Still, she hoped to create a story that might convince the Master not to do any harm to her child or to the Doctor.

Yana stared at her in wonder for a moment. A strange expression crossing over him as his eyes glazed over as though remembering something from long ago. "You . . . travel through time?"

Coldness washed over Wanda when she realized her mistake. The mentioning of time travel and the TARDIS was one of the things that would agitate the drums in Yana's mind and cause the closer time of the Master urging the man through the fob watch to open the clock-work device. But discussing her wanderings would be the only way to explain to this man about why the Doctor could not know. And . . . the Master awaking was still . . . meant to be . . . right?

"Y-yeah. Though, not by my own accord," Wanda breathed quietly, wishing she could keep her mouth shut without drawing anymore suspicion. But she had to explain this all if the Master for later knew not to tell. "Please, promise me you won't tell him. No matter what, he can't ever know until . . ."

"Don't worry. Your secret is safe with me. You have my word," Yana replied, smiling and nodding his head in the assurance of him never telling the Doctor. Wanda believed him completely, of course. It was not Yana she was afraid of ruining time. It was the other man within him.

"Chan, will he not find out eventually, tho? Chan, even though you are not far along at the moment, soon the baby will become obvious, tho," Chantho offered in advice.

". . . Um, yeah," Wanda agreed weakly. She glanced down, knowing that they only saw her as her earlier thin self and not seeing the large belly that she now carried. "I'm just . . . two months in. He won't notice until later. And by then, it will be time for me to be back into his future where he already knows, so . . ."

"So, until the meantime, no telling," Yana replied, smiling and winking, showing Wanda that she could have her full trust with him and his friend in keeping her secret. The man then frowned thoughtfully as he stared carefully at Wanda. "I'm sorry, but I don't think I got your name earlier. Did I hear right in the others calling you 'Wanda'?"

"Um, well, that's my nickname. But really, my name is the Wanderer. It's my . . . title." She looked over at the entrance to the laboratory when she heard the others coming back into the room. Relief went through her when she saw the Doctor, glad to have him back so that she might have an easier time keeping Ember safe with him around. She saw how the Doctor instructed some men and Jack in getting the TARDIS into the lab through the doorway. It seemed as though the soldiers had found the old girl already. Much earlier than she had suspected them to.

Moving away from Yana and Chantho, Wand joined the Doctor, Martha, and Jack once they had the TARDIS properly set inside the lab. Chantho walked away from the machine she was working on, going to inspect the blue box as it appeared so fascinating. Yana, on the other hand, remained far away from the others. He frowned as he stared at the ship, pondering over its existence. His gaze then moved to Wanda with his frown deepening. From both the blue box and her he felt the drums pick up in beat in his mind. Shaking his head to let his mind ease from its headache from the increasing drumming noise in his head, he placed the bloody handkerchief that Wanda had left in his hand into a pocket on his trousers. Noting to himself that he would have to dispose of it later. Until then, it was back to work.

XxXxXxXx

Wanda watched the monitor that Martha and she were standing by. Watching the static on the screen, she and Martha were anxious on what the Doctor and Jack were working on. Currently, Jack was inside a chamber right under the rocket. The thick, leaded chamber was filled with stet radiation, and was the only place where the rocket's footprint couplings were. Yana had already instructed on fixing the couplings and connecting the footprint to the rocket's engines. But, it was extremely dangerous in going inside the chamber to fix it. It was the only way to get the rocket's systems working, however.

So, earlier, a man from the human's group had been sent in to fix the systems. Sadly, the man had died when the chamber had been vented in too much stet radiation, which could evaporate anyone exposed too long. Something which the poor man had been subjected to when a Futurekind woman had snuck into the compounds main power and destroyed much of the systems they needed. The Futurekind woman had been stopped before she could do any more damage, and luckily, with Jack's quick thinking, he used two electrified cables, pushing them together, to jump-start the override. The electricity ended up killing him, of course. Though, not that death did not last long for old Jack.

Once everyone realized Jack could not die, Yana asked him if he would be willing to be inside the stet radiation chamber and fix the couplings needed. Jack agreed immediately. He wanted to help, after all. The Doctor went with the male companion, going as a means to both supervise what Jack was doing, and to sort of have a talk with him. The Doctor knew they needed to in a way to get past old grudges and such, clear up the air between them.

"When did you realize?" Wanda heard the Doctor asking over the com to Jack.

"Earth, 1892," Jack was heard explaining. "Got in a fight on Ellis Island. Man shot me through the heart. Then I woke up. Thought it was kind of strange, but then it never stopped. Fell off a cliff, trampled by horses, World War I, World War II, poison, starvation . . . a stray javelin. In the end, I got the message. I'm the man who can never die. And all the time, you knew."

"I'm so, so sorry, Jack," Wanda spoke up in remorse over the communication system. She felt guilt lay heavily over her. Each time Jack mentioned how he had died, how horrible it had been, she had winced. The idea of someone having to go through that, especially someone who she cared greatly for, hurt her deeply.

"It's not your fault, Tink. I don't blame you," Jack spoke up, sounding to be understanding when it came to her perspective in the ordeal. After all, First Wanda had already apologized about it long ago before it had even happened. She had also given him comfort in knowing that, one day, he would find her and the Doctor once more. "You, on the other hand," Jack said directly to the Doctor this time, "I blame. Wanda doesn't have control of keeping tabs on companions, but _you_ do. Why did you leave me behind?"

"You, becoming someone, _something_ , unnatural, undying," the Doctor was heard explaining to Jack. "That's why I left you behind. It's not easy, even just . . . just looking at you, Jack, 'cause you're wrong."

"Thanks," they heard Jack retort sarcastically. With some bitterness heard in the man's voice, also.

"You are. I can't help it," stated the Doctor. Wanda knew by this point, the Time Lord would be averting his eyes from Jack's. "I'm a Time Lord. It's instinct. It's in my guts. You're a fixed point in time and space. You're a fact. That's never meant to happen. Even the TARDIS reacted against you, tried to shake you off, flew all the way to the end of the universe just to get rid of you."

"So what you're saying is, you're, uh . . . prejudiced?"

There was a long pause in response from the Doctor. "I never thought of it like that."

Jack was heard laughing. "What about you, Tink? You can't stand to look at me, either?"

"Nah. Well, I mean, there's a little awkward feeling being around you, sometimes," Wanda told the man over the com. "The instinct's still there. I just ignore it."

"See? Tink ignores her instinctual prejudice? Why can't you? Or is it more you just didn't want me around 'cause I'm better looking?" Jack seemed to tease the Doctor. Wanda chuckled quietly, shaking her head as she smiled at the static screen.

"Yeah. Sorry. I'll try harder to 'ignore my prejudices' this time," the Doctor responded, truly sounded embarrassed and guilty in him leaving the old companion behind like that.

"Don't worry about it, Doc. As someone once told me, it was meant to be," Jack said, seeming to shrug off why exactly the Doctor had done.

"What, did Wanda tell you that?" questioned the Doctor.

"Yeah, her too, I guess," said Jack in a mumble. Wanda pondered over this, realizing Jack was implying about his future knowledge source. Was it his time travelling niece again? Jack continued on in thought. "Last thing I remember, back when I was mortal, I was facing three Daleks, death by extermination—and then I came back to life. What happened?"

"Rose," both the Doctor and Wanda said together. Their voices echoing solemnly over the communication system.

"I thought you'd sent her back home," Jack responded, confused on how Rose had played a part in his immortality. "Her and Wanda both."

"We came back, in force," Wanda told him over the computer. "We ended up having to open up the TARDIS, the heart and soul of the old girl, and stare right into the Time Vortex. I wasn't really . . . allowed to look into the heart of the TARDIS, so . . . Rose ended up getting the full blast of it all. The Time Vortex streamed right into her, turning her into . . . something else entirely. Or, I should say _someone_ else."

"What does that mean, exactly?" Jack asked back in response. Wanda did not reply, growing anxious the more they discussed on what happened that day. So many implications and feelings of dread. Bad Wolf. The Time Vortex. Things that she still has yet to understand. Though she had a feeling that she might find out soon enough.

"No one's ever meant to have that power," the Doctor finally spoke up in explanation, having been quiet himself in the thought of what kind of energy the Time Vortex could do to a person. "If a Time Lord did that . . . they'd become a god . . . a vengeful god." The way they heard the Doctor say this . . . it was as if something suddenly dawned onto him. Something which unnerved him greatly. He then cleared his throat hastily as if bypassing his thoughts on the implications of what the Time Vortex could do to a Time Lord. "But Rose was human. Everything she did was so human. She brought you back to life. But she couldn't control it. She brought you back forever. That's something, I suppose. The final act of the Time War was life."

At the mentioning of the final act of what the Time War brought, Wanda closed her eyes tightly. Oh, if only the Doctor knew what was to come for him later. What was to come for them all.

"Do you think she could change me back?" she heard Jack ask the Doctor.

"The Doctor had to take the power out of her, Jack," Wanda explained to the man. "It was killing her. Anyone with the Time Vortex inside of them would have died. She got lucky not to have at that time. And if she tried a stunt like that again, well . . . But she's gone now. She's away to another life in a parallel universe. She's having a good life there. Or will have a good life." Wanda smiled sadly. "She's going to have the most fantastic life."

"Yeah. She will," the Doctor agreed softly with her. Wanda stepped back from the monitor, letting the Doctor and Jack continue on with their conversations. Instead, she turned around in her seat to stare at Yana. She saw the strain on his face from the pain that he was experiencing in his head. Everything they had been talking about . . . she knew it was echoing in his mind now. A bit of the Master waking up more and more each time. She swallowed heavily. Oh. It looked as though she had lost track of what was happening. It . . . It might be too late to stop the Master from awakening now. Though . . . she could still try, right?

"Chan, Professor, what is it, tho?" Chantho suddenly asked the man in concern. Both she and Martha walked over to Yana when they saw the stressful and mournful expression on the man's face.

"Time Travel. They say there was time travel back in the old days. I never believed it," Yana spoke softly. "But what would I know? Stupid old man. Never could keep time. Always late, always lost."

"You're not stupid, Professor," Wanda spoke up gently, walking over to touch the man's shoulder in kindness. Yana gave her a wavering smile, shaking his head as he pulled out a fob watch.

"No, I've always been out of time. Even this thing never worked," he replied. Wanda stood there rigidly, staring at the watch with wide eyes. No one, not even Yana, noticed this from the Time Lady. "Time and time and time again, always running out on me."

"Can I have a look at that?" Martha asked him, suddenly nervous around the man upon seeing the watch. A watch she knew by appearance all too well. It was the watch of a Time Lord. Wanda kept staring at the watch, almost distantly hearing Yana explaining how old it was. How he had been found with it as a child, an orphan, and had never been able to open the watch. Upon him turning it around, showing them all the Gallifreyan engravings on the front, Martha stared at it in alarm and even backed up slightly from Yana. The companion glanced at Wanda in urgency, seeing how the Time Lady nodded slowly as if to confirm what the fob watch with Yana meant.

"I'm going to see if the Doctor needs me," Martha said quickly, turning on the spot to hurry out of the room. "Wanda, could you stay here and . . . watch things with the other two?"

"Yeah. Sure," Wanda mumbled as she watched the retreating companion leave. Turning back her gaze to Yana, she saw how he stared hard at the watch in his hand now. As if suddenly realizing of its existence. She stepped cautiously towards him, reaching out her hand and holding up her palm to him carefully. "Professor, is it all right if I could have a look at that watch? I love old things you see, and I might just be able to get it fixed for you if you'd like."

 _It's the drums, the drums, the drums, the never-ending drumbeat. Open me, you human fool. Open the light and summon me and receive my majesty._

Wanda shivered as she heard the increasing whispers coming from the watch in Yana's hands. She had been hearing some things from it earlier. Small voices. But now it was so strong. The Time Lord within had been asleep for so long. But it was close now. So close was the Master to be reawakened. And all she could think is some sort of way for her to stop it. She just had to try. The Doctor could figure out something later in a way to help his old friend. Maybe he would be angry with her later for not telling him of the Master. Maybe he would not. Either way, all she knew was that she had to try to change the future.

"Please, give me that watch," she urged to Yana again, stepping closer to him with her hand out as he still kept his distant gaze on the device in hand.

 _Beware, beware the one with the Time Vortex. Vengeful goddess of the Time War._

"Why?" he asked her, frowning as though he did not like her pushing him to give up something that he also held close. Wanda swallowed, staring at the watch intently herself upon hearing what the Master's Time Lord consciousness was whispering to Yana.

"It's dangerous. Please, you must believe me," she urged again, trying to step forward to perhaps grab the watch from him. But he merely backed away from her, staring at her in suspicion and distrust as the Master's voice rang out louder.

"Chan, Yana, won't you please take some rest, tho?" Chantho offered to the Professor, worried that he was becoming stressed. Unlike the other two, she could not hear what the fob watch was saying or sense the power that was building up from within.

"Yana, please . . . just hand me the watch. Please," Wanda began to beg, trying to reach for it again.

"What's so important about this watch?" he demanded in question, holding the whispering watch tight in his grasp. He stared down at it again, hearing how it wanted him to open it.

Wanda backed up, giving him his space. She did not wish to agitate him more. "All right, fine, you can hang onto the watch. But if you don't want everything you love and have achieved in your life to go to waste, then please don't open it."

"Why? What happens if I open the watch?"

Wanda swallowed thickly. "You'll die. You'll die, Yana, if that watch is ever opened."

 _She lies. The vengeful goddess lies._

"Please, I'm not lying!" she exclaimed, pleading to the man to ignore the Master's call. Yana looked at her in alarm, then narrowed his eyes.

"You can hear it? You hear the voice?" he asked her, voice low in anger. "You can hear the voice and yet you don't want me to know what it is."

"I'll explain everything to you later if you really want. Me and the Doctor both can. But _please,_ you can't open it." She sucked in her breath as he raised the watch up, looking determined.

"Chan, Professor, perhaps you should listen to her, tho," Chantho suggested, seeming uncertain by what the two were talking about.

"I've been at a loss all my life on who I was or where I came from. But no more," grounded Yana. With that said, he opened the watch. The golden light flew from the watch, streaming straight into the man and swirling all around him. Wanda backed up even more as Chantho squinted from the bright light. Looking at the Malmooth, Wanda shook her head, briefly wondering if she should at least try to save the woman. But she knew Chantho would never leave the Professor's side. Even if he was a different man now, Chantho would not understand.

"Chan, what is happening to him, tho?" Chantho asked Wanda in a panic.

"I'm sorry," Wanda breathed, shaking her head. Her hand went to her stomach, her promise to keep Ember safe ringing in her mind. Staying here to try and protect the Malmooth would only bring harm to her child. "I'm sorry, I couldn't stop it." Wanda backed away, going towards the door. Her eyes wide as she stared at Chantho, knowing that there was nothing she could do for the woman without putting her child in danger. She . . . she would have to abandon the woman to protect Ember. "I'm sorry."

Turning around, Wanda ran out of the laboratory as fast as she could. Regret hung in her hearts from both knowing she had left Chantho to her death, and for being unable to keep so much more from happening. Tears streamed down her face as she could almost hear the screaming cries to come already. She panted heavily, struggling to breathe from both her lack of physical strength and from being on the verge of sobbing uncontrollably. Her high emotions still messing with her just as much as ever. Soon, after being a long way down the hall from the lab, she leaned against a wall, supporting herself as she panted, feeling woozy as she clutched her stomach. She really needed to rest soon if she were to be able to manage for the rest of the events to come.

She jumped when suddenly there was a connection in her mind. Another's presence. Not all that strong as she was far away from the source. Similar to how the Doctor and she had with each other. Too similar. She remembered how it felt when the Ganger Doctor had been around. His had been just like that. Another Time Lord's mind inflowing into the deep instinctually bond that their species shared. And it revolted Wanda as it felt all wrong. This presence . . . it was not right. It felt corrupted, tainted, cold, stone-like. Completely different from the warmth of the universe the Doctor always had with his company. She knew exactly who this new invasion into the bond was. It was the Master. The only thing that gave her condolence in feeling this new mind was knowing that at least the Master could not invade the special bond that only she and the Doctor had.

"Wanda!" came a shout, startling her. Her eyes went as wide as ever as the Doctor and the others ran straight towards her. Yellow lights flashed in alarm along the hall, making her realize that the Master had already let in the Futurekind. She saw the panic in the Time Lord's eyes and knew that he felt it, too. _Who_ he felt in the connection.

"Doctor, I'm so sorry! I couldn't stop him!" Wanda cried, holding out her hand to the Doctor. He took her hand immediately, staring at her as she continued to cry. "I tried. I swear, I tried. I should have tried harder, but I didn't know how to stop him or what to say! I'm so sorry, Doctor. Martha, Jack, I'm sorry." She cried more, trying to hurriedly wipe her tears away. Damn it all. Could she not get control over her emotions? This was not a time to cry or feel sorry for herself! Others were in danger now because of her!

"Who is he? Do you know?" the Doctor asked her quickly.

"Doctor . . . you already know who he is," Wanda replied weakly. "I know you can feel him, too."

"Wanda, did he open the watch?" Martha questioned her.

"Yes. And I'm sorry," Wanda said, avoiding her eyes with the companions as she knew what torture Martha and her family would go through now that she had failed them as well. The group stiffened when they heard battle cries of the Futurekind echoing around the hall.

"We can talk later. Right now, we've gotta go," Jack stated hurriedly. The Doctor began running again, leading the group ahead. He held onto Wanda's hand, practically dragging her as she tried keeping up with her sore, worn legs and feet. It was difficult, but she managed to push herself through it.

Soon, they reached the door to the laboratory, finding it sealed tight to prevent their reentry. The Doctor shouted for the Professor and Chantho while working on trying to get the door open again with his sonic screwdriver. Jack helped along, making quick work with his Vortex manipulator to break down the door's locks. Jack and the Doctor finally managed to get the door open right after they all heard a loud gunshot sound off from within the lab. The Doctor ran inside first, coming to a halt as he stood across from the Master, who lay panting against the TARDIS holding onto his chest wound. A shot to the heart that Chantho had delivered right before dying.

The Master went hurriedly into the open TARDIS when the Doctor made a move towards him. Trying to get the closed ship open, the Doctor found his key useless as the Time Lord within the TARDIS had locked him out. He even tried using his sonic screwdriver, but had no luck with that, either. The TARDIS had been deadlocked.

"Let me in. Let me in!" the Doctor screamed at the door, banging the sides of the TARDIS in anger. "I'm begging you! Everything's changed! It's only the three of us! We're the only ones left! Just let me in!" A bright golden light streamed out from the TARDIS windows, followed by a loud scream mixed with hysterical laughter. Wanda, who had been standing over the dead Chantho, silently saying farewell to the last Malmooth, went over to the Doctor and stood beside him. Holding onto his hand, she hoped to give him some sort of comfort and steadiness in the chaos that would follow now.

"Doctor, you better think of something!" Jack shouted from the lab door as both he and Martha struggled in keeping the broken door closed from the Futurekind, who repeatedly tried forcing their way into the room. "Help us! Help us close the door!" Wanda left the Doctor, hurriedly going over to help Martha and Jack keep the door closed as best as she could. She sucked in a breath, wincing as they heard the Master's new, younger voice speak from the TARDIS speaker.

"Now, then, Doctor . . . ooh, new voice," the Master said gleefully, testing out his voice briefly before pressing onwards. "Anyway. Why don't we stop and have a nice little chat while I tell you all my plans, and you can work out a way to stop me—I don't think."

"Hold on. I know that voice," Wanda heard Martha breath in shock.

"I'm asking you, really properly, just stop, just think!" the Doctor pleaded to the Master, hoping to make the new Time Lord reconsider his actions.

"Use my name," retorted the Master as if scolding a child.

"Master," breathed the Doctor, feeling a chill go through him in using such a long, lost name that he thought he would never say again. "I'm sorry."

"Tough!" shouted the Master from the TARDIS. They heard the ship making her beginning sounds of dematerialization ready to depart. The Doctor, thinking fast, held up his sonic screwdriver, making the device buzz louder than ever in what he focused his thoughts on. Then, knowing that he had achieved his task, he slowly lowered his arm, watching distantly as the TARDIS left them behind unwillingly. Turning in a rush, the Doctor then went over to the struggling three, grabbing Jack's arm that had the Vortex manipulator on. Working fast, he fixed the device, and, with a push of the button, sent them off into the past.

All the while, in their brief travel through time, the Doctor and Wanda held onto each other hand's in a vise grip. Each of them terrified of what was to come.

XxXxXxXx

Again, excited but terrified. The next chapter to come . . . Anyway, I hope everyone enjoyed it! Love to hear all your thoughts in a review. Even if it's just to say hi. ;) Can't wait for the next chapter!

Reviewers:

 **simmjacket** : haha. Sorry. Though you're probably going to be cursing me for a while now in the coming chapters. Agreed, I always cry here, too. Especially sad when she sees them, all she's going to think about is their departure in the back of her mind. :( Yep, the first face that helped Wanda really grow a connection with the universe of the Doctor. I can just imagine it now. haha. Wonder how hard Wanda would hold onto his hand while that happens. It really is hard waiting. Like I have to wait in not just uploading the whole story all at once. lol ;) Hope you enjoyed the new chapter! Was it a close guess for where Wanda ended up? I would love to know. :) Can't wait to see what you thought of it!

 **All The Stories Are True 24601** : We are friends! I'm just a very bad friend at times. haha. ;) Lots and lots of foreshadowing in this trilogy. Some that probably won't be picked up on until the very end of this part. Always love putting that kind of stuff in for people who enjoy re-reading stories. :) Hmm, you know I never thought of that. I always like to leave some details unexplained, though, to let the readers sort of add in things they would like to imagine to be a part of the characters and/or story. But if you would like a firm answer on that, then most likely her accent would be like my own which is a mix of American and British. Mostly because of how I grew up moving around a lot. And yes, for the most part, her accent never changes. But you know, I almost thought of giving her an Irish accent. Though I was afraid of how that would work out because I don't really know how people would take that. What are your thoughts on that? I would love to hear what you have to say. :) Yep, the Doctor really wanted Rose to not leave behind any unfinished business that would haunt her like what he has gone through in the past. But sadly, it just did not work out like he hoped. :( Glad you liked that, though. Really hope that you enjoyed the new chapter. Until next time!

 **bored411** : Not sure. Guess we just have to wait and find out for later. Until next time! ;)

 **Momochan77** : Agreed. I feel stressed, too. For many reasons, but that would be spoilers if I said anything more than that. They really do deserve one another. Also agreed on that. Very emotional. Though Donna's departure always makes me bawl my eyes out every time. Not that I don't cry for Amy and Rory. I love them so much, too! I will always miss them, just like every companion. See you next time! :)

 **Kylie Winchester** : So, so many. :'( Hopefully no more tears for a while.

 **Bumblebee1013** : Same. I always love Rory. He's just so fantastic is so many ways. He really was underappreciated in many ways. Both inside the show and outside by the fans. I'm glad to see that he's been getting a lot more love recently from fans. :) Hope you enjoyed the newest chapter and to see you again in the future!

 **TheGirlWhoWept** : Aww, I'm sorry. Hopefully no more tears for now. She will, but not that we will see. And I suppose we will find out quite soon in what had the Doctor so gloomy. Keeping my fingers crossed that this chapter will have a little less tears this time around. Can't wait to see you next time!

 **mjahappy** : No problem! I'm just so happy to see from you now. :) I always say, don't worry about reviewing for I know how crazy life can be. But thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review! I always love seeing from all readers. :D I'm just so happy that you've been enjoying the story so much. I really hope that the enjoyment continues throughout the rest to come. Oh, I'm a huge river/doctor shipper, too. In fact, when I first began to work on this story, Wanda was supposed to just be a good friend to the Doctor. But as the story progressed, it just kept changing on me. Before long, I just accepted where the story was going and went back to make some adjusts. And, well, here we are. ;) Umm . . . I'm going to say spoilers for now. Don't want to give away anything that would spoil what has yet to come. But I think you might be on the right track there. Who knows until we get to the end. ;) Really hope that you'll enjoy the rest, and to see you again in the future! Take care!

 **Vivi** : Good question! So far, she has been in her third body for about a year. Maybe a little over a year. Hope that helps. :)

 **Books-and-Cleverness-394** : Oh, man, I hope things get a little better with the snow. For us, it's been very weirdly warm for weeks now. Like it's been spring even though it is still technically winters. And no snow all season long. Maybe you can send us some of that snow. ;) But snow day homework is the worst. Can't even enjoy a day off. haha. My friend has been obsessed with that movie. Haven't seen it myself yet. Hopefully sometime soon though. :) Sorry, no Twelve for Wanda in this trilogy. And probably no Bill at all. I had a plan for it to end with Clara, but . . . who knows things might change in the future. So fingers crossed. ;) Hope to see you again soon!

 **alwaystherereading** : They really did. I know most people don't know this, but they actually had a son they adopted while they lived in the past. And the son met up with Brian later as a family reunion. There was an extra scene that they never put into the show, but they have pictures draw of what happened. :) Maybe in another extra thing for the trilogy I could do to show the side adventures with Rory and Wanda. Not going to promise, but I'll see what I can do. :) He's one of my favorites, too. Love both him and Donna the most. Hmm. Good theory. Though I won't say anything more because of spoilers and all. You know how it goes. ;) Can't wait to see you again in the future!

 **Authora97** : Oh, yes, very much angst. And even more to come still. ;)

 **QuirkyKim** : I'm sorry. :( I know how you feel. And even more bad episodes to come. Again, very sorry.

 **Owl** : Great question! Alpha actually stays the same as she's a different case all together. Being inside of Wanda's mind behind the barrier keeps her from going through the effects of the major change when it comes to regeneration. So Alpha stays the same no matter what. So glad you're enjoying the story! :)

 **AGBreads** : It really does. No matter how many years pass, I think it always will.

 **heroherondaletotherescue** : Unfortunately, no. There is no saving for Amy and Rory for the consequences of doing so are far too great. But at least they lived out the rest of their lives happily together. :) That always brings me peace in knowing that when I watch that adventure. Hope you enjoy the newest chapter!

 **Whovianeverlark17** : Hmm . . . I believe I just can't help myself in always doing that to you all. ;) Always awesome the Doctor is in being protective. Let's hope the future chatpers are just as good in connections. Though, I do hope no more crying or pain in a bad way. Agreed, I'm worried, too. Let's hope for the best in the future!

 **ramble-on-melody** : Hello! Aww, thank you so much! I'm just so happy that the story has brought you so much joy. I really hope that you'll always continue to like it. :) Don't worry, answers are coming up very soon now. ;) Can't wait to see what you think of it all! Nah, you're much more fantastic than I ever could be. Really hope that your day/night is wonderful and to see you again soon in the future. Take care!

 **NerdWithAPencil** : Heart break in a story is always the best. For me at least. haha. I just love to suffer sometimes. Thank you! I hope that I can keep bringing joy to everyone. :) Until next time!

Thank you all so, so much once again! *hugs*

~Tinker~


	48. Ch 48: Harold Saxon

Hello, everyone, and welcome back to a new chapter!

Okay, I know I have said I was nervous about posting a chapter before, but I've never been more anxious in my life than when it comes to these next chapters. Starting with this one. I'm holding my breath until the end. Really hope that you all like what is coming.

On a less anxious note, the story has now officially reached a 1,000 reviews! I really couldn't believe when I noticed it. Had not been paying attention to the review count and when I got a PM from someone pointing it out, I was ecstatic. XD I just want to give you all warm hugs! *hugs tightly in joy* Thank you all for giving the story such support for so long. Thank you!

So, for a 1,000 reviews, I hope this new chapter will be a nice present. :) Enjoy!

XxXxXxXx

Chapter 48: Harold Saxon

They arrived back in present time, or rather Martha's present time, London. Jack's manipulator had taken them right where the Doctor wanted. Right where he knew they needed to be. It would be the same time period of which he knew the TARDIS would have taken the Master. Where the ship would be stuck. Well, stuck between the 21st century and the year hundred trillion. The Doctor leaned over with his hands on his knees for a bit, letting the side effects of travelling through time without a capsule pass. He heard the others groaning as well. Though, not Wanda. She merely rocked on her feet for a bit, blinking away her eyes as if clearing her vision. He supposed that she was used to travelling like that by now. Then, he had second thoughts as suddenly the Time Lady stumbled to the side and smacked her shoulder right into the brick wall of the alleyway they were in.

"Oh. I don't feel so good," she moaned, holding her stomach as she seemed to be trying to hold in sickness. "I've been really pushing myself today. Need a good proper rest after . . ." She sighed, shaking her head. The Doctor stood up straight, going over to her and helping her by leaning her against him.

"Here, I've got you. You all right?" he asked her gently.

"Yeah. You?" she replied, grabbing the hand that held her around her shoulders. Staring at him in concern, her emerald appeared so big and vulnerable.

"I'm always all right," he replied automatically.

"Liar. But I guess that means I'm a liar, too." Wanda lowered her gaze from his sad, worried eyes, leaning her head against him. She slowly hugged him tightly, letting herself shiver for a moment as she tried getting herself calm again. It was hard. No matter how many times she counted to three, it seemed she could not focus on keeping up her normal calm, happy self. She felt the Doctor kiss the top of her head before steering her down the way with him and the others.

Eventually, they ended up sitting in the middle of a centre shopping area, picking out some stone ledges to sit on right in the thick of the busy streets. The Doctor and Wanda sat close together, still holding hands tightly as each of them were lost within their own minds, thinking upon what their next move would be. Briefly, every few moments they would look at each other as if talking to one another. Then, one would nod and they would stare off once more. Martha and Jack, who sat across from each other, were not even fazed by this behaviour as they both knew the Time Lords were communicating the best way they could in a situation like this. Also, the companions knew it was a way the Time Lords were comforting each other. So, Martha and Jack simply talked with each other for a bit, going over what the Time Agency and Vortex manipulators were as Martha had no clue whatsoever. Luckily, Jack was more than happy to explain everything to the other companion.

"But this Master bloke, he's got the TARDIS. He could be anywhere in time and space," Martha spoke up after Jack had got done explaining everything about the Vortex manipulator and his past with the Time Agency.

"No, he's here. Trust me," the Doctor told the companion.

"Who is he, anyway?" Martha continued to question. "And that voice at the end, that wasn't the Professor."

"Changing-faces," Wanda answered. "Remember? That's what Time Lords can do. That's why you never see me with the same face that often. When Time Lords are close to the end, we cheat our deaths by regenerating. Gives us a whole new body, whole new personality, the works." Martha nodded, knowing that she should have realized what the Master had done from the start. It was something she had grown quite used to with Wanda, after all.

"Then how are we going to find him?" the companion wondered. Wanda glanced at the Doctor, seeing how he watched a homeless man sitting on the street side intently. She looked at the man across from them in the shopping area, seeing how the man tapped a rhythmic four-beats against his tin cup in hand. Over and over again, the same beat. The beating drums.

"I'll know him . . . the moment I see him. Time Lords always do," the Doctor said, snapping back into focus after being lost in thought. "Though, I think, maybe, Wanda might already know." The Doctor and companions turned their gaze onto Wanda, staring at her curiously. "Do you know, Wanda?"

"Yeah," she replied quietly, staring up over to the large television in the shopping centre that had the news broadcast airing. "Try looking there."

Wanda remained seated while all the others stood up, going slowly over to the telly and watching the screen in shock when seeing the announcement of Harold Saxon winning the election just that day. People around the streets gathered next to the television, cheering and clapping in excitement for Saxon winning. Cheering for the new Prime Minister and his wife. Wanda watched the screen carefully as Saxon (the Master) made his brief statement of the country needing a 'doctor' and all of that. Saxon even stared right at the camera when he said this, smirking in such arrogance.

Wanda felt her left eye give a sudden twitch. Then, another small twitch. Then, a much larger one. The longer she stared at him, the more her temper flared. And with her flaring temper, her mind snapped back into action, moving past her worries. There was work to be done. She could be all angsty later. Standing swiftly, ignoring the pain in her legs and ankles, she marched right over to the three who still stood there, watching the telly in complete disbelief. Their mouths even hung open a bit upon seeing the Master snog his wife, Lucy Saxon, right on the screen. It would have been humourous any other time in seeing the dumbfounded expressions on the companions' and Doctor's faces. But at the moment, Wanda found nothing funny about any of this.

"Come on, you lot. We need to get moving, and we need to get moving _now_ ," she barked, storming right past them and briskly walking down the walkway. Shaking out of his stupor, the Doctor blinked upon seeing the sudden change in the Time Lady's demeanour. He sped on after her, trying to keep up as best he could, knowing that his Wanderer had a plan of action brewing in her mind. Good, 'cause he had some plans of his own, and he knew, that together, there would be no stopping them.

XxXxXxXx

"What have you got? Computer, laptop, anything," the Doctor said the moment they entered Martha's flat. They all rushed inside, shutting the door behind them tightly. None of them felt safe in the wake of the reign the Master had gained by becoming Prime Minister. Martha began digging around for her laptop while Jack was hurriedly dialing a number on his mobile phone.

"Jack, who are you phoning? You can't tell anyone we're here!" scolded the Doctor, staring at Jack disbelief.

"Just some friends of mine, but there's no reply," Jack told him, frowning when he pulled his phone away from his ear. That was odd. His people at Torchwood never ignored his calls. Dialing again, a different number this time, he held his breath, anticipating for his other contact to answer. He hoped that she might not be too upset in calling her while certain people were around him.

"Who are you calling now? More friends?!" the Doctor retorted.

"No, just someone special I know. I thought she might help us," Jack stated. His brows furrowed even more, beginning to worry now. "Funny. She's not picking up, either." She never missed his calls. She was always good at picking up when he needed her. Well, there was a first for everything he supposed. He hung up his mobile, taking Martha's laptop once she handed it over to the Doctor. "I can show the Saxon websites. He's been around for ages." Jack sat down at Martha's kitchen table, beginning to type away at the computer while the Doctor watched the screen over the man's shoulder.

"Guys, hold on, before we get started, we need to take care of something first," Wanda called out, walking over cautiously to Martha's telly. "Doctor, I might need your help for this one." Bouncing over to Wanda, the Doctor held caution by the way she gingerly touched Martha's television.

"What is it?" he asked in concern.

"There's a bomb strapped to the back of Martha's telly. It was put there by the Master," Wanda said calmly as possible.

"What?!" Martha exclaimed in alarm, backing up slightly from where the telly was. Jack jumped away from the table, coming over to the two Time Lords where they stood. The Doctor crouched down, edging the television around a carefully as he could while Wanda held onto her sonic screwdriver tightly. And, in turning around the large box, they found . . .

"Um . . . where's the bomb?" Martha asked, confused as she knew Wanda would not have said that as a joke. Wanda was flabbergasted, seeing nothing there . . . except for a handwritten note taped to the back. She snatched it off before the Doctor could read it, holding it close to her face as she scanned the handwriting.

 _Martha,_

 _Sorry, I had to come in and borrow your microwave again. I'll buy you another one. What, that's three in a month? Or was it five? I lost count. Don't mention anything to the landlord if you start smelling massive amounts of chopped lambs, rotten fish, and cotton candy. Just ignore it. The smell should go away . . . Eventually._

 _Anyway, I found a bomb on the back of your boob tube. Heard it ticking, sort of. Would have been a bad scene if that thing went off on you. Funny place to put a bomb. I would have hidden one in your toilet, a lot more fun with a mess, but, eh, not everyone is as imaginative I guess. I'm also guessing that you didn't put it there yourself, so, I took the liberty of disposing it for you. Simple enough. I needed the parts anyway, so it was a win-win._

 _So, hang tough there, skirt! Don't let them rough times get you down._

 _-A.T._

"'Boob tube'? Who says 'boob tube' anymore? What are we, back in the 60's?" Wanda stated, completely confused by all that she read. The Doctor yanked the long note out of her hand, scanning the page. His brows shot up into the air as he was flabbergasted by the note.

"'A.T.' Who's 'A.T.'?" he questioned aloud. "And what do they need bomb parts for?" Martha pulled the letter quickly out of the Time Lord's hands, reading over the words.

"She took my microwave _again_?" the companion complained. "And it's been eight times now, thank you very much." Then, it was Jack's turn to grab the letter. He looked it over carefully, suppressing his fond smile as he read it. Soon, he shook his head, chuckling and handing it back to the Doctor.

"Well, at least we don't have to worry about a bomb now," he said cheekily, shrugging as if it were no big deal.

"But—but I don't understand. Who is this person?" the Doctor stuttered, still as flabbergasted as ever. He looked at Martha in question. "Do you know them? Well, obviously, you do if them taking your microwave is a normal thing."

"Yeah, I know her," Martha sighed in exasperation. "She's my neighbor across the way. We've become friends when she helped me study for exams. Sort of . . . eccentric. Really bizarre. Trust me, having bomb parts or taking microwaves is nothing new for her. She likes to build all these weird things, you see. But don't worry, she's completely harmless. Just a teenager, actually. Only sixteen and already living on her own. Can you believe that? I think it's because her parents just aren't around, or something like that." The Doctor blinked, looking back and forth between Martha, the note in his hand, and the telly. His mind sort of jumbled by this sudden occurrence.

"Yes, but . . . a bomb? _Really_? She just took a live—no, no, no, it doesn't matter right now. I'll—I'll have to think on that one later," he said, shaking his head rapidly before slapping down the note on the telly. "For now, we need to figure out what the Master's up to." Martha suddenly gasped loudly in horror.

"Oh, my god! He knows about me. What about my family?" the companion said in a panic, grabbing her mobile phone and rushing out of the flat while she dialed away.

"Martha, don't tell them anything!" the Doctor shouted at her retreating form. "Gah! We don't have time for this!" Wanda smacked him on the back of the head, pointing a finger sternly at him.

"Family comes first, got it?" she scolded him. She rushed over, grabbing the laptop off the table and briskly left the flat. "Martha's right. We need to hurry. I'll explain everything you need to know in the car on the way there."

They rushed downstairs, running out into the street to see Martha trying to call her parents. Unfortunately, it seemed that Saxon had already gotten to them as Martha's mother tried convincing her daughter to come home, sounding tense through the whole thing. Then, Martha's father seemed to have broken from what he was told to do and yelled for Martha to run away. It sounded as though the man himself had been captured by whoever was monitoring the situation right after this outburst. Martha cried in alarm, rushing to her silver car and jumping in. The Doctor got swiftly into the passenger's seat while Jack and Wanda hopped into the back.

"The Master has been here exactly eighteen months. All those records that he's made on the internet are false, clearly all fakes, but no one's questioned it," Wanda began to explain in rapid pace as Martha drove wildly down the streets, trying to reach her parent's home in record time. "He befriended a woman call Lucy Cole, now married to her. He's already announced a moment ago about him being contacted by alien life called the Toclafane, saying how they're going to give riches to the Earth in exchange for friendship and that Earth will become a part of the universe for diplomatic reasons. These creatures live in metal spheres that are shaped like footballs, dark in colour. If you have anyone talk about Saxon, voting for him, you'll find that start tapping their fingers in a four beat. Then there's the Archangel Network."

"Did you say 'Archangel'?" Jack asked suddenly. They skidded across the seat as the car leaned sharply around a corner. Wanda sat up as best she could.

"Yeah. It's something the Master created as a means for sort of hypnotizing everyone," answered Wanda. "We can go over it more on what it's about. I'll have to explain it better. Do you recognize the name?"

"I had a friend who kept talking about it," said Jack. "She kept saying the whole thing felt wrong and kept trying to get me to look into it. But I ignored her. I should have listened. I'll have to apologize later to her."

Wanda tensed when Martha tried calling her sister Tish. They heard the sister being busy for a moment before yelling out for someone to let her go. The line went dead after that. Then, just as they turned the corner, Martha stopped the car dead in the street as they all stared in shock at the scene ahead. They could see Martha's parents being pushed into an armoured van, clearly being captured by Saxon's men. Martha's mother turned her head when she heard the car screeching to a halt.

"Martha!" Francine screamed to her daughter. "Get out of here! Get out!" A woman in a black suit walked up, pointing at the vehicle the group was in and seemed to be ordering the soldiers around the area to target the car. All of the men held up guns, aiming for them in the car.

"Martha, reverse," the Doctor ordered the clearly frozen companion. Martha shook, gripping the steering wheel tightly as she stared at her parents in horror. The Doctor tensed as he saw the guns being cocked and ready to fire. "Get out, now!" Martha snapped herself out of her frozen state, throwing the car into reverse.

They swung around as Martha aimed to go back down the street they arrived from, just as bullets began hitting the car. Wanda screamed in alarm as Jack pushed her down into the seat, covering her with his own body as the vehicle sped down the streets in an escape. The back window smashed to pieces, scattering broken glass all over the two in the back. The Doctor looked back over his shoulder, fearing that Wanda had been hurt when she had screamed. But he was relieved to see that she was okay. Jack had protected her.

"Martha, listen to me. Do as I say," Jack began to instruct the driver quickly, sitting up in the seat, though made certain Wanda stayed down in case of any more bullets would arrive. "We've got to ditch this car. Pull over." He watched as Martha ignored him for a bit, still upset and fuming over what had happened to her family. "Right now!" Martha slumped in her posture, seeming defeated as she began steering the car away from the busy roads.

Soon, she found them an underpass to park the car and leave it behind. As soon as they all exited the vehicle, Martha called her brother Leo in hopes that at least one of her family members had escaped the Master. She was relieved to find that he was indeed safe in Brighton, visiting a friend with his partner and her child. Martha quickly instructed Leo to run, hiding away from everyone and to not return home. Urging him to understand that he was in danger now. Then, before Martha could say anything more to Leo, her call was interrupted. The Doctor, Wanda, and Jack halted when they heard Martha exclaim in rage.

"Let them go, Saxon. Do you hear me?! Let them go!" Martha yelled into her phone. The Doctor turned around, snatching the phone away from the companion. He held it tightly up to his ear, walking away from the others as he readied himself to speak with the Master.

"I'm here," he said gruffly to the other Time Lord. There was a significant pause, the line remaining dead quiet for a moment before there was a reply.

"Doctor," breathed the voice on the phone. The Doctor's hand tightened on the mobile, swallowing heavily.

"Master," he said in response.

"I like it when you use my name," stated the Master, sounding very pleased that the Doctor had actually said his chosen name.

"You chose it. Psychiatrist's field day." The Doctor glanced around the area they were in, cautious as he knew the Master might have something else up his sleeve. Something that might come after them all again.

"As you chose yours—the man who makes people better," said the Master smoothly in a taunt. "How sanctimonious is that?"

The Doctor hummed lightly, ignoring this from the Time Lord. He was used to taunts like this from the Master. "So . . . Prime Minister, then."

"I know! It's good, isn't it?" The Master laughed, gleeful in his success at something so trivial and simplistic to achieve. It was silly in just how easy it was to win the stupid humans over.

"Who are those creatures?" questioned the Doctor, apprehensive about what those creatures, the Toclafane, were. As Wanda described them, it made him worried on what they could really be. "'Cause there's no such thing as the Toclafane—that's just a made-up name, like the Bogeyman."

"Do you remember all those fairy tales about the Toclafane when we were kids? Back home. Where is it, Doctor?"

Hearts weighing heavily, the Doctor knew he had to tell the Master the truth. "Gone."

"How can Gallifrey be gone?"

The Doctor could hear the outrage in the Master's voice. His brown eyes grew mournful as he explained, "It burnt."

"And the Time Lords?"

"Dead. And the Daleks, more or less."

"Did _she_ do it? Did she destroy them?" spat the Master darkly.

The Doctor paused in his pacing that he had been doing while talking on the phone. He frowned as he turned and looked back to the others who were watching him carefully. "Huh? Who's 'she'? I don't under—."

"That woman who's with you. 'The Wanderer,' as she liked to call herself," barked the Master. He gave a nasty laugh. "I'm guessing she changed her name. Wonder why she gave herself _that_ title. Last time I met her, she was called 'Alpha,' as I recall."

Everything froze for the Doctor. He stared wide-eyed right at Wanda, seeing how she gazed back at him in confusion and concern by his alarmed expression. He spun on his heels, knowing that what he and the Master were going to discuss next needed to be in private. Wanda could not listen in. He held up his hand to make the three behind him stay put when they began to question where he was going. He walked quite a bit away from them, going around the side of an old brick building and leaned up against the wall behind him. Swallowing, he felt his mouth had gone dry from the dread going through him upon the Master mentioning that particular name.

"You know who Alpha is?" he finally questioned, voice low, hesitant.

"You don't?" the Master mocked in return. The man over the phone gave a barking laugh. "She really hasn't told you, huh? Your friend is keeping secrets from you, Doctor. Or, wait, should I even say 'friend'? It seemed a little bit more than that when we last met. Dare I even say, 'lover'?"

"She's special to me, yes," the Doctor answered him, keeping it short as he did not want to discuss what exactly he and his Wanderer were to each other. "But she has _nothing_ do with what happened to Gallifrey."

"Oh? Are you certain about that?" taunted the Master, sounding as smug as ever. "Tell me, what do _you_ know about Alpha?"

The Doctor did not answer for a moment, hesitant to do so. "I know that she's something that lives within Wanda. Something that's . . . vengeful. Hates the universe. Hates Time Lords in particular. Has enormous amounts of power. And I know that Alpha stays hidden from Wanda. She doesn't even know that Alpha's there. She _can't_ know. Alpha just erases her mind if she finds out."

A moment of thoughtful humming came from the Master. "So Alpha became a separate entity all together. I see. Or, she could just be playing you along. I'd like to test out to see who's the real person that she claims to be."

"Don't," growled the Doctor in rage. "Don't you dare. If you so much as hurt a hair on her head, not only with Alpha be your throat, but you can be dead certain that I'll make you regret it, too."

"Ooh! Touchy. Definitely more than 'friends,' then." The Master paused for a moment, seeming to suddenly realize something. "No. Oh, no, you didn't. I can't believe it. You _bonded_ with her?" The Doctor's tense silence answered his question. "You _did_. You bonded with that—that _thing_? And you seem to have gotten past losing your family quite nicely, then."

"I've moved on," came the gruff reply from the Doctor. "We all need to move on. We can't keep living in the past. And don't you call her a 'thing.' Her name is the Wanderer, and you will call her that. She's the last Time Lady in all existence and you will show her that respect."

"Oh, she is most certainly not a Time Lady. You can be sure of that." The Master began drumming his fingers against the table where he sat as he remembered the past. "She was the reason the Time Lords resurrected me. The only reason they brought me back. Only insanity can go up against insanity, I believe was what they had been thinking. I was the perfect warrior to fight against the Dalek's perfect weapon."

"What do you mean? I was there for every battle in the Time War. I saw every weapon of horror that the Daleks threw at us. I never saw any glimpse of her or anything. She wasn't . . . she doesn't even remember being there. And I know I would have remembered if she were."

"There were secret battles, Doctor. Only those the High Council had full control over, with great minds, were allowed into them. More . . . covert battles. Of course, she was very efficient in her killings. Only went after those who she was ordered to kill, leaving a wake of disaster and chaos to fall behind her wherever she went." The Master paused for a very long time now, seeming to think over again on what had happened during those long years. "She laughed, right in my face when we finally met. Told me I wasn't even worth her time to kill. Seeing what kind of power she had up close and personal, I knew none of us stood a chance. I ran. I ran so far. Made myself human, so she would never find me, because . . . I was so scared." No reply came from the Doctor as he was intently listening to what the Master had to say.

"Do you realize _why_ she's so powerful? Hmm?" the Master spoke again, going back from his forlorn voice to his mocking, spiteful tone. Leaning his head back against the brick wall behind him, the Doctor stared up at the gray sky overhead. He closed his eyes tightly, wishing he could pretend he did not know. To continue on in denial like he has been doing for quite some time now. But, eventually, regrettably, he knew defiance against a cold, hard fact could only last so long.

"The Time Vortex," mumbled the Doctor, opening his eyes again to stare at the sky in such sadness. "She has the Time Vortex living inside her."

"The Time Vortex, inside of a Time Lady, turning her into a vengeful goddess," said the Master, voice filled with spite. "She's the nightmare Time Lords have feared for centuries. You know this and yet you still have her around?"

"Stop it. Just stop it," the Doctor snapped, tired of talking about this. His denial came back into place, making him not even want to think about anything Wanda had been. All he cared about was keeping her as she is now. The most loving, caring, gentle person who he loved more than anything. "You could stop this, right now. We could leave this planet. We can fight—between just you and me—across the constellations, if that's what you want, but not on Earth, and not with Wanda involved."

"Too late," countered the Master.

"Why do you say that?"

"The drumming." The Doctor heard the Master beginning to tap against a glass table again. "Can't you hear it? I thought it would stop, but it never does. It never, ever stops, inside my head. The drumming, Doctor, the constant _drumming_."

The way the Master spoke of noises inside of his head, it reminded the Doctor of what Alpha explained about her mind. A constant noise, driving her to insanity. Was the same happening to the Master? It sounded just like it. "I could help you. Please, let me help."

"It's everywhere," the Master went on, ignoring the Doctor's pleas. "Listen, listen, listen." The rhythmic tapping started up once more. "Here come the drums. Here come . . . the drums."

The Doctor's eyes slowly widened in realization as he watched a man across the street tapping his hands repeatedly against his legs. The same rhythm that he was hearing the Master make. "What have you done? Tell me how you've done this? What are those creatures? Tell me!"

"Ooh, look, you're on tv," laughed the Master, jeering at the Doctor.

"Stop it! Answer me!" The Doctor walked away from the wall he was by, stomping down the walkway as his fury rose.

"No, really. You're on telly. You and your little band." Slowly, the Doctor came to a stop by an electronic shop, staring hard at the telly with the pictures of him, Martha, Jack, and Wanda all plastered on a news broadcast. "Which, by the way, is ticking every demographic box, so congratulations on that. Look, there you are." The Master gave a smug laugh. "You're public enemies number one, two, three, and four. Oh, and you can tell handsome Jack that I've sent his little gang off on a wild goose chase to the Himalayas, so he won't be getting any help from them. Now, go on, off you go. Why not start by turning to the right?"

The Doctor turned, seeing a security camera aiming right at him. He pulled out his sonic swiftly, aiming it right at the camera and fried it. The camera popped loudly and sparked, turning off in an instant. He then turned off the mobile phone hastily, ignoring the laughs and taunts to 'run' from the Master. Standing there in silence, he heard the others finally walk over to him slowly. He saw that Wanda had kept the anxious Jack and Martha at bay, seeing how the Time Lady understood that he needed to talk alone with the Master. She always understood.

"Hey, sweetie," Wanda said softly once she stood by the Doctor. Her emerald eyes fixated on his as her only thoughts were to ease whatever pain he was going through. The Doctor's hearts twisted in fear, knowing that whatever the Master had planned may hurt her dearly. Would hurt them all. And there might not be anything he could do to stop it. Wishing there was some way he could convey his woe to her, he stepped up closer, placing a hand against her cheek. Wanda instantly grabbed his hand, pressing it to her skin. He leaned down, capturing her lips in a very slow, deep kiss. It was so soft and tender, making Wanda hold his face in her hands as she knew just how frightened and uncertain he was of the events to come. She felt him trying to show her just how much he wanted to keep her safe and sound. How much he only wanted her by his side through all of it. But at the same time, he wanted her away from this place. So far away where the Master could never hurt her. She pulled away, though kept their lips lingering.

"It's okay. Everything will be okay," she whispered in assurance. "Whatever happens, we'll pull through it. Right?"

"I hope so," the Doctor sighed, shaking his head in doubt. "He's got control of everything, Wanderer. He's one step ahead and I don't think I can keep up."

"What do we normally do when we're backed into a corner with no plans?" Wanda replied, smiling in reassurance. "We run until that brilliant mind of yours solves everything. And trust me, no one, not even the Master, can keep up with _your_ running." The Doctor chuckled, smiling warmly, glad that Wanda always had a way of trying to cheer him up. He threaded their fingers together when he stepped back from being so close, looking at Jack and Martha who stared at the Time Lords in determination.

"You heard her. Best we start running," he said, marching off to do just that.

They started off going down many blocks at a fast pace. Avoiding any large public places or people's direct eye contact. Soon, the Doctor noticed something off. He felt Wanda drift away from keeping up in pace with him. He was almost just pulling her along by the way they held hands. He could hear her straining in breath, panting as she tried keeping up. Then, she moaned in pain and stopped all together.

"I can't. I'm sorry. I just can't," she gusted out in her sharp breathes. She leaned against the wall on her shoulder, clutching at her stomach like she was going to be sick. Sweat could be seen on her forehead as she stared at them, weakly laughing. "I'm more wore out than I thought. Running's sort of a bad idea now. Can we just do a brisk walk instead? I might manage that one." The Doctor moved to go over to her. Perhaps even offer her to be carried. But Jack beat him to it. The Captain went over and scooped Wanda up right into his arms, smirking down at her.

"Don't worry, Tink. I've got you," Jack said, even giving her a wink. He began walking down the way, going right past a bewildered Martha and annoyed Doctor.

"Jack," the Doctor said in warning.

"I said I got her," Jack responded, rolling his eyes as he knew the jealousy of the Time Lord would never go away. Even if he already had Wanda in a steady relationship.

"Oh, come on, Jack. You don't have to carry me," Wand whined, kicking out her legs in protest. She frowned as she looked around the streets, seeing how dark it was becoming from the incoming rain clouds overhead and the incoming nightfall that was approaching. Then, a dark, secluded warehouse caught her eye. "Why don't we head there?" She pointed to the area. "I'm sure we're all tired from all the running we've been doing. We all need a rest, not just me."

"I agree. I think we all need a breather for a while," Jack responded, going right over to where she had pointed.

Wanda stayed curled up in Jack's arms as they entered the vacant building. It was rather large. Mostly empty from what they could see. Only a few random things were left inside, such as a few worn out chairs, a small sofa that was missing its cushions, scattered empty barrels, dusty lamps and tables, a broken vending machine, and lots of tarps. The floor was completely made concrete, that was wet from rain earlier in the week. Most of the building's windows were broken, too. Other than the gloomy appearance, the group all mentally noted that it would be the best place for them to hide out. A completely abandoned part of town that no one would come by meant they would be safe from wandering eyes and the Master's control. Jack walked over to have Wanda lay on the old sofa. He was about to set her down so that way he could lay his old military coat across the worn material, but the Doctor beat him to it. The Time Lord pulled off his own overcoat, spreading it over the sofa.

"Here, give her to me," the Doctor said, turning and holding out his arms, sending Jack a stern look as if to tell the man to back off from his lover.

"What, afraid I might grow attached to her? Gotta say it's too late for that one," Jack teased the Time Lord, finding it hilarious in just how territorial the Time Lord could be.

"Ladies, please, you're both beautiful," Wanda spoke up sarcastically, gaining the two males' attention. She had her arms crossed, sending them stern looks. "I _can_ take care of myself you know. Now put me down, Harkness. I'm not a toy to carry around." Snickering, Jack winked at her again before setting her down as carefully as he could onto the sofa. Wanda sighed, leaning back heavily on furniture. It was not the most comfortable thing in the world. But it felt like heaven to be off her feet. The Doctor sat down next to her, brushing back a stray of hair from her face as he stared at her carefully.

"Are you really not feeling that good?" he asked her.

"I've just been a little . . . sick lately," she explained cautiously, not wishing to give away to him what was actually causing her to be so worn out. Carrying extra weight around while running everywhere was not the most pleasant of activities. Upon seeing the worried expression on the Doctor's face, Wanda smiled in reassurance and patted his face lightly. "Don't worry, it's nothing serious. Future you already has it all figured and says that it won't be long before I'm all better again. I'll just be a little slower than normal and more tired than usual. But other than that, I'm right as rain. Ooh, I like that. 'Right as rain.' Why haven't I used that one before? Future you uses if quite often. I think I'm going to say it for now on, too." The Doctor chuckled, giving her a quick kiss on her forehead before standing up from the couch.

"Right. We need to get a start on figuring out what to do next," he said to the group. He walked away from where the three, grabbing a chair and large wooden spool that would have been for cable in the past. Now, he was using it for a table. He placed the chair right next to the sofa and sat his makeshift table in front of him. Pulling out Martha's laptop from his jacket pocket (got to love dimensional pockets), he set it down on the wooden surface and placed on his glasses. "I'm going to start looking into this Archangel Network. See what I can work with."

"I'll get a fire going," Jack said, walking around to pick up scattered pieces of broken wood from tables. Martha pulled over more chairs around in a circle and a few more makeshift tables for them to use. The Doctor picked up a few of the lamps laying around, getting them to work again with his sonic. Soon, they had a warm fire going inside a barrel in the middle, with dim lights from the lamps. They all sort of sat around in silence once things were settled. No one made a real effort to speak about anything in particular, as each one of them was digesting in their minds on what had happened to them in the past few hours. The turn of events which seemed to turn their world upside down in a matter of seconds.

Wanda began glancing at Martha, who seemed the most stunned and torn by what had happened. Completely understandable, of course, with her family being taken and all. Wanda winced as a sharp sting of guilt went through her. Looking down at the ground in remorse for a moment, she then glanced back at the companion.

"Martha . . . I'm so sorry about what happened to your family," Wanda spoke quietly, her voice barely sounding above the crackling fire.

Martha blinked, bringing herself out of her inner turmoil thoughts as she gazed cautiously at the Time Lady. She wanted to blame Wanda and the Doctor both for what happened . . . but at the same time, she knew it was not really their fault. At least . . . she hoped it was not their fault. Or, well, not the Doctor's fault really since he had no idea it was coming. Wanda, on the other hand, she had known. Yet, there was nothing the Time Lady did, or, as Martha kept reminding herself, nothing Wanda could have done. Times were just fixed at certain moments. Martha almost hoped that this time was fixed so that way she knew Wanda had a real reason to not act and not warn them ahead of time about the Master. And that they were not simply warned because of selfish reasons.

". . . Just tell me that they're going to be okay," Martha said, her voice in a mixture of strict and wavering. Wanda averted her eyes, unable to meet the companion's frightened brown irises.

"They will still be alive in the end, if that's what you're wondering," Wanda whispered, pinching her thumb hard within her twisting fingers on her lap. Martha did not reply for a moment, feeling a shiver go down her spine at the implications Wanda was making. They will still be alive, sure. What . . . what else was going to happen to them? Fear and dread went through Martha, making her swiftly stand up as she knew she needed to walk off her thoughts before she started to worry too much.

"I'm going to get us some food," Martha told them all, turning to hurry out of the warehouse.

"Don't let anyone see you!" the Doctor ordered the companion, looking up from the laptop he was typing on. Martha merely waved a hand over her shoulder at him before continuing on. The Doctor continued on in searching through as much as he could over the internet, though found that there was not much to go on since much of what the Master had done in secret had been blocked. Jack fiddled with the manipulator on his wrist, setting up his own connections to keep tabs on things going on outside. Wanda sat there fiddling with her fingers, letting out a long sigh.

"Martha's furious with us, isn't she?" Wanda questioned the Doctor sadly.

"She's just worried about her family. Anyone would be," the Doctor responded, leaning over to pat Wanda's shoulder without looking away from the laptop screen. Wanda nodded slowly. After a bit more of silence, she yawned, blinking heavily. Jack looked up from his manipulator at her, frowning in concern.

"Why don't you get some rest, Tink? You look exhausted," he said to her.

"No time for sleep. We have to think of a way to—to stop the Master," Wanda responded, yawning in the middle of what she had been saying. She shook her head, trying to snap herself out of the sleepiness that suddenly seemed to hit her. Finally getting a moment of stillness seemed to have had her worn body suddenly screaming for sleep. Jack chuckled in amusement as he saw Wanda trying to fight off her sleep by slapping her cheeks lightly. Standing up from his chair, he shrugged off his long coat and placed it on her, sending her a stern look when she gazed up at him in surprise.

"You don't have to give me your coat, Jack. You need to keep it so you won't get cold," Wanda said, trying to hand back his coat. But he merely pushed it back at her.

"I'm all right. You need it for now. Get some rest," he countered.

"But I'm not sleepy," Wanda protested, pouting at him.

"Sleep. We're not going anywhere or doing much for a while, so you might as well get some rest while you can," he ordered her.

Wanda sighed in resignation, scooting over to lay down on the sofa as she decided Jack was right. She should get some rest for now. It was only a few moments later did both Jack and the Doctor hear her deep breathing as she lay curled up under the navy-blue military coat. Once they knew that she was finally asleep, they seemed to both let their apprehensive and trouble demeanours take over. The Doctor sighed heavily, taking off his glasses and then rubbed at his face tiredly. Slowly his hand trailed down his face before he let his hand fall onto his knee. He stared over at Jack who sat rigidly in his seat, hands clasped together tightly as he stared intensely at the sleeping Time Lady. Watching the immortal man for a moment, the Doctor observed his solemn stature before eventually speaking.

"Jack, what is it?" questioned the Time Lord. Jack whipped his eyes off of Wanda, clearly embarrassed to have been caught staring at the Time Lady. Before Jack could open his mouth to deny the Doctor's question or even pretend like nothing was going on, the Time Lord continued speaking. "Don't think I haven't noticed. You've been staring at her the same way since we've all met up. Like there's something dreadful you know that's going to happen, and that there's nothing you can do to stop it."

"How do you know that?" countered Jack, raising a brow while leaning back in his chair. The man tried putting up a relaxed manner as to direct the Time Lord's suspicions away. But the Doctor was not fooled.

Eyeing Jack carefully, the Doctor responded, "'Cause I've seen that look on Wanda time and time again. It's a look that I know well myself. So what is it? What's on your mind? Is it Wanda's sickness or . . ."

Jack sighed in defeat for being caught in his earlier behavior. He had been trying to not let his troubled thoughts bother him. But . . . it was difficult. Especially in what he knew. Staring at the guarded Doctor, Jack cleared his throat as he tried gathering his words. Careful to not let himself say the wrong thing. "There's something I want to tell you both. Something I really, really want to get off my chest, and maybe ease some pain for us all. But that would be changing time. If you've taught me anything, Doctor, it's that you don't go messing with a timeline that you know is meant to happen. That's already happened." Jack looked away from the man across from him, staring at Wanda once more in sadness. "I'm sorry, but I don't think there's anything I can do for either of you now."

Sitting up in his seat, the Doctor raised a sharp brow, growing tense by what Jack's word implied. "What do you mean?"

Jack looked back at him, shaking his head. "Spoilers."

With eyes hardening and anger beginning to surface, the Doctor leaned forward on his chair as he gritted his teeth. "Jack, if she's in some kind of danger, if you know that Wanda is going to—."

Jack snorted, shaking his head as he gave the Time Lord a comforting smile. "Relax, Doc. It isn't anything Wanda, or even you, can't pull through from. It . . . It just might take a while."

Sitting back in his seat, the Doctor stared at Jack for a while, seeming to what more answers than this. But Jack appeared clear in his resolve to keep silent on whatever he knew was coming for them. So, looking back at Wanda, the Doctor felt his anger deflate. "The Master knows about her. Seems as if . . . he wants some kind of confrontation with her."

Jack stared at the Doctor while the Time Lord rubbed a frustrated hand through his messy brown hair. "You think he's going to try something against her?"

"I don't know. It's hard knowing what he's planning at times."

"Do you want to send her somewhere away from here? Where maybe he can't get after her?"

"Where could she go at this point? I would have suggested maybe your gang, but they're not around. And the closest person that I know of here would be Sarah Jane, but I don't want to get her involved. There's nothing I can do except keep Wanda close to me and hope for the best." The Doctor dropped his hand from his head, keeping his gaze steady with Jack's. "I need you to help me keep an eye on her. Can you do that for me?"

Jack sent him a cheeky smile. "Already on it." He then moved his eyes on Wanda, seeming to watch her like a hawk in a way to tease the Doctor.

The Time Lord rolled his eyes before placing back on his glasses and continuing to type away on Martha's laptop. They soon settled into a comfortable silence while rained picked up outside of the warehouse. There were a few drips from the ceiling of the building they were in, with the pitter-patter of the droplets echoing off the tin roof. Soon, they heard the hurried steps of Martha arriving back. The two glanced over to see her walking as swift as she could in her heels, carrying a plastic bag filled with whatever food she could scavenge up. Jack stood up to meet her.

"How was it?" asked Jack.

"I don't think anyone saw me," she replied. "Anything new?" She opened up the bag for Jack to take a look at a large amount of chips she had managed to get. He tapped a finger on his manipulator.

"I've got this tuned in to the government wavelengths so we can follow what Saxon's doing."

"Yeah, I meant about my family," clarified Martha.

"Still says the Jones family taken in for questioning," answered the Doctor, getting this information from the news site he had been searching through. "Tell you what, though—no mention of Leo." Martha walked over to him, handing him a foam plate of chips. At that point, Wanda woke up from her brief sleep. She rubbed her eyes as she sat up blinking sleepily.

"Martha's back?" she mumbled, trying to blink away her blurry vision from her nap. The returning companion walked over to the awake Time Lady, handing her a plate of chips. Martha smiled kindly at Wanda, which the blonde returned happily. Wanda was merely glad to see that the companion was pulling through and no longer seemed as upset and angry as earlier. Looking down at the chips in her hands, she began munching merrily on them, savoring the delightful flavor. It had been a while since she had gotten something to eat. And now, with her stomach growling, the chips were heaven in her mouth. She was surprised when Jack walked over and handed her the chips he had received from Martha.

"No, don't do that. I'm not taking your chips. You need to eat, too," she protested.

"You need them more than I do," he said, then gave her a cheeky smile. "Besides, I'm watching my figure." He winked at her, making her giggle slightly while shaking her head at him. Soon, they were all seated and munching on chips. Wanda hummed while she nibbled on one, glancing at Jack, Martha, and the Doctor. She noticed how the Time Lord refused to meet anyone's eye as he could sense the underlying questions the companions wanted to ask him. Decided to move things along, Wanda cleared her throat.

"So, Spaceman, do you want to clear up a few things for our companions here?" Wanda spoke up, gaining the Doctor's attention. She nodded her head towards the wary-looking Jack and Martha as they stared attentively at the Time Lord. "I think you should start on who the Master is." The Doctor did not say anything, staring down at his food as he gathered his thoughts.

"What do you want to know?" he finally said to Jack and Martha.

"How come the ancient society of Time Lords created a psychopath?" Jack questioned him.

"And what is he to you, like a colleague or . . . ?" Martha quizzed.

"A friend, at first," answered the Doctor.

"I thought you were going to say he was your secret brother or something," Martha joked humourlessly. The Doctor and Jack stared at her with raised brows.

"You've been watching too much tv," responded the Doctor. Wanda snorted loudly, gaining the attention of the three to see her trying to hold in laughter by covering a hand over her mouth.

"Sorry, inside joke," she told them, waving a hand for them to dismiss her. "Go on. Ignore me."

"But all the legends of Gallifrey made it sound so perfect," Jack remarked to the Doctor. The Time Lord sat back in his seat, folding his hands together.

"Well, perfect to look at, maybe," the Doctor stated in response. A distant look crossed his face as he began reminiscing about his past home. "And it was. It was beautiful. Use to call it the Shining World of the Seven Systems. And on the Continent of Wild Endeavor, in the Mountains of Solace and Solitude, there stood the Citadel of the Time Lords," he went silent for a few moments, as though he was staring at his homeworld right before him, "the oldest and most mighty race in the universe, looking down on the galaxies below, sworn never to interfere, only to watch."

His demeanour seemed to shift from remembering fond memories to recalling something unwelcomed. "Children of Gallifrey are taken from their families, age of eight, to enter the Academy. Some say that's where it all began, when he was a child. That's when the Master saw eternity. As a novice, he was taken for initiation. He stood in front of the Untempered Schism—it's a . . . gap in the fabric of reality through which could be seen the whole of the Vortex. You stand there, eight years old . . . staring at the raw power of time and space, just a child. Some would be inspired . . . some would run away . . . and some would go mad."

They sat there, in an uncomfortable silence. Letting this information digest, unsettled by the thought of what children of Gallifrey had to go through. Having already heard this before, yet hearing it again now, it made Wanda feel as uneasy as ever. It made her just as nervous as ever in meeting the Master face-to-face, but, at the same time, in hearing what sort of childhood the children of Gallifrey had to go through . . . and in knowing what the High Council had done to the Master to truly make him mad . . . she felt so sorry for him. Yes, he was a killer who needed to be stopped, but . . . if things could have been different . . . In another time, things _would_ have been different. He could have had a wonderful life, stayed friends with the Doctor, been a good man to the universe. The Master's life had been ruined all in the name of war and self-preservation by the High Council. And in knowing what could have been and what had been, Wanda felt sadness for him.

Still, though, she felt anxious and dread for what would become of Ember and her once they met the Master once more. She tried keeping her thoughts focused on helping everyone else and working out how to help the Doctor through this situation, but again, her mind kept travelling back to her earlier worries when she had first met Yana. When Yana had found out about her pregnancy. She was surprised that the Master did not outright tell the Doctor once he had the chance over the mobile phone earlier. This only made her even more worried. Was the Master up to something? Had he some kind of other agenda? Knowing who they were dealing with, Wanda knew that he must have. There was something he was planning, and it was nothing that she could predict since it involved her own timeline. And whatever it was that the Master had in mind, nothing good would come of it. All she could hope was that she could pull through in the end.

"Oh, I don't know," the Doctor said, sucking in a breath, snapping himself out of his drifting thoughts.

"What about you?" Martha questioned the Doctor curiously.

"Oh, the ones that ran away," responded the Doctor, gaining his normal foxy smile.

"And never, ever stopped running," Wanda added, grinning at him as well when he beamed lightly at her and winked. They all looked over when Jack's manipulator began to beep loudly. The man swiftly held up his wrist, tapping away at the buttons on his wrist device.

"Encrypted channel with files attached," he told them what he had received. "Don't recognize it."

"Patch it through to the laptop," the Doctor instructed him, sitting up quickly to get the information streaming so that they could figure it out. Jack appeared hesitant at first, cautious at what the Time Lord might say next once he saw how Jack came across the information in the first place.

"Um, since we're telling stories, um, there's something I haven't told _you_ ," Jack said carefully.

"So, in other words, don't get mad and become Mister Grumpy Time Lord," Wanda stated, giving the Doctor a stern eye as if to say 'don't jump to conclusions.'

Jack fiddled with his Vortex manipulator for a moment, sending the documents he received to Martha's laptop. Everyone then gathered around, hovering over the Doctor's shoulder to stare at the screen. Wanda leaned over the arm of the sofa, not standing up with the rest as her ankles were still shouting at her for running so much. The laptop's screen shifted and showed Torchwood's logo. The Doctor's eyes widened in shock for a second before narrowing with outrage as he glared at Jack.

"You work for Torchwood?" he growled.

"Actually, he's head of Torchwood now," Wanda stated, earning the abrupt attention of the fuming Time Lord as he stared at her in disbelief, shocked in just how unaffected she was in knowing who Jack worked with.

"Does that make it any better?" snapped the Doctor.

"I swear to you, it's different. It's changed," Jack countered, trying to explain his reason for working with such a group. "There's only a half dozen of us now."

"Everything Torchwood did, and you're part of it?" the Doctor grounded out in anger.

"Doctor, lay off of him," Wanda protested, keeping her gaze steady with the Doctor's angered eyes.

"You can't be okay with this. Not after what Torchwood did to _us_ ," grumbled the Doctor, voice gruff.

"Can I be okay with Jack taking over the organization, turning it into something much better in a way to honour you and what you stand for, saving the Earth more times than you can imagine when you and I are too busy to be around to help others out, all in the sake of trying to make it up to you for what he did back at the London Blitz? Yeah, I can be okay with it," Wanda replied evenly. "Doctor, don't jump to conclusions on Jack's intentions. He's been through more than what you can imagine and has built something that will help countless people to come. So shush." The Doctor's anger deflated somewhat, seeing what Wanda was saying. It also made him actually glad to have such a man like Jack around. If the man had indeed joined Torchwood to make it something better, then the Time Lord could understand.

Jack nodded in appreciation to Wanda, stating, "Thanks, Tink."

"Don't think that this means I'm going to let _how_ Torchwood handles things slide," Wanda said sternly, folding her arms as she stared crossly at Jack. "Using weapons all the time? And that whole incident with the Resurrection Gauntlet? Don't even get me started. I understand that sometimes you just don't have a choice, but I mean, come _on_."

The information booted up on the laptop, getting the attention of the group. They watched as a blonde lady appeared on the screen from a video, beginning to tell them in resolve on what she had been trying to accomplish. Wanda stared at the image of the woman sadly, knowing it was Vivien Rook, a woman who tried getting to the bottom of who Harold Saxon really was and trying to convince Lucy in helping her to stop whatever the Master's plans were trying to achieve. Vivien, a woman who had been so brave, had died by the Master's hand in such a horrible way. On screen, Vivien explained on the files she had, giving them to Torchwood. The main one being on the Archangel Network.

"What's so important about the Archangel Network?" Martha wondered aloud, remembering how Wanda had mentioned it earlier. "Everyone's got it. What has Saxon done with it?"

"Yes, what could anyone possibly do with a mobile phone network that connections everyone's phones worldwide?" Wanda spoke up sarcastically. The Doctor snatched Martha's phone from the companion's hands, being to sonic it.

"It's in the phones! Oh, I said he was a hypnotist," he exclaimed as he realized what he had been missing all this time and just how brilliantly twisted the Master's plots were. Not that he should not be surprised in knowing who they were up against. "Wait, wait, wait. Hold on." He then smacked the phone on the table in front of them, making the mobile device begin to make a rhythmic beeping. "There it is. That rhythm, it's everywhere, ticking away in the subconscious."

"What is it, mind control?" questioned Martha as she stared at the mobile warily, frightened in knowing that the beeping had been in her ear for months and she never even realized it.

"No, no, no, no, no, no. It's subtler than that," explained the Doctor. "Any stronger, and people would question it. But contained in that rhythm, in layers of code, 'Vote Saxon. Believe in me,' whispering to the world." Then, it hit him. "Oh! That's how he hid himself from me. 'Cause I should've sensed there was another Time Lord on Earth, I should've known way back, but . . . the signal canceled him out."

"Any way you can stop it?" Jack asked.

"Not from down here," concluded the Doctor, frustrated that he had not picked up on any of this sooner. "But now we know how he's doing it."

"And we can fight back," Martha stated, full of determination and resolve to get back at the Master and save her family.

"Oh, yes!" agreed the Doctor, immediately getting to work on his next plan of action. Wanda watched how they all worked together to break apart the laptop and mobile phones, starting up on what the Doctor needed them to do next. All the while, anxiety boiled away inside of her and dread sat like a stone in her stomach. Possibilities ran through her head, showing her there was no escape from what was to come next.

XxXxXxXx

The Doctor used all of their TARDIS keys to create perception filters for them to wear. Something that actually used the Master's hypnotic network and the TARDIS slight perception filter together, creating their own personal way of avoiding all eyes that might fall upon them. Different than Wanda's own perception filter, which only hid one certain aspect of her. Now, she had something, like the others, which hid her entire presence all together. Well, not entirely. Just shifts the eyes a bit and makes her go unnoticed. Perfect for them to sneak in and get right into the thick of things. Right into the Master's headquarters and possibly stop him from there.

And sneak around is just what they did.

They got right onto an airport, on the runway itself, to watch the President of the United States, Arthur Colman Winters, arrive, meeting up with Saxon. It seemed that President Winters was not all happy with Saxon in not being briefed first in the arrival of the Toclafane. Wanda did not really pay much attention to what the politics stated on what the nations were supposed to do when it came to contacting alien life. All she did was focus on Saxon during their observation, tense the entire time. She and the Doctor held each other's hands in a tight grasp, refusing to leave their eyes from the Master. The Doctor kept thinking about what the Time Lord had told him earlier over the mobile. The same thing running through the Doctor's mind on what Wanda's past had been when meeting the Master. While Wanda next to him kept running her thoughts over what the possibilities had shown her. Seeing that, no matter what path they took, the Master would catch them in the end. He always would. And the only best option for them . . . all she could see was that going up to the _Valiant_ , where the Master's main objective would take place, had the best outcome for them all. Relatively speaking as what 'best' meant for them. Or, at least, for the others. For her, on the other hand, she had no clue as things just went fuzzy after a certain point.

All the events that could be, diverting to where they were meant to go, showed Wanda just how horrible things could go for them. If she told them what was to happen on the _Valiant_ , the Doctor would try something more drastic than what he already had in mind. Which would lead to him almost dying in the process as the Master had a backup plan against the Doctor's. Then, of course, Wanda could tell them of this possibility, making Jack suggest that they run somewhere to lay low, leading to them getting rather far away from where the main destruction of the Toclafane. But then the Master would find them, just as he always would, and this would lead . . . would lead to Martha's unavoidable death. Wanda shivered at this last thought, revolted by the idea of them losing Martha in such a way. No, in the end, there was nothing that could be changed. They had to go to the _Valiant_.

Soon, after a tense and heartbreaking moment of seeing Martha's family being dragged out onto the runway for the Master to tease before the enraged family were placed onto Saxon's private jet, the group standing silently watching made their decision to follow after. Jack found the _Valiant_ 's coordinates quickly on his Vortex manipulator, and, once they had all held hands, had them teleported right onto the vast flying ship.

"God, that thing is rough!" Martha yelled upon arrival, sitting on the ground as she tried getting over the aching feeling all over her body. It was like she had been bruised all over.

"Oh, I've had worse nights," groaned Jack as he rolled his neck, trying to get back on his feet and shake off his sore body. Wanda, who had been leaned against the wall upon arrival, rolled her shoulders to push away the ache in her body. Standing up quickly, she went over to a porthole window in the dark hall that they had arrived to, peeking out to see them high in the sky on the _Valiant_ Clouds floated and swirled around the flying ship as though it were an ocean. The morning light of the sun shined lazily over the horizon, coming to greet the Earth to a new day.

She gazed around the area they had arrived in, not really paying attention to what the others were muttering about as something caught her ears. A very soft, tired, and miserable song. Letting out her own soft tune, notes that were barely heard above the hissing noises of the ship's maintenance area they were in, she knew it would be heard by the one singing out in pain. Her hearts twisted in hearing such a song, making her feel the singer's sorrow. She felt the Doctor come up behind her, touching her shoulder gently.

"Wanda, is everything all right?" he asked her. He was worried for her as the noise she had made sounded as though she were crying. It did not dawn on him that her noises had been singing.

"Doctor, can you hear her? Can you sense her?" Wanda whispered, reaching up around to grab his hand tightly. Blinking, the Doctor frowned, not understanding what she was trying to tell him.

"Who?" he questioned. Wanda shook her head, knowing that he would hear the song, too, once they got closer. But she could not wait to let him hear the song on his own. She wanted to get to the source _now_.

Grabbing his hand roughly, she began yanking him down the grated corridor of the ship they were on, leading him quickly towards where she heard the song coming from. He and the others tried asking her what was wrong, but she remained quiet as she focused on getting them to the song as fast as she could. They went down many twists and turns of the ship before they finally came to a junction that veered off towards Level Four of the ship. The Doctor paused in step, halting Wanda for a second. She glanced back, seeing the smile forming on his face as she knew he was now hearing what she was listening to. He beamed at her.

"Oh, that's who you hear! Brilliant!" he laughed. Wanda smiled grimly and nodded, not wanting to spoil his brief happiness of thinking they had found Sexy safe and sound. She let him drag her off this time, heading straight down the more concrete-like halls as they went lower into the _Valiant_. Soon, they went right through a few large doors, coming into a room that was filled with crates and had one particular, special blue box sitting right in the middle of them all. The Doctor bounded right up to the old girl, in a hurry to get inside and make certain that the ship was all right. But the moment he and the others stepped inside, he knew the old girl was nowhere near of being okay.

The entire control room had changed from the normal golden glow of comfort to a chilling shade of red. The engine was heard groaning weakly, making it sound as though Sexy were calling out in pain. When, in fact, Wanda knew that she was. The most heartbreaking sight of it all was the console. It looked torn up, with so many wires and probes going into the TARDIS's internal core. A large grated cage had been placed around the whole makeshift structure, appearing as though trapping Sexy in her own internal prison. Wanda went to run over to the console, wanting to comfort the ship, her mother, anyway she could, but the Doctor held her back.

"Don't touch it," he ordered her, voice gruff as he stared angrily at the sight of what the Master had done.

"But . . . she's in pain," Wanda breathed.

"Don't," the Doctor stayed firm in his order, cautiously going over to inspect what had been done to their ship.

"What the hell's he done?" Jack asked them.

"Sound like it's . . . sick," Martha commented as she stared at the sight with wide eyes of alarm.

"It can't be," the Doctor muttered as he took in everything the Master had created. "No, no, no, no, no, no. It can't be."

"I'm sorry, but it is," Wanda responded, hugging herself tightly as she stared at the creation in unease.

"What is it?" Martha asked the anxious Time Lords.

"He's cannibalized the TARDIS," answered the Doctor, becoming enraged by what the Master had done.

"Creating a paradox machine," Wanda finished for him. Her eyes hardened at the thought of more paradoxes. First the paradox that made Amy and Rory go away, and now this? Could she not stop this at all? Maybe they could . . . no, no. She knew that the only way to undo and fix what the Master had started was what the Doctor must do a year from now. There was literally no other way.

But as she knew they were getting closer to the events that would occur . . . she began to wonder what was going to happen next. She knew already, had pieced together, that she was not around for the Doctor on the _Valiant_ while he was held captive by the Master. That she and Martha would be travelling around the world together. But . . . was that not a future version of her that would travel with the companion? Because, well, it was not like she could do much dangerous travelling around a chaotic world fill with Toclafane while pregnant, now could she? So, the only conclusion she could think of was . . . she would wander off before any of the bigger events happened, or she might leave right afterward. She felt bad in knowing that she might leave everyone off by themselves for a while. But at least she would be there for them later . . . right? She hoped so. After she jumped to the future to deliver Ember safe and sound with Eleven, of course.

"Soon as this hits red, it activates. At this speed, it'll trigger at . . . ten minutes past eight."

Wanda blinked out of her stupor, whipping her head towards the Doctor to see him crouched in front of the gauge of the paradox machine. Alarm bells went off in her head at the change in what he had said.

"Ten minutes past eight? But—but it's supposed to be two minutes," she said quickly, her voice tense and nervous. The three others looked at her in surprise to her outburst.

"What's supposed to be two minutes?" Martha asked her. Wanda blinked, her mouth opening for a second to tell them her fears of the slight time difference, but ended up shaking her head as though to tell them to forget it. It . . . it was not _that_ big of a deal if there was just a few minutes difference from what she remembered happening and what was going to happen in this timeline. Right?

She trailed behind the others in a daze at the thought of such a small, yet significant change in the timeline. The possibilities had not even shown her that. She pinched her thumb behind her back, keeping her shoulders back and head held high as she followed after the Doctor and companions, ready to face whatever was to come. The Doctor had already told them of his plan to place his perception filter around the Master's neck, exposing him to the world on who the corrupt Time Lord really was. Martha and Jack had all confidence in what the Doctor had planned. Wanda only hoped that she could help them through the ill outcomes later.

They ended up sneaking carefully into the flight deck where all the news cameras were aimed around, facing President Winters who stood addressing the world in introduction of the Toclafane. The Doctor edged closer and closer to the Master, who sat down at the large oval table with the rest of the political guests, staring at President Winters smugly. As soon as the President finished his speech, the Toclafane arrived. Four black-silver spheres floated around the man, appearing from a blurry white light. Wanda watched as President Winters smiled at the Toclafane, at ease with the mysterious alien's presence.

"My name is Arthur Coleman Winters, President-elect of the United States of America and designated representative of the United Nations," President Winters said in greeting to the spheres. "I welcome you to the planet Earth and its associated moon."

"You're not the Master," spoke one Toclafane having the voice of a male.

"We like Mister Master," said another with a female voice.

"We don't like you," finished another, having a male voice like that first. President Winters stared at the Toclafane, confused by their words.

"I . . . can be master, if you so wish," Winters responded, trying to understand what the Toclafane wanted. The man appeared to grow nervous by how the spheres zoomed around him, circling him. "I will accept mastery over you, if that is God's will."

"Man is stupid," spoke a Toclafane with a male's voice.

"Master is our friend," said the other male voice.

"Where's my Master, pretty please?" said the female voice playfully.

"Oh, all right, then. It's me!" spoke up the Master as he appeared having held back his manic grin long enough. He stood up in a bounce, grinning wildly at the baffled President Winters and others of the room. He jumped into the way of the cameras, cutting off their view of the President, waving his hands out. "Ta-da!" He let out a barking laugh. "Sorry. Sorry, I have this effect. People just get _obsessed_. Is it the smile, is it the aftershave, is it the capacity to laugh at myself? I don't know. It's crazy."

"Saxon, what are you talking about?" President Winters demanded to know. The Master turned, crossed his arms as he gave Winters a dark look.

"I'm taking control, Uncle Sam, staring with you," replied the Master smoothly. He then nodded his head to the Toclafane. "Kill him."

One sphere zoomed forward in front of the Master, as long knives came out from around the metal of the Toclafane and a beam of red light shot straight at Winters. Before anyone could blink and react, the President had been killed, reduced to dust. Different men then stood up robotically, pulling out guns and aiming them at the panicked people of the room, keeping everyone in line upon the Master's command as the Time Lord himself laughed out wickedly in delight to the events that were unfolding. The manic Time Lord then jumped up onto the upper level of the deck, facing the cameras that were still rolling.

"Now, then! Peoples of the Earth, please attend carefully," he spoke in utter malicious delight. At that moment, seeing that he needed to act now, the Doctor pulled off his key quickly and rushed to the Master. But, unfortunately, was stopped upon the Master's order. Two guards came to the Doctor, holding him back tightly by the arms as he struggled to get at the Master ahead of him. The Time Lord watching the Doctor struggle uselessly impiously smiled. "We meet at last, Doctor. Oh, ho, ho! I love saying that."

"Stop this! Stop it now!" shouted the Doctor as he continued to fight in the guard's hold.

"As if a perception filter's going to work on me," scoffed the Master, ignoring the Doctor's shouts, glancing over to where the other three stood. "And look . . . it's the girly, the freak, and the monster." Upon what the Master had said, Jack's eyes flared up angrily and made a run at the Time Lord. But the Master was quick, pulling out his weapon, shooting a deadly beam right at Jack which killed the man on the spot. The manic Time Lord grinned wildly as he held up his device proudly. "Laser screwdriver. Who'd have sonic?"

"Jack!" cried Wanda as she ran forward, falling to her knees next to her dead friend. She brushed his hair away from his face, only wishing she could stop what more deaths he would face in the year.

"And look at what we have here," spoke up the Master, his tone switching from manic to dark and sinister. He stepped down the steps of the upper deck slowly, eyeing Wanda viciously. "Oh, it has been too long, hasn't it?" Wanda stared back at him fearfully, hovering low over Jack as if trying to protect the immortal man from more shots. In the corner of her eye, she saw Martha frozen on the spot away from the rest, unable to move in fear of what was happening.

"Master, just calm down, just look at what you're doing," the Doctor stated hurriedly, trying to distract the Time Lord from whatever he was thinking about doing next. He repeatedly glanced at Wanda, fearful of what the Master was wanting with her. The Doctor's hearts sped up in alarm as the Master got even closer to Wanda, stalking her like she were prey. "Just stop!"

The Master halted, smiling at the Doctor for a moment before looking at the cameras, stating, "Oh, do excuse me. Little bit of personal business. Back in a minute." He hopped down the rest of the stairs, marching right up to Wanda.

She began backing up on the floor in instinctual fear of him, her hearts pounding away while a barrier inside her mind suddenly seemed to wake up in a jolt. In her mind, she heard deep growling as whatever lived within bared its teeth at the threatening Time Lord. She let out a scream when the Master suddenly grabbed her roughly by the hair, pulling her up onto her feet and dragging her over to face him at the centre of the room by the stairs. Her back faced the cameras and others of the room as he held her right up to his face.

"What a bad, bad girl you've been," he sneered at her. "They're all scared of _me_ now. But if they ever met you in person, tsk, tsk, they might reconsider who to be fearful of." He waggled his finger playfully at her. She whimpered as he pulled at her hair more.

"Stop it! Let her go _now_!" bellowed the Doctor in rage, jerking strongly in the men's grasp who still held him. "Don't you say anything to her!"

"No, I think it's been long enough," replied the Master smoothly, not even bothering to remove his sharp eyes from Wanda's fearful ones. "Little miss has been keeping secrets, haven't you?"

Wanda's eyes widened, replying, "I-I don't know what you mean."

"Liar!"

She let out a cry as he threw her to the ground at his feet. She looked up from where she lay, arms bent as she tried keeping her head off the floor. Her growing fears of him telling the Doctor of Ember too soon began to surface. "Please, I don't know what you mean!" she pleaded to him, trying to keep him from saying anything. Maybe if she played dumb . . .

"Tell him!" shouted the Master in rage, jabbing his finger at the Doctor. "Tell him who you really are! Come on, say it!" She remained silent, this time truthfully confused and baffled by what he was ranting about. He sneered at her. "Fine, then, Alpha. If you're not going to say it—."

"Please, I really don't know what you're talking about," she responded, this time in complete truth when realizing he was not talking about her pregnancy. She sat up on her knees, facing the Master as evenly as possible. "If you can just . . . explain to me what you want, we can talk about it. We can talk all you want. Just—just please, don't hurt him. Don't hurt anyone." She stared at him with big eyes, pleading for him to spare them. Her eyes storming away with true worry over her loved ones.

The Master blinked at her for a moment, stunned by such real emotions coming from her. He raised a skeptical brow at first, then hummed as he rocked on his heels, looking at the Doctor. "You weren't kidding. She really can't remember."

Wanda glanced back and forth between the two Time Lords. At a loss of what was going on now. "What can't I remember?" Was he talking about her past? Or . . . No . . . Was this it? Was this the moment of remembrance? She stiffened in fear, afraid to stand or move a muscle as the Master began to circle her like a lion going for the kill.

"Let me just jog your memories, shall I?" the Master said playfully at her. "You must have heard of it. The legends. They've been passed down from galaxy to galaxy. Even before the war started. A legend in warning of what would come." He turned, pointing with a smile at the Doctor. "I know you remember them, too."

"It was just a story," grounded out the Doctor. "It has nothing to do with Wanda. How can it possibly have anything to do with her? It was just a story to scare us children not to go messing the Time Vortex."

"Yes, but what if someone took that story seriously? The story of what god-like being of great destruction would come if a Time Lord were to ever fuse with the Time Vortex in a TARDIS," the Master replied smoothly. He turned with a flourish, waving his hands at Wanda's back. "And here she is. The product of someone's curiosity of if that story could be real."

"What are you saying? That I . . . that I was _created_?" Wanda asked them, staring at them both with wide eyes. The Doctor appeared alarmed, not wanting her, or even himself, to know the truth about her existence. He shook his head rapidly while the Master nodded with a snide smirk.

"In a way, yes," the Master shrugged, bouncing around back in front of her. "Oh, did the legends grow after what might you showed. Do you want to know how it goes? I'm sure you do. And Doctor, really, you must have heard about them, too."

"I've heard a lot of legends in my time," stated the Doctor furiously. "There were countless stories that came from the Time War. None that I really wanted to stomach."

"But you haven't paid attention to this one? Shame on you. You're losing your touch," clicked the Master's tongue, shaking his head in disappointment. "Well, here's the one I like the best." He smirked as he stared at Wanda, who continued to gaze back fearfully. "'There is a weapon, born from the fires of the Time War. Bathed in the blood of galaxies. The Universe's Weapon, who wanders to any point in time and space, ready to put an end to the universe's misery, destroying all of creation itself.' Now, I wonder who that could be? Any guesses, hmm?"

Voices of distant memories began running through Wanda's mind. The voice of Evelina and Lucius during their prophecy back from Pompeii whispered in her head of what destruction would come. The sneering remarks of Kovarian in the past, echoing in her ears. So many others tell her the same thing since arriving into the Doctor's life. Of that of the universe's destruction, all because of her. A headache began to grow in her mind as barriers, all of them, began to creak, crackling in the wake of her mind reeling upon what the Master was saying. The one barrier began panicking in her head, seeming to recede into her mind to try in an attempt to keep all barriers calm.

"I don't . . .," Wanda tried replying, shaking her head in denial. She . . . she did not want to talk about this anymore. She wanted to escape from this. Her breathing increased as she began to panic, eyes searching for a way out. But there was no escape. Not now. Not ever. For this moment in time was always meant to be.

The Master crouched down in front of her, grabbing her chin and making her face him. Seeming to greatly enjoy the look of fright on her face as he whispered in a soft kiss against her ear so that way none but her could hear him, "I think, it's time to stop hiding in this delusion of yours. You're not some loving Wanderer, out to help others. Nah. You're like me. Here to create lovely chaos." He rubbed his screwdriver against her cheek. "I can actually admire something like you. All that power that you've got. I'm jealous. Really, properly, jealous." He pulled back and smiled widely at her for a moment before dropping his smile to glare at her. "Though, I think it'd be a shame if we had to deal with _two_ Alphas in the universe."

Keeping a firm hold on her chin, he waved his screwdriver at her, continuing on, "I think you know what this is and what it can do. I know your abilities of knowing things in advance. So, I won't give you all the boring details of how I've laid traps, not only for the Doctor, but for you as well. I already have the Doctor's biological code. Now, how do I go about getting yours?" A nasty grin was given to her as her eyes grew in alarm upon him pulling out an old, bloody handkerchief from his pocket. A clean cut at been made right in the middle of the blood stain in clear indication that he had gotten the sample he had been looking for. "Oh, look here. Seems some old geezer left this in my pocket by mistake. And what do you know, I found a little extra set of DNA right in there with yours. Wonder who's that could be?"

He backed away abruptly, making her jerk slightly at the sudden departure. Before she could say, do, or even think of anything, he had already pointed his laser screwdriver right at her. The laser beam shot out, aimed directly at her stomach. Time seemed to slow down for Wanda, as she stared at the incoming beam. Helpless to do anything as it was mere breaths away from hitting her child. She did not even have time to react to wrap her arms around her belly in protection for Ember. And before the beam had even hit her, she felt a searing pain go through her stomach and a jolt through her body. Then, finally . . . the beam hit.

It was scalding hot. Burning at her stomach in rage. She let out a scream when it hit as her body was flung back from the force. She collapsed onto her side, back still facing the rest of the room as she lay there in agony. Not from the physical pain she felt . . . No, that was not the most horrendous thing she felt. No . . . It was agony when she felt . . . nothing. Her hand shook as it ran over her stomach while she lay twisted on the floor. Her mouth opened in pure horror, unable to comprehend what had just happened. Then . . . when it finally hit her on what the Master had done . . .

A wail like nothing ever heard of before escaped from her. Her vocal cords shredded from how despairing she howled. Her whole body convulsed from the pure shock that was going through her system. Tears poured down her face as her hearts broke apart piece by piece. Her mind twisted in so many directions, unable to remain stable in her sanity.

"What have you done?!" Wanda heard the Doctor scream distantly.

There was more screaming from the Doctor, in agony from the sounds of it while the Master laughed feverishly. More angry yelling was heard. From Martha. From Jack. It all became nothing more than muffled sounds to Wanda as she lay there staring at nothing. Everything about her had broken into nothing. The barriers, that had been becoming so weak over the years, only needed this last piece of devastation to break apart in a flood. For in the end, to remember something tragic, one had to go through something just as horrific.

Wanda's eyes slowly widened, her hand clutching her stomach tightened, as her emerald irises began to glow a bright white light.

"I remember," she breathed. And in the blink, she was gone.

XxXxXxXx

. . . Okay, first thing I would like to say is I'm sorry. So very, very sorry. :( Please forgive me. Please don't hate me. If . . . If you do, I understand. I'm the worst. Though, I would still very much appreciate a review if you could. I would really like to know what you all think. But if you never wish to speak with me again, then I understand. ;-;

Reviewers:

 **heroherondaletotherescue** : I miss the Ponds, too. Oh, the Master . . . and Ember . . . I'm sorry. :( But agreed, I've always enjoyed the Master as a villain, too. Same reason I enjoy the Joker from the Batman animated series. Please let me know what you thought of the new chapter. And I really hope you have a wonderful day/night. :) Take care!

 **AGBreads** : Yay! So happy you enjoyed the last chapter. Now I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that you liked this one as well. Oh, poor Ember. I'm sorry. But I hope that I can still see you again for the next chapter. Please, have a brilliant day. :)

 **FictionalBoysAreBetter** : I'm sorry that keeps happening for you. I would contact the support email and see if the tech support could resolve that issue for you. I hope that helps. :) So glad you enjoyed the last few chapters! Umm . . . I'll just go ahead and say sorry ahead of time. So sorry. But, you know. It won't be completely sad . . . Okay, I'll just shut up while I'm ahead. I wasn't ready, either. And we still got more to come. :( Yeah, I couldn't help myself when it came to the title of the chapter. haha. I'm just evil sometimes. Which, isn't always good . . . Again, sorry. Hope to see you again soon and that those issues are fixed for you. :)

 **Momochan77** : He is quite scary for you never know what he had planned up. And sorry to say that your bad feeling was correct. I hope that it wasn't too bad of a chapter. :( Hope to see you again soon!

 **Authora97** : Sorry. No bubble wrap could have ever stopped this . . . I'm so sorry. :( Please forgive me.

 **alwaystherereading** : I'm sorry. Ember could have never been kept safe from that. Though, on a lighter note, I knew that chapter title would give a few people a scare. I just couldn't help myself with that. haha. Sorry about all the angst, especially for what's coming next. I really hope that you'll still enjoy the rest of it. Even if it is angsty and all. Until next time and have a wonderful day/night. :)

 **swimmjacket** : I really am horrible. Such a horrible person. :( Sorry. Hope you still want to read the rest of the story. Well, as we saw from the Master, he reacted very badly. If there's anyone who is known to hold a strong grudge, it's the Master. Hope to see you again in the next chapter. Until next time!

 **All The Stories Are True 24601** : Foreshadowing is one of my favorite things to do in a story. That, and giving readers emotional stories. Such as this chapter . . . Anyway, I'm not really good when it comes to accents. I just know the basic explanation. Don't know the details in the accent itself. That's why I normally don't try to give characters accents because I'm too afraid to mess it up. Guess it's because of where I grew up. I lived a part of the Midwest in the United States for most of my life. Here, there's no real 'accent' because we're right in the middle and we're known as such a mix of people that there's no real way to label how we talk. And people tell me I sound a bit British whenever I get angry but don't know what sort of accent it is since I never notice it myself. So, yeah, this is the reason why I don't worry about accents in stories. haha. :) But if you like the idea of Wanda having an Irish accent when reading, go for it! No two people ever read the same story. You'll always find that each person imagined something different. :) Don't worry, we'll be getting more River and the Ponds very soon. Yep! They adopted a son. Though I don't have any plans to do a special chapter with that, sorry. Maybe in the next story perhaps. We'll have to see. Haha wandafully. Love it! Hope the chapter was good. Even if it was rather . . . emotional. Until next time!

 **SakuraRcoa** : Oh, poor Ember. I'm so sorry. :( It really did go down in the worst way, I think. I really hope that you'll still enjoy the rest of the story after that. And the next story will be . . . very different from this trilogy. Hope to see you again soon. Take care!

 **Guest(a)** : Good question! Alpha actually has absolutely no preferences. She's a creature run by pure instinct for survival. So things like that are seen as very trivial. She only focuses on one thing and that's to live. Oh, and kill. But that's a whole other story there.

 **QuirkyKim** : I'm so sorry. :(

 **bored411** : Yep, a very, very terrible day. Very much not a good combo. I hope that you still enjoyed it, considering what happened and all. Until next time!

 **normandy1701** : haha Yeah, I couldn't help myself. I just had to freak people out with that chapter title. Glad you enjoyed it! :D

 **Shorttemeper299** : I'm sorry. :( Poor, poor Ember. I hope that you still enjoyed the chapter though. And that you have the most wonderful day/night. :)

 **Kylie Winchester** : haha Sorry, I just had to. The opportunity was there and I took it knowing that it would make people freak. haha I'm horrible. ;) Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Until next time!

 **Whovianeverlark17** : You were right. A lot of pain happened and still tons more to come. In advance, I like to apologize. :( I hope that I'll still see you in the future. Even if there is a lot of pain from this chapter and the next to come.

 **TheGirlWhoWept** : I'm sorry. He always planned to kill her. There was no hope for Ember there. :( Really hope to still see you in the future, and that you have the most amazing day/night. Take care!

 **Lock** : Oh! It was explained in past chapters, actually. Whenever Wanda begins to realize or 'remember' Alpha just makes Wanda forget by erasing the memories. It becomes a repeated thing over and over again. So subtle that even we don't notice it at times. Sorry if that was not conveyed well in past chapters. As for the barriers, there's a vast number. Think about TARDIS size. Hope that helps. :)

Thank you all for being so patient with this story. I hope you all don't hate me too much after all of this. :( Again, take care, everyone!

~Tinker~


	49. Ch 49: A Wanderer's World

Hello, readers. :)

Again, still nervous in how everyone will take these next chapters. I hope it's at least a somewhat good read!

XxXxXxXx

Chapter 49: A Wanderer's World

Bright and cheerful laughter was made by Amy, Rory, and Brian around the dinner table. All of them were listening merrily to the bow tie loving Doctor as he made wild gestures in the air, telling them all a story of one of his and Wanda's many adventures. A Wanda from the far future in her timeline. Not as giggly as she had been during the beginnings of her Third face. But still just as loving as ever. Currently, they all sat around the kitchen table in Amy and Rory's home, celebrating after the success of stopping the Shakri from wiping out all humans on the Earth. The Doctor, after finishing his delightful story, glanced at his watch. He hurriedly took another bite of his food and sipped on his drink.

"Forgive me. I'd better get going. Things to do. Worlds to save, swings to . . . swing on," he apologized to the group for leaving so suddenly. But, since Wanda had left, there was no real reason for him to stay put in one place. After all, he needed to make certain Wanda did not appear anywhere else out there without him there to protect her. He bounced up from the table, missing the disappointed look that Amy and Rory gave him.

Just then, before anyone could say anything else, there was a crashing sound and bright light that appeared outside where the TARDIS was parked. The Doctor paused in mid-step, and the next thing anyone knew, River came bolting inside the house. The woman, with hair as wild as ever, wearing a white jumper and jeans that appeared to have been just thrown onto her, panted as she stopped right before the shocked Doctor.

"Have you gotten it, too?!" River asked in a panic.

The Doctor blinked, replying, "Hello, River. To what do I owe the pleasure?" River's expression hardened as she suddenly slapped him.

"Stop with the games! This is serious!" she yelled. Amy and Rory, getting out of their shock in seeing their daughter there (nervous by Brian being around since he was never told about his strange granddaughter), stood up to address the panicking woman.

"Melody, what's wrong?" Amy asked the woman, concerned by her daughter's clear distress. While Amy and Rory looked over their daughter with worry, the Doctor grumbled under his breath, pouting at the group and rubbing at his cheek.

"She's mad as ever. That's what's wrong," the Time Lord complained, earning himself a shush from the others. River stuffed a hand into a pocket, pulling out a crumpled letter.

"I received this in my cell. Just a few minutes ago. It has no sender. No address. Just a white piece of paper with one line," River explained to them quickly, unfolding them to see the writing.

 _The Wanderer's end draws near._

At the exact moment they finished reading the note, Amy and Rory's mobile phones went off. They pulled out their mobile's in bewilderment, seeing that they received a text. Then, upon seeing what the text said, they were stunned.

"Doctor, look," Amy said, handing the Time Lord her phone. The Doctor stared at it in shock, reading the same thing that River's note said.

"What does it mean?" Rory questioned. "Is it talking about Wanda?" Opening and closing his mouth for a moment, the Doctor frowned and shook his head.

"Nah, it—it couldn't be," he tried dismissing, though in the back of his mind, he knew better.

"Who else _could_ it be about, then?" retorted River crossly. Just then, Rory's mobile started ringing. He answered it quickly, his brow furrowing in an instant.

"Uh, yeah, sure, thanks," he mumbled to the person on the line before hanging up and starting towards the lounge.

"What is it, Rory?" Amy asked, following along after him with the Doctor and River trailing not too far behind.

"A bloke from work just called. Says to watch the news and that he might call back again if things get messy at the hospital with more of those cubes," Rory stated, turning on the telly for them to see a breaking news broadcast going on.

"—and as reports are coming in, it seems the messages are spreading all across the UK," the female reporter stated on air. "The same message seems to be appearing, so far, over phone lines, computers, televisions, tablets, music players, digital watches, and has been repeatedly surfacing over electronic billboards at a variety of shopping centres. No statements have been made by officials yet—." The rest of the report went unheard by the group as they merely watched in a daze of the news showing of the messages that had been seen streaming across the billboards of Piccadilly Circus in London. The same words over and over again.

 _The Wanderer's end draws near._

The Doctor jumped when his inner tweed pocket began to burn. He hurriedly stuffed his hand inside his jacket, pulling out his psychic paper. He flipped it open, reading it hastily.

 _Do I have your attention now?_

"Doctor?" River spoke up when seeing the dazed alarm expression on the Time Lord's face. All jumped when they heard the cloister bell of the TARDIS begin to ring, sounding the alarm of something dreadful about to happen. It was only a second of stunned disbelief for the Doctor before he bolted into action, running through the home and to the backyard of the house. The others rushed after him, running through the kitchen and passing the still confused Brian as he sat there at the table.

"Um, I guess I'll just water the plants, then?" he offered to the group just before they left the house.

Inside the TARDIS, the Doctor rushed around the console as the others just stepped inside to see him in a flurry of motion. The cloister bell continued to toll as the TARDIS herself seemed just as anxious as they all were.

"What is it, Doctor? What does the message mean?" Amy asked him.

"The better question is what are we going to do about it," River countered. "Obviously, it has something to do with Wanda. Who else do we know called 'the Wanderer'?"

"Doctor, what _are_ we going to do?" Rory quizzed the Time Lord. The Doctor spun after hitting a lever, beginning to have the TARDIS dematerialize from the Ponds' backyard.

"How should I know? How should I know what any of this means? All I do know is that Wanda might be in trouble and that we have to save her," he said crossly, not appreciating in how rapid they all seemed to bombard him with questions and demands. Then, abruptly, they all stumbled and fell when the TARDIS gave a sudden jolt. The cloister bell changed to a loud groan as the ship flew wildly out of control. The Doctor pulled himself up the best he could at the console, trying to steer the old girl properly.

"What's happening now?" Rory shouted loudly over the massive sparks and groaning, grinding engine.

"I don't know!" yelled the Doctor over the noise. "It's like the TARDIS is being pulled in by something! Or is driving herself!"

"Obviously you're driving her wrong again!" yelled River as she stumbled over to the console, trying to undo whatever was happening.

"I did no such thing, _obviously_ ," retorted the Doctor.

"Well, obviously, you did!" disputed River as they both glared crossly at each other. The TARDIS spun and threw them all on the ground once more.

"Would you two quit fighting and figure out what the hell is going on?!" Amy shouted at them both.

There was a massive, thunderous slam made by the TARDIS and they were all thrown across the room. Everything came to an abrupt halt as the ship seemed to settle. Then, there was a low hum as the lights dimmed and everything appeared to power down within the ship. The Doctor stood up hurriedly from where he had fallen, running to the console, flipping levers, switches, and turning knobs. He pulled the scanner over in front of him. In bright Gallifreyan, he saw the same message as before. The one warning of the Wanderer's end. Then, the screen blinked away to another image, showing him what was happening to his ship.

"What happened to the TARDIS?" Rory asked while helping up Amy from the ground. His wife groaned as he checked over the bump on her head.

"She's receded, conserving power," the Doctor explained, flipping a few more switches as he glanced repeatedly at the scanner. "She's put herself on lockdown for a while until she can gain her bearings back."

"And what does that mean?" Amy asked.

"It means we're stuck here for now," River said as she walked over to the console, looking at the scanner as well.

"So, um, where is _here_ exactly?" Rory wondered aloud. They all sort of looked at each other, hesitant to find out. But, in seeing the scanner flashed back to its earlier message, the Doctor moved swiftly towards the TARDIS doors. Reaching out, he opened it slowly, cautious in case of there being any danger on the other side. But what he was met with was a peaceful, beautiful sight.

He blinked as he stepped out into a light-tan grassy field. Soft whispering winds blew through the area, making the grass sway and rustle, sounding almost like an ocean. The sky above was as blue as ever, with clouds so white and fluffy like that of a painting. A perfectly laid dirt road sat not too far away from where they were parked. He clasped his hands together, rubbing them as he took in the sight of it all. The others walked out slowly behind him, seeming just as bewildered as he felt.

"Well, at least it isn't somewhere gloomy," Amy spoke up sarcastically. She then crinkled her nose slightly as she gave a sniff. "Hang on. Do you smell that? Smells like . . ."

"Apples?" Rory offered in thought.

"It does smell like apples," River agreed, sniffing the air as well. The Doctor bounced lightly on his feet, testing the gravity and how the ground beneath felt. Normal Earth gravity, but the ground was off. Like . . . new, freshly laid dirt. Frowning, he bent down, plucking a few strands of grass off the ground, sniffing and licking them. He stood back up.

"Apple grass," he muttered as he observed the blades of grass carefully.

"Sorry?" Amy replied, blinking as she felt as though she had miss heard him.

"Apple grass. That's what we're smelling. It's grass that smells like apples. Tastes like it, too," the Doctor explained, handing Amy the strands that he held without looking at her. "Here. Have a taste if you like." Amy made a face of disgust as she let the grass blades drop.

"Okay. Apple grass. That's new," Rory responded, frowning as he looked around back of the TARDIS. He blinked in astonishment at what he saw. "Uh . . . Am I seeing this right?"

The Doctor and the other two walked fast over to where Rory was looking. The scene before them was of the sky, circling downwards like a dome, meeting the grass below in a straight line. The road even ended right at the line. It was like someone had painted the sky and ground together. Yet when they looked at the white clouds that were close to the ground, they saw that the fluffy masses were still clearly moving in a normal weather pattern, carried by the winds. By all effects, it looked like the horizon, but it was far too close to be real.

"Now that can't be right," muttered the Doctor as he walked around his companions, marching straight towards the line that was only a few feet away from the TARDIS. They gathered just behind him as he stood a few inches away from the blue sky that hung right in front of his face, scanning the anomaly with his sonic screwdriver.

"Is it some kind of hologram, or shield?" River asked as she gazed at the sight in interest.

"No, it's real . . . in its own way," remarked the Doctor in interest as he looked at his sonic's readings. "It's giving off oxygen and has air movement the same of any old atmosphere. It just . . . ends here. The whole world ends here." He frowned as he looked at the ground meeting the sky. He cautiously brought his hand up to touch the sky in front of him, but then pulled his hand away quickly when sensing what was wrong with it. He saw Rory reach out to touch it as well, but then slapped the nurse's hand away. "No touching."

"Why not?" huffed Rory, annoyed that the Doctor had slapped his hand. Bending down, the Time Lord picked up a small rock from the ground. When tossing it, the rock bounced off the sky, creating a ripple effect. The rock rolled by their feet, smoking as it had become charred upon touching the peaceful blue sky.

"That's why," the Doctor stated, pointing at the blackened rock. "The whole thing is made up of Vortex energy. One touch and you'd be reduced to a smoldering lump."

"But why would a sky be made up of the Vortex energy?" River questioned, concerned now by where they were at.

"Because this whole place is just sitting in the Time Vortex, on the edge of nothing and everything," the Doctor stated, running his hands together as he frowned in thought.

"Does that mean we're in a pocket universe?" River responded, baffled by this as she gazed at their surroundings. "That can't be. Pocket universe's look nothing like this. They're mostly just barren wastelands. And they certainly don't have a sky. They would just have a mass of whirling air around them."

"Well, apparently, this one has a sky," the Doctor said crossly, rolling his eyes as he turned on the spot and marched along.

"Where are you going?" Amy called out to him as she and the other two walked quickly over to catch up with the Time Lord.

"I'm not going to stand around all day when my wife might be in trouble," grounded the Doctor, frustrated that they had not already found Wanda. Every second away from his side meant the more chances of her being hurt. And neither Time Lord could afford to have her hurt in the current condition she was in. Or might be in, considering which Wanda it was. "The TARDIS brought us here for a reason, so we need to find out why."

"Why would the TARDIS bring us into a pocket universe?" Amy questioned. "Didn't you say earlier that something was pulling the ship to here? It couldn't be another House, could it?"

"No, I don't think so," mumbled the Doctor as he began fiddling with his sonic screwdriver, trying to see if he could pick up a signal from the tracker on Wanda's screwdriver. But the device was only buzzing uselessly. "Damn it, why does this never work when I really need it to?!" He slapped the sonic harshly against his palm. They all jumped when a loud bang echoed off, like a gunshot or backfire of a car. The Doctor blinked, staring cautiously at his sonic. "I didn't hit it _that_ hard, did I?"

"Actually, I think that came from up head," Rory said, pointing out down the road that they were currently walking on. Up ahead, they could see a distant figure bending over the hood of an old 1920s car, with the roof of it down. Each one in the group glanced at one another with raised brows. An odd sight to see in a place where they knew none should exist. Continuing onwards, they drew closer and closer to the person who worked tirelessly with the old model vehicle. A vehicle which appeared new in looks, though, which was very strange.

"Damn this thing. I knew I shouldn't have pushed it going so fast," they heard the person say, obviously a male in his twenties with light chocolate skin. "Keeps backfiring on me."

"Uh, excuse us," Amy said, the first one to speak up for the group. The man at the car looked up from his work, appearing not even fazed by their presence. The Doctor's mouth opened in astonishment.

"Mickey?" the Time Lord stuttered in pure disbelief. Sure enough, it was Mickey Smith, just as the Time Lord remembered him when seeing the man last. Mickey was even wearing his mechanic outfit from when he used to work at the repair shop back in Powell Estate.

"Can you give me a hand? I can't quite reach the cable I need to connect to the engine line," the strange man, who appeared to be Mickey's clone or double, asked them. He looked back at his work, messing around with whatever he was trying to fix under the hood. The companions glanced at the Doctor, who still stood there stiffly as he stared wide-eyed at the man in front of them. Shaking his head quickly, the Time Lord stepped up to the hood, looking in to see what the problem was. Seeing that it was an easy fix, he merely pulled out his sonic and aimed it at the cables that were frayed. The wires attached again, making the engine as good as new.

"Thanks. That sure does save time," said the strange Mickey double as he smiled in gratitude at the Doctor. "I would have done it myself, but I was a moron in forgetting my own screwdriver back home."

"Well, no ordinary screwdriver would have done that. See, mines sonic," the Doctor said smugly, waggling his screwdriver a bit at the man. Mickey (still strange to consider him that but the Doctor had no choice as the man clearly was) rolled his eyes at the Time Lord as he shut the hood of the car.

"Yeah, and so is mine," laughed Mickey as he shook his head. "Everyone has a sonic screwdriver. It's a standard tool that we're all given from the shops. If we want one, that is. But then again, who doesn't need a sonic screwdriver handy?" The man was oblivious to the Doctor and the others' stunned expressions as he walked around and hopped into his car. He smiled and gave them all a salute. "Well, see you." Starting the engine, he drove off, leaving them in the dust of his vehicle. They all sort of stood there in stunned silence.

"Did . . . did he just say he has a sonic screwdriver?" Amy asked, frowning as she pondered this. She had thought that only the Doctor and Wanda were the only ones to carry such a device around.

"Doctor, do you know that man?" River asked carefully, staring at the Doctor in question.

"I don't think so. Just someone who looks an awful lot like him," muttered the Doctor, shaking his head as he tried getting his head around this. He frowned as he stared up at the sky once more. "Pocket universe . . . with an exact copy of Mickey Smith? Now that is odd."

"Who's Mickey?" Rory questioned.

"Old friend of an old friend. He was dating my companion Rose before they sort of broke it off. My fault, you see. I didn't let domestics on my ship back then, so . . . they didn't have time to work things out," explained the Doctor in regret. "He married another companion later, though. So, that worked out, at least." He and the rest looked ahead when hearing the car from behind returning. The vehicle backed right up next to them as Mickey stared at them in embarrassment.

"Sorry. I forgot to ask if you needed a ride. We don't really get guests here . . . at all. So I'm not used to anything normal for hosting and all that," he said to them. "Town isn't that far ahead. If you want to walk, that's fine. But it'd save you some trouble if I drove you." Upon the mentioning of a town, they all looked at each other skeptically. Then, the Doctor gazed at Mickey once more.

"Sure. We'd love a ride," he replied, smiling away in thanks. The Time Lord hopped in the passenger seat beside Mickey, while the other three got into the long back seat, sitting rather comfortably for a car that seemed smaller on the outside. Mickey shifted the engine once more and then they were off. The wind blew through their hair as they drove right down the smooth road, with the grassy fields swaying as peaceful as ever.

"Name's Ricky, by the way. Not Mickey," the man, Ricky, told them as they drove. "I thought it would be more decent if I took that name." The three in the back were bewildered by this statement, while the Doctor gazed at the man driving carefully in observation.

"And what makes you say that? You choose your name?" the Doctor asked him.

"Yeah. We all had a choice on what names to keep and what to change them to," Ricky replied, shrugging as if it were no big deal. "Most kept to their original names, only changing them a little bit. And after seeing what happened to Ricky, I thought it'd be nice if I kept his name as sort of remembrance to him. I don't know, sounds mad now that I'm saying it out loud."

The Doctor raised a brow at the man, asking, "Do you mean Ricky from Pete's world?"

"Yeah, that one," Ricky replied, nodding and giving the Time Lord a small smile. "Decent in what he did, trying to fix things with them Cybermen and all. Too bad what happened to him. Shame, really."

"And how exactly do you know about all of that?" The Doctor waited for an answer, but Ricky seemed to not wish to answer this. Or rather, the man was distracted as he smiled and pointed out ahead of them.

"There's the town. Real nice, isn't she?" he said to them all. Looking to where the man was pointing and where the others were gawking at, the Doctor was stunned when seeing the sight before them.

It appeared as if someone had taken certain buildings, landmarks, and roads from a variety of significant locations of the Earth, placing them in random assortment in the so-called 'town.' There was a mixture of dirt, brick, and black-top roads crisscrossing around the town. Quite a few large skyscrapers from either London, New York, and New New York had been established firmly in the centre of the place. While all other buildings were either shops or houses of a variety of colours. A few large apartment complexes from many time eras were surrounded into the mix, and one particular funhouse/mini-golf/pizza place could be seen squeezed between two glass skyscrapers. The Doctor recognized two of the massive buildings to be the tower Torchwood One had been in at Canary Wharf, and the other appeared to be the Empire State Building. He looked at the streets of the town, seeing how all the cars that moved around or were parked on the side of the road were those from all different eras in time. Whether they be old in style like Ricky's, or new and sleek like that of what the Time Lord had seen of Earth's future technology.

"Here you are," Ricky said as he came to a stop right at the edge of town. "Welcome to the Wandering Village." The Doctor, River, Amy, and Rory all looked at each other in stunned silence for a moment before slowly getting out of the car. Awkwardly standing there while Ricky smiled and waved goodbye to them. "I hope you find her soon enough. She really needs your help."

"Who needs our help?" asked the Doctor, frowning at the man. But he received no answer as Ricky gave him a grim smile before nodding and driving off, leaving them there standing on the sidewalk.

"Doctor, this place . . . this shouldn't be possible," River breathed in a rush as they looked ahead towards all the tall and short buildings that had been mixed together. "Nothing like this can possibly exist in a pocket universe."

"And yet here we are, standing right in it," countered the Doctor, shaking his head as he started forward. "Come on. We're not going to get any answers just by standing here gawking."

As they walked into the town, they began to notice the people walking about in their day. Some people were wearing suits going in and out of the larger buildings as though heading to and from work. Others wore normal day clothes walked around on the walkways, seeming to be shopping at the different shops the town appeared to offer. Trees with lush green leaves had been planted here and there around the area, along the walkway or beside buildings. They could see a large park down the way that a few people were lounging in. It was strange how many fountains the group counted from the park. While all of them were taking in the sights, the Doctor's frown deepened more and more by the second. The more he stared at the strange people who walked about in the so-called village, the more he felt like déjà vu. As though . . . he had seen many of these faces before.

"This is just too weird," Amy mumbled aloud, speaking what was on all of their minds. "It's like . . . a completely normal . . . sort of normal, city back on Earth." Rory stopped in mid-step as the others kept walking on. He blinked as he stared at two people strolling down the walkway on the other side of the road.

"Ah, I don't think they'd be normal back on Earth," he spoke up, earning the attention of the others.

They all stopped when looking over to where the Roman pointed, shocked to see two Silurians strolling with arms linked. The two seemed to be laughing about something or another, cheerful in their walkabout. The two even nodded in greeting to other humans who walked by them, as other people nodded in return. The stunned group on the other side realized in disbelief that the two Silurians they were watching were the since gone Alaya and Restac, the two the Doctor, Amy, and Rory had encountered back in one of their very early adventures as a trio. The two sisters were wearing the very same clothes as they had been on that very day they had died. Frowning, the Doctor pulled out his sonic and did a wave in the two sister's direction. Upon seeing the readings of the screwdriver, he was even more baffled than before.

"That's . . . unusual," said the Doctor slowly, uncertain by what they were seeing as the sonic said they were completely normal.

"That's the understatement of the century," grumbled River as she shook her head, not knowing who the two Silurians were, but she did know that it should not be a normal occurrence. The Doctor began shifting his eyes about, looking for anything not human. Again, he spotted different humanoid species, creatures from outside normal 21st century Earth. One caught his eye, leaving him breathless.

"Jabe?" he blurted, blinking as the tree woman passed right by him. She wore a woman's maroon business suit, holding a briefcase in hand, and smiled at the Doctor as she passed him and his companions.

"Good morning," Jabe said politely. "I wish you all luck in helping her." The Doctor did a wave of his sonic once more. Again finding nothing out of the ordinary of the person before them.

"Her? Who's her? Who are we helping?" Amy asked aloud, blinking as the tree humanoid passed by them and continued onwards as though going about a normal day. All three companions turned to the blank staring Doctor. "Doctor?" The Time Lord opened his mouth for a second before snapping it shut, shaking his head quickly as he turned from watching Jabe walk away and practically ran down the walkway. The others sped after him, trying to keep up.

"No, no, no. This can't be right. None of this can be right," grumbled the Doctor as he jogged into the green summer park, placing back his sonic into his pocket. He looked around wildly, searching for where more familiar faces might be. Quick laughter came to his right just before someone bumped right into him.

"Oh! So sorry, sir," said a young teenager who had run into the Doctor by mistake.

"No, you can't be. Timothy?" the Doctor gaped at the boy. Sure enough, it was Timothy Latimer, a bit older than what the Doctor remembered looking, but still the same schoolboy who he had taught back in 1913. It was an odd sight, though, seeing Timothy wearing normal 21st century clothing of that of a growing teen.

"Just Tim, actually," replied the boy. He nodded to the Doctor in apology as he backed up. "Again, sorry about that. I'll let you get back to helping her."

"Come on, Tim! We're going to be late!" came a cry, surprising the Doctor again when seeing another familiar boy, Elliot Northover from the Welsh village of Cwmtaff, wearing a more futuristic Earth outfit. Tim ran off and caught up with his friend as both ran through the park, obviously in a hurry.

"That can't have been Elliot," Rory said as he, Amy, and River walked up beside the rigid Doctor.

"How can it be him? Elliot is back with his family in that village, isn't he?" Amy wondered aloud. Rory threw his hands up into the air, giving up on asking questions at this point. The Doctor made them all jolt when he gave a loud shout.

"You're here!" yelled the Time Lord as he ran off towards a large fountain. The three companions gave each other raised brows before running after him. The Doctor ran around the fountain, tailing after someone who had been strolling by leisurely. The person turned, allowing the companions to see a rather tall, skinny man with messy brown hair, wearing glasses and an old English suit that seemed fit for a professor during the early 20th century.

"You're here. Good, good, good. Excellent!" the Doctor said rapidly to the bewildered man who he had stopped. He patted at the man's face in delight with both hands on each cheek. "I would kiss you right now, if you weren't, well, _me_. So I'll just let Wanda do the kissing once we find her. Now," the Doctor let go of the blinking man's cheeks as he started to ramble, "what have you found so far? Have you come across any past faces as well? Done any scans? I think we should start with the ground. This all might be some kind of psychic projection of some kind, one big honking prank that someone wants to push my buttons with. Well, our buttons, since," he waved a finger between him and the man, "anyway, who's with you? Rose? Martha? Donna? Are you on your own? I can't recall doing this in the past, paradoxes and all that. General erasing of memories to preserve the timelines. Doesn't matter, though, as we just need to focus on getting Wanda back. Have you come up with any ideas yet? Is your TARDIS on lockdown, too? If not, we might be able to . . . to . . ."

The Doctor stopped rambling once it finally dawned on him who exactly he was talking to. It was not his Tenth self, as he had assumed at first. Though, easy mistake to make, since this man did appear exactly like his Tenth incarnation. No, for the Doctor realized who this man was when seeing the 20th century suit. A suit that he had worn as . . . John Smith.

"Sorry . . . but I don't think I'm who you were hoping for," John Smith apologized to him. The man smiled kindly. "Though, I don't think I was who I had been hoping for, either." John pulled out a fob watch from his pocket, clicking it open to inspect the time. "Ah, look at the time. I'll be late if I don't hurry." He began walking away from the group, but then stopped to turn back to them, smiling sheepishly. "Oh, uh . . . I do suppose it's customary to wish others luck on a tough task ahead. So, ah . . . good luck, then. Give a greeting to my old pupil for me, please, if you would."

With a nod, John turned back around and continued onwards. Leaving behind a dazed Doctor as he stood frozen, watching the man he had once been walking away as though nothing troubling had ever happened to him. As though he had never died to become the Doctor once again in the past, giving up his love. And speaking of John's love, the Doctor spotted Joan, in her Matron outfit, standing there by a fountain up ahead. The woman smiled, holding out her hand to John. The man took it graciously, entwining his fingers together with Joan's as they both strolled together through the park. It seemed, even in this world, John still loved Joan.

"So . . . care to explain who that was?" River asked the Doctor, staring curiously at the retreating man. She frowned as it came to her. "No, that isn't him, is it? Is that your Tenth face?" She smirked slightly. "I must say, he's a real pretty boy. Do I get to meet him later?"

". . . Once. In your future. First time for me," muttered the Doctor in a daze as he stared off at the man he had once been.

"That's your Tenth self?" Amy quizzed the Doctor, finding it odd to see a past face of the Time Lord.

"No. That's not me, though he does have the same face as I had," murmured the Doctor as he continued to watch the distant John and Joan. "I . . . was a different man. I became a man, that man, called John Smith. It was a long time ago. The man . . . is someone who I'll never forgive for breaking my Wanderer's heart and hurting her in the worst way."

"Hurt Wanda? How?" River demanded to know, her eyes hardening at the idea of someone daring to touch her sister.

"He . . . fell in love with another woman . . . and ended up making Wanda, in her human identity, an outcast . . . He even hit her," the Doctor explained gruffly, hating in remembering what he had done in the past. He glanced at River when seeing the look of pure outrage on her face. "Like I said, I was a different man back then."

"You _hit_ her?" River growled as she glared at him.

"I didn't say I was proud of it. And I received my punishment for it, too," the Doctor retorted, not wanting to discuss this any longer. His anger began to boil. Not only whoever was behind this all was forcing him to relive through past mistakes, to see people who he had failed and let down, but they were deliberately keeping Wanda from him. They had her, toying with him, and they were probably laughing at him this entire time. The Doctor gnashed his teeth together as he let out a frustrated snarl, storming over to the large fountain in front of them. He jumped onto the ledge of the fountain, turning to face the many people who were sitting or walking in the park.

"Okay! You have my attention now!" he bellowed out in a flourish, raising out his arms wide as he turned, staring at them all. "What do you want, huh? The satisfaction of seeing me go through my old guilt? Are you testing me to see just how angry you can get me? Well, I've got good news for you, I'm a beyond furious at this point! So, show yourself!" He looked around the park, waiting to see how the people would react. But none really gave him much attention. They either glanced up at him curiously for a brief moment before continuing on with a shrug. Or some never even bothered looking up at him in the first place as they were either busy reading or writing or listening to music on players or continuing with other park activities. The Doctor snarled again. "Come on, enough with these games! Show yourself! Who are you?! Dalek?! Cybermen?! The Silence, Sontarans, Terileptil, Slitheen, Chelonian, Nestene, Drahvin, Sycorax! Come on! I! Am! Waiting!"

"You know, there's no reason to shout," spoke up a female voice. Looking down to see someone standing there, staring up at him from the ground as he stood on the tall ledge, the Doctor blinked as he saw a young woman, with long, dark-brown locks, olive toned skin, and wearing a tight, red dress with a loose belt around her hips that held a few tools at the ready for use. She stared back at him, with her arms crossed and a stern look given to him. "No one gets anything in life by shouting." The Doctor frowned heavily, looking over at Amy, Rory, and River, who all shrugged lightly.

"She showed up about a minute ago," River stated casually. Hopping down from the fountain's ledge, the Doctor glared at the new woman, towering over her as he found her to be rather short. Even shorter than Third Wanda by a few inches.

"You're new. You're a new face that I haven't met before," he said, his voice low and hard. "So, tell me, are you behind this? What's going on here? Where are we? What have you done to my Wanderer?"

"She's not _your_ Wanderer. She's not anyone's. You can't just go around treating people like they're your property," the woman said sternly, not even backing down as the Oncoming Storm fumed right at her.

"My wife, then!" retorted the Doctor, becoming more and more frustrated by him not receiving any clear answers.

"That's better, I suppose. Not by much," the woman said, smiling knowingly at him. She held out her hand to him in greeting. "I'm Ember. Just Ember. Though, in your world, I think you met me once by the name of Oswin Oswald."

The Doctor was taken back by this, his anger deflating somewhat as he stared at the woman in shock. "Soufflé girl?"

Ember grabbed his hand that still hung limply at his side, giving it a firm shake. "The very one. Though, I shouldn't say that 'cause I'm not _the_ one that you know. I'm someone else. Sort of. It's hard getting to know yourself when you already have a you out there. And I'm still new, so there's that. Only been here for six years now. Arrived the day before she left." She dropped his hand, letting him blink dumbly at her while she smiled brightly. "Shelly sent me to get you. Said that someone better come calm you down before you get too emotional. I'm supposed to give you the tour. I got the tour once. So, being the rookie here, I guess it's my turn to guide newcomers around."

With a bit more blinking from the Doctor, his face grew hard as he whipped out his sonic, giving the woman in front of him a scan. Soufflé girl raised a brow as she smirked at him in amusement.

"Checking to see if I'm a Dalek?" she asked him calmly.

"Yes," grounded out the Doctor as he flipped up the screwdriver to look at the readings.

"And? Am I in the clear?" Ember responded, her voice coy as it had been on the day the Doctor remembered her helping him through the Dalek Asylum.

The Doctor stared at her begrudgingly. "For now."

"Good. Now that we've got that covered," she stepped back, waving a hand out back towards the main part of the city, "shall we?" She started off without them, bouncing in step as she walked right out of the park.

"Is that _really_ Oswin?" Rory questioned the Doctor once he got closer to the companions.

"It seems like it. Sounds just like her," the Doctor commented, carefully observing the female ahead of them.

"Do you think we should follow her?" Amy wondered aloud in the group.

"I think we should, since she seems like our best bet in finding Wanda," River offered in thought. "She doesn't seem like she's out to get us. None of these people do. They're all just . . ."

"Living," the Doctor finished for her. He gazed around, watching all the people in such ordinary routines of the day. "They're all just living completely normal lives." They all glanced skeptically at each other before walking off to follow after the woman ahead of them.

Before they knew it, they were walking down the main walkway of the town once more. Skyscrapers towering over them, with houses, apartments, shops, vendors, and grassy lots mixed in between. Ember continued onwards, waving a hand around as she began to explain to them, "I'm sure you figured it out already, being as smart as you are, that this is a pocket universe. Created by her in the image of her favourtie timeline. It's a bit mixed up here and there. But we all get used to it after a while."

"And who is _her_?" questioned the Doctor as he sped up, matching Soufflé girl in step.

"You'll find out soon enough. I can't explain all of it, as I don't know all the answers myself," Ember replied. She suddenly beamed and giggled as though realizing something funny. "Oh, this is nice being the one to give a tour. Makes you feel like an adult. I've felt like a child compared to everyone else here forever now. They all know everything already while I'm still getting used to a few things. Granted, I am better adjusted than what I was in the very beginning."

Pondering her words, the Doctor stared at her curiously, asking, "Who are you, then? Ember, was it? Are you a clone of Oswin Oswald? Is everyone here clones?"

Ember hummed, gazing upwards in thought. "You could think of it like that, yeah. I like to think of it as we're a different 'incarnation.'" She winked at the Doctor when saying this. She bumped her elbow lightly against him as if waiting for him to laugh. "Get it? 'Cause you know, you . . . and your faces. . ." But the Doctor did not laugh, making her pout. "Oh, never mind."

"This isn't a time to be funny. This is serious," grounded the Doctor.

"I was just trying to help. What would you do if you knew someone was going to face something horrible later?" Ember stomped forward, appearing frustrated with the emotional Time Lord.

"You could start by explaining to me on how is it that all of you here look, talk, and behave _exactly_ like people that I've met before." The Doctor jogged forward to keep up with the woman in red. "How do you even know about the others from our universe? And what of the Daleks? You mentioned them as well. You already knew what I was scanning you for."

"Who doesn't know about the Daleks? And of course we know about the other universe. How couldn't we? We all watched the show." The Soufflé girl glanced over at the Time Lord and others, seeing hard confused stares given back to her. She halted in step, making the whole group stop as she stared wide-eyed in realization. "You don't know about the show? But I thought you would have realized by now . . . oh, dear." The young woman began biting her thumb nervously for a second as she thought over this quickly before dropping her thumb, huffing at the Time Lord. "I didn't think you wouldn't have already figured it out. You're supposed to be a genius. Why haven't you figured it out already? Don't you realize where you're at?"

The Doctor waved his hands out, holding a sharp gaze with the woman. "Enlighten me. Where are we?"

Ember sighed in aggravation. "Oh, why did she send _me_ for this?" Pondering for a bit, the woman snapped her fingers as her face lit up. "Magpie's. That will be the place. I'll take you to Magpie's. You'll see it there." She sped up in pace, practically running down the way, in a clear rush to show them something important. Along the way, they passed more shops and people that the Doctor recognized. He even swore he saw a few old companions in the corner of his eye. But he refused to look at them. Too many memories, too much guilt. He heard River, Amy, and Rory begin pointing out people they recognized as well. He did not pay attention as he only focused on keeping up with the pocket universe Oswin.

"Here we are. Magpie's," said Ember once they came to a corner of a street. The Doctor stared in surprise, though, by this point, he knew that he should not have been shocked by the sight. But there it was, the very same _Magpie's Electrical_ shop as he had visited when Wanda had her face stolen by the Wire. How strange to see it again.

"Why did you bring us to a radio and television shop?" Amy asked skeptically to Ember.

"'Cause Magpie always has the show running," Ember explained, walking towards the shop. The others followed after, getting closer and closer to the front of the building. There was just one simple telly from 1953 in the front window, rolling a dark screen with credits from a show's ending across the screen. Growing even more frustrated now by this young woman seeming to be leading them on a meaningless trip, the Doctor turned to Ember, shooting her a look of annoyance.

"Why did you bring us here?" he questioned her crossly. "What does any of this have to do with Wanda?"

"I thought it might help seeing it. Especially since I don't think you would have believed me if I just told you," Ember replied, standing her ground firmly against the irritated Time Lord. He stormed right up to her, towering over her once more.

"How do I know that you're just here to send me on a goose chase, hm? How do I know that you're not keeping Wanda captive somewhere, hurting her in some way?" he growled.

Ember scoffed in disbelief. "We would never hurt her!"

The Doctor jabbed her in the shoulder. "Enough with this 'tour,' I want you to take me to my wife, _now_. Right now!"

"Doctor," River spoke up evenly, slowly as she and the other two companions stared at the telly in the window, completely stunned by what they were seeing. She tapped the Time Lord on the shoulder to get his attention.

"Not now," grumbled the Doctor, pushing the woman's hand away as he continued on with his anger towards Ember. He pointed a finger right up to Ember's face. "Tell me, who—?"

"Doctor, you need to see this," Amy added in.

"In a minute!" retorted the Doctor, not bothering to look over his shoulder as he kept fixated on the Oswin double in front of him. "Who sent you and why—?"

"No, Doctor, you _really_ need to see this," spoke up Rory this time.

"Agh! What?!" shouted the Doctor, turning around to his companions.

"It's us," River said, glancing at him and then nodding to the window from of her. With a deep frown forming on his face, the Time Lord looked to see what exactly the three were talking about. Rapid blinking was made by him at the sight he saw.

"I've got Easter Island," he watched himself say on the telly, holding a black journal filled with notes on adventures he had taken.

"They _worshipped_ you there," River on the black and white screen practically purred as she leaned on the table she and the Doctor on the telly were sitting at. The woman on the television smirked cheekily. "Have you seen the statues?"

The Doctor, outside of the television, walked up closer to the window of Magpie's shop, in complete disbelief of what he was seeing. He recognized where the people on screen were at. It was the diner in 2011, Nevada, where he had brought everyone to come meet him before he faked his own death. He continued watching as the Doctor and River on telly laughed about Jim the fish. Then, Amy and Rory slid into the picture, sitting across from each other next to the time travelers.

"Sorry, what are you two doing?" Rory on screened asked.

"They're both time travelers—," television Amy explained.

"—so they never meet in the right order," Amy outside the shop said alongside her counterpart on the telly. The ginger blinked, shaking her head slowly as she kept her eyes glued to the screen. "This is just . . ."

"Bizarre," Rory finished for his wife as he saw himself listen to the Doctor on screen as the Time Lord began his speech of needing help. Facing his 'death' had been the underlining message that day, but Rory on screen seemed obvious to the truth that current Rory knew now.

"Was someone recording us that day?" Amy questioned, becoming concerned by the idea of people following her and the rest around in such a way.

"I don't think so," River stated, shaking her head as her brows furrowed. "Something's not right. Doesn't it seem . . . off somehow? Like something's missing?"

"Wanda. She isn't there," said the Doctor in a low tone. He only just noticed a moment ago, realizing that his Wanderer had not been right next to him as she had been. The companions around him frowned.

"That's right. Second Wanda had been there with us," Rory commented, pointing to the screen where Amy and the Doctor sat next to each other talking. "She had been sitting right there. Why doesn't it show her, too?" They all stared at the telly in surprise when the screen suddenly cut to a musical intro. With a swirling storm of some kind surrounding a flying TARDIS that kept getting hit by lightning for a bit before a title shot across the screen, reading: _Doctor Who_.

"Is . . . is this some kind of television show?" Amy spoke up first, turning to the quiet Ember who watched them all patiently.

"Yes. Isn't that obvious?" Ember responded. She nodded to the telly. "These are Classic Episodes. That's why the Wanderer isn't there." Walking to the shop's door, she opened it for them, nodding into the building. "Come on, there's more to watch."

The group stepped inside the shop, seeing the walls lined with all kinds of televisions from different eras of Earth's history. Some from the past, others from the future. A few were holographic even. But all had the same show playing, though with different people on the screens.

"Well, I might just have something to say about that, Spaceman," they saw Donna Noble on one sassing the Tenth Doctor while they stood in the middle of the streets in Pomepii, shown on a holographic projection.

"Rose! I've just remembered! I can dance! I can dance!" they watched the Ninth Doctor say while doing a jig for a bit before grabbing the hand of Rose Tyler and beginning to dance with her around the TARDIS. This moment being shown on another black and white telly.

"You see, this is what happens when you travel alone for too long. Well, listen to me, Doctor. We can't be like him. We have to be better than him," Amy on one flat screen was saying to the Doctor at Mercy, Navda.

"Would you like a jelly baby?" the Fourth Doctor said to a man while grinning on a television in the corner.

"If you could touch the alien sand and hear the cries of strange birds, and watch them wheel in another sky, would that satisfy you?" the First Doctor retorted at Ian in the centre of the many tellies.

"This is too weird," Rory muttered beside the group while they took in the sight of all the different screenings of the Doctor's life. Both recent and past, there was so many images of the Doctor and his companions flying by for them to watch. It was like a documentary, but with dramatic music playing during scenes for show.

"It can be a bit weird at first, seeing yourself and all. But once you get used to it . . .," Ember shrugged as she stood in the centre of the room, arms crossed as she watched a few screens. She looked over her shoulder towards the counter. "Magpie, did you make sure to only show older episodes?"

"I've prepared for their arrival. No spoilers here," said an older man behind the counter. The Doctor glanced over, seeing that it was indeed the same Magpie that he had met during 1953. The Time Lord did not even bother allowing himself to be surprised by the sight. It was occurring so often now that it did not even faze him anymore.

"If this is supposed to be a show of my life, then where is Wanda in my recent years?" he questioned aloud, intently watching a television that showed him as his Tenth self running with Rose away from something or another. No Wanda to speak of at all as he knew that she should have been there.

"The Wanderer is in the New Episodes," Magpie answered politely, stepping around his countered and walking over to them. He grabbed a remote from a shelf below one flat-screen telly. "Here. I think I can set up a comparison viewing." A certain number of screens changed, showing them familiar moments they had in the past with Wanda. Even some events that the companions had not been there for.

"So the show without Wanda, is that some kind of—?" River began to ask.

"Alternate timeline? Yes," Ember explained immediately.

"Alternate . . . timeline," muttered the Doctor quietly.

The Doctor found it interesting in seeing the changes of one show over the other. Two images in particular stood out from the rest. The first was of him and Third Wanda at Amy and Rory's wedding. It showed the two Time Lord's dancing, smiling away so softly at the other as they swayed around the room, looking similar to that of what Amy and Rory were doing. Then, to the side of this showing, he saw the alternate of himself standing in the corner of the reception room, alone, watching Amy and Rory in their own loving dance, as this Doctor had almost a sad smile while gazing at his companions. The second difference he spotted was that of the moment of his wedding. One had him and Second Wanda kissing (as they should, of course), while the other had him and River sharing this embrace happily instead. It made him shiver for a bit, knowing he was not going to get this image out of his head anytime soon. In the corner of his eye, he saw River had a similar reaction at seeing herself on screen kissing the Time Lord. And the more he watched the different events on screen, the more it began to dawn on him. River seemed to realize it, too, as she looked at the Time Lord quickly.

"Doctor, you had said it all those years ago, remember?" River said, waving a hand out to the screen. "Wanda's show. This is it. This is what she had been watching."

"Wait . . . if this is the show Wanda had watched, then . . . does that mean . . .," Amy affirmed slowly, hesitant to even say it as the idea was beyond bizarre.

"No. We—we can't be . . . Can we?" Rory reacted in shock, his mouth opening in astonishment.

"But, think about it, it makes sense," River countered, she walked up, pointing at a screen that had a moment with Martha and the Tenth Doctor during Shakespeare without First Wanda. "The show. The people. The town. We're in—."

"We're in Wanda's world," breathed the Doctor as his eyes grew wide in shock. His mind did not wish to believe it. It had been in denial since they arrived there. But it was true. He realized that now. He, River, Amy, and Rory all looked at Ember in a daze, seeing how the Soufflé girl smiled back knowingly. Even Magpie smiled in understanding to the stunned expressions of disbelief of the group.

"Welcome to the world of the Wanderer," Ember and Magpie greeted in unison.

XxXxXxXx

So . . . what did you all think? Good? Bad? Horrible? Please let me know what you think in a review so that way I can do better in the future for you all. :)

Reviewers:

 **grapejuice101** : I'm very, very sorry. :( Our only hope now is that Wanda is all right. Please let me know what you think of these next chapters to come. I hope they're good.

 **TheGirlWhoWept** : I felt the same thing when the chapter was written up. :( You have no idea how much I've cried with all these chapters coming up. Again, in advanced, I'd like to say sorry. Please don't die on me. Because there's probably going to be more crying for the both of us. The perception filter did work, it just . . . couldn't stop that moment of time from happening. Not ever. *sigh* Welp, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Even if it is all just leading up to more sadness. Take care!

 **All The Stories Are True 24601** : I know, I'm the worst. But I'm glad that you still liked it. Even if it is rather cruel. Suppose you can call it a Midwest accent. Not sure either as I don't notice it but my friends and family say that's what I sound like. Or rather that I sound like Donna when I get angry. haha. Cool fact! Until next time!

 **Stephanie** : I know, I really am. But you're right, always meant to happen. Nothing could have prevented Ember becoming lost to us. Oh, Wanda. It breaks my heart just thinking about her. I suppose we'll find out why Eleven and others were sad. Though most likely, yes, it was because of this reason. It always takes something horrific to happen to remember lost memories of horrific things. No matter what, this was meant to happen. :( I hope the rest of these chapters are still good because it's going to get rather, um, crazy from this point. I hope it will at least be believable coming from the Whoverse and all. Aww, thank you! But really, it was because of all of you that this story turned out so good. :) Happy Woman's Day!

 **bored411** : Well, that's really just another mystery all together. But I'll just keep saying spoilers. Don't want to ruin things for you. :) Yes, that really was the worst day for her. And it's only going to get worse from here, unfortunately. :( Until next time!

 **FictionalBoysAreBetter** : I feel you on that. Yep, she remembers. Everything. You might want to keep a whole stack of tissues ready, then, because things are just going to keep getting worse from here. Glad that things are working for you now though! That's good to hear. :) But I'm so sorry. Though, so glad you still like me. Hope these chapters will still be enjoyable for you. Take care!

 **silverhawk88** : Ah, Aleena. The great mystery still just out of our reach. Yep, this is the reason why everyone was so sad. It's only going to get worse from here. :( Again, so sorry. I hope it will be a good read at least.

 **Silently Resigned** : It could be, or it could not be. But yes, this story isn't really going to end 'happy.' Though I do enjoy happy endings it's not really always what most people consider 'happy'. Usually, I just like things to end on a positive note. Not everyone has to live. Just has to have a window of light for a possibility of there being hope for the future. It's why I enjoy the show so much, really. :) It truly will change Wanda forever. She won't be the same person, but she won't be entirely different either. We'll just have to wait and see what becomes of her. Hope you will like how it all ends and to see you again in the future! Take care!

 **katraj0908** : I'm sorry. :( But the reason why the Doctor never thought of something like that happening because of assuming Ember would have been born in his future. He never thought of something so horrible happening to his daughter. No parent would.

 **Wyvernhandler** : I know. I'm sorry. :( Maybe. Or else the stress she felt was so great that it finally began effecting Ember. Oh yes, Alpha is beyond pissed. We'll see how the Master will be when they finally meet again. Hope you enjoyed the new chapter! Take care!

 **swimmjacket** : Yep, the Master ruined so much for them. Both their child and now Wanda's mind. :( I hope you enjoyed the new chapter at least. Things are just going to get more crazy from here I'm afraid. Hope to talk to you again soon!

 **4EverFallen** : I feel you there. I love to suffer, too. haha. Also have done that before in the past. Sometimes it's just hard to get time to write for your stories. I'm certain you'll get back your story soon though. And I bet it will be even more brilliant than this one. :) Hope you enjoy and to see you again in the next update!

 **Guest(a)** : So glad you're enjoying it so far! Hope the enjoyment continues through the rest to come. :)

 **Authora97** : I'm sorry. :( There's still more to come, too. Hope that you'll be able to forgive me once it's all over.

 **alwaystherereading** : I'm so sorry. :( Nothing could have stopped this from happening. Nothing. Yep, much, much more backstory. We're finally going to learn who and what Alpha is, and of Wanda's past. Nope, no resetting. What is done, is done. No going back. The Day of Sorrow has only just begun. Things are going to get much worse and crazy from here on out. We are friends! I'm just the friend who always seems to make everyone suffer. *sigh* Probably because I secretly enjoy suffering when it comes to stories and shows. But I hope it will still be a good read at least. And that you have a fantastic day/night. :) Take care!

 **Momochan77** : Always for a reason, yes. And oh, do we ever got Alpha to deal with. She is beyond pissed at the moment, but that's spoilers for now on how she's doing. ;) See you next time!

 **Guest(b)** : Glad I'm doing a good job at making people hate me. lol ;) Hope you like the new chapter!

 **QuirkyKim** : I'm so sorry. :(

 **normandy1701** : Sorry. haha. They are my guilty pleasure. That, and suffering. I love to suffer when it comes to stories and shows. Though I suppose that shows now, doesn't it? Hope you enjoyed the new chapter!

 **X-Lisa-Anne-X** : I'm so sorry. :( Ember is now lost to us. Since it happened before the paradox machine was set, there is no turning back time for Wanda or anyone else. Again, so sorry.

 **LegandsOfTime** : I'm so, so sorry. :(

 **AGBreads** : haha. I don't blame you there. But glad to know that I'll still get to see you around. :)

 **Isanxd** : It really was emotional. Especially more so with finding out what happened to poor Wanda. :( No one deserves something like that to happen to them. No one. And it's only going to get crazier from here. I hope it will still be a good read, though. And that you have a wonderful day/night. :) Take care!

 **NerdWithAPencil** : I feel you. Just poor everyone. :( I cried as well. If you need any spare tissues, just let me know. I'll send you some. Keeping my fingers crossed that you'll still enjoy the rest to come. Even if there might be more crying involved. Take care!

 **heroherondaletotherescue** : I know. I feel the same way. :( Cried so much when these chapters were written up. ;-; Oh, yes. There will be hell to pay for the Master. Though from who, that still remains to be seen. Glad you still enjoyed it though. Hope this one was just as enjoyable to read. :)

 **Guest(c)** : I know, I'm the worst. :(

 **Whovianeverlark17** : I'm very sorry. :( Welp, it's probably just going to get worse from here. So I'll make certain to pay for all the therapy. I hope that the future chapters might soothe us all. Though I doubt it. :( Again, very sorry. But I hope your day/night will be fantastic at least. :)

 **ramble-on-melody** : I'm so sorry. :( I know, I'm the worst. I don't think any of us were ready for _that_. Glad you still like me and the story though. :) Can't post every day, but I will try to be very consistent with the updates. Hope that you'll still enjoy the rest to come. Take care!

 **HMM** : I know. Poor Wanda. Poor Doctor. Poor Ember. And just everyone else, too. :( I hope that you'll enjoy the new chapter. It's going to get crazy from here.

Thank you so much everyone! Let's all have a box of tissues with us for the next few chapters to come. Things are going to get . . . sorrowful.

~Tinker~


	50. Ch 50: A Wanderer's Creation

Surprise!

Thought I'd give you all the next chapter as a nice surprise for being so awesome. So, things are going to get possibly very confusing with this chapter. If anyone does not understand things because I messed up in conveying it all, please don't hesitate to send me questions through PM or a review. I'm always happy to answer any and all questions. :)

XxXxXxXx

Chapter 50: A Wanderer's Creation

"Slow down, would you?" Ember called out to the rushing group, trying to keep up.

The Doctor led the way with River, Amy, and Rory swiftly walking after him. They mostly were just following the Time Lord, uncertain on what he was going to do next. The moment they had realized where they were and what this world was, the Doctor stormed out of Magpie's shop in a rush. Leaving the others confused by his sudden departure for a moment before the companions and current tour guide went after him.

"How can this be real? How can any of this be real?" the Doctor began ranting quickly, stopping in the middle of the street as he took in the sights around him. The mixture of the architect in buildings, all from different time periods of Earth. The countless of faces from his life, even those whom he had not really known all that well. The technology, all jumbled together as he saw either electronic devices from the far future or the far past. Even a few androids were seen walking around, doing daily activities. All of this . . .

"All of this is impossible," he breathed.

"Yet it's here," Ember said as she walked up beside him, staring at him carefully as if worried he might break down or something.

"How?" the Doctor asked her. "How are you all . . . alive? How does this place exist? All this time of Wanda talking about her world, I always assumed that—."

"That she made it up?" Ember responded, eyeing him sternly.

"That she dreamt it up," clarified the Doctor evenly. "I thought maybe it might have been a dream she created when going through her past . . . A way to cope with everything. I never believed that this place would have ever existed."

Ember sighed, gazing around with him. "She did dream it up in a way. Her dreams made it real. Made us real."

"I don't get it, though," Amy spoke up, stepping up to Ember. "I get that it's real. But if Wanda lived here, wouldn't she have remembered people here being the same as people from our universe?"

"I did say she dreamt it up," Ember replied, shifting on her feet as it began to become uncomfortable for her to answer so many guarded questions. "I . . . don't know how to explain it. Shelly would, though. She'd know what to tell you."

"You said that name earlier. Shelly," the Doctor said suddenly, snapping his fingers as he pointed at the Soufflé girl. He was about to speak, opening his mouth wide, then his face slowly fell as the name rang sharply in his head. He stared at Ember, who appeared cautious of him now, eyes widening in awe as he swallowed thickly. When he spoke this time, it was in a breathless whisper. "Shelly . . . She's here?"

"Yeah. She's here," Ember replied softly, understanding why he was stunned with a sad demeanour crossing over him.

"Shelly? Wasn't that Wanda's good friend from this world?" voiced Rory, staring at the Doctor in confusion as to why the Time Lord appeared so taken back by the mentioning of that name.

"Yeah," Ember answered him. "Shelly is the one in charge of . . . well, of everything, basically."

"Take me to her," ordered the Doctor, his voice low in tone. "Take me to her now." Ember let out an aggravated sigh, rolling her eyes as she walked around the Time Lord, heading down the street.

"I was doing that in the first place, you know," she retorted in frustration. "And stop bossing me around."

"He'll never stop. Trust me," River responded, keeping up more with Ember than the others were as they all followed along the young woman. River smiled and winked at Ember knowingly. Ember could not help but snicker under her breath.

"It's weird how much you're like Tina," Ember commented lightly. Then, she frowned in puzzlement. "Or is it Tina is like you? I'm not sure which is which."

"Tina? Wanda's sister?" River asked, glancing back to see the arched brows of the Doctor as he stared back at her. "Are you saying that I'm—."

"Replicated here, too, yes," answered Ember, beaming as she seemed to get a sudden idea. "Would you like to meet her?"

"Oh, I'd love to," River responded happily.

"No, no, no, no," the Doctor spoke rapidly, pushing his way between the two and glaring at them both. "We don't have time for _mingling_. We need to find Wanda."

"Relax. She's perfectly safe and sound. She's asleep at the moment, actually," Ember explained, patting the grumpy Time Lord on the shoulder lightly in reassurance.

"And how do you know that?" retorted the Doctor crossly.

"Because . . . it isn't raining," Ember replied quietly, her face falling as she stared up at the bright blue sky overhead. The others glanced up with her, their brows furrowing as they were puzzled by this statement.

"Hang on, I remember Wanda mentioning something about rain once," Amy brought up in thought as she recalled a moment with Second Wanda so long ago. "She said how it never rained in her world."

"It used to never rain," Ember explained solemnly as she kept her eyes on the sky, waiting for the white clouds to turn gray. "The sky she created was to give us cleaner air than what the world had before, and to give us a night and day cycle. There was never a need for rain since the world already had an eternal supply of water flowing underground in the town and in streams out in the fields. But now . . ."

They all looked up when the sunlight began to dim. The white clouds began to swirl in mass, changing into a dark gray as all of the rich blue was covered, leaving the day hazy in sunlight. A drop fell. Then another. Soon, there was a light shower sprinkling all around them. The Doctor, River, Rory, and Amy, did not think much of the rain itself, as it was merely (for the most part) typical rain. It was, however, how the people of the world reacted as the rain fell. All at once, everything halted. The people who were walking down the walkways came to an abrupt stop in their steps. The few cars that had been driving around slowed down and stood still in the middle of the roads. Others who had been in buildings slowly walked out of their homes or shops. Even more from the tall apartment buildings or skyscrapers opened windows and stuck their heads out. Every single one of the citizens of this strange world dropped everything they had been doing to stare up sadly towards the tearful skies over them. As though all were in mourning of some kind. Then, a second later, all continued on as though they had never stopped in the first place. Though, each one of them kept the same sad expression on.

"She's awake," Ember murmured sadly. The group beside the young woman glanced at each other warily, concerned by what they had just witnessed.

"Who's awake?" River decided to ask. "Is it Wanda?"

"Yeah," Ember mumbled, starting to walk forward once more, having them continue along with her. The rain went right on around them, with water trailing down their cheeks, wetting their clothes. "Whenever she wakes up, she cries. And when the Wanderer cries, Alpha makes it rain. It helps ease both of their pain, I think."

"Wanda's in pain?" the Doctor asked quickly, worried for his wife.

"I meant mentally, more than anything. We would never let her lie around in physical pain. Doctor Jones patched her a while back with a large batch of nanogenes when she first got here. So she's perfectly healed . . . physically," Ember told them.

"And mentally?" questioned the Doctor in suspicion. The woman did not answer him, remaining quiet. "You said 'a while back.' How long has Wanda been here?"

"Two months . . . so far," Ember replied quietly. "She stayed asleep for the first month. More like kept asleep by Alpha, really. But now, she keeps waking up regularly. Alpha puts her back to sleep shortly after each time, but I think it's getting harder for either of them to cope." The rain around them abruptly stopped, making them all look up to the sky, seeing how the clouds cleared, turning white once more and allowing the blue sky to appear. "She's asleep again. That's good."

"How is she being forced to sleep a good thing?" River questioned, outraged at the idea of Wanda constantly being put to sleep by some unknown person.

"What gives this Alpha person the right to do that?" retorted Amy, give as irked as the others as she crossed her arms strictly. The only ones who were not angered by this news were Rory and, surprisingly, the Doctor. Each male understood how beneficial sleep could be for those who needed healing. But, for the Doctor, in knowing that his wife needed such sleep, it only made his hearts twist in the fact that he was not by her side, helping her to heal from whatever pain she was going through.

"It's the only thing we can do," Ember defended, narrowing her eyes in annoyance at the two woman. "What would you do if one of your best friends or loved ones went through something like that, huh? Would _you_ let them stay awake in misery?"

"'We.' You keep saying that. 'We.' Who is 'we'?" the Doctor asked the young woman suddenly.

"She means us."

The group suddenly stopped short in the walkway when they heard a female voice speak up. A very familiar voice. None in the group had realized that they were getting closer towards the edge of the town. There were no longer any large, massive buildings. Or even large apartments. Now it was mostly only a few small shops and many homes with yards scattered around. Farther ahead down the way, they could see the smooth dirt road continuing onwards like before, with a few more houses down the way and many more fields of either apple or green grass. Next to them, they saw a doctor's office and a café placed together beside the street. The café had tables on the outside, with many people enjoying lunch together under umbrellas. Sitting at one of the tables outside of the café was a group of people sipping drinks together.

" _All_ of us," continued the one woman who spoke up from the group. Tina, the replicate of River Song in the pocket universe, smirked lightly at the group standing across from the café. She sat there, wearing a black evening dress and matching pair of black high heels, looking her best in a very sexy manner, and having the very same physical features as River currently standing beside Amy. Beside her sat the double of Captain Jack Harkness, who wore something similar to what the Doctor remembered Jack from his universe having on. The old World War II outfit and military overcoat. Across the table from those two sat the pocket universe's Martha Jones in her white doctor coat, this world's Sarah Jane Smith in a 1970's outfit, and the double of Donna Noble, who had a very odd choice of clothing, with fingerless gloves, long, purple scarfs around her neck, a bright blue overcoat, multi-coloured shirt, bellbottom pants that were yellow, and a pair of goggles on her head as a hair band.

"Hmm, that's a good cup of cocoa there, Astrid," the Jack double commented after sipping his drink, smiling at the waitress who came over to the table. The Doctor recognized the waitress to be Astrid from the spaceship _Titanic._ She even wore the same waitress outfit as from the Astrid from his universe.

"I do my best," replied Astrid. The waitress smiled politely at those gawking across the street. "I can get you all a table if you'd like. I think this would be a nice spot to gather your thoughts before having to go help her."

"I'll get a table moved over for you all," responded Jack, standing up to go over to another empty round table, beginning to pull it over to be next to the other.

"Oh, no, let me, Jack!" spoke up this world's Donna in excitement, bouncing up from her seat. "I've been meaning to try out something." She pulled out a hand-held device that made many beeping and buzzing noises as she began fiddling with it. A multiple of colours lighting up on the device.

"Oh-no, not another experiment," groaned the Martha replicate.

"Oh, shush," responded Donna as she fiddled with her device. "I'm certain I've gotten the subatomic calibrated just right. No departicle escalation this time around." Aiming the buzzing device at the empty table and chairs, a wavy light beam shot at the objects. Then, once the light was down shining around the tables and chairs, she pointed the device next to the occupied table, making the same exact tables and chairs that she had scanned appear next to them. Perfectly aligned for the newcomers to sit.

"Lovely job, Doctor-Donna," Tina said in delight, clapping her hands lightly as Donna, or rather Doctor-Donna, gave them a silly bow.

"At least nothing exploded this time," teased the double of Sarah Jane, making Doctor-Donna roll her eyes. Jack came around the table, walking outside of the café section and over to the group still standing in the middle of the walkway. He smiled politely and held out his hand.

"Jack Harkness. It's nice to meet you all in person," he said to them, ready to make introductions.

"No flirting," the Doctor said, as though more of an automatic response whenever it came to being around the man. Jack raised a brow, frowning for a bit.

"I didn't think I was flirting," he responded, then smiled in understanding. "Oh, right. You're used to Captain Jack's mulitsexualism, right? Don't worry. I'm asexual myself, so not much flirting from me."

"Flirting is more of _my_ specialty," came the flirtatious Tina as she slid right next to Jack, hanging up against him as she smiled coyly at the Doctor. "I have to say, you're much hotter in person." The Time Lord's face heated up as he made a face of disgust.

"Oh, please, not in front of me," groaned River, shaking her head at her counterpart. Tina merely winked, grinning cheekily. Jack cleared his throat awkwardly, stepping forward to shake the newcomers' hands strongly.

"Don't mind her. She flirts when she's worried. It's a good distraction for her," Jack told them as he shook hands. He stepped back, nodding to the table. "Please, we'd really like if you'd join us." The companions all looked to the Doctor for a response, seeing what he wanted to do. Letting out a long breath, the Time Lord seemed to accept the invitation.

"Why not. I have some questions, anyway," he stated, walking over to join the strange group of familiar faces. Plopping down in a seat next closest to Martha, he stared around at the people, folding his hands together as he observed the scene. River sat down across from him with Amy sitting next to her. Rory went to sit next to his wife, but the moment he sat down, the chair under him disappeared in a sparkling light. He fell in a yell, pulling himself up with the table in front of him as he stared at where his chair had been in disbelief. Doctor-Donna hummed thoughtfully as she looked down at her device in hand.

"Interesting. I think I need to adjust how much matter is needed for stabilization," mumbled the ginger woman as she sat down in her seat, fiddling with her device. Disgruntled that his chair had vanished on him, Rory moved over and grabbed another empty chair, sitting down without much more incident.

"Your name is Doctor-Donna?" the Doctor asked curiously once they had all settled at the table.

"Yes, it certainly seems like it," Doctor-Donna spoke up in delight, beaming away at the Time Lord. "I find that I am quite possibly a recreated image of the moment Donna Noble became part Time Lord within the Meta-Crisis state. Though, thankfully, it seems my mind is stable enough to handle such a Time Lord-like mind. No burning up just yet. Though it would be fascinating to see what sort of side effects I would go through in such an event. I'd have to take notes on that." The ginger woman pulled out a notepad and pen from her coat pocket, beginning to write down her thoughts in excitement.

"Only you would ever find it fun to watch your own mind burn," laughed Sarah Jane. The woman turned to the Doctor, holding out her hand kindly. "I'm Sarah Smith. Just 'Sarah Smith.' No 'Jane.' Didn't really think it suited me."

"Hello, Sarah," nodded the Doctor as he shook her hand. He looked at Martha Jones sitting next to him. "Did you change your name as well, or is it still Martha?"

"I just call myself Doctor Jones," replied the doctor who smiled lightly at the Time Lord. "Thought it would make things easier just to stick to a title." Nodding to the doctor, the Time Lord glanced over at Tina, who still smirked at him.

"And you're Tina, right?" he asked the woman.

"Correct," Tina replied smoothly, sitting back in her seat as she took a sip of her champagne. "And you're sexy-bow-tie-man. Glad we've gotten that covered." She winked at the Time Lord again, smirking when seeing him clearly uncomfortable by this.

"I'm Astrid, and I'll be your server today," the waitress spoke politely to the newcomers. "I'll just get each of you a nice cuppa for starters. Be back in a jiffy." She walked away, leaving them there to begin their discussion.

"Right, then, since you all know us already and we've gotten introductions out of the way," the Doctor began to speak rapidly, getting down to business, eyeing the strange group sharply, "do any of you care to explain all of this. I'm all ears." The pocket universe friends (expect for Doctor-Donna who was still writing notes) glanced at each other warily before addressing the Doctor fully.

"We can't really explain everything that you might want to know. But we can try our best," Jack explained to the Time Lord.

"As long as you hear us out, of course," Ember said, who was currently sitting down between Tina and Sarah.

"The first thing you must be wondering," Doctor-Donna spoke up quickly, beaming away at the Time Lord when she finally snapped her notepad shut, "is how do we get all of our supplies here. It would be the first thing that _I_ would wonder. Well, it's simple enough to explain really. It's the same principle of what my device here does. I call it Jumbly Bits."

"'Jumbly Bits' is how you get your supplies?" Rory interrupted in question.

"No, silly, that's what I call my device," Doctor-Donna laughed, waving her device at him. "No, no, the way we get supplies, such as clothes, cars, electronics, even nanogenes, is with this replicating nanos. They are like nanogenes, only they replicate anything non-organic of our desire. As long as we still have an object for them to replicate, of course. And they can repair things as well. If a building gets too old, the little nano-builders get right to work on restoring it. So we never have to worry about construct failures. But this is all non-organics, of course. If we want food, that's something we have to work on our own. Which we do just nicely. Have whole crops and irrigation systems, thanks to yours truly. And there are a variety of fields with their own climates. We've got tropical, moderate, continental, and dry. All of which came preloaded with all crops that we needed. Though not meat, sadly. There weren't any animals created. But I did manage to invent a meat substitute that I think works just as good." Doctor-Donna beamed, looking very proud of herself for the fast explanation she gave and from what she had accomplished.

"Basically, she created tofu," Doctor Jones said with a snicker.

"I did not invent _tofu_. It is a meat substitute," countered Doctor-Donna with a pout, defending her creation.

"There really aren't any animals here?" River questioned curiously, leaning forward as she and the other two companions of the Doctor were interested in how the world around them functioned.

"But how does—?" Amy began to quiz the people in the table next to them.

"Yes, that's all fine and dandy," interrupted the Doctor, holding up a hand to stop the companions from asking any more questions, "but how is this going to help me figure out what is _actually_ going on here and how to get my wife back?"

"You'll get her back. Trust us," Jack replied calmly, trying to ease the Time Lord who appeared ready to burst in his frustration of not having Wanda there already.

"Trust you? I don't even know you," retorted the Doctor, slamming his hand on the table.

"No, you don't," Ember replied evenly, sternly gazing back at the Time Lord. "But you can get to know us if you took a minute to try."

"And you have to understand, we truly are just as upset in Wanda's . . . troubles as you are," Tina stated curtly, tapping her fingers on the glass table as she too eyed the Doctor. "I can barely stand just sitting here, doing _nothing_. Do you know how much I've been trying to get into that damn room to see _my_ _sister_ but that stupid door won't even budge an inch! And Shelly won't do a bloody thing—!" Tina slammed her fist on the table, opening her mouth to begin yelling. However, she was stopped when Jack swiftly put his hand on her mouth.

"Tina . . . breath," he whispered gently. The woman closed her eyes for a second before letting out a long breath, seeming to relax. Nodding her head to show that she was all right, Jack looked at the Doctor and others. "We're all troubled by what's happened recently. _All_ of us. Not just we few here."

"None of us are at peace in what's been happening," came the voice of Astrid beside the new table. The Doctor, River, Rory, and Amy all looked at the waitress, seeing how she held a tray of different drinks for them. She held a sad expression as she laid the drinks on the table. "We're all connected to her, in a way. When she feels pain and sadness, then we feel a bit as well. Like . . . a telepathic connection. That's why you saw us all in mourning a moment ago when it rained. We can't help it. It's just an instinct for us."

"Shelly explained it's because of how we were born," Ember began to explain. "The Wanderer . . . she needed friends. She needed love. She needed a family. And that's what we became."

"All of us were created for what she needed," Sarah added thoughtfully, shifting in her seat as she crossed her legs. "She dreamt of what she needed, what she wanted. In sort of a . . . lucid state. Wasn't really aware of anything back then."

"But Alpha was," Tina spoke up, calmer this time than she had been before. "Alpha was very much aware. And . . . over time . . . she wanted to make Wanda happy again. So, Alpha, without really meaning to, I believe, created the very first home of this world. Then, came the sky and the plants in their own climate. Then, there was the village in its unsystematic order. And lastly, came the people for this world. For Wanda."

"We don't really think Alpha had planned for it," Doctor Jones added in with her own take on the situation. "Her powers of creation are sort of . . . unpredictable. Even for her. She's more used to destroying than creating. But as she saw the opportunity, she took advantage of it. Used the cracks in the universe to take bits and pieces of what she needed in moments in time in your universe, of the people through your timeline, Doctor, and she put in what she calculated what Wanda would need to live a perfectly normal life here."

"Cracks in the universe?" River questioned, frowning for a moment before blinking in realization. "Do you mean when the TARDIS exploded?"

"Yep, that would be it," Ember replied, popping the 'p' in her word. She sat there with her chin resting in her hands, staring the group of newcomers from the other universe while tapping her toes lightly together under the table. "Don't get us wrong, even though we're copies like Gangers of people, we're not _exact_ copies from your universe. As you've probably already noticed. We do have our own separate thoughts and feelings and all that."

"But you're forced to be 'connected' to Wanda, right?" Amy quizzed the other group. "Like . . . forced to be there for her? Is it kind of like forcing someone else into loving?"

"What? No!" Ember scoffed, glaring at that remark.

"They're more like implied thoughts. We don't have to feel that way if we don't want to," Doctor-Donna commented, smiling while she spoke. "They were basic imprints on us when we were first brought into existence. Basic facts in our heads on what we were in this world to her. Whether that be a friend, peer, guardian, teacher, doctor, neighbor, etc. Just something there to give us a head start on where we stood in this world. We don't necessarily have to follow in what's been put into our minds on how to feel about her. Some didn't at first because of anger or confusion on how they came to be. But, over time, in each of our own way, we grew fond of her, or came to love her like family."

"I see her as a valued customer, myself," Astrid gave an example, smiling kindly as she thought about all the times Wanda would bounce into the café, eager to try something made by the workers there. "Which I need to take care of a few more. Excuse me." She nodded to them, walking away to continue her work.

"But how did it work, being 'created'? What was it like for you all?" River asked, extremely curious at this point.

"Simple, really. Atom construction out of the matter subparticles which Alpha used of the surrounding environment of the old vegetation, add a few bits from the cracks, a few bits from the people she wanted to make, a pinch of Time Vortex, and there you have it," Doctor-Donna answered brightly. "Each one of us became conscious right in front of her. Wanda would be there, smiling at us, as though we had always been there by her side, and she would talk to us as though we had already been having a conversation. Which, in her state of mind during those years, we had been to her."

"Either we pretended to know what she was rambling about, or we just stood there dumbly," Doctor Jones included in her own take. She gave a lopsided smile. "I stood there just nodding on that day."

"Then, Shelly would be there shortly after. Explaining everything to us once Wanda had walked away," Jack finished explaining. "We sort of already knew, though, on what was happening and who we were. Of course, we all had some main memories of our counterparts in the other universe. But, other than that, we were basically clean slates."

"Was Shelly the first one created?" Amy asked curiously. She and the other two companions were leaning slightly forward on their seats, finding all of this fascinating. The only one who was not paying attention much was the Doctor as he merely stared at his fingers tapping on the glass table in front of him. He stiffened, however, upon the mention of Shelly. Glancing over, he saw the uncertain expressions on the other group's faces.

"Shelly's . . . a different case," Tina explained carefully.

"And what about this Alpha character? Ember said Shelly was in charge, but from the sounds of it, this Alpha person is the real one in control of this world," River remarked, crossing her arms as she had some suspicion as to who this 'Alpha' was.

"Now that I think about it, haven't we heard you and Wanda mentioning that name 'Alpha' before, Doctor?" questioned Rory, making it so he, Amy, and River looked at the Doctor in interest, finding how the Time Lord had a hard expression set on his face. The others within the group of universe counterparts glanced at each other warily before Jack cleared his throat.

"Ember, I think it's time you take them to the cottage," Jack instructed the young woman.

"Right," mumbled Ember as she stood up. "Come on, you lot." The Doctor shot up from his seat, swiftly leaving the table as he had already been eager to get moving again. River, Amy, and Rory stood up slowly, as though wary to leave without receiving more answers. Jack met them at the walkway as he shook each of the Doctor's companions' hands in goodbye. The man had tried shaking the Time Lord's hand as well, but the Doctor did not notice as he began walking off after Ember down the way.

"It really was nice meeting you all. And I say that for all of us," Jack said to the companions. "It's good to know that Wanda's in good hands. We all wish you luck on helping her."

"And who is it we're supposed to be helping? Is it Wanda?" River asked the man.

"Well, obviously her, too, yes," spoke up Tina who did not really look at them as she swirled her drink around absently. "Good luck with Alpha. Hope she actually listens to you."

"Or Alpha might just combust everything around her," Doctor-Donna commented thoughtfully, tapping her pen against her chin. "It would be interesting to study the outcome."

Soon, the three companions, Time Lord, and tour guide were off again. Walking at a steady pace down the smooth dirt road, heading out of the main town as now the only buildings they saw were for farming. There were countless patches of land made up of just as Doctor-Donna had said. In some spots, there were jungles to the left of the road, with many kinds of tropical fruits growing and thick humidity that the group could feel blowing at them in the wind. Then ahead of the jungles, still on the left, were wetlands with many vegetables grown in pools of water. To the right of the road, were fields of wheat, corn, potatoes, carrots, lettuce, etc. The world around them truly did have its own support for itself when it came to food.

"And we don't have to worry about if there's a fail in our crops. Doctor-Donna already came up with a storage facility for all kinds of different seeds. So if we ever run into trouble, at least we won't lose a chance to grow certain plants again," Ember spoke up as if answering a question that the group behind her had been thinking.

"This is all . . . rather amazing," River stated as she gazed around. "I would have never imagined a place like this could sustain itself."

"I have to agree," mumbled the Doctor as he too were impressed. In fact, if he weren't so tense and worried about his wife at the moment (possibly even his unborn child if it were the right Wanda) then he would have been more pleasant and praising everyone around this world. He would have even liked to have explored it and see just how the people of this world were able to function in such normal lives. Though, even in his anxious state, he still had a few more questions. "So, Ember, is everyone here people from my timeline? Not just those I've known personally, but even many who I might have bumped into at one point?"

"Yeah, pretty much," Ember shrugged in response.

"But I still don't get it. Is everything here created because of that show? Was the show here to begin with?" Rory brought up.

"No . . . the 'show' itself was merely . . . sort of . . . You see, she saw the timelines . . . and liked one . . .," Ember let out a sigh when unable to really get her explanation out properly. "You know what? I'll just let Shelly explain it."

"You all seem very happy to just let Shelly do all the explanations," the Doctor muttered, staring carefully at Ember as he walked beside her now. Seeing how she refused to meet his eye, he felt as though something was not quite right with the person the people kept mentioning. "Ember, who is Shelly supposed to be in this world?" Instead of answering him, Ember stopped abruptly, making them all halt in the middle of the road. She looked at them, smiling as she backed up a bit.

"And this is where we make our separate ways. I was only supposed to walk with you to a certain spot, and we've just reached it," she explained to them. She pointed up to the inclined hill in front of them. A small cottage could be at the very top of the rounded hill. "When you get to the top, it'll actually make the town look like it's in a valley. It's really pretty, once you see it at night."

"What's in the cottage?" Amy asked.

"Not 'what.' 'Who,'" Ember replied, backing up away from them even more now. "You'll see soon enough. Just . . . be careful, all right?" She went to turn around but was stopped by the Doctor's next question.

"Ember . . . I just have one more thing in mind," he said, needing to know something important from her.

Ember turned back, smiling softly. "You're wondering why I have the same name as what you were going to name your daughter?"

The Doctor nodded. "Yes."

The young woman shrugged lightly. "I don't know why I choose the name. It just felt . . . right. Like I was meant to have it. But then again, anyone here will tell you the same on what names they choose or kept. And . . ." Ember stared down at the ground in thought before gazing back steadily at the Time Lord. "And I thought it might make her happy when this day came." She smiled grimly, sadness in her brown irises as she stared back at them. "Goodbye. As Jack said, it really was nice meeting you. I just wish I could have met Wanda, too."

"Didn't you know her like the others did?" River asked the woman, confused as she assumed every person in this world interacted with Wanda at some point.

"No, I was different than the rest when showing up here. Shelly actually found me in the woods not too far from here. Just popped out of nowhere. I don't even think I was supposed to be created, actually," Ember explained. She paused for a moment, humming in thought. "I always wanted to meet her, though. Being born like the way we are, we're kind of like kids in our first years. And seeing her, being all brave and adventurous on the telly . . .," Ember blushed and grinned lightly, "you could say I became a huge fan of her. She was my role model in a way." The woman laughed lightly, shaking her head. "Anyway, goodbye for now. I hope we might meet again someday."

Waving in farewell, the young woman turned and finally left them. It was a few minutes of simply standing there quietly, watching the woman depart from them, before anyone made a move in the group. The Doctor turned first, walking at a steady pace up the hill towards their destination. River caught up beside him. Then Amy and Rory next on the other side of the Time Lord. The crunching of dirt under their shoes was the only sound made for a bit before Amy finally broke the silence.

"So, in this world: River is Tina, Wanda's 'sister,'" Amy stated, still trying to wrap her head around the entire, bizarre situation.

"And everyone else is a certain 'character,' or has a certain position here, too," Rory remarked, as though agreeing with his wife in just how mental the whole day felt to them. Amy grinned lightly in humour, bumping her elbow against her husband.

"Makes you wonder who we are here," she joked. None gave her a smile back, seeming too focused on whatever they might have to face next. Frowning a bit, Amy turned her gaze to the Time Lord next to her. "What about you, Doctor? Who do you think you are in this world?" Not answering his companion for a second, there was only a brief contemplation made by the Doctor as he gazed around the grassy surroundings.

"I don't think another me is walking around in this world," he finally answered. "Time Lords . . . aren't necessarily welcomed by Alpha." River blinked upon hearing this, her brows furrowed as she looked at the Doctor.

"What makes you say that?" she asked him. "Wasn't that one man a face of your past?"

"Yes, during my time as a human," explained the Doctor, nodding to her. "He would be an acceptation to the non-Time Lord policy, I think."

"Then why does 'Alpha' not like Time Lords?" Rory questioned, confused as to why that would be. Again, the Doctor did not answer right away, staring hard at the cottage that they were slowly getting closer to.

"If my thoughts are correct, I think you'll see for yourselves soon enough," replied the Doctor lowly, his voice on edge of what they might come face to face within a moment. He was beginning to prepare for the worst. Bracing himself of things to turn gruesome or barren. But still, the day was sunny, slowly turning into evening with the sun lowering, and no sign of anything villainous around them. The companions sort of glanced at each other without the Doctor noticing, their brows raised in suspicion once more.

"Doctor, are you going to tell us who Alpha is?" River began questioning the Time Lord, strict in what answers she wanted to receive. "What are they to Wanda?" Once more, there was a long moment of silence from the Doctor as he appeared very much hesitant to tell them anything.

"There are . . . a few things that I might not have told you about Wanda," he said low in his breath. He glanced up, seeing how they were only yards away from the cottage now. "As I said, I believe we'll soon see just for yourselves on Alpha's presence."

The many patches of a variety of flowers could be seen scattered around the small home. The cottage itself appeared very old, yet new at the same time. Most of the structure was made out of a white-gray stone, with a dark gray, curved roof, and brick chimney on the side. Glancing behind him, the town appeared small in comparison from where they stood with the village's lights twinkling like stars.

"Doctor . . . I've been wondering, who are Wanda's parents?" Amy spoke up as they drew even closer to the cottage. "She talked about them all the time. Who could they be in this world?"

"I think you know the answer already, Amy," the Doctor said carefully as they saw a person crouched down in the front garden of the home. A woman, with her back turned to them, wearing a large sun hat and denim dungarees with long flowing red hair, was working in the garden, messing around with a row of sunflowers. The group came to a stop just a ways from the woman. River and Rory blinked in both shock and curiosity as they recognized the figure from behind. Amy's mouth slowly fell open as the woman stood and turned to them. Only the Doctor had not been fazed by the sight of the woman before them.

"Hello, there!" greeted the pocket universe's Amy. She smiled kindly at the group standing before her, with lines crinkling under her eyes in a kind aged face. The woman did not seem all that old compared to Amy in the group. Only by a few years or so in age. But still, the two women were identical.

"Are they here?" came the voice of Rory from the cottage. The door opened, revealing this world's Rory Williams. Just as the other Amy appeared, this Rory was a few years older from his counterpart. The man wore a plaid shirt, denim trousers, and had a bit of longer hair than Rory himself. The other Rory and Amy stood beside each other, facing the group with sad smiles on their faces.

"Hey," the other Rory nodded in greeting. "I'm Rory. But you probably already knew that."

"And I'm Amelia," introduced the other Amy, nodding her head politely. "Come on inside. We've already made some drinks for you." The couple turned together, going inside the cottage, leaving behind the group. Amy, completely dumbfounded, slowly shook her head as she looked at the Doctor for answers.

"Doctor?" she said as if hoping he would be just as confused as she felt. "Did . . . Did Wanda make copies of _us_ as her parents?"

"What did Wanda always say? 'Best parents in the universe'? Who else would she ever pick as her guardians?" replied the Doctor steadily. He walked into the home with River right behind him. Only Amy and Rory hesitated before eventually giving in to following after the other two. Inside the cottage, the first room they walked into was a small kitchen. Everything had a wooden surface of some kind, from the counters to the dining table to the cabinets. The cabinets had a light-blue colour to them. There were light-brown wooden carvings hanging around as decorations. Many of which either were designed in butterflies or flowers. The table had dark coloured wood and chairs that matched. The stove and kitchen utensils had an old, fashioned appearance. Even the cups Amelia poured warm tea into looked to be from the 1940s.

"Go ahead take a seat," the other Rory said to the group, nodding his head to the table while he grabbed a plate of biscuits. After glancing at each other, the time travelling group sat down at the table, watching as the couple from the pocket universe gave them all a biscuit and cup of tea.

"We know you didn't really drink Astrid's tea at the café, so we decided to give you a chance to have another cuppa," Amelia told them all kindly. She and her husband sat down across from the group at the end of the table, staring at them with sad, tired eyes. "We're very glad you're finally here."

"We didn't know if we could take much more of her not getting the help she needed," the other Rory added in. The Doctor noticed how the couple held onto each other's hands in a tight grasp, appearing very much uneasy and fretful.

"You knew we were coming and that we didn't drink our tea earlier?" the Doctor questioned carefully, raising a brow at the couple.

"We all knew this day was coming," Amelia explained.

"And what was going to happen in certain moments," added the other Rory.

"We've all watched it a hundred times on the telly," finished Amelia. The faces of the couple fell, turning solemn. "It was always painful to watch."

"So you all have seen ahead into Wanda's timeline?" River asked, curious as to what this world's people knew about Wanda's future.

"Of course," Amelia responded. "It's just as we've seen the Doctor's timeline in the Classic Episodes."

"Have you seen everything?" the Doctor questioned them carefully as his mind began to wonder if he could look into this 'show.' Maybe . . . maybe it might show him something he could use for future . . . points in time. He watched as Amelia and other Rory's faces fell even more, gazing down at the table.

"Up until a certain point. Then . . . it just ends," Amelia whispered.

"Though Shelly does think it might start up again soon in another season. In another story," the other Rory pointed out, nodding as though having some hope of seeing such continuation of the show.

"And I'm assuming you both won't tell me what is supposed to happen today or what happened to Wanda?" the Doctor asked, receiving a sad shake of the head from the couple down the table. Letting out a frustrated sigh, he sat there gripping his hands harshly together, glaring at the table in frustration. River, glancing at him, knew how he was feeling in only wanting to get to Wanda. At the same time, however, she felt like he was missing out on a huge opportunity in getting to know everything about this world. So, she took this moment to continue on in asking questions that she knew they were all wondering.

"We . . . have some questions for you both," River started, glancing at Amy and Rory who also seemed to also want some answers.

"Of course," Amelia replied, nodding kindly. "We wouldn't have expected otherwise."

"We'll answer all you want to know," the other Rory added. "Well, all that doesn't involve spoilers." Before River could move onto the questions she wanted to ask, Amy blurted out a quick response.

"Why, out of everyone Wanda could have chosen from, are _we_ , meaning you two, Wanda's parents?" Amy asked, staring the two people down the table up and down skeptically. It was still hard for her to wrap her mind around Wanda wanting her and Rory to be parents for her. Sure . . . they may have acted like adult figures for the Time Lady in her younger years. But . . .

"Aren't you and Rory already somewhat parents to Wanda?" Amelia responded, raising a brow at her counterpart.

"Of course not . . .," Rory countered, pausing when he felt uncertain about this, turning to his wife, "Right?"

"No," scoffed Amy, shaking her head. "Wanda . . . she's . . . she's just a friend."

"It may not have been the same in you two being motherly and fatherly figures to Wanda as you were to River as she grew up," spoke up other Rory. He waved a hand towards River, indicating back to the time when she was merely Melody to Amy and Rory during all those years growing up. "But you were parents to Wanda . . . in a way."

"We understand you both feeling confused and conflicted in thinking about that," added Amelia, smiling in understanding at Amy and Rory. "We were, and still are sometimes, not really sure on the whole 'be parents for Wanda' job that we've been given. In the very beginning of this world, we were actually the very first to be 'created.' Neither of us was certain on how to be parents for her, or even if we should at all. We weren't even sure who we _were_. We weren't exact copies of you two. Sure, we had your memories of your two's relationship and abilities, but it doesn't mean we still instantly felt those same connections."

"It took us a while to finally grow in love ourselves," other Rory explained. "In love with each other, and to learn to love Wanda as our own child. Because, really, in those first few decades—."

"Decades?" River asked suddenly, shocked by this statement.

"Oh, right, no one's explained that," other Rory said, shifting in his seat. "Ah, Wanda lived here for ninety-five years before she sort of wandered away. Time here runs about the same as Earth time, too. So we keep up with Earth calendars and all that." The companions were stunned by this information, shocked to see the other Amy and Rory in front of them to not appear to be the age they were supposed to look like. The Doctor, on the other hand, was not all fazed by this news.

"So you don't age as normally as normal humans," the Doctor more or less concluded in thought.

"More like we didn't age at all during those ninety-five years," Amelia explained. "Shelly thinks Alpha might have been influencing how time affected us during the beginning. We were all stuck in the same age when we were born, and we couldn't really get sick, or die, or have children. Anything normal, really. Though, the moment Wanda left, about six years ago, that's when we finally started to age and when time sort of started for us all." Amelia smiled, pointing at a few light grey strands of ginger hair on her head. "Look. I've even gotten gray hairs recently."

"And my back has been killing me lately," other Rory laughed. Amy and Rory across the table looked at each other with raised brows, bewildered in how their counterparts could seem so excited about growing old. Then again, it might be a bit understandable from being stuck in the same age for decades. Other Rory continued onwards from his earlier explanation after clearing his throat. "So, in those first few decades, our roles were sort of seen as something we just had to do. Not something we really wanted to do. Wanda in those first years . . . she was so broken. Not only in body and spirit but her mind as well. From her memories being erased, she had to learn everything again."

"She was like a child," Amelia finished for her husband. "She didn't know how to read, or talk, or really walk, or anything. And she was so terrified of everything, too. God knows how often she would end up hitting us if we tried to touch her, or how often she would have night terrors every day, screaming every hour whenever she'd have a relapse. Neither one of us knew how to take care of her in such a state. But . . . over time, we just grew into the roles. The more she healed, the more we came to love her."

"She's our child. No matter how it seems. No matter how it started, or how messed up the whole situation might be. She's our daughter. Just like Tina is, too," affirmed other Rory. Then, as he held a firm gaze with Amy and Rory across the table, both the man and woman from the pocket universe grew soft smiles. "And we are very grateful for what you both have done for Wanda."

"Us? What did we do?" Rory questioned skeptically.

"We helped Wanda grow up," said Amelia.

"We gave her the childhood she never had," added other Rory.

Amelia smiled as she continued on, "But you two . . . you helped her grow into adulthood. You both played a part in who she is today." The mother turned to Amy. "Amy, remember that time, not too long ago, when Wanda was sick in the morning while pregnant. You were the one holding back her hair for her from the toilet, then afterward you made her warm tea and gave her some biscuits, telling Wanda stories of all those times you remembered your own mother doing that for you when you were little."

Other Rory turned to his counterpart, stating, "And, Rory, when Second and Third Wanda were both confused on how romance could work, or even wanted to know more about being an adult, you gave her all those books for her to learn from. Heck, you even read through most with her, explaining things to her like a nurse would. Like a dad would."

"You both have done even more than that for her. Things that any parent would for their child."

"And we thank you, really thank you, for being there for her as parents when we couldn't."

Amy and Rory were stunned, to say the least. They glanced at each other, seeming to silently think about what they had done for Wanda, and what she had done for them, over the many years they spent with the Time Lady. Rory cleared his throat as he and Amy looked back at the soft smiling couple, replying, "You're welcome . . . I think. So, ah," there was a pause as Rory tried thinking of something else to say, "when you say you're not exactly the same as us, what do you mean?"

"Well, you've seen for yourself how people of this world can be a bit different. For us, we think there might have been a few . . . traits from Wanda's original parents," Amelia answered. "Even though she doesn't remember them, we think the few memories that she does have were sort of placed into us. Like, I'm really good at gardening."

"And I'm good at woodworking," other Rory said, smiling as he lifted his hand and wiggling his fingers. "I'm good with my hands, something that I think is a trait passed down from you, Rory, in being a nurse and all that. Though, I'm completely terrified of blood, so nursing wasn't an option for me."

"And what is Tina like? What does she do?" River asked the couple curiously. "I remember Wanda saying she went on adventures. That can't have happened here in this world."

"No, she stays with us and works in town with Jack. It was just another illusion of this world to Wanda," Amelia answered, gazing solemnly down at the table. "It was hard for Tina, for every time she came home from work Wanda would believe as though they hadn't seen each other in months. Tina kept having to come up with new stories to tell her to keep her from having a relapse from realizing the truth." River nodded with a hum. Then, she glanced over at the Doctor with a frown, realizing that, from someone who normally would be asking so many questions and demanding answers, he was being awfully quiet. He merely sat there, leaning back in his seat with his fingers folded in thought as he stared at nothing in particular.

"Don't you have anything to ask them?" River questioned the Doctor sternly. He shot a glance at her, then looked away, giving her a small grunt. Amelia smiled, leaning over to pat the Time Lord's arm kindly.

"He already knows most all of this. Right, Doctor?" the woman said to him. Feeling the companions glancing at him with demanding looks, the Doctor glanced at them then sighed heavily.

"In the past, Wanda explained most of what she had dreamt up. The world she had imagined for herself to forget of what had happened in her past," he whispered, voice somber as he stared at the table in front of him. Then he straightened in his seat, turning to the two adoptive parents of Wanda. "But I didn't realize when she spoke of her dreams that they would be real. I never imagined there be real people or a place of her wishes. Never would have imagined that I find myself here, either. Or what faces made up of Wanda's imaginary friends and family."

"I don't think anyone would have thought of this world possible," other Rory added, nodding in understanding to the Time Lord. The door to the home suddenly gave a loud slam. The Doctor and companions turned their heads quickly towards the noise. They all looked in surprise to see a young boy, possibly five or six in age, with ginger hair and freckles on his face. He was rather small, wearing a red jumper, denim dungarees, and red wellies. He carried a bag over his shoulder, clutching it close to his side while staring at the guests in the house with a wary gaze.

"Hey, sweetie," Amelia said brightly, walking over to pick up the boy (who had his arms out and open for her) and hold him at her side. The woman smiled at the newcomers, letting them see in astonishment just how similar she and the child were in appearance. "This is our son, Anthony. He was one of the very first to be born after Wanda left." Amelia looked at her son, smiling in encouragement. "Do you remember the people we told you that were coming? Your sister Wanda's friends from the other world?"

"Yeah," Anthony mumbled shyly, cuddling up his face to Amelia's shoulder as he peeked at the newcomers with one eye. "Sissy Wanda's helpers. Billie told me she saw them."

"Do you want to say hi?" Amelia offered gently. Anthony pulled back a little from hiding his face, staring very curiously at Amy and Rory, who sat there staring dumbfounded at the child. He waved a small hand at them, and then at the Doctor and River.

"Hi," he muttered.

Amelia smiled, patting her son on the back. "Why don't you go wait in your room for a bit? Your sister Tina will be home soon." Once Anthony nodded, Amelia sat him down, letting him run off into the cottage.

"You have a son?" the Doctor remarked curiously with a brow arched high upon seeing the sight. "Are there many children born here? I can't imagine there would be enough room for many in this small world if everyone started having kids."

"The world grows around us every day. It was so small in the beginning, but with each new person, the land expanded. Shelly even believes that the world might begin to curve and form into its own planet one day. It has something to do with what Alpha did with the cracks and the Time Vortex. Though none of us are quite certain on _how_ she did it. Don't even think Alpha even knows how she accomplished it," Amelia explained. Amelia and other Rory then shard a look, seeming to grow sad again before the ginger woman addressed her guests. "I think it's time for you all to meet Shelly. She's waiting upstairs in the lounge for you. You'll see the door already open. She'll lead you to Wanda."

The Doctor was up before Amelia even finished her statement, walking out of the kitchen and down the small hallway, disappearing around a corner in a hurry to get to his wife. The three companions glanced at each other, all equally frustrated by the Doctor being overly emotional and rude. The three stood up, nodding to Amelia and other Rory before walking towards the small hall. But they stopped when the Time Lord suddenly walked back into the kitchen, looking at the two adoptive parents of Wanda.

"Sorry, normally I would have loved to stay and chat. But, as you both know, I'm in a bit of a hurry," he said to the couple, trying to apologize for his rude behavior. After all . . . these two were technically his in-laws.

"Don't be sorry. We completely understand," Amelia responded kindly, smiling empathetically at him.

"And it was nice to finally meet our son-in-law," other Rory stated, holding a sincere expression as he and Amelia gazed at the Time Lord. Clearing his throat awkwardly, the Doctor nodded and turned back around, marching down the hall once more with the companions right behind him.

"'Son-in-law'? Now that's the most bizarre thing I've heard today," Rory muttered under his breath.

"Does this mean, since Wanda is sort of 'our daughter,' then the Doctor is our 'son-in-law,' too?" Amy mumbled with her husband. The husband and wife glanced at each other before shaking their heads quickly in dismissal to that notion. They saw how River was nodding her head to get their attention. The woman indicated towards the Time Lord in front of them, who walked so stiffly up the stairs, yet whose hands shook each time he lifted one up to grab the railing of the stairs to help him up towards the upper floor. The tension in the air was great as the companions felt, and knew, that the Doctor was ready to burst with emotions.

"Doctor," River tried calmly, hoping to keep him from becoming too emotional, "now I know you're worried about Wanda and Ember—."

"Of course I'm worried," gnashed the Doctor through his teeth as he stopped abruptly in the middle of the stairs causing the others to halt right behind him. "I'm out of my mind in panic at the moment. But I know that it can't be too serious . . . for Ember." He said this as though trying to convince himself that everything would be fine in the end for his daughter. The same as the companions were trying to do as well. "I already know what this day most likely is for Wanda. However, if anything had happened to Ember, I know Wanda would have told me."

"How do you know?" River countered with a shake of her head. "You know Wanda can't give spoilers to your life. You can't assume that if something were to happen that Wanda couldn't tell you."

"Do you think it was the Silence?" Amy questioned in uncertainty, beginning to worry that this day might be a repeat of what happened to her and her own daughter.

"They could have figured out about the perception filter and taken—," Rory began to offer in thought. But all three companions stiffened when the Doctor suddenly spun around, standing above them on the step and glaring down in fury at them daring mention such an outcome. The Oncoming Storm clearly there with them now as the turmoil the Doctor had been trying to hold in was bursting forth.

" _Nothing_ happened to Ember," growled the Doctor, his voice dark with his rage. "And if something had, then whoever dared to do such a thing to our child better run far and fast. I won't rest until they've known the true meaning of a Time Lord's fury and that _no one_ messes with the ones _I_ love." He then swiftly turned and stormed up the stairs. River sighed and shook her head, going after him quickly. Yep, over emotional again. But, at the same time, she completely agreed with him. If anyone dared go after Wanda, Ember, Amy, Rory, or even the Doctor, then River herself knew that she would make others pay just as harshly.

They finally reached the top floor of the cottage. It was odd how high the stairs seemed to go when on the outside the house only appeared to be two floors high. It must be bigger on the inside. The window on the left of the hall showed them that night had fallen. The large town down from the large hill did indeed seem to be settled within a valley, with soft glowing lights from all the buildings glittering in the darkness. To the right, the first door of the hall, in a sea of many doors, was open. It had a soft, yellow, flickering light casting on the wooden surface of the door. Warmth could be felt coming from the doorway as well, making it obvious that someone inside had a fire going. Approaching the door, the Doctor stood there for a moment, staring inside with a blank look. Then he chuckled in a humourless tone and shook his head slowly.

"I should have known," he spoke quietly before stepping into the room. It was small. Not really roomy. It mostly only consisted of a colourful sofa sitting across from a stone fireplace that appeared neoclassical French from the 18th century. A ticking clock sat on top, though with a broken face oddly enough. The Doctor slowly walked around the sofa, standing beside the fireplace to stare at the woman sitting on the sofa, lounging around in wait for them. The face of Rose Tyler stared calmly back at him, raising a sly brow at his presence.

"Took you long enough to get here," said Rose. She leaned back on the sofa, sitting her hands on her knee that was cross over her leg which was bouncing lightly in the air. She had on a strange outfit. Sort of jumbled and mix-matched like Doctor-Donna's had been and ragged at the same time. The whole outfit was dull in white and light-tan colours. Save for the black, holey leggings that she wore underneath a crooked, long skirt that hung longer on one side of her than the other. She had a tan, long vest over a long-sleeved, ripped up, white shirt. Her hair appeared in a mess as though she had been running wild through a forest, or maybe had a large fan blowing at full blast right into her face.

"We kept getting sidetracked," the Doctor explained evenly. He gazed at the fireplace, noting it looked exactly like Reinette's back when he had met the French girl. "Interesting fireplace you've got."

"Thanks," Rose, or rather Shelly, as the Doctor knew she would be called in this world, replied lightly. "Thought it might be ironic, given the circumstances we're currently in. Though, not ironic enough, I think." The girl glanced over towards the companions who walked slowly into the room, raising a brow at them curiously.

"Doctor, who is this?" River asked the Time Lord curiously, wondering why the man was talking to the young woman as if they have always known each other. She knew it must be this 'Shelly' that everyone kept mentioning, but River wondered whose face this woman might represent from the Doctor's timeline.

"Are your companions always so slow at things?" Shelly remarked offhandedly as she looked back at the Doctor. River immediately frowned at her while Amy and Rory seemed offended.

"Oi!" Amy retorted.

"I'm Shelly, obviously," replied the young woman with a sigh. "As represented through the face of Rose Tyler. Who else would I have picked to be the face of her best friend?" She glanced at the companions again, arching a brow even higher. "Really, who else?"

"The one face Wanda trusted most. Even more than me," the Doctor mumbled as he kept his cool gaze on Shelly.

"No, I don't think Wanda could have ever trusted anyone more than you," Shelly replied with another sigh, as though disappointed in this conclusion. "She didn't really trust Rose with everything, per say." Shelly stared at the Doctor with a pause, seeming to gaze right into his soul at the way she looked into his eyes. " _I_ , on the other hand, was someone who she trusted even before you. Someone she _loved_ before you." She smiled coyly, leaning forward while tilting her head as though curious for his response. "Now, can you guess who that is?"

The room remained silent as the Doctor stared back at the young woman with unease. River, glancing between the two, suddenly realized what Shelly had said. River looked at the woman with keen interest, speaking, "Wait . . . did you say that you picked your face? I thought Wanda was the one who made everyone here."

"I was here first. How could Wanda have made me if I came before she was even brought to this world?" Shelly replied, turning her even gaze to River now.

"Then who are you?" River asked, growing suspicious of the woman now.

"I don't know. You tell me," countered Shelly lightly, smiling even as she stared at River.

"But . . . you can't be," the Doctor spoke up, gaining the attention of everyone in the room. He stared at the blonde woman in pure disbelief, slowly shaking his head. "Shelly's . . ."

"Dead?" replied the blonde, raising a brow once again at him, as though waiting for him to say something else. After a long silence in the room, Shelly leaned back in her seat, folding her hands together as she stared at the fire. "I guess you could say, like Amy did for Rory, my soul was kept close by. I did not want to leave, and she didn't want me to, either. Her powers kept me around even after death, though she never realized herself. But you're right. I'm not really Shelly anymore." She stood up swiftly standing tall as she addressed the room. "I go by a different name now. For the Shelly I once was is long gone."

"What do you mean?" the Doctor asked carefully.

"I gained this form when I realized there was someone out there similar to me," Shelly explained. "I saw her in the future. Wanda's future. I saw what she would become, and what part I played in the making."

The Doctor appeared stunned for a moment, his eyes widening as his mind clicked at what the blonde was talking about. "You don't mean . . . No . . . Right, yes, I see. You gained a physical form that way, didn't you?"

Shelly nodded slowly. "Yes."

Looking between the two, Amy huffed and said, "Okay, seriously, what are you two on about?" Shelly straightened somewhat, turning to look at the companions with a thoughtful gaze.

"I suppose I should explain," Shelly replied, humming for a moment to gather her words. "You see . . . I was a friend to . . .," she paused, shutting her mouth quickly as though she had almost said a name she did not wish to say out loud, "Wanda, in the very beginning. When she and I were still Time Lords. We were together, through so much. We . . .," she glanced at the Doctor, suddenly seeming uncertain to say a particular word out loud, "were close to each other. But then . . . I died.

"I couldn't leave her, though," she continued on softly, staring sadly at the fire. "I just couldn't. I made her a promise, and I never break my promises. So, I stayed with her. Invisible, unseen. Nothing more than my lingering consciousness floating around her like a ball of energy, unable to do anything more except give her comfort from the shadows. Kept around in such a way because of the strong energy she had. As time dragged on, I began to sense . . . _everything_. Even more than she does." Shelly closed her eyes, as though letting herself sense all. She smiled softly for a moment then her face fell into deep sadness as she opened her eyes once more. "I sensed the coming time where she would explode into rage and destroy everything. I knew I had to stop it. So, peaking into her timeline, I saw what must be done.

"I left her behind, going into the future where she would be with the Doctor. And with a certain someone else. Rose Tyler. A mere human, but someone special who I knew I could use, as I saw what the human would do to save her precious friends. To look right into the heart of a TARDIS, absorbing the Time Vortex in such a way, how stupid can a person get? It was perfect, really. But I had some adjustments I needed to make. To keep her alive long enough so she wouldn't burn up right away on me, and to allow me to take control of her during that moment." She glanced cheekily at the Doctor. "You could say I might have . . . 'influenced' on how Rose felt towards Wanda. A little too much of my personality leaked onto her than I intended, but I worked with it. I guess you could say that was why Rose almost instantly felt a bond with Wanda. Rose took in a bit of me, and vice versa, I took in a bit of Rose Tyler. It changed us both, in the end. Then, when that moment finally came, I took control of her body utterly and completely. A lot like Cassandra would have done on New Earth.

"And . . . when that moment finally happened . . . I changed entirely." Shelly walked over, leaning against the side of the fireplace while she stared at everyone. "I gained a physical form again. It was mine of what I could do. I could have kept Rose Tyler's body, chuck her consciousness out. But," Shelly sighed heavily, "I couldn't do that because I knew Wanda wouldn't like it. And, truth be told, I sort of liked Rose, too. The human had spunk. So, I played the part I needed to play for her and even you, Doctor, on that day on Satellite Five. And when I placed out the message of 'Bad Wolf,' I also sent out another part of me back in time to the moment where I was needed. So when the Time Vortex was taken out of Rose, I could still live on in another form and place."

"And so, you came here, am I correct?" the Doctor asked her, keeping his hands clasped tightly behind his back as he stared at the entity in front of him. "You came to this world, knowing Wanda would show up."

"I came here because if I didn't, I would have disappeared into nothing," Shelly clarified, eyes staying steady with the Doctor's. "My form is nothing more than a projection from that particular moment in time. My form is made up of Time Vortex energy, and without that energy, I cannot live. This world, though small and weak in comparison to others, is the perfect place for me. It's surrounded by the Time Vortex, with even some of that energy flowing into the soil beneath us. This world keeps me alive and gives me enough power to send out other projections of myself to be seen only by those I want to communicate with. Whether this be through visual means or simply communicating through the mind. I can also keep track of certain timelines from back in the old universe, such like yours, Doctor. And, maybe, even a couple other universes."

"I still don't get it. What moment in time with Rose are you talking about?" Rory voiced in question, clearly at a loss. Amy was similar in confusion as her husband, though River seemed to suddenly understand what Shelly was trying to say. The Doctor gazed at the blonde in front of them, seeing how Shelly smirked lightly, her eyes glowing a slight golden hue.

"The moment of Bad Wolf," the Doctor said, his voice low as he spoke. "She's Bad Wolf. The one who came of Rose absorbing the Time Vortex."

"The one and only," Bad Wolf replied smugly, even giving them a small bow in cheek. "I mean, really, who else could have contacted you in such a clever way? Spreading messages through time and space? I figured you would have spotted my normal means of communication a mile away."

"You're the one who sent us the messages about Wanda?" Amy blurted out in disbelief.

River raised a brow, stating, "I have to say, I'm impressed."

"Thank you," Bad Wolf replied, graciously giving another bow. Then, straightening, she stared at the Doctor who still stared at her in disbelief. "Come on, you've got to be just a little impressed that I'm still alive and kicking."

"You're Shelly's consciousness, mixed into an alternate entity that came from Rose's mind mixing with the heart of the TARDIS. Of course, I'm amazed. But that doesn't change in just how . . . convoluted this all appears to be," stated the Doctor, voice stern as ever.

Bad Wolf scoffed lightly. "You say that as though situations in your life are not convoluted already."

"Not really the weirdest thing we've ever been through," Rory spoke up in agreement. The man cleared his throat when the Doctor sent him a side glance.

"So, tell me," Bad Wolf spoke suddenly, tilting her head in interest as she kept her eyes on the Doctor, "what have you gathered already of this world? You have that brilliant Time Lord mind of yours. What have you already figured out? That way I can fill in the gaps of what you're clearly missing."

Staring at the smiling blonde for a moment, the Doctor gritted his teeth, feeling frustrated in her trying to change the subject, but decided to move along. Yes, this person standing before him was somehow the entity known as Bad Wolf. Alive and seemingly in charge of this world around her. For the most part. He was certain that with Alpha around, she had the real say in what occurred in this world. However, there were still far more questions that had his mind reeling in what this all meant. The idea of Bad Wolf being a mixture of Shelly's lingering consciousness and Rose's human heart seemed bleak in comparison to what he wanted to know of Wanda and her past. Yes, he knew most of his love's past. But this only extended to her past in her memories that she showed him of Gallifrey and what had happened to her. The past of in between then and coming into his life, however, was still blank.

"For ninety-five years Wanda lived in this world," the Doctor began to list off in what he concluded a while ago from what they all had seen and had been told. "A world that I assume was once barren, with the only life being a large forest at the time or something like that. With her powers of reverting atoms into matter that can be manipulated to reform anything she wanted, just as I once noted when inspecting the dust of Cybermen she had destroyed, she used those cracks in time that were peeking into my timeline to take a bit of everything from my travels. Whether that be people or buildings or plants. Then, you, Miss Bad Wolf, once Wanda, or Alpha, was all done making this world, you kept her all happy and carefree. Completely in bliss of living in her own perfect, normal, dream. But things went wrong about six years ago, I assume."

"Nothing went _wrong_. It was just . . . time for her to go," Bad Wolf countered, shaking her head lightly. Her eyes grew sad in remembrance. "We all knew it was coming. We tried telling her advice that might have helped her. She was beginning to wake up from her dreams, you see. It was harder for Alpha to keep Wanda unware of what was around her as the powers grew . . . restless." The blonde leaned heavier into the fireplace, seeming to get herself more comfortable as she went on explaining. "See, Wanda can only stay in one place for so long until the buildup begins. Her powers build stronger and stronger from not being used. Time Vortex energy . . . it's not something any true physical form can handle or contain. It has to be 'leeched' in some ways. Travelling through time and space in her wanderings is the best way to do so. But, if she fought it, if she stays in one place too long, letting the buildup occur, then she would explode from the power. Not literally. More like . . . the Time Vortex would have leaked out of her in a fury, killing any around her until the buildup died down once again."

"You sound as if you've seen that happen before," River commented as she stared at the blonde in interest, becoming wary of the indications of Wanda's so-called powers. She, as Amy and Rory, already knew of the Time Vortex living inside of Wanda. They also knew what sort of power a person could have with that kind of energy. However, it still did not mean it was hard for them to grasp that Wanda, so small and sweet, could ever unleash such a force against others.

"I have. In the past. Though, not from Wanda herself," Bad Wolf stated. She glanced at the door behind the others, seeming to realize her time in speaking with them was soon drawing to a close. For now, at least. Closing her eyes, she sighed heavily. "I think . . . it's time for you all to move on. Wanda . . . she's waiting."

At that moment, they heard a piercing scream echo from down the hall. The Doctor sucked in a sharp breath, eyes widening as he recognized the scream. It was Wanda calling out for him. He rushed out of the room in a flurry with River right at his heels and Amy and Rory tailing right behind. Bad Wolf strolled more slowly out of the room, eyes heavy as such a weary expression crossed her face.

The Doctor sprinted down the long hall, feeling as though it kept growing as he rushed to the call of his beloved. A white door was open at the end of the hall. The cries rang from there as he heard Wanda's sobs from within the white room. Just as he finally reached the door, it slammed shut just as his outreached arm went to go through. He snarled as he slammed into the wooden door, ramming himself into it repeatedly in efforts to break it down. But it held on too strongly. It refused to let him through to the other side where he heard the weeping of his wife. Abruptly, the door changed from white to dark brown, crackling as it shifted into a different design. It turned from modern into ancient with Gallifreyan writing engraved across the doorframe. The cries of Wanda disappeared altogether, making the Doctor stare at the door, stunned by the change. It did not matter to him in the strange occurrence, however, as he merely felt infuriated in being kept at bay from his wife. He turned and pushed past the shocked companions behind him, storming right up to the calm Bad Wolf.

"What are you doing?! I thought you said—!" he began to shout at her. But Bad Wolf swiftly held up a hand, glaring back at him.

"Did you really think Alpha would let just anyone get to her?" Bad Wolf retorted. "She's been keeping Wanda away from everyone, except for those few chosen. Doctor Jones when needed, and me. No one else. Just me. If anyone else tries to visit Wanda, Alpha puts up a test. To see if you're worthy enough to see her and Wanda."

"Alpha's activated?" the Doctor questioned tensely, fearing the worst if Alpha was in control of Wanda again.

"In this world, Alpha can do the same as I am. She can project herself out in a physical form . . . sort of. Think of it more like a ghost. This is her domain, after all. She can do as she wants without consequences to her body," Bad Wolf explained, walking around him in ease as she stood next to the door, facing the four. Her eyes held no emotion as she seemed to hold everything in. Her tone monotone as she held up a hand to the door. "This is the moment, Doctor. The moment of remembrance. The Day of Sorrow. The barriers are all loose, free for Wanda to remember _everything_. And if Wanda has to relive that hell," Bad Wolf reached over, turning the knob of the door and opening it, allow them to see what lied on the other side, "then so do we all."

The Doctor sucked in a breath, eyes staring at the doorway in horror while the companions gazed on in alarm. On the other side, they saw a war going on. People wearing tattered red outfits, men, women, children, were running, screaming in panic. Beams fired off by Daleks that chased after them. Soldiers fired back, seeming to be losing a pointless battle. Fires erupted everywhere around crumbling buildings. Ruin and chaos ran ramped in every sight to behold. In the middle of the chaos sat a little girl, with chestnut hair, wearing a red dress and cloak, rocking as she held herself, sobbing out for her parents. Acting fast, the Doctor marched over and slammed the door shut. The screams were abruptly cut off, leaving them in heavy silence. The Time Lord stood there with his head pressed to the wood, shaking as he knew what sight they had just witnessed.

"What was that?" River breathed, her voice strengthening as she looked at Bad Wolf with sharp eyes in demand. "What the hell was that?" Bad Wolf merely keep her calm gaze on the Doctor. He glanced at her in return, eyes wavering as he knew what that was.

"No. I'm not reliving that again," he whispered, as though pleading for Bad Wolf to help him find another way around this.

"I'm sorry. But there's no other way," Bad Wolf replied softly, appearing to pity him for what he and the others would have to face now. "Alpha won't back down from this. I've already tried to reason with her. She just won't."

"Then take them away," ordered the Doctor, pointing sharply at his confused companions. "Take them back downstairs. If I have to go through _this_ , then I don't want them anywhere near here."

"We're not leaving," Amy scoffed, staring sternly at the Doctor while crossing her arms. "Do you think we've come all this way just to let you do all of this on your own?"

"No!" barked the Doctor, turning to give Amy his anger expression. The Oncoming Storm trying to remain firm in his order. "I am not making you all live through that kind of hell. No one should."

"Doctor, you're going to need all the help you can get," Bad Wolf disputed, tapping the Time Lord on the shoulder to get his attention. "Trust me, they need to see this. They need to understand. Everyone does." The blonde held her golden eyes firmly with the Doctor's stormy green irises, staying steady in her stance. "No more lies. No more avoiding the truth. No more pretending that everything will be all right in the end." She patted him on the shoulder as she began to walk away. "We can't always live in our perfect, happy world. Sometimes, it's just time for a reality check." She waved over her shoulder as she walked down the hall and away from them. "See you in a little while."

They waited until the last steps of Bad Wolf receded down the hall. The companions turned to the Doctor, who held a hand up to his mouth as he stared back at them. Fully wary, uncertain, and conflicted in what they all had to go through shortly.

"Are you all sure about this? This isn't something for the faint of heart. Trust me, I know," the Doctor said slowly once lowering his hand.

"I've dealt with worse," River said in full determination, standing tall and at the ready. "I want to get Wanda back, so I'm ready."

"So are we," Amy agreed, nodding firmly along with a curt nod from Rory. "Time we get back our Wanderer, right?" Staring at his companions for a second longer, admiration was felt by the Doctor as he knew he could have never asked for such the perfect family. But his hearts weighed heavily on him as he knew what they had to pass through. He had seen this before, a long time ago, when Wanda reluctantly showed him. It was not something he wanted to relive again. But if it meant saving Wanda . . .

He turned, going up to the door and gripping the door handle tightly in a shaking grasp. Eyes brimming with turmoil, he swallowed dryly and said, "Get ready. What we're about to see . . . it won't be pleasant." With this warning given, he opened the door.

XxXxXxXx

I hope this was a good read. :) Please let me know if there is anything still uncertain about what is going on with the Wanderer's world and all that in a review. Again, happy to answer any questions you all have!

Reviewers:

 **Wicken25** : Aww, thank you! Love you and all readers, too! So glad you're enjoying it so far! Hope that it is all conveyed well. :) Also hope to see you in the future!

 **Key** : lol I'm sorry. Things are just got crazier in this chapter. Hopefully, you liked it at least. :) Until next time!

 **Crow** : Yep! They are going to be two parts and very long chapters. Coming up in the next update. I hope that you will like them. :)

 **normandy1701** : Yay! So glad you liked it! Hope you like this one just as much. :) Agreed, very much meta. Until next time!

 **Whovianeverlark17** : I understand completely. Hopefully this chapter was a little more enjoyable for you. :) I will always be here to help readers with anything. Can't wait to see you again in the future! Take care!

 **DanaBugg** : I know. I'm the worst. :( I hope that these chapters will make up for that somewhat. Have the most wonderful day!

 **bored411** : Nope. Definitely not good. Also, sorry if it was not conveyed well in the last chapter. This is actually a pocket universe where they are right now. Again, apologizes for any confusion. Hopefully this chapter helped with all that. :)

 **AGBreads** : Hopefully not was much confusion in this chapter. If you have any questions, just let me know. :) Always happy to answer any and all questions sent my way. Also, yay for sticking around! Can't wait to see what you think of the rest to come. :)

 **FictionalBoysAreBetter** : lol Glad I was able to surprise you. :) Sorry, it was always too late for Wanda in that moment. Also, sorry for more pain to come. :( So sorry. Just so glad that you'll still enjoy this story. Can't wait to see you in the future! :D

 **X-Lisa-Anne-X** : . . . I'm just going to say spoilers for now. I hope that you'll still enjoy the read until the end. Until next time!

 **Momochan77** : Yep. The origins of Wanda. Well, sort of. It's complicated. But you'll see soon enough on what that means. I hope that you'll like it all! Yeah, as explained in this chapter, Oswin just choose the name because of what she knew happened to poor Ember and Wanda. Sort of as a remembrance in a way. Hope you enjoyed!

 **NerdWithAPencil** : Yep! Hope the twist is good and believable. :) Hopefully it's not too confusing of a read. I know I'm not the best at conveying things like this. Yep, definitely total Alpha involved creation. Until next time! Can't wait to see what you think of it all. :)

 **grapejuice101** : Woot! So happy that you liked it! :D

 **Authora97** : Yay! I'm so happy to be forgiven! :)

 **TheGirlWhoWept** : Oh, most definitely. I cried like a baby and still am when I have to edit over the chapters. ;-; Especially cry when I see my readers so upset. I hate doing this to you all, but . . . fixed point in time. Nothing I could change about it. So glad you enjoyed the new update though! Hope that this one as just as enjoyable. :) The TARDIS just traveled there herself because she knew of where Wanda needed them. Though if she stays there too long, she'll be in trouble. So hopefully they can get to Wand soon. Until next time!

 **mjahappy** : So glad you liked it!

 **Miss Amarillys Ren Harasakai** : I hope I answer this correctly. My French isn't the best and I had the help of google translate which isn't really the best. Wanda is not lost. Just kept away for safety and because of fear of something else happening to her. Not certain about whether Wanda will be pregnant again. Suppose we'll just have to wait on that one. The Doctor . . . will find out soon enough. I'm sorry. Welp, I hope I answered all your questions! Take care and have a wonderful day/night. :)

All of you are amazing. Always and forever. *hugs*

~Tinker~


	51. Ch 51: A Wanderer's Memories (Part One)

Hello, everyone and welcome back to a new chapter!

I hope everyone has had a wonderful day/night recently. I know I have. :) This chapter will be a little different than what the rest of the story has been like. Mostly with the point of view of the character.

 **Warning** : Dark themes ahead in this chapter. There is child abuse/death and mentioning of suicide. Please read with caution if these topics are difficult for you. Though I will say all of this is still in the rated **T** range, so nothing too hard to read or graphic. I tripled checked to make certain this chapter and the next still counted in the **T** rating by fellow writers. That way there did not have to be a rating change. :)

XxXxXxXx

Chapter 51: A Wanderer's Memories (Part One)

I was scared. I was so scared. I've never been so scared before in my life. I did not know what to do. I was at a loss. There was so much destruction and chaos all around me. The screams of my neighbors made me shake and cry even more. The sounds of the gun fire made me quake where I was sitting curled up. I wanted my mummy. I wanted my daddy. I was scared. I wanted my parents to comfort me.

"Mummy! Daddy!" I wept as I sat there on the ground, holding my knees to my chest, hugging myself as tears rolled down my face. I kept screaming over the shouting, calling out to my parents.

The Daleks . . . they had done a surprise attack on the small outskirts of where we lived. My parents had fled in a panic with me in my mother's arms from our small home. I watched the house burn down from over my mother's shoulder as she ran. Then, I really did not remember what happened. Maybe the Daleks had hit my parents? Maybe mother grew tired and had dropped me on accident? Maybe my father had tried grabbing me when mother dropped me? I do not know. All I know is that one minute I was with them. Then the next I was on the ground, fallen as people rushed around or over me, leaving me in the middle of the streets, surrounded by fire and fallen buildings. There were also dead people on the ground around me. Lifeless eyes staring back at me in a glaze. I cried harder as I scooted away from the dead soldiers, men, women, and children. They were all dead.

I stood up and ran over to a broken stone building, ducking around the crumbling wall. I hid there, balling myself up to keep myself low and unseen by the Daleks passing by. Some flew. Most rolled down the streets, chanting their battle cry.

"Exterminate! Exterminate!" they repeated over and over again. I winced every time they called their horrid word. The way they yelled out in their high-pitched voices . . . it sent chills down my spine.

I was so scared.

The gunfire seemed to last forever. I did not know what to do as it went on. Then, as I sat there shivering in the cold night, wrapping my small red cloak around me and scoot my feet under my long scarlet dress, the noises finally died down. Sniffling, I rubbed my cold nose. Everything was just so cold. I wanted my mummy. Where was my mummy? My daddy? Why were they not coming to get me? Should I wait here for them? No, they might not see me in this dark place. I needed to find them. What if they were hurt? I needed to help them.

Standing up slowly, I walked around the broken stone wall edgily. Poking my head out, I saw no Daleks around. Good. I did not like those metal things. I did not like how they yelled. They were scary. They hurt people. Why did they hurt people? I did not understand. I knew that mother and father had been worried for a while now in the Daleks coming to Gallifrey. They talked about it in tense conversations almost every night in the family room. I did not understand much of it. I was never as bright as other children my age. But I knew that if my parents were scared and worried, then I needed to be as well.

Walking through the rubble of the destroyed buildings, scooting around the fires, I stumbled into an open area lay flattened by the Daleks. My eyes watered as I stared at the sight. Our small marble park, built similar to the one I had visited once at the Capital, had been destroyed. Bodies lay around the crushed flowers. The fountains were spraying a stream of water out as half had been ripped apart. No, not the fountain! That was mummy's favorite. I ran over, crouching down next to a broken statue, staring at its face. Why would the Daleks do this? The park had always been a fun place to play. Why hurt a place that was for fun?

I gasped and spun around as I heard whirling of machinery coming through the thick smoke of the fires around me. I backed up into the crumbling fountain, shivering and whimpering as I saw a Dalek coming towards me. It was different than the bronze ones I had seen earlier. It was black and much sleeker looking. It rolled right up to me as I sat hunched in fear. It was going to kill me! I'm going to die without mother or father knowing where I was! I closed my eyes tightly, whimpering as it pointed its eyestalk at me.

"Follow!" barked the Dalek in a deep voice. I opened my eyes, blinking in confusion at it.

"W-what?" I replied with unease.

"You will follow! Follow!" the Dalek boomed at me in order.

"But—but where's my mum and dad?" I responded, shaking as tears began to spring up in my eyes. "I want my mummy and daddy!"

"They are meaningless! You will follow or you will die!" retorted the Dalek.

I sniffled as I reluctantly stood up, shivering in fright. I did not want to die. I wanted to stay alive to find mum and dad. Maybe the Dalek would lead me to them? So, I followed the Dalek as it wanted. I shuffled my feet through the broken glass, stones, plant life, and such, going with the Dalek that whirled right through the area. It turned its head every so often, staring at me with its bright, blue eyestalk. It made me wince each time it looked at me.

Soon, I noticed a group gathered up ahead. It was about forty children with two other normal looking Daleks surrounding them. All the children huddled together, staring at the Daleks in fright. I thought it strange in how all of the children were around my age, through a mixture of boys and girls. I stopped when the Dalek with black armour halted, turning to look at me with its eyestalk. I gulped as it just stared at me. Why was it staring at me? Did . . . did it want me to join the group of kids? Where were mum and dad? Were they okay? My head was so wrapped in fear and shock that I could not think straight. I did not know what to do, so I shuffled forward towards the group. I just wanted to find some kind of comfort from others. Just being there, up close with the other children, eased me in knowing that at least there were others of my kind there with me. We all sort of pressed together, not really touching, but close enough that we could feel each other's warmth. I glanced at the others around me, wishing that I knew some of the faces. A familiar face would have been welcomed. But I never went outside my home before. My parents had been too worried lately to let me venture, and I was still considered too young to go anywhere on my own. And now . . . I was without my parents for the first time in my life.

"Are all children present?" the dark Dalek with the deep voice asked one of the Daleks.

"All children of this location have been located and acquired!" responded the Dalek in the normal high-pitched voice.

"Commence transmission to Station Alpha!" ordered the black armoured Dalek. The Daleks circled the children, pressing in on us to make us into a tighter group. Soon, the Daleks began to glow, turning fuzzy in sight. Then, I noticed it was my vision. Looking down, I was confused in seeing my body sort of fading away. Was I dying now? Were they killing us? What was going on? I felt funny, lightheaded.

Then, next thing I knew, the burning town disappeared and was replaced by a dark brick place. All the children muttered in shock in seeing how we had been transported into another place. It was just as cold as it had been outside. Even darker than the night as there was no more fire to light the way. Only dim light was given by slim light fixtures placed with the ceiling above. Though the fixtures were spaced out so far apart from each other that it made it hard to see even with that small amount of light. I blinked, trying to get my eyes adjusted to the darkness as the Daleks suddenly had us moving again. The one darker Dalek lead the way down the hall while the others pushed at us from the rear. I shuffled my feet along, glancing at open doorways whenever we passed them. I saw rooms with strange tables, tubes, sharp tools, and other frightening objects within, with some adults walking around inside each room. I was shocked to see adults here. Were they captured like us? Were some from my town? Were my mum and dad here, too? But when I saw one of the tall adults in better light, I realized right away that they were nothing like the adults from where I lived. They were part machine. The one I could see clearly had patches of skin missing, showing the metal underneath. It had an eye missing, leaving a hollow socket left with a blue eye glowing instead. It wore ragged, tan clothing that looked like the washrags my mother used to clean the kitchen up.

I was not sure what these strange adults were doing here. Maybe they were the keepers of this place? It looked like it from the way each one bowed from the rooms as the Daleks passed. Like respecting their elders. Or . . . what had daddy said before? In the past, people would have bowed to their masters? Yeah, that was it. They were bowing to their masters.

I and the other children ended up shuffling into a large circular room where many more strange machines, bubbling tubes, tubes of liquid were at. It was brighter in this room as there was a giant glass globe in the middle of the room, whirling with massive golden swirling light from within. It was weird as the light seemed to pulse like hearts beating the more I looked at it. Like . . . the energy was alive. Could light be alive? It seemed silly, but it felt like it was. Then, the more I stared at the light, the more I recognized it. It was just like the light from the holographic stories mum always read me at night. The fairy tales where a Time Lady princess would get caught in the light by mistake, turned wicked by the bad light, and then was saved in the end by amazing a Time Lord prince. What had mum called the light? Time Vortex energy?

"Dalek Thay, prepare the energy insertion!" barked the black armour Dalek.

"I obey," said one of the Daleks that stood behind the group. It whirled around us, going over to the massive globe of golden light. It used its manipulator arm and began messing with the machines and equipment around the globe. The light within began to swirl massively, as though boiling away in excitement.

"Prepare the children!" ordered the dark Dalek.

"Yes, my Master," came the monotone of robotic voices. I looked over quickly, seeing a female and male android servant coming out of the shadows. They each grabbed two children, holding each by the arms as they began to drag kids away. The kids around me began to panic, staring at each other wildly, terrified of what was going to be done to us. I felt the same fear, backing away from the group as the urge to run heightened. A older, taller boy from the back of the group bumped into me, pushing past me as he stormed up to the front of the rest.

"You can't do this to us!" he began shouting at the leader Dalek, pointing a finger at the metal creature. "You've destroyed our homes, our families! Haven't you done enough?"

"What do you want from us?" whimpered another kid. A girl this time. The dark Dalek wheeled up closer to the tall boy, making me worried that it might kill him.

"You will be silent!" barked the Dalek. It looked at us. I shivered as its eyestalk gazed over me. "You are necessary for the experiments. You are now under our control."

"Like hell we are!" shouted the tall boy. "You're not doing anything to us. We won't let you!"

"Silence! Obey or be exterminated!" cried another Dalek, coming around from the rear and facing the boy aggressively.

At that point, I began to grow nervous when other older children began yelling at the Daleks, refusing to do as the metal creatures demanded. Then, the black armoured Dalek aimed its weapon right at the tall boy and fired. The older boy let out a scream of pain before collapsing onto the ground, killed in an instant by the Dalek. Panic set as other kids screamed, pushing past me to run away down the halls. I let out a terrified yelp when the Daleks shot their beams right around me, killing those trying to run away. One kid who had been unmoving and standing beside me was hit by one of the deadly Dalek beams, letting out a piercing scream before falling to the ground. I shook as I stared at the dead kid, seeing how they gazed back at me blankly. All of the rest of us in the group huddled together, tightening up after this and grew absolutely silent.

"Let this be a lesson. You all will obey, or face extermination," barked the dark Dalek as it rolled up in front of us, staring us down. "I am Dalek Sec."

"Dalek Thay," barked another Dalek.

"Dalek Caan," spoke another.

"Dalek Jast," said the last.

"We are your new masters," stated Dalek Sec sharply with full authority. "Our words are final. None shall disobey us." The Dalek looked at each one of us, eyeing the large group (about thirty kids now) slowly. As though searching to see if any more of us would act out like the taller boy and others had. None of us made a move. I dare not even breath with just how terrified I felt. I watched, tense in what the Daleks would do to us next when they all began to move. The three bronze Daleks moved to the machines, seeming to set up their work. Dalek Sec moved over to the other half-machine adults standing at attention at the wall next to us. "Continue with preparing the children for beginning transfusion."

"Yes, Master," said the adults in unison.

The large group of robotic servants then turned and marched over to us. I scooted back, eyes wide as one at a time kids around me were snatched out of the trembling group and yanked away. Ice cold hands suddenly gripped my arm, jolting me in just how stiff and chilling the hand on me felt. I cried out a little when I saw an adult woman staring back at me with hollow eyes. No, I did not want to go with her! Whatever they were going to do . . . I was so scared of what was happening. I wanted my mummy. I wanted my daddy.

"Please, I don't want to!" I cried, holding my arm and trying to pull it out of the adult's grip. But they kept dragging me along, not even bothering to look back at me as I cried. Other androids with crying children were in front and behind me.

I glanced over my shoulder, seeing a stoic face of a girl with dark-blonde hair. I noticed how she appeared to be the same age as me. With her round face sprinkled with light-brown freckles. Her hair hung around her face in a mess, and she stared back at me with brown-hazel eyes that were calm and collected. I felt strange, as I knew she just had to be as scared as I felt. What kid would not be? But at the same time, she seemed so brave in the way she showed no fear. She even marched right along with the android, not pulling back at all. I swallowed heavily, envying the girl as I wish I could be that brave, too. She must be someone special to be so brave. Daddy always said that brave people were special. Just like the soldiers who stood up to the Daleks.

I gasped when I was jerked forward into a room with the half-machine woman. Looking over my shoulder quickly, I saw other children were being placed in rooms around the halls as well. What was going on? What were the androids doing to us?

"Move," ordered the android. "The Masters are waiting." She shoved me towards the weird table that was in the middle of the room.

It was made out of gray metal, that looked cold to the touch. Looking back at the female robot and the table in front of me, I gulped as I reluctantly climbed onto the metal table. It was hard for me as the table was taller than me. But I managed to get onto it and sit in the middle of the large table. Instantly the android shoved me to lay back on the table. It hurt my back in just how forceful she pushed me down. I let out a startled cry when leather straps suddenly came up from below the table and wrapped around me. Breathing in and out quickly, I pulled at the straps that lay across my chest, wrists, legs, and ankles. But they tightened the more I struggled, making it hard for me to breath. It hurt!

"Your name will be 'Alpha' now," said the android female. She came over to me, pressing a sharp metal stamp into the palm of my hand. I cringed as it cut straight into me, making me bleed, marking me with a strange letter. I recognized it from some of my books. It was the first letter in one of the foreign alphabets my father used to read to me.

"B-but—but my name's—," I tried correcting her. But she suddenly hit me forcefully on my face, making me cry out in alarm and pain.

"Your name is Alpha. As deemed by your masters," barked the android.

"That's not my name!" I yelled back in a cry. She smacked me even more harshly that time. Then jabbed her fingers into my temple, sending an electric shock in my system. She leaned over her, baring her metal teeth.

"Alpha, you will learn to respect your masters," she said darkly in a graveling, robotic voice. I felt the information in my head scrambling. Like my mind was being forced to learn this new name I was being told. She then backed up from the table, leaving me there sniffling as I felt my face swelling from where she had hit me.

Metal arms with sharp knives and needles, glowing ends, and tubing came down from the ceiling right towards me. There were eight different, strange angled, silver arms that seemed to look me over. One shone a light right into my face, making me wince from the bright light. All of the arms looked deadly to me, making me even more frightened than before.

"What are these? What are they doing?" I asked the robotic woman, who stood by the wall in dull observation. My voice came out high-pitched in just how terrified I felt. I shook as the arms began to hover around at different angles around me. I tried lifting my head to follow the movements when one went over where I could not see it, and another two beside my head. But then a leather strap came up and slammed my head back down onto the table, strapping across my forehead. My breathing increased. I trembled as I could only see the two hands from the corner of my eyes now, watching in horror as they got closer to me with their needles. Something pierced my neck on either side.

"Aaahh!" I tried keeping in my scream from the pain of the long needles entering my neck. But it just hurt so much. I felt weird right after the pain. I felt . . . really dizzy. I blinked as the room swayed around my vision. I felt relief when the needles exited my neck. Then I felt my left hand being let go of its strap. Only to be turned over to have my wrist face up and to be held down by sharp leather once more. I blinked as I tried shifting my eyes to see what was happening next. A metal arm, bigger than the rest of the skinny ones, had a large needle in place with a thick tubing connecting to the ceiling. Before I could react, it jabbed me right into the crook of my arm. I let out another cry of pain from how deeply the needle went into me. I knew it was going into my vein that would go directly to my hearts. My mother told me all about my biology once. I learn all kinds of things like that. All kids like me did. But why was the arm sending a needle like that into my vein?

My eyes widened as I saw bright golden swirling light, that almost moved and appear like liquid, came down the tubing of the needle. The closer it got to me, the more my hearts raced. I could sense the power the light had. I could sense what the energy was. The energy of the Time Vortex from a TARDIS. And I could sense how wrong it was. It was not something I needed to be around. It was dangerous. My mind screamed of danger and to run away. Like an . . . instinct in me, knowing deep down that this was something that was never supposed to happen to me for what I was, a Time Lord.

I jerked at my restraints when the energy flowed down where the needle was injected into my skin. My breaths came out rapidly as I heard horrible screams and screeches erupting from other rooms. Cries that were bloodcurdling, echoing all along the black walls of the torturous place we were in. What was happening to the other kids? Was . . . was the same thing going to happen to me? Tears began to leak out of the corner of my eyes and down into my chestnut hair. I . . . I was so terrified. I shook and whimpered as my veins suddenly felt like they were on fire. No, not on fire. It was lava running through me. My vision turned blurry, hazy in gold as I knew the energy had reached my hearts as my chest felt ready to burst from how fast they were beating. Then, it was like a thousand long, harsh needles were stabbing me in all directions as I slammed my eyes shut and I felt pain like I never experienced before.

"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

XxXxXxXx

I wanted to pretend that I was back home, in my bed, with my mummy and daddy talking out in the family room as they normally do. I wanted to pretend that the cold floor I was laying on was instead my warm, soft bed. I wanted to pretend that the whimpers, cries, and distant muffled screams were nonexistent. I wanted to drift away and to be anywhere but where I was now. But I knew I could not. I was somewhere far away from where I had grown up. Away from my home world. Away from my parents, who were probably worried sick about me. Just as much as I was worried about them.

I lay there on the cold floor, having woken up to find myself in a different place than what I remember last. I guess I must have passed out after I screamed from the pain I had experienced. The machine lady in the room with me must have taken me away after whatever it was that she had been doing to me. What had been done to me? I was so confused and at a loss. All I knew, with me refusing to open my eyes to see where I might be now, that I was hurting all over. My whole body felt weak, heavy, and worn out. I never felt like this before, so I had no clue on how to react to my tired body. All I wanted to do was lay there and try not to cause myself anymore pain. All I wanted to do was lay there, with my eyes closed, and imagine myself away.

But, sadly, I could only hide away for so long.

"Hey, we got some new ones in," I heard a whisper. A girl's voice. Older by the sounds of it.

"Are they dead?" I heard a younger boy ask.

"They could be," an older boy noted. "It wouldn't be the first time them dumb Golems threw in bodies that they assumed survived the process."

"No, this one's breathing. See?" offered the voice I heard from earlier. I heard someone walking over to me. They turned me over from where I lay on my stomach, making me groan and cry out a little as my body screamed in protest to being moved. "Yep, she's alive. Hey there, sweetie, I need you to open your eyes. I know it hurts, but I need to see if your eyes are okay."

Doing as the gentle voice told me to, I blinked open my eyes slowly to see a kind face staring back at me through the very dimly lit dark room. She was definitely older. Had to be a teen from how tall she was compared to me. She had pretty skin, with a deep, rich chocolate colour, big, frizzy hair that stuck out everywhere, and warm brown eyes. The girl's smile was wide, beaming at me when she saw my own hazel eyes staring back at her.

"There's your pretty eyes. You seeing everything okay, sweetie?" the girl said to me kindly.

"Yes. I think so," I replied hoarsely. My throat hurt, burning when I swallowed. I must have hurt it with how much I had been screaming.

"That's good. Many go blind after their first time if they get too strong of a dose," the older girl told me, patting my arm lightly, making me wince from the pain. The girl gave me a sympathetic smile. "Yeah, your body is going to feel like a giant bruise for a while."

"Not just a while. Every single bloody time they give us more doses," I heard the older boy from before say angrily. "I'm tired of being in pain. Can't they give us a break just _once_?"

"Ssshhh. Don't let them hear you," the younger boy from earlier say, sounding nervous by the idea of either the androids or Daleks would hear them.

"Do you think I give a damn? Let them hear me!" shouted the older boy. "Hey! Dirty Daleks! You hear that! You all go die and burn in—!"

"Shut it! Geez, Boogie, can you get any more thick?" snapped the older girl, glaring at the boys after seeing me shivering the more the older boy yelled. She stared warmly at me again. "Don't mind Boogie. He's got himself a big mouth. Now up you get. You can't just go laying there. You have to push through the pain or else your joints will lock up." I nodded, slowly pushing myself up. The girl helped me by letting me lean my back against her as I panted in pain. My body shook as the stabbing needle feeling hit me over again. I must have let out a whimper for the girl behind me hushed and gently rubbed circles into my shoulders. "I know it hurts sweetie. You just gotta fight through the pain. Pain lets you know you're alive, you know."

"Ha. That's a bunch of bull," grumbled the older boy, Boogie.

I looked over to the older boy, trying to see him through the weak light that was provided by a white lamp, hanging from the ceiling in a corner. The boy, Boogie, was large, bulky, looking to be maybe about as old as the girl who was currently helping me. He had a sharp chin, tan skin, and rich, brown eyes that peeked through his long dark hair. Next to him was a boy that looked very similar to him, making me believe that maybe they were brothers. The boy was close to my age in appearance and was very thin. The ragged red clothes he wore were like tents on him from how small he was.

"Could you show _some_ decency for once?" the older girl barked at Boogie. The older boy rolled his eyes, tugging at the small boy at his side by the hand.

"Come on, Zig. Let's leave Tina to do her usually mushy, mummy stuff," Boogie gnashed, stomping away with his seemingly little brother, Zig, following right behind farther away from me and the older girl, Tina.

Tina chuckled and shook her head, muttering, "Big-headed like always." She then smiled at me. "As you heard, I'm Tina. And, well . . . here's our 'home' I guess."

Blinking, I looked around the room, getting a better view of it. It was a massive room, large enough to hold many with the walls built out of the same black bricks I as I saw before. I could see brown straw had been thrown all over the place, in large piles in some locations for a place to rest. There were others in the room that I did not notice before. Many children from a variety of ages, wearing just as ragged red clothing as the others I met. Some of the children, that I could see clearly, had such vacant looks in their eyes. As though the life had been drained out of them as they merely sat there on the cold ground, slumping in their posture. Others were more mobile, either sitting on the ground rocking back and forth, or pacing around, twitching and muttering manically to themselves.

"Where are we?" I asked Tina, turning to look at her again.

"We're in Station Alpha. The home base and research facility to the Cult of Skaro," Tina explained, her voice monotone as she spoke. Her eyes dimming as she seemed to grow sad and desolate upon talking of where we were at. "The Cult of Skaro, those are the Daleks you met. The ones that picked you up. They experiment on countless of things, testing to see what they can use against our people in this war. We're . . . we're chosen as one of those experiments." Tina glanced around, staring distantly at all of the children in the room. "I guess you could say we're the perfect molds to work with."

"W-we're experiments?" I breathed in horror. I stared at Tina, in pure disbelief, feeling my stomach twist as I felt nauseous.

"I'm afraid so. We're the leftovers, the orphans the Daleks find after a battle, which they then bring us here and begin their work," Tina said calmly, staring at me in remorse. She blinked as I began to shake in the waking horror I realized what I was now in. Tina hastily patted my shoulder, giving me an awkward smile. "Hey, now, don't worry about it. It's going to be fine. You'll see, sweetie. I have faith that one day, the Time Lords still out there will find out what's happening and will save the rest of us." She smiled in encouragement as I sniffled, wiping away my tears. "Let's talk about something else for now. How old are you?"

"Eight," I mumbled weakly, staring down at the dark floor as I felt heavy, at a loss on what to feel at the moment in knowing what kind of place I had been brought to.

"Ah, same age as me when I got here. I'm about twenty now. Few more decades and I'll finally be a teen," she laughed, smiling brightly at me. Her smiled then dropped suddenly as I saw she wanted to ask something else that made her look as though she hated to question me on it. "And . . . what's your name?"

"My name's . . ." I winced as abrupt pain went through my head. I felt the same harsh electrical feeling going through my mind as it had when the female android forced her fingers on my temples. "My name's . . .," I tried again but failed as more pain went through my head. The more I tried saying the name my parents gave me, the more my head hurt. Finally, I gave in and said the name given to me earlier. "My name's Alpha," I sighed.

Tina nodded slowly, gently rubbing my shoulder. "Yeah. We can't say our old names, either. It's something the Golems do to us in the beginning, as ordered by the Daleks. We're numbered by what use the Daleks see use as, and by how many. There . . . was another Alpha here once. But he died, so . . . I guess they gave you that name by chance."

I blinked as I stared at Tina. "Golems?"

"It's the androids you saw before. The ones that—." Tina was cut off as the large door of the room we were in slammed open. She stood up quickly, bringing me with her. It hurt, a lot. But I held in my pain as I stared warily at the open door. Two androids, one dragging in an unconscious girl, and the other pulling in a large sack. Both threw in what they were carrying into the room, letting the sack and girl hit the floor with a thunk. Then the two robotic adults left, slamming the door behind them, leaving us in the dark room once more.

Kids began swarming towards the large sack, attacking rapidly for whatever was inside of it. They even started yelling at each other as they pulled at the bag between each other. I stared at the sight in shock while Tina hurriedly left my side.

"Hey! You all have to share! I have a system for a reason, you know!" she shouted at them, seeming to push her way into the mess. All the while, I stood there, blankly staring at the sight. What the heck was up with those kids? I glanced around, seeing how quite a few others made no movement at all. Just staying where they were, continuously rocking on the floor or pacing. Blinking, I looked back at the girl laying on the floor that the androids had brought in. With my breath catching in my throat, I recognized her. Yeah . . . she was the one that had been marched along behind me from before. The girl who was so calm and brave. I wonder if she is okay.

I moved stiffly, trying to fight through my sore, aching body as I walked over to her. Crouching down slowly, I hesitated as I looked at her unconscious form. I could tell that the androids had been rough with her. She looked really hurt from all the marks on her. Maybe she tried fighting them off? I was afraid to touch her. I wanted to check up on her, but . . . what if she was . . . dead? I swallowed heavily, slowly reaching forward to grab the girl's shoulder. I turned her over, making her lay on her back. She let out a small moan of pain, but I felt happy that she was alive. Frowning, I began shaking her, hoping that she might wake up. I wanted to talk to her. Like Tina talked to me. Maybe check up on her while Tina was busy.

"Hey . . . Are you okay?" I asked the sleeping girl quietly.

"I'll be fine if you stop shaking me," retorted the girl in a grumble. I quickly let go of her, seeing how she peeked open an eye at me. I blinked, staring at her nervously. I did not say anything to her. Even though I wanted to, I . . . just did not know what to say. Maybe trying to wake her up had been a bad idea. I saw how she frowned at me. Was she annoyed with me? She might be. I meekly stared back at her, really unsure of what to say or do now. Tina was still fighting the children over what seemed to be a large sack of food and water. So . . . what should I do?

"I—I like your hair," I finally said, meekly staring back at her as she stared intently at me. "I . . . I like blonde hair." I mumbled out the last part, gazing away as she only stared at me as though I were mad.

"Okay, now that I've gotten the animals settled, here's your portion for the day."

I looked up to see Tina holding out a small portion of bread. She smiled as she held it out to me.

"They only give us a bag of this stuff a couple times a week, so I have a system in sharing. Which people tend to forget about around here," Tina shot a glare at some of the passing children. They paid her no mind, simply going over to their isolated spots in the room with their share of bread to eat. Tina smiled at me and the other girl. "If you get thirsty, there's a dripping pipe in the corner of this place. And in the other corner is where there's a hole where, well," she cleared her throat lightly in embarrassment, "where you can do your business." Tina sat down next to me and where the blonde girl lay. Munching on her own piece of bread, Tina nodded at the one piece in my hand. "Well? Aren't you going to share?"

"Oh," I mumbled, glancing down at the piece in my hand. Carefully, I ripped it in half, handing it to the one girl, who now sat up in place. I smiled the best I could at her. "Here."

The girl sort of just stared at me for a bit, then at the piece of bread. She huffed, snatching it away from me before getting up and storming away from me and Tina. I stared at the girl in confusion. I felt hurt by what she did. Why was she acting mean? Did I do something wrong? Tina tapped me on the shoulder, making me look to see her smiling kindly.

"Don't worry. Everyone handles being here the first day differently, so don't hold it against her," Tina told me, biting into her bread piece. "Once people get used to this place, they come around." I looked back down at my piece of bread, staring at the crusty, overcooked, surface. The more I sat there in silence, staring at the bread, the more I knew this was real. I was really . . . here. I sniffled as my bottom lip trembled. Then, I began to weep as I held my one piece of comfort food at my chest.

"I-I want my m-mummy and da-daddy," I cried as the tears poured down my face. I felt Tina hold me close as I knew that, even though I wanted to see them so badly again, my parents were long gone. And I would never see them again.

XxXxXxXx

 **Three Months Later**

I learned later that only I and the one other girl were the only survivors from the first process of the Vortex Experiment. Forty children were taken from my village. Ten died from the Daleks in the refusal of being experimented on. The rest died from the experiment itself. It was normal, from what Tina explained. Many could not live from the energy. And the few that deemed as high priority in being kept alive to continue with the experiments.

The experiments continued on after this. There were many children in the room I had been placed into, with many more in other rooms throughout the facility. Each of us placed through the Vortex experiments in different ways. Every day the Golems (people who were once normal Time Lords now turned into lifeless, robotic zombies) would drag each of us out into the testing chambers. Pumping us more with chemicals, shocking our minds with more information and forced thoughts of their choosing, and a little bit of Vortex energy each day. As well as having the Daleks come to observe us every once and a while to see what effects would happen. Sometimes they would do things to us just out of curiosity. As though they just wanted to see how far they could push our bodies up to death. Many did die. Every day two, six, or maybe ten children died. Unable to live after the stress their bodies are put through. Every day I was forced into the chair for more needles to go into me, I think 'Is this it? Is this the day I'm going to die?' I hated every moment of the experiments, hearing the other children's screams and howls echoing around the place, and being placed through such torture. I tried fighting back during some moments when I became too scared. But, just like the first female Golem had done to me, they forced electric shocks through my mind, rewriting my brain into obedience.

Tina told me it was a way to 'program' us. A way to get us to do what the Daleks wanted us to do. Our minds were made to focus on what the Daleks, 'our new masters', wanted. It hurt too much to fight the programming. We all had to do as the Daleks and Golems said. But that does not mean that the other kids were not smart in finding other ways of fighting back. I actually could not help but snicker every time the others would figure out ways to get back at the Golems. Not the Daleks. They were too frightening to fight back against. But the Golems were fun to mess with.

Names were the biggest way to fight back. Each kid gave themselves their own new names after our original ones were lost to us. Since our brains hurt whenever we tried saying our old names, we each gave ourselves new nicknames as a way to rebel against the Daleks and Golems. In secret, though. The nicknames were never said out loud in front of the Golems and Daleks in case of more trouble was made. And . . . and I was too afraid to give myself a nickname, either. What if the Golems and Daleks hurt me even more? No, I just kept the new name they gave me. 'Alpha.' It was not so bad, is what I told Tina when she tried getting me to nickname myself. Alpha was fine for me. Tina explained to me that she chose her nickname from a reference to a river she once lived by. She always loved that river.

The one girl that I met on the same day when I arrived, she did not follow along with the name they forced onto her. She immediately called herself 'Shelly.' A name that apparently was important to her that had been passed down in her family. Shelly . . . she was so brave. I wished I could be like her. She always fought against the Golems and Daleks. Not so much to get herself killed, but enough to make them punish her at times. And she would laugh right at them afterward and say in retort 'You're all still a bunch of idiots!'

I would repeatedly try to talk to Shelly after these times, trying to give me and her a chance to get to know her better. But she would ignore me every time, refusing to look at me while I sat there talking, trying to share bread with her. She would take the pieces I would give her, but she never said anything in return. She would just munch on the pieces, stare at the wall across from us, and not say a single thing while I talked.

One day, when she came back into the holding room, thrown in by the Golems, I just sat where I was, licking my own wounds from the day and trying to push through the effects of the experiments and Vortex energy on my body. Shelly went over to her usual spot, sitting down in a huff. I sat there, staring distantly at the ground, waiting for Tina to come back from her own tests for the day as I wanted to cuddle with her as I normally did after I was hurting. I blinked as something hit me lightly on the shoulder, making me look down next to me to see a small rock roll by my side. Frowning in confusion, I looked up towards where it would have come from, seeing Shelly staring at me in bewilderment.

"Well? Aren't you going to come over and talk with me, idiot?" she huffed at me, giving me a curt nod before looking at the wall across from her. She held out a hunk of cheese and large bread. "Snatch these from the Golems when they weren't looking. Come share it with me. I ain't gonna eat this all by myself you know." I could not help but smile brightly, scooting over to sit next to her. She passed me a piece of less moldy cheese and bread chunk, staring at the wall as she munched and I chatted away. I would catch her smiling every so often, and I would beam away in happiness.

From that day on, we became good friends.

XxXxXxXx

 **Six Months Later**

Tina was always on top of things. Being the oldest, and the one who had been here the longest, she knew exactly how to handle situations that unfolded. I guess that was why Tina became sort of the leader/mother of everyone here. Everyone listened to her . . . for the most part. There might be a few who would be troublemakers and fight back, like Boogie and a few others who were almost as old as Tina. But in the end, all would come around and follow along with Tina's instructions. After all, her word was what kept us alive. Without her around, I do not think anyone would last as long as we did.

I was constantly around Tina and Shelly. I was too scared to be away from them. Everything about Station Alpha . . . it was terrifying. Especially as my body was subjected to the experiments of the Daleks. But Tina and Shelly, I felt safe around them. I felt brave. And hopeful, too. Hopeful that we might finally get out of this place and that I could find my family again.

"Ha! Find your family? What a joke! Your parents are long dead!" Boogie laughed at me with a bark after I said this out loud in a joyful exclamation to the other kids around me. Boogie was one of the other oldest here in Station Alpha. The one who would make fun of other kids and mess around against Tina most often. He was very strong from the types of experiments the Daleks did on him. The same chemicals that the rest of us got, too. But he got a much higher rate. They gave him extra doses of the muscle-enhancing chemicals each time, trying to see just how strong they could make him. But with that strength, came the raging temperaments from him. Sometimes, he would hit around other kids and slam his fist into the walls. He was also really mean-spirited against everyone. Everyone, except his little brother, Zig, of course. Only Zig, the small, shy, quiet boy, held any sort of control and calm over Boogie. Which was a good thing of certain as it helped Tina be able to manage Boogie's temper. For the most part, anyway.

I stomped my foot as I glared at him. "Cut it out, Boogie! They are not dead!" I yelled at him. "You'll see! I bet the High Council of the Time Lords around going to save us. Just like they saved those other worlds. Mum and dad told me all about it." I grinned proudly, just knowing that we would be rescued. Any day now, as the war outside the facility grew and the more children were taken, I knew the High Council would see what the Cult of Skaro was up to. The Time Lords would see, know what was going on, and would stop it, saving us all.

"Hahahaha! You think they give a damn about anyone?" Boogie snapped angrily at me.

"Shut it, Boogie!" Shelly snapped at Boogie when I was about to retort back, getting upset by the idea of all of us never being able to leave. Shelly came up beside me, placing an arm around my shoulders. "Just because you don't have faith, Boogie, doesn't mean the rest of us haven't given up yet. I bet they will come, too. Then we can all kick some Dalek butt afterward." She winked at me, making me smile lightly.

"You're both delusional," Boogie barked at us. "Wake up! We're never going to get out of here. We're going to die right here, in this stupid damp lab, pumped full of whatever radioactive chemicals the Daleks and Golems feel like, and waste away into nothing, thrown out like the trash they see us as." I lowered my head, wincing as Boogie said all of this. I began fearing this might actually be true. Would we become like that? Nothing more than throwaways for the Daleks?

"You want me to pop you in the mouth for being a jerk?" Shelly yelled in retort, stepping up towards Boogie with her fist up.

"I'd like to see you try," Boogie sneered, taking his own step aggressively towards Shelly. I whimpered, backing up in fear. Why did these two always have to fight? I hated fighting. Whenever people yelled, it reminded me of the yelling voices of the Daleks.

"Shelly, that's enough," Tina ordered as she came over to where we were standing. Tina had been over in a different corner of the room, helping some children out in dealing with the normal pains of the daily experiments. She would often get onto Shelly about the girl's temper. If anyone had a temper as bad as Boogie, it was Shelly.

"He started it!" Shelly yelled, stomping her foot in frustration as Tina began dragging her away. I hurried along after them.

"Boogie starts a lot of things. Doesn't mean you need to get down to his level of being a moron," Tina sighed in exasperation. She pushed Shelly into a corner to sit. Shelly made a loud humph before sitting on the floor, crossing her arms in an angered pout. I scooted down next to Shelly, crossing my legs as I sat there looking up towards a disappointed Tina.

"Sorry, Tina. It was my fault," I said, trying to make it so Tina was not too mad at Shelly. I stared down sadly at my feet. "I just want to keep hoping that mum and dad will come get me."

"Of course they will," Tina said softly, smiling as she crouched down in front of me. "We have to always have hope living in here. Without hope, what do we have?" I gave Tina a big smile. She was always full of hope and strength. Without Tina here for us all, keeping our spirits up, I do not know what we would do.

"Inspection! Stand at attention for your masters!"

We all immediately jumped to our feet, standing at attention. A female Golem stood in the doorway, standing straight as she stared us all down after barking her order. I began to shiver as I heard the whirring machinery of the Daleks coming towards the room from outside the open doorway. Every time I heard that sound of the Daleks, or heard the voice of Dalek Sec or Caan or Thay or Jast, I grew frightened. We children did not see the Daleks much. Maybe a few times during the week. But once a month . . . there were inspections.

These were the times Dalek Sec, or maybe one of the others, would come in and take note of all the progress of us. Of the progress the experiments were doing to us. They would do scans, see what the energy being placed inside of us was doing to our bodies, and if we were growing into the weapons the Daleks wanted us to be. I was not sure when the Daleks were ever going to be satisfied enough with anyone's progress to finally stop the experiments. It almost made me wonder if the Daleks never were going to be satisfied and were only going to continue until they had used every last drop of the Time Vortex energy they had stored up from the old TARDIS they had stolen.

I shivered even more as I heard the Daleks getting closer. I felt Tina bump lightly against me, making me look up at her. She smiled, holding up her thumb to show her pinching it. Then mouthed the words 'breath to three.' It was something she taught me in how to control my fears. She had said how by pinching my thumb, I could hold onto something would help make me feel grounded. And counting to three would help calm my mind. So, taking a deep breath, I nodded to her, grabbing my thumb between my fingers to give it a good pinch as she showed me, and slowly counted to three. I smiled at her when I did feel calmer, knowing I could face the Daleks now without shivering at least.

"Prepare for scanning," Dalek Sec barked at us as soon as he entered the room. We all straightened even more, standing absolutely still. If any of us moved, we would be in trouble. The Daleks wanted nothing more than absolute obedience.

I continued to pinch my thumb as the Dalek moved from each of the children one by one. There were not many of us in the room. About forty or so. There had been more than that when I arrived, but . . . many passed on since then. I closed my eyes tightly when the Daleks finally wheeled up to me, scanning me with its one arm. I held my breath until it passed onto the next person to scan. I glanced over, seeing Dalek Sec move down the line, reaching past Boogie and was now scanning Zig. The boy was shaking even worse than I. I felt bad for him. Zig was always such a shy and quiet boy. Very polite as well. He did not deserve to be in this kind of place. None of us did.

I, and everyone else around me, tensed when we heard the beeping from Dalek Sec's scan. The Dalek scooted back slightly from the boy, eyeing him closely with the blue eyestalk.

"Oh, no," I heard Tina breath in horror next to me.

"Not again," Shelly whispered on my other side. She looked at me, shaking her head rapidly. "Why Zig?" I bit my lip, keeping myself quiet. Too afraid to even whisper of my horrified state.

"You are weak. You will be processed," Dalek Sec ordered at the terrified looking Zig.

"What?!" Boogie yelled in alarm as he watched in horror as his brother was swiftly dragged off by two Golems. He swiftly pushed past Dalek Sec and went after his frightened little brother. "You can't! He's fine! There's nothing wrong with him! He doesn't need to be processed!"

"You will stay back in line!" ordered the Dalek. A Golem came up, pushing Boogie back to the wall while Zig cried for his brother down the hall, dragged away to a chamber for processing.

I closed my eyes as I listened to the shouts, thinking on the poor fate of Zig. This happened every so often. When the Daleks came in to scan us for progress, if they saw that the experiments were not making us stronger, then they would send us back for 'processing.' Basically, it was a harsh dose of chemicals and Vortex energy pumped into our bodies, force feeding us at a much faster rate than normal. The Daleks were trying to speed up the process of the Vortex energy binding with our bodies if they deemed us as too weak from the normal daily doses. And every time someone was sent back to be processed . . . they never came back.

Boogie continued to yell even after Dalek Sec and the Golems had left. He slammed himself into the steel, deadlocked door of the room, screaming at the top of his lungs in rage.

"Boogie, you've got to calm down. They'll come back and get you, too, if you keep it up," Tina tried saying soothingly to him after the other children had scattered back into the room, hiding away from the world around them. Only Shelly and I remained close to Boogie in concern.

"I don't care! They took my brother!" Boogie screamed in anger at Tina.

"I know. I'm so sorry," Tina whispered solemnly. Boogie pushed her away when she tried to give him a hug. Storming over to a dark corner of the room, he sat there, fuming away, crying as he knew his brother would never come back. Zig had been the only thing left for Boogie. And now . . .

"We've got to do something," Shelly said quickly to Tina.

"There's nothing we can do," Tina responded, shaking her head sadly. "I've been here too long to know what comes from processing."

After a few moments of solemn silence, the three of us walked over to the far wall, sitting down to think about what was happening to poor Zig. I did not know much of what exactly was done with the forceful processing. Tina knew. But she never told us what exactly happens. I guess she just did not want us to think about it. I, and others, looked up in shock when suddenly, after an hour of nothing, the door to our cell block was opened. Two Golems came in carrying . . .

"Zig!" Boogie exclaimed in relief as his brother was tossed into the room. I stared at the small boy, shocked beyond all belief that they had brought him back. Did they not go through with the processing? Zig looked fine enough. Sure, they tossed him to the ground quite harshly, but other than that . . . No, something was wrong from what I could see it. While Boogie hovered around his brother worry, I could see Zig having horrible shakes throughout his whole body. He was drenched in sweat. His tattered red clothing stuck to his body, completely soaked. He gripped at his head as though he was experiencing the worst headache in his life. He moaned, whimpering in pleas to his brother.

"Boogie," Zig cried as he gripped his head harder, "I don't feel good."

"Hey, it's all right. You're alive, that's all that matters," Boogie tried to say in reassurance. I snapped out of my daze in watching the brothers when I heard Tina's sharp intake of breath. Looking over, I saw the wide eyes of horror on her face.

"We need to get out of here," I heard her breath.

"Tina?" I asked in concern, nervous on why she seemed frightened. Shelly scooted closer to me, grabbing my hand.

"Guys . . . look at Zig," she whispered, pointing at the boy on the floor. I was stunned when I stared at the boy, seeing the slowly strengthening glow hue expanding from him. I could feel a strange sensation going through the air. Like heated light from the sun.

"We all need to get out of here, now!" Tina suddenly barked loudly, full of authority. She rushed over to the door of the room, banging her hand on it rapidly. Fortunately for us, the Golems had only just left seconds ago. So they immediately opened the door when Tina began to scream, "He's destabilizing!"

They seemed to know what exactly had Tina so alarmed, for they hurriedly opened the door wide as possible, standing at attention and waving a hand towards us children.

"Evacuation is in order!" barked one of the male Golems. Children, who had been living in the facility for a long while, hurriedly, in swift motion, ran right out of the room as Tina waved them out. Other children, who had been brought later than even Shelly and I, lingered behind in confusion. They seemed to feel the same bewilderment as I and Shelly felt. What was going on? What was happening to Zig?

"Tina, what's happening?" Shelly asked when Tina rushed back over to us. The older girl yanked on both of our arms, dragging us out of the room.

"We have to go. He's going to fall apart and take everyone with him!" Tina said in a panic. I looked back over my shoulder, seeing Zig cry out while his body became consumed by the golden light.

"Boogie, help me!" Zig screamed out one last time before his voice became too gurgled. Boogie stayed by his younger brother's side, trying to comfort him. A few other children remained in the room as well. Either out of confusion as to where to go or what was going on or because they too were too far gone from their minds to understand the dangerous situation that was occurring. The Golems slammed the door right behind me, seconds after I had escaped with Tina and Shelly. Just seconds as I heard the most horrible, bloodcurdling screams coming from within the room. A bright, blinding light could be seen coming from the crack of the door, making me wince from the harsh nature of the light. I clung to Tina's arm, terrified by what was happening, even though I had no idea of what exactly was going on. All I knew was the screams made shivers go down my spine. It would be a sound I would never forget.

Soon, the golden light disappeared from the door crack, leaving us in a seemingly deep darkness in comparison. After a tense minute of dead silence, all of us children jumped, startled when one of the Golems gruffly spoke up.

"Evacuation has ceased. Return to your sleeping courters," ordered the Golem. All of us children glanced at each other, surprised and shocked that the Golems would want us to return back into the room after what happened. And better yet, most of us were still confused on what had happened. I worried over the fate of Boogie, Zig, and all the others who had been trapped within.

The fate of those became quite clear once the Golems opened the door for us. Peeking in, I, and a few others, gasped when we saw the black pile of ash where Zig had been, and the piles of gray dust what would have been Boogie and the other children. I felt horrified and sick to my stomach as it churned at the sight in the dark room. What . . . what happened?

"You bastards," I heard Tina mutter darkly under her breath. I was surprised by this as I never heard Tina sound so . . . enraged before. I glanced at her, seeing how much she shook in place in her fury.

"Tina?" I asked quietly, my voice coming out weak from just how terrified I was of what I saw within the room. My voice begged for answers as to what had happened, wanting to know if Tina was going to be okay with how furious she appeared to be, but . . .

I tensed when I heard the whirring machinery of the Daleks coming towards us. I and all others scooted back in an automatic submission when Dalek Sec and Dalek Thay came over to inspect what we were staring at. The Daleks observed the scene for a moment, taking in the sight.

"We ordered for experiment Delta to be placed in holding cell Thirty for observations. Who is responsible for allowing Delta to expire and exterminate the other experiments?" barked Dalek Sec, turning to stare at the Golems around us. A male Golem stepped forward, staring at his master with the same dead look as all other Golems had.

"I placed Delta into the experiment chambers. I miscalculated his processing," droned the Golem.

"You will be exterminated for your mistakes," responded Dalek Sec harshly.

"Yes, my Master," said the male Golem, bowing to his master. With a quick fire from a Dalek beam, the Golem was killed right in front of us. Us children flinched while the Golems stared on, unfazed. A couple Golems came over, picking up their dead fellow and dragging him down the hall while the two Daleks started to move down the opposite direction towards the main laboratory.

"Processing unsuccessful. We must adjust formulas for future experiments," Dalek Sec began talking with Dalek Thay. Not even giving any of us children a second glance. It made my stomach twist in knowing just how little they thought of us all. Even the Golems.

"Bastards!"

I jumped when Tina suddenly screamed next to me. Looking at her in fright, I shook my head at her in warning, pleading for her to get back in line with us as she stomped right out of the group and towards the Daleks.

"Don't you even care?! You heartless bastards! How could you?! He was only a child! And you killed him!" she screamed at the metal creatures, shaking from head to toe as she stood in the hall, raging at the Daleks. "It's never going to work! Can't you see that?! Don't you realize that we're all going to die?!" Dalek Thay ignored her, moving right along. Dalek Sec turned back around, staring at Tina with its sharp blue, glowing eyestalk.

"Death is necessary for our goals. For our triumph against the Time Lords," retorted Dalek Sec. "You should feel honoured to serve the Daleks, to be our weapons." Dalek Sec turned back around, continuing on as though the conversation at ended. Tina, however, had other ideas.

"We are not your weapons! We will _never_ serve you Daleks! You hear me! The Time Lords will win! The Gallifrey will never fall to the likes of you!" Tina screamed with all her might at the Daleks in her hatred for them.

"Tina!" Shelly shouted, running over to the older girl. Shelly tugged on Tina's hand, trying to get her to join the group again. "Come on, it's not worth it. We can't lose you, too." Tina continued to glare darkly at the retreating backs of the Daleks. Eventually, she looked back at the group of children and the hard-staring Golems. She looked at me after a moment. I stared back, frightened by seeing her anger. I understood why she was angry, it was just . . . I did not want her to die because of it.

"Back to your chamber," barked at Golem to us children, jabbing a finger in the direction of the doorway. The kids did not hesitate, rushing back into the room in fear of what would happen next. Even though I was sure all of us felt the same revulsion in seeing what was inside the room. A Golem actually went in, gathering up what remained of Zig and stomping back out, taking him who knows where to. My heart went out to Zig, wishing this day could have gone differently. I flinched and backed away when the Golem walked by me. My stomach did flips. What happened on this day was something I hoped to never see again.

"Come on, Alpha."

I jumped, startled when I realized I had been staring at nothing for a while and that Shelly had been calling me. She patted my shoulder, staring at me in concern. I wondered what my face looked like in this moment. It made me question if whether or not I was pale from the way my friend seemed ready to catch me at any moment. I felt ready to fall at any second, so I ended up holding onto her as we walked back into the room together. I heard the Golems sending Tina a few harsh words before she too joined everyone in the room scattered with gray dust and straw.

"Tina?" I called to my friend, my sister. Tina shook her head, not even glancing towards me and Shelly.

"Not now," Tina said gruffly, her voice wavering in thick emotion. She walked over to a bare corner of the room, sitting down to curl up into herself. I held onto Shelly even tighter after that, only wishing for comfort from my big sister and best friend.

XxXxXxXx

Tina explained to us on what exactly happened to Zig and the others a few days later after that. After she had been in a silent mourning for the loss of life. Boogie and Zig had been one of the very first to arrive here in the Dalek's lab with Tina. The two boys had been here since day one of the experiments, and it had really rocked Tina to the core in losing two people that she knew so well in such a way. And after she explained it all to me and Shelly, it truly was such a horrific way.

Apparently, the kind of processing the Daleks would put one of the children through when deemed too 'weak' was ten times more violent and overwhelming then the first insertion that everyone went through in the beginning. The Golems and Daleks would overpower the person's system with large doses of Time Vortex energy and who knows what else kind of chemicals. Then they would force electricity down us, trying to get a reaction. Usually, then, the experimented child would be thrown into a cell and held there for observation by the Daleks. None had ever survived the process for the Vortex in such large doses into a body, of any species, even Time Lords, was too much. The body would literally combust from the energy. They would burn up as the energy acted violently, bursting out of them in a blast that would kill anyone and anything around them, turning all into dust in mere seconds.

This was why it was so strange that the Golems had even brought Zig back to the chambers in the first place. Maybe the Golems wanted to see people burn? Or maybe sometimes, there were even glitches in the Golems minds from the way they had been created in the first place? Whatever the reason, Tina said it did happen sometimes. A child brought back from such experiments. It would always lead to the child destabilizing. And when I asked Tina why the Daleks would keep doing such experiments when they knew it never worked, she merely replied, 'I guess they just don't know when to give up.'

Now, it had been several years since I have first arrived here. I felt much older now. The experiments were still rough as ever. But with Shelly and Tina around, I learned to handle them. Shelly grew to become the support for when things got too rough for us, cracking jokes like no tomorrow and putting up a tough act to keep our spirits up. Tina was still the mother figure to us all. She kept a smile on her face through thick and thin. Though, as more and more children around us died, I noticed the smile starting to waver. I felt bad for Tina as I knew that with each death, she would blame herself in some ways. It would just break her hearts every time. So I tried to follow in Shelly's lead in keeping spirits up as well. I did not want Tina to feel as though she had to carry any burdens of what was happening to us. I wanted her just as happy as she made me and Shelly.

Currently, Tina, Shelly, and I lay on the cold floor, staring out a very small window towards the starry sky overhead. It was the only window in the new chamber the Golems had moved us children into a few months ago. They had done so when the numbers of the experimented children had become so small lately. Only twenty or so now throughout the entire Station. Now, in the new room that was closer to the main lab of the Daleks, they had better control over us. There was constant monitoring, with no real privacy for us kids, and the experiments grew even worse than before. Pushing our bodies to limits that I never thought possible. It hurt to breathe. It hurt to think. It hurt to live. But we all pushed on. Or, at least, the ones that were determined to push on. Others simply gave up and wasted away. I felt like doing the same, but . . . Shelly and Tina kept me going. Without them . . . I did not know what I would do.

I think the same went for each of them as well. We kept each other going as a family. Doing little things that would brighten our days through the thick gloom of darkness in our lives. Like now, for instances. We sat there in the bed of straw, cuddled up next to each other like we would do at night to sleep. It was the only way to keep each other warm from cold. It was comforting. And while we laid there, staring up at the always night sky, we played a game of guessing constellations in the stars. There were not many that we could pick from since it was such a small opening to stare out from. But it was fun nonetheless. Plus, the longer we laid staring, the more the stars would shift as the planet we were on rotated. Which gave us different stars to look at.

"Why isn't there a monkey star system?" Shelly blurted out after Tina picked out a funny shaped constellation that looked like a bird.

"Maybe there is for those living on different planets," Tina replied, shrugging.

"What are 'monkeys'?" I asked curiously, lifting my head up a bit from where it had been laying on Shelly's chest.

"Oh, right. I forgot you never had a chance to go to school or explore around to different planets with your parents," Tina responded, frowning as she tried to ponder over a way to explain the term to me. She rubbed a hand through my hair lightly where her hand was resting, the same that she would occasionally do for Shelly as well. "Well, they're these strange creatures who walk on all fours, but sometimes on two legs . . . and they have fur all over . . . have tails, unless they're apes, which apes are like monkeys but without tails, but they all look like apes . . . they're pretty smart . . . You know, sweetie, I really can't explain them unless I could show you. What I can say is that most species of monkey live on a planet called 'Earth.' It's the planet where beings called 'humans' live. They look a lot like us."

"There's a lot of worlds where people look like us," Shelly remarked, sounding bored by the sort of 'lesson' Tina was giving. "Humans are nothing special for that."

"Really?" I replied, amazed by this information. Other places with Time Lord-like people? That sounded weird. Whenever I thought of other worlds, I always just imagined robots like the Daleks or something. "Have you guys seen 'humans'?"

"Sure. I've seen them in encyclopedias that my parents had. They were professors at the Academy before it closed down because of the war," Shelly said, shrugging like it was no big deal.

"And I've seen humans once during a day trip me and my family took for fun," Tina added, smiling at me when I gave her a look of awe. "Earth is a nice place. Really far from this side of the universe. They don't really have to worry about wars between other planets and such like we do."

"Yeah. They just have to worry about not killing each other all the damn time," Shelly laughed sourly. "What a bunch of dummies."

"Shelly," Tina scolded, smacking Shelly in the back of the head smartly, "it's not nice to make fun of lower developed worlds. They don't know any better yet, but they'll get there one day." Shelly only laughed, pushing Tina's hand away as she gave the older girl a grin of humour.

I gave Tina a curious expression, stating, "So you've been to other worlds before? What was it like travelling?"

"Oh, it's wonderful," Tina sighed in remembrance. "The first time I got to step onto a new planet . . . it was like magic. I couldn't stop smiling the whole day. My parents kept laughing at me about it."

I smiled along with Tina as she told me and Shelly stories of different worlds she had been to. Not many worlds. But still, enough to give Tina such happy memories. But then, the more Tina talked over her wishes to continue on in travelling, the more I noticed her expression saddening. Another thing that been happening a lot lately was Tina's moods suddenly going from happiness to sadness in an instant. It made me worried . . . but I figured that it was just her still being upset by the deaths that were going on around us. If it was anything serious, Tina would have come to me and Shelly about it by now.

"So . . . do any of you have dreams of travelling, too?" she finally ended her stories in asking us this question.

"Sure! I'd love to see that planet you were talking about. Earth sounds fun," Shelly responded enthusiastically. "I would definitely like to see different planets in the past, though. Learning history in those encyclopedias was always fun. But seeing history firsthand would be amazing!" Shelly began poking me when she realized I was staying quiet. "What about you, Alpha?"

"Um . . . I don't know," I answered with a shrug. "I guess that sounds nice. But I'd rather just stay somewhere quiet like where I used to live."

"Psh. _Boring_ ," Shelly said in a sing-song voice, poking me in the side. "You're such a dork. Why be normal in just living in one place all the time?"

"I don't know," I said, shrugging again as I stared thoughtfully out towards the starry sky. "I guess I just don't really want to travel. Living in one place for a relaxing life sounds perfect to me."

We all sat up when the door of the chamber opened quickly. In walked a few Golems, dragging in a limp child by his arms. They just dropped him on the cold floor, marching back out and slamming the door behind them. I glanced at Tina, waiting for her to get up and go over to the child in comfort like she always did. But she merely sat there, staring at the lying child with unnerved eyes. As if becoming unsettled and unhinged by the sight. I had never seen her so disturbed before. She was always so strong through everything. But now . . .

"Tina? Sh-should we check up on them?" I asked her quietly, shaking her shoulder to get her out of her daze. She blinked, looking at me as if she wanted to beg for me to do it instead. But then she swallowed heavily, getting up from the ground with me and Shelly following. Walking over, we all crouched next to the fallen child, turning them over to see if they were all right. Sadly, it was too late for any help. They were gone. The Golems had brought back a dead child by mistake once again.

"I . . . I can't take this anymore," I heard Tina say in a weak, tearful voice. Looking over, I was shocked to see her clutching her head, tears leaking down her face as she gazed at the dead child before us. "Why? Why won't they stop? Why can't they just let us go? I want—want to g-go home." She began to sob, breaking down completely. I sat there frozen, unsure of what to do. I had always seen Tina as strong. I never once believed she would ever cry. And now . . . What could I possibly do for her?

"Hey, now, don't . . . don't talk like that," Shelly said quickly after glancing at me briefly, seeing how the sight of Tina crying had me anxious and afraid. Shelly scooted over to Tina, patting her on the back awkwardly in hopes to comfort the teen. "You're always saying it yourself. We'll get out of this mess. You'll see." Shelly gave a crooked smile in hopes to cheer up the older girl. But Tina merely continued to cry.

"Let's face it. They're never coming. We're as good as dead," Tina spat out while she cried, her voice thick from the tears. She let her hands drop limply onto her lap, staring at the dead child with a blank gaze. "I can't stop any of this. I'm useless. I'm no good to anyone. I'm no good anymore. Why do I even bother anymore?" Both me and Shelly glanced at each other in urgency, disturbed by what Tina was saying. But before we could comfort the older girl, the door opened swiftly with Golems coming in for a routine programming. Both Shelly and I were called for testing with some other children as it was our scheduled turn for the day. Standing up reluctantly, both Shelly and I said bye to Tina, assuring her we would be back later to play more stargazing games. I hoped that by giving Tina the promise for something relaxing to do later, that maybe she would be at ease. But as I walked out of the room with the others, seeing the broken, distressed expression on Tina's face, I felt . . . troubled and worried for her. Would she be okay until Shelly and I came back?

It was a few hours later before the Golems and Daleks deemed me worthy enough to be finished with the programming and tests for the day. I noticed how Dalek Caan, who had been observing me, seemed very satisfied by something or another. Apparently, my progress was doing very well compared with the other children. Weird. I did not feel any different. I mean, sure, I had been . . . developing some weird abilities lately. Like I could seemingly control atomic structures of objects around me, such as bend them into new forms and such. But I knew there were other children who could do that already. So why were they interested in me progression?

I ended up being the last child back into the chamber for the night because of how long Dalek Caan held me back. I stumbled into the room as the Golem pushed me harshly from behind. The door slammed just behind my back. I glanced towards the ground, nervous to see if the child from before were still on the ground. I let out a breath of relief when seeing the dead child had indeed been taken away. Good. I was glad that we did not have to look at that sight any longer.

Walking forward to go find Tina, I frowned in confusion when seeing all the children from the chamber were gathered around a certain corner of the room. All seemed to be huddled up, surrounding something or another. Each one had either a blank stare or were crying in sadness. I saw Shelly's back, shaking on the spot as she too stared at what everyone was observing.

"What's happened?" I asked loudly, quickening in my pace to get over to the group. I worried for a moment that maybe another small child had passed on in a horrible way again. It happened more often than any of us wished to see. Shelly turned around quickly, facing me with such sorrowful eyes and demeanour of mourning.

"Alpha . . . it's Tina," Shelly said, her voice wavering, thick with tears. Her bottom lip even trembled as she tried holding in sobs. I stopped in my tracks, staring at her in utter confusion.

"What about Tina? Did—," I stopped speaking, eyes growing wide as I feared the worse. Swallowing, I spoke again, "Did they take her away for more testing?" I tried peeking over her shoulder to see what was on the ground that all the children were staring at. I noticed how a few had looked away, now staring at me with such pity in their eyes.

Shelly gulped, seeming as though she were about to be sick from what she had to tell me. "I'm sorry, Alpha . . . I don't think she wanted to live anymore."

"What?" I stared at Shelly in alarm, hearts racing by what her words indicated. I began shaking my head lightly at first, then more rapidly as my mind race to denial. "No . . . no, don't say that. . ." My voice broke as I rushed forward, pushing Shelly out of the way for me to see what all had been gazing to. And upon the sight, my world seemed to crash around me. "NO! TINA!"

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I hope the warning helped any be prepared for this chapter. I hope it was not too hard to read. :( Please let me know what you think! I would love to hear all your thoughts in a review. That is if you have time to of course. :)

Reviewers:

 **normandy1701** : I'm so glad that you liked it. :) Oh yes, so many implications. But none for the anniversary adventure. Not yet at least. But don't worry, that adventure will appear sometime in the future. ;) Bad Wolf just sort of comes and goes where she's needed. Sort of like the TARDIS herself. I hope that this chapter was not too painful to read. Until next time! Take care! :)

 **FictionalBoysAreBetter** : haha I love that saying. Not bad at all. I get that way all the time. Especially in releasing a said painful chapter. I feel horrible releasing all that sadness at you readers. But at the same time so excited to see what everyone thinks of it. :D Hope you enjoyed as well! Cannot wait to see from you again. :) Take care!

 **heroherondaletotherescue** : lol So glad you like it! Hope you enjoyed the new chapter just as much. Even if it was heartbreaking to read. Until next time!

 **Luna M Moon** : Yep, I've had this all planned out since day one. Which is very hard to keep track of, so I hope I answer everyone's questions on past mysteries and such. :) Glad that you're liking it so far! Can't wait to see from you again in the future.

 **Authora97** : Woo! I'm just so happy that you like it all! :D

 **lautaro94** : Glad you enjoyed the chapter. :) It very much could cause a problem between the two of them. Though I suppose we'll just have to wait and find out how all of that plays along in the coming chapters. I hope that you'll enjoy them either way. :)

 **Shiboahyello** : Yay! I'm just so happy that you like it! Hope you enjoyed the rest of it. :)

 **swimmjacket** : Thank you so much for taking the time to review on both chapters. It always helps me reply to readers later with multiple reviews. :) Glad you enjoyed Wanda's world! That would be neat to see how he would react to all the differences. But sadly, I suppose we don't have time for that. I'm just happy that everyone likes it all so far. I was terrified many would be angry with just how crazy the whole Wanda's world concept was. And the Bad Wolf connection, too. No worries on the review length. No matter what, I always appreciate that you take the time to leave a review. :) It always means the world to me. Hmm. It might be. Or it might not. I suppose we'll just have to find out when Alpha made that promise. ;) Until next time!

 **Momochan77** : My heart is breaking as well. :( I just feel so much for them, it hurts whenever they hurt. Glad you enjoyed Wanda's world. Amy and Rory are indeed amazing parents. :) I really hope that you enjoyed the new chapter. Just going to warn you now, it's going to get even more emotional from here. Until we meet again the the future!

 **TheGirlWhoWept** : Yep, we finally get to see and know about everything. I hope part one of her memories was a good read for you. :) Oh yes, the Doctor will be very much furious with the Master. Glad you liked that name! It's a very pretty name. :) Hope the new chapter was a good read! Take care til next time!

 **AGBreads** : Woo! I'm just so happy that you liked it! Sorry for the confusion. I know it's a lot to take in and that I probably did not explain it all well enough. If you have any questions just let me know. :) I will also go back and edit the chapter to fix any problems of mine. Take care!

 **All The Stories Are True 24601** : Glad you enjoyed it! I hope it was not too messy of a chapter, and not confusing to read. Can't wait to see what you think of this chapter. Until next time!

 **Whovianeverlark17** : I'm just so happy that you liked it. I was so stressed about getting us all to this point in the story. I know I couldn't have done it without you and all other readers. :) Your support means everything to me. Hope the new chapter was just as good, and to see you again in the future. :)

 **mjahappy** : Woo! I'm just so overjoyed that you're liking it so much! :D

 **deadflowerseverymorning** : Hello! So good to see you again! :) Yeah, I know I've been having a load of trouble with the site, too. I hope all these issues can be resolved soon. Especially for you. I know I cannot wait to see what you think of the newest chapter. :) Hope to see you again in the future!

 **alwaystherereading** : haha Yep, it was all real. I think they were thinking it was either a assimilation of some kind, or another dream by the Dream Lord. They've been through too much just to assume something is real right off the bat. haha. I'm glad you liked Shelly just from that brief encounter. :) I hope you enjoyed her just as much in this chapter. Wanda is indeed there in the pocket universe. She is being kept safe in her room by Alpha, away from everyone else. I hope that this chapter was a good read for you. :) Until next time! Take care!

 **N7SpaceHamster** : No worries! You're not bad at all. :) If anything I'm a bad writer. haha. So happy to see from you again though! I was starting to worry there for a while thinking something had happened to you. But I'm glad to see that you're okay. :) I know there's been a ton of site problems lately. Here's to hoping that no more late notifications. Haha. Yeah, that chapter title freaked out a lot of people. Which I won't lie, I did that on purpose. I just couldn't help myself. ;) Oh yes, definitely still much more to come. Though we are almost to the end now. I'm so glad you enjoyed the nice time Wanda had with the Ponds! You're right, I really did want to bring a nice quiet moment before . . . well, before these chapters. Which I hope that these chapters are a good read. Also, you are very much correct. Murphy's Law just loves coming after the Doctor and Wanda.  
Aww, thank you. I'm just so happy that so many people have enjoyed the story for so long. It makes me all warm and fuzzy inside. :3 Eh, I think Martha's neighbor is just as she said. 'Eccentric.' Probably an inventor or tinker of some kind. Wanda wasn't really looking into specific details of that day, so the timeline changed on her without her realizing it. She just remembered the bomb from the show, not the possibilities themselves. Could be that. Or it could be that Martha's neighbor just did not really think about it and just placed a note where the bomb had been, as you said a good place to put it. You know, in case the bomb had been Martha's all along and wanted it back. lol ;) Guess we'll just have to wait and see what Jack knows. But he is rather sweet in that chapter. The Master is just someone who hates anyone who gets the upper hand on him or outsmarts him. He's just petty like that, I think. The DNA thing was that way he could manipulate their ages. That way he could target Ember specifically without effecting Wanda, per say. So, essentially . . . it would make Ember regress back to nothing. Like she was never created in the first place. :( Glad you don't hate me for that, though!  
I think no one moment in the Doctor and companions' lives would work for this. Only Amy, Rory, and River with Eleven would have ever worked. Well, most likely Jack, Martha, Mickey, and Sara Jane probably saw it. But they probably didn't react to it because . . . well, you'll see what I mean in the future. Glad you liked Wanda's world! It really is a nice place for everyone to have a 'happy ending' of sorts. Yeah, Oswin just took Ember's name to honor the lost child. But she couldn't tell the Doctor that because, well, of him not knowing about that yet. Nope! Like I always told readers in the past, there's a reason to the madness in this story. Everything is said/done for a reason and not everything as it seems. ;)  
Thank you! I'm so happy to hear that. That was my biggest fear was the whole world not being believable in being a part of the Whoverse. But I'm glad to see that everyone liked it. :) Had to go into some details as I know there would have been many people wondering how the world managed to exist and survive. Plus, I always like to do what the show itself does in having multiple people doing explaining of things and such. Doctor-Donna really did deserve a happy ending. At least in Wanda's world, she gets one. ;) Actually, that version of Clara showing up was supposed to be sort of an echo of Clara had arrived there because of the Doctor's timeline and such. Her being the impossible girl and all. And Ember did show up when Alpha and Wanda had still been there in the world. She just showed up the day that Wanda and Alpha left, so she never got a chance to meet them personally like the other people had. Happy that you enjoyed the Amy and Rory parent moment there. :) Funny thing, I really don't think anyone did say anything about that. Then again, you're right. There is a lot still left in the shadows to be discovered. ;) Rose truly did love Wanda. It was just sparked much quicker along by Shelly binding herself with Rose to make Bad Wolf. So it's love that would have happened eventually, but it was made to come to the surface quicker through Shelly's influence. But Shelly doesn't really see it that way, as she just thinks Rose was mostly influenced by her emotions when really it was both of them getting influenced. Sorry if that was not conveyed well. It was sort of all implied things, not really set in stone so that way the reader to think of what it all meant. Oh, Alpha is definitely not 100% awful. Just a bit wild. Would love to know how you thought of her from this chapter. :) Can't wait to see from you again! Until next time! Take care and have a brilliant day/night! :D

 **bored411** : Yep, we get to see everything. Which, as you can see here, is really not much Time War, but more of what happened behind the scenes of the war. I hope it was a good read for you. :)

 **SakuraRcoa** : Yeah, that was probably my fault if you felt confused. I'm sure I did not convey things well enough. Something like this really is best told through visual means instead of written words. Wanda can still travel around as she always has. Stuff like this won't affect her physically. It will be more . . . emotionally affected for her. Hope you enjoyed the newest chapter!

 **Cat** : I know. I'm the worst. :( I hope that you still enjoy the rest of the chapters though. Also, hope that your day/night will be amazing!

 **NerdWithAPencil** : haha. I'm so happy that you're so excited for the new chapter. I hope it was as good as you were hoping for. :) Aww, thank you so much! You're much more amazing than I'll ever be. ;) Take care! Can't wait to see what you think of the new chapter!

 **Miss Amarillys Ren Harasakai** : _Bonjour!_ I'm so happy that you're enjoying the story so much. I hope the enjoyment continues throughout the rest to come. :) Though it might not be as happy as an ending as many would like. I hope that's okay.

 **Isanxd** : Yay! I'm so happy that you enjoyed it. :) Sorry if it was confusing. It's something I think that would have worked better in the actual episode than in a book. But I don't have any say in the show, so . . . I hope it was still a good enough read though. ;) Yep, we'll see the Master again soon. And not that long now until the end. I hope that you'll enjoy it all! :D

All of you, every single one of you, is an absolute star! :3 I hope that you all find pure happiness and joy throughout the rest of time and space!

~Tinker~


	52. Ch 52: A Wanderer's Memories (Part Two)

Howdy!

I hope everyone's day/night has been amazing! :) Please, enjoy the newest chapter!

 **Warning** : Dark themes ahead in this chapter. There is child abuse/death, mentioning of suicide, and some blood. Please read with caution if these topics are difficult for you. Though I will say all of this is still in the rated **T** range, so nothing too hard to read or graphic.

XxXxXxXx

Chapter 52: A Wanderer's Memories (Part Two)

Three days. That was how long it has been since . . . since . . . Sitting in the corner which I had secluded myself to, I let out a sob as I could not even bring myself to think about the occurrence. But I could not get it out of my mind. Tina had . . . She had . . .

After we had left for our testing . . . from what the other children had told of what they had witnessed . . . right after our departure, Tina had turned around and walked straight to the window. She somehow managed to climb up to the small window, then broke a large piece of glass from it. Getting back down to the floor, the children told how they had watched with unbelieving eyes as Tina . . . as she . . . Just like that. Not a word spoken. Not a change in motion. Just getting that piece of glass and . . . She did not even allow herself to regenerate.

The window was fixed now. The Golems had done so. They merely walked in, cleaned up the mess, dragged Tina out of the room, and left us all in our states of shock and dismay. Right after the door slammed behind the departing Golems, I walked over to the one decent corner of the room and curled up into myself. Not speaking a word. Not eating or sleeping. Merely sitting there . . . doing nothing and letting my mind tumble into chaos in trying to comprehend just why Tina had . . . Just . . . Why Tina? Why would one ever think of such a thing to do to themselves? And the worst part was . . . I felt as if it were all my fault.

I could have noticed the signs of Tina feeling so horrible that she felt as if she had to do such an act. That she felt that life was meaningless and that no one could help her through her depression. Why had I not noticed? No, I realize now that I had indeed seen the signs. I had simply been too selfish to bother in helping poor Tina out of her dark thoughts and feelings. I had ignored all the signs, ignored everything that I could have done to save her. And because I kept my sight averted from the inner troubles Tina had been facing . . . I had caused her to see no end to her horrors.

I let out another sob, curling into myself as I sat in the dark corner, wrapping my arms around my head as I buried my face into my bent knees. Again and again, the thoughts of Tina went through my mind. Tina, the one person who had kept everyone full of hope and happiness, kept me and Shelly so filled with glee for having her as our big sister of sorts . . . was no more. And I felt nothing but despair upon knowing that I would never see her again.

"Oi! Stop fighting you bunch of animals! Can't any of you learn to share?!"

I glanced up weakly from my knees, seeing that the Golems had brought in our weekly food rations. Kids in the room were fighting around the bag as they scrambled for food. None of them stuck to the system of sharing as Tina had set up. In fact, they all seemed to have abandoned very rule the older girl had made for them since her departure from this world. Shelly had been trying to keep order. But so far . . . nothing seemed to get any of the younger children to listen. Shelly had tried getting me to help as well, but . . .

Shelly glanced back at me, seeming to plead at me with her eyes to get me to move, do something, anything. But still, I remained in my cationic state, simply sitting there, staring at everyone with blank eyes. What did it matter anyway? It was not as if any of them would listen to me or Shelly. We had always been the lesser of the older experiments in the facility. The . . . older experiments . . . .

It clicked in my mind, quite suddenly. As I blinked, looking around the room, I realized something right there and then. There were no older experiments. It was literally Shelly and I left who had been here the longest. All the rest were children who were brought in and out at a normal rate of a new batch every week. But us two, Shelly and me, we were the only consistency left in this horrible mess. And . . . these children . . . they needed something consistent. Someone who could be stable minded, strong-willed, and keep calming kindness for all. Tina had been that one to keep the peace. And now with her gone . . . I knew someone else needed to step up in the loss we all felt. I . . . I had to do it. I knew Shelly could not with how temperamental and aggressive she is. Someone . . . needed to be like Tina and keep order. Because of my selfishness in letting us lose our strong leader, our caring mother . . . I knew I needed to step up to help and finish what Tina had started. I did not know if I would live long enough to see the end of it or keep everyone alive, but I knew I would keep one thing going: hope. Tina had such hope in the Time Lords coming to save us. Something which I knew I needed to carry on. For Tina . . . my beloved sister.

Gaining determination to keep Tina's memory alive, I slowly stood up from my corner. Standing tall, I felt my guilt washing away into a small pocket, staying there to keep my mind in track of what I must do for everyone here. Shelly glanced at me when I walked over, letting a complete relieved expression cross her face. As if something she had been on the verge of becoming heartbroken about was finally set right. She even gave me a loving smile of sorts. I nodded to her, then continued over to three of the children who were creating most of the fighting. I reached down and yanked the piece of bread they had been shouting over right out of their hands. Before the rough kids could blink and realize what had happened, I slapped each one over the head.

"Enough!" I shouted, glaring down at them with my hands on my hips. Doing the same stance as Tina always had. "How can you all fight at a time like this? What good does it even do? What would Tina think of you all for acting in such a way? Shame on you all for acting like this! Tina would be disappointed in you all!" I only received blank stares for a moment. Then, one by one, each child lowered their gaze in shame and embarrassment to their actions. I softened my glare, staring at them with understanding. "Look . . . I know we're all dealing with Tina's loss in our own ways. But don't stoop to the level of savages. Don't give the Daleks any more reason to treat us like vermin. We all need to buck up and keep helping each other if we want to make it through this. For each other. For our families. And for Tina."

Tearing the piece of bread in my hands in half, I handed each piece to a child for sharing. Then, they all did as such, splitting up the rations as we always had. Nodding at them all in satisfaction, I walked away, going over to stand underneath the window. Leaning against the cold dark, brick wall, I kept my arms tightly crossed as I stared at nothing in particular. Hearing someone coming over to me, I sensed who it was immediately and I let my hand hang down at my side in welcome. Shelly took my hand warmly, giving it a squeeze.

"Glad to have you back. Thought I lost you there," she whispered, her tone filled with relief as if she truly had been worried out of her mind for me.

"I'm fine. I just . . . had to mourn. That's all," I replied back in a soft voice. I turned my head to her, eyes glistening with unushered tears. "What about you? Are you all right?" Shelly did not say anything for a moment, simply leaning her head against my shoulder to bury her face from the world.

"I'll be okay," she finally replied in a breath. I stared at her for a second longer before turning around, embracing her into a strong hug. I allowed her to continue to bury her face in my shoulder as I held on tightly. Neither of us breathed a word while we stood there, merely allowing each other to feel comforted by the embrace.

"Shelly . . . do you think we'll ever get out of here?" I finally questioned hesitantly, glancing back at the children around the room, fearful of any hearing my doubt. They all lived for the small beacon of hope that one day the Time Lords fighting the war would find and rescue us. Without that hope . . . I do not think any of us would have made it this far.

"Of course. I just know that they will realize what's happening and will send us our saviors in a blink. You'll see," Shelly replied confidently. She even patted my back in reassurance to her full determination of all of us being saved in the end.

I nodded slowly, allowing myself to snuggle my head up against hers in the crook of her neck. Strangely . . . I felt as if I liked the way we held each other. Shaking off this thought, I went on speaking, needing to hear something in particular from her now to truly reassure myself of hope. "And . . . Shelly . . . will you promise me that you'll never leave me?"

Shelly pulled back, beaming at me. "Psh. As if you even had to ask! I'm never, ever gonna leave your side. That's a definite promise. And, as I've always said, I _never_ break my promises, Alphie girl." She needed her declaration with a cheeky wink, making me laugh in delight and feeling of ease.

XxXxXxXx

Years flew by after Tina's departure. Decades. Each day seemed easier to move on with our sister's passing on. Soon, we grew to accept it and move onwards ourselves. With death becoming more common . . . I suppose it was easier for us to keep looking forward and never back to the past. Shelly and I grew closer than ever with us being the last two of the older children. Especially with our numbers diminishing every day. Soon I feared that it might only be her and I in the end. What would happen to us if that were to ever happen? What would the Daleks do then if they only had two experiments left? I shudder to think, really.

As we grew closer and older, I began to notice a shift from our previous relationship. I had noticed something before with how I would constantly get fluttering in my stomach around her. But . . . I did not really think about it much. Now, though, as we were about to enter into our mid-forties (though oddly enough we still stayed very similar in appearance as we had when we first arrived), I realized that . . . I was developing feelings for Shelly. Feelings that I did not know how to act upon or even think about. Sure, I had never had experience with these things myself or even really seen much examples of more grown-up relationships. But I do remember how my mother and father were with each other. That would have to be the best example for me to use as a reference of sorts.

It was little things from Shelly, really, that seemed to catch my attention. Such as how protective she appeared to be over me whenever a Golem would try to be more forceful with me. Then how I would continuously feel her brushing her hand up against my arm in a loving manner. I would notice how she would back away whenever I would glance at her after doing so. As if she were afraid to alert me to how she began to change in behavior and touches around me. And I felt that I quite liked the attention she wanted to give me.

Again, I did not know how to feel about it. I knew we were rather young for our species. Was it normal for growing Time Lords to have deep connectional emotions such as these? I was not sure. But given our situation . . . I do not think it really mattered in the end.

"We got another one."

I looked up from where I had been sitting with one of the new kids from the outside. They were brought in just yesterday and were extremely young. Only three years old. Poor things . . . They would not last a week. Standing up from the child, I made certain they were peacefully asleep before going over to where Shelly had called to me from. She currently sat by the door of the chamber, looking over a boy who had curled up where the Golems had thrown him earlier, shaking up a storm from where he laid. I crouched next to him, opposite side of where Shelly sat. Patting the boy gently, I tried to help soothe whatever pain he was feeling.

"Ssh, it's okay," I whispered to the boy.

"It hurts," whimpered the child.

"I know. But you just need to go to sleep, okay. Do that, and we promise that you'll feel much better in the morning," Shelly told the boy softly. The boy shook his head rapidly, looking terrified of the idea of falling asleep and never waking up again.

I know we felt the same a long while ago. But after discovering how our bodies were changing to adapt to the chemicals and Time Vortex going into us, the best option was sleep. It was sort of a way of healing. Instead of what should have been simply regeneration energy uses to patch up our bodies as we grew worn and hurt, our bodies seemed to be . . . losing that side of its natural genetics. We were slowly losing our Time Lord selves and becoming . . . well, I am still too afraid to think of it. For now, however, I am just glad that we can, in fact, heal.

We only discovered this aspect after Shelly came back really sick one day. Tina had always kept us up as a way to fight through the pain and keep being strong. But, when seeing Shelly hurt so bad . . . crying so much . . . I just sat by her side while she rested her head in my lap, stroking her hair, the beautiful blonde I loved, and cried over her as she fell asleep. I had been so terrified that she was dying in my arms that night. I was certain she would never wake again. But, with delightful shock, she woke up almost twenty-four hours later, smiling once again and ready to eat. She said how her body felt better than ever. The best she had felt in a long while, actually. We tested it out later, pushing our bodies to the limits and seeing just what sleep could really do for us. And it worked. The longer we slept, the more of a healing process our bodies would undergo. It was not hundred percent, but it worked good enough to keep us alive and going without much pain. Shelly thinks this might happen as some kind of adaptation our bodies were creating to fight back. Time Lords did use comas as a way to heal in emergencies. And with all the poisonous things the Daleks were putting into our bodies, our genetics must have changed in using a light method of the coma healing, able to internally repair whatever damage the hazardous chemicals were doing to us. It was the only thing we could believe to be happening to us. Then again, what was happening to us all was beyond possible, or even something that was abdominal. Something that should never be done nor tampered with.

But, in the end, was that not what the Daleks did best? Tampering with the laws of the universe to meet their own greedy needs. With these actions . . . I had a feeling . . . a strange feeling for a long while now that has been developing over a few years . . . that the universe was growing a deep ire in what has been happening. That . . . somehow or another . . . the balance of the universe was shifting. Things have been in chaos for far too long now, and things must change soon . . . or else I felt as though we would all suffer the consequences of whatever punishment the universe wished to evoke on those who have caused such imbalance. It was crazy to believe in such a thing, I know. But . . . still . . . the growing feeling was there. And I only hoped that it was simply my worried nature at play.

Eventually, we got the boy in our arms to go to sleep. We stayed with him for a bit on the bed of straw we made for him. Sitting right next to each other, holding the child as if he were our own, I suppose that we were the closest thing to a family, to parents, for the children here. Just as Tina had once been to me and Shelly and far many others of the past. Shelly scooted around, letting the kid lie comfortably in the straw. Coming around, she helped me up by holding my hand to pull me up. I noticed how she held onto my hand for a bit longer than necessary once she had me on my feet. And once she let go of my hand . . . I sort of wish she would still hold onto it.

"So . . . I guess I'll watch him for now, since it should be almost time for the Golems to show up," Shelly whispered to me quietly as she walked me over to the door of the chamber. Others had already lined up. Those which all had odd numbers like me. Something else that had changed over time. It seemed the Daleks realized that treatments every day on us were not the best idea in the world. So now it was every other day for us. The odd number names get one day and the even numbers get the next. It helped some in having a least one day of rest from the treatments to our bodies. Though that did not mean the treatments to our minds nor training in combat ever stopped.

"Yeah, I'll see if I can sneak us some extra rations for the kids on my way back," I whispered back, both of us wanting to keep our voices down in case the Golems walked by, hearing us.

Shelly nodded, seeming relieved by the idea of some more food for us all. A second later, however, her worried face came back as she stared carefully at me. "Your headache still isn't going away, is it?"

I gave a heavy sigh, wincing as I rubbed at my temples. "No. It's worse than ever, actually. You think after three weeks it'd finally go away. Guess it's stubborn like you, eh." I tried smiling weakly at her in a joking manner. But Shelly merely kept a stern face. I sighed once more, grabbing her hand and giving it a squeeze. "Look . . . it's just a side effect from the experiments. It might go away eventually."

"Or it might not," Shelly replied in a gruff voice, clearly frustrated, worried, and angry by the pain I had been going through lately.

"And if it doesn't, then I'll live with it," I told her strictly, eyeing her as if to tell her to keep her cool and to not yell at the Golems as she has been quite a lot lately. For so long now, I had been developing these awful headaches that would leave me in a weak, shell-like, state. But I had been growing so used to the pain that I found it unnecessary to be bothered with worry over it any more.

"Alpha, you can't be serious in thinking—," Shelly began to protest in spite but snapped her mouth shut once the door swung open quickly, revealing the Golems. They ordered the odd numbers to move out, even yanking a few out who seemed to want to remain behind.

I turned to Shelly hurriedly, giving her a brief hug and kiss on the cheek. I smiled when seeing her blush, whispering in a breath, "I'll be okay. See you soon," before being yanked out of the room.

As usual, I and the others were led down the hall towards the injection labs. Being pushed into a much larger room than usual, I glanced up to see a viewing room of sorts hanging over the table where I was supposed to be trapped down on. Dalek Sec, Caan, and Jast were working around the upper floor, seeming to be setting up different monitoring systems. I gulped as I was pushed forward, made to lay on the table and be trapped down. It was odd that so many of the Daleks were viewing me all at once. Why were they taking such an interest in me? Again, I was not developing much different from the other children from what I have noticed. Though, the Daleks had been taking a lot of DNA samples from me lately. Was it something to do with my internal makeup changing that had them so interested?

As I laid there, being hooked up to the different injection machines and the process of the normal procedure beginning, I felt . . . off. Something was different. Something was changing. Was it them? The situation? Or . . . me? Glancing around nervously at the Golems surrounding me, it was strange in seeing so many. Usually, there was one or two Golems monitoring me, with the occasional Dalek every once and a while. But now there were ten, all scattering around, activating different computer systems and large hookups with needles. Wh-what . . . What were they planning on doing to me?

"Masters, the experiment is ready," one Golem spoke obediently, even bowing to the Daleks.

"Begin the procedure!" commanded Dalek Sec in his sharp, shouting voice. I wince at the shout. Something that I had been doing for a while now. I hated their shouting. I wonder if it would become a constant, internal flinch of mine now with shouting.

A machine lowered over my head and face, placing sharp rods into each temple of mine and had two scanners that held perfectly still over my eyes. It made me nervous not being able to see what was happening around me with the device blocking my view. What was this device anyway? I never saw it before and they had never used it on me. I jolted on the spot a little when feeling the sharp jab of the needles in the bend of my elbows. Then, as usual, I felt the burning sensation of whatever chemicals they pumped into me. Then, I felt the machine around my head quake as something was being pumped into it. A soft, golden glow started up in the scanners. No . . . they were not scanners. They were . . .

I gasped, too late in realizing what they were when the golden light hit my eyes with a force. It was brief. Only a small amount of the Time Vortex forced into my vision. Just the small minimal amount that was always given to us experiments. For too much would have killed us all a long time ago. No living beings were ever supposed to have this kind of energy living within us. And by making it go into my eyes directly in such a way, besides fusing it with my developing genetic makeup; they were trying to force my mind into accepting the energy.

I screamed as my eyes burned from the energy. My mind pounded away in agony as the Time Vortex settled within my brain. Not that it had not already been doing so with years of being pumped into my body. But having such a direct approach added more fuel to the fire burning away my mind. My hearing had a sharp ring to it as the world around me seemed to shift and sway. My mind hurt worse than ever, feeling as if it were being spilt in two. I felt ready to be sick from the pain. It was beyond anything that I had experienced before. Even worse than the first time I had arrived here to this place. What have they done to me?

Just as I wished for death, something in my mind seemed to snap. Like it clicked together once the energy in my mind and body settled. Images started rushing through my mind rapidly. Of places, people, and things I did not understand or even know of. I even heard the voices and sounds of these images buzzing away at my ears. Then, once my mind settled, everything was back to normal. I lay there in a stupor as the machines moved away from me. I had heard that through training a Time Lord could seeing time as a whole. The flow of nature, of what should be, could be, and not to be. Everything lined up in history, ready to be as a permanent insight into the universe. None of us children of Gallifrey had this insight since the only way to have even beginning abilities, one would have to look into the Untempered Schism. At least, that is what Tina had explained to me and Shelly once. She had been one of the few who had actually had the opportunity to go to the Time Academy and begin her training with her Time Lord abilities and insight. But as for the rest of us, these powers we were getting were something that I knew was completely wrong.

The Golems forced me to sit up. It was near impossible from how weak I felt. I only wanted to continue to lay there, curled up on my side and forget about the pain that was going through my body. But they made me move into the training room, forcing me into action. Truth be told, I do not recall what happened in the training room that day. I was too much of a daze to even know where I was, let alone of what I was doing. Though I do remember hearing the Daleks sound very pleased with . . . something I did. Something about improving my strength. Really, I have no idea. All I do remember was going back into the chamber and seeing Shelly standing there nervously by the doorway. She looked alarmed when I came in. I do not know why. Something about me seemed to horrify her.

Things went blank after that. I briefly remember Shelly being over me while I laid on a bed of straw. She kept fussing over me, seeming extremely in a panic. But every time I see her in this state, I would merely black out again. Then, eventually, I woke up. I blinked slowly, turning my head to the side to see Shelly asleep next to me. She laid with a hand on my chest, and another clutching tightly to one of my open palms. Everything was quiet in the chamber. Still, at peace, as I gazed at her. I felt my hearts beating strongly as I reached over and brushed a strand of hair from her face. I love her blonde hair. It was just so . . .

"Beautiful," I sighed, closing my eyes as I rested there. I wanted to know what happened to me while I was unconscious. It must have been something serious in the way Shelly freaked out. But, when she slept in such a peaceful state, I did not want to wake her for anything. I wanted to allow her to keep sleeping, dreaming of some far-off place of her wild fantasies and feel some happiness in this miserable life we lived.

"You're awake," I heard her mumble. Opening my eyes, I saw her staring intently at me.

"Yeah," I whispered, "I'm awake. What happened? I don't remember much." She sat up, grabbing a wet cloth and dabbing at my forehead.

"You had blood all over your face from whatever they did to you," she explained in a heavy sigh. "Your arms were cut up. You were barely able to stand and were just . . . walking around like a zombie."

I stared at her curiously. "What's a zombie?"

"It's an Earth saying. Think Golems, only more . . . brainless."

"Ah." Closing my eyes, I allowed myself to enjoy the tender way she wiped at my head. "So . . . what else? Was that it?"

"No." Shelly sighed, moving the cloth away to get my attention. "You kept having seizures. Whatever they did to you . . ." Pausing in hesitancy, she glanced up towards other children who sat far away from them. "Some others who came back with you said the Daleks made you do some odd training. Said they had you lift huge weights and that you even started . . . turning things into dust. Whatever that means."

I hummed, unsure of what to say in response. Instead, I let the comfortable silence shift around us, finding myself to enjoy the quiet moment we were having. Shelly started to wipe at my forehead once more, dazing off towards nothing in particular. Eventually, she stopped, placing the rag somewhere nearby before scooting down and lying next to me. She held me, shaking even. Swallowing thickly, I rolled to my side, holding her as well.

"I didn't think . . .," she began to say in a strained whisper, sucking in a breath before continuing, "I didn't think you were going to make it. I thought . . ." I felt her hold tighten. "I thought I was going to lose you."

"I'm not dying anytime soon," I tried reassuring her, giving her a squeeze around the middle.

Shelly grew tense, her voice coming out gruff when she said, "You don't know that. You don't know that at any second we could both go. Just like that."

I gave a weak chuckle. "Nah. You're too stubborn to die." I was glad when I heard Shelly let out a laugh, easing in her hold to face me, smiling away.

"You're damn right I am." We both laughed, pressing our foreheads together while smiling away in content as we let out worries ebb away. There was so much to worry about all the time. Stressing over when we were going to die . . . It was better to worry about something like that for later.

"We'll always be together . . . won't we, Shelly?" I suddenly asked, smirking at her as I usually did when I asked this question. It had become a sort of tradition (one that Shelly had begun) that we would ask each other this, as it helped remind us that no matter what we would always be there for each other. Always. Shelly grinned, rubbing her nose against mine affectionately.

"Of course! Forever and ever!" she exclaimed in merriment. My smile dropped somewhat as I turned more serious, staring deeply into her hazel-brown eyes.

"Promise?" I whispered.

She returned my serious expression, knowing just how terrified I was on the aspect of ever losing her. Cupping the side of my face, she breathed, "I promise that no matter what happens, I'll never leave you. Not ever, Alpha."

"And you always keep your promises, right, Shelly?" Seeing her smile at me, full of warmth and kindness, before I knew what I was doing, I leaned in and kissed her. I pulled away immediately, my face turning beat red. "I-I-I-I—I'm sorry. I don't know—."

Shelly let out a sharp laugh, shaking her head at me while grinning brightly. "Oh, just shut up, Alphie." She then grabbed my head more firmly and returned my kiss.

XxXxXxXx

Years went by, and from that first night I kissed Shelly, our love grew. We have become even more bonded than ever. And I could not be any more content and happy. I could stand all the pain and torment given to me by the Daleks if it meant I could be with Shelly for the rest of my life. She meant everything to me, just as I knew I meant everything to her. Things could be more perfect, yes. We were also rather young to be feeling such emotions. For most Time Lords, at least. But with this life we lived . . . we could not let hardships and age become factors that kept us apart.

"Oh! Does the Doctor really travel to the waterworlds?" an excited boy asked me.

Currently, I sat in front of our family of orphan children. There was about fifteen total. Not counting Shelly and I. Almost all the children here with us were around the same age we had been when we arrived here, or some even younger than that. The experiments had grown harsher still, with the Daleks now taking my blood daily and injecting it into others to watch the effects. I had been going through programming so often to the point where I found myself questioning whether or not I was even against the Daleks. I only managed to keep myself, well, myself was because of Shelly, and because of what powers I had developed the day after the Time Vortex had been injected into my eyes.

The next day after Shelly and I had kissed, besides coming to terms with our relationship, I woke up realizing something dramatic had changed about me. When I stared at the others around me . . . I could see into their lives. Their very nature of what impact they held in the universe. It had startled me at first. Terrified, confused, and even unnerved me when seeing images flash through my mind whenever I gazed at someone. Even the Golems. The images I saw in my mind were that of their lives. Not just present, but past and future as well. And . . . sadly the future was bleak for all. Though I still felt hopeful that the future sight was not all true . . .

Shelly did not believe me at first when I told her what I was seeing. She tried passing it off along with what my headaches were. A side effect of the experiments. But as I began to see more and more, timelines past even those who were around me, she began to realize this was something that would not be going away. My mind had changed permanently. For better or worse, well, time will tell with that one. All I knew was, now that I was seeing people's timelines outside of our tiny, miserable world, I started feeling more hopeful than ever before. Seeing what worlds laid beyond Gallifrey, it was truly something. Though I never really wished to go exploring the universe, it was still something awe-inspiring to see. The worlds filled with ice, oceans, forests; worlds filled with peoples of all kinds and so many stories to tell. I was glad that my sight only went so far, however. It was getting harder to ignore all the timelines bombarding me. It hurt my head almost constantly, making me feel sick and dizzy most of the time. I was learning to control it, thankfully. I could ignore the timelines by merely pushing it to the back of my mind, letting it buzz away almost like white noise. Even if it became an endless ringing in my ears, I knew I could live with it as long as I did not have to constantly feel the effects of the timelines.

The one timeline that had stood out from all the others, the one which had caught my eye from most, had been one that I had caught by brief passing. A timeline that I believe I had stumbled across by mere chance or luck. Maybe it was because he had been in passing, just a second he arrived on Gallifrey before leaving in a blink once more, not wanting to stick around for anything while he went off to hide from this war. I did not blame him. If I had a blue box to run away in, I would too. I did not mean to keep looking at his timeline. But it was just so interesting with such love and adventure involved in his life, I just could not help but to keep looking. And into the life of the others as well. Just so many people he met. So many lives that were intertwined with his. All those worlds and lives he's saved. Just watching him live such a life. It was not a happy life. No. Not really. But it was not a sad life, either. It was his life. A life he made all his own, no matter what hardships he faced or fears he came across. A life I wanted. I just wanted to be able to choose a life of my own, like he had. So, I will admit, I became somewhat obsessed in observing such a life of this strange healer. Of this Doctor. He was such a good man . . . A person I wanted more than anything to come find and save us.

And so, over time, I began sharing the stories of his adventures with everyone else. To all those children who had long ago given up hope of rescue, began to feel a spark of change when hearing the stories of the Doctor. At first, it was just something to tell to pass the time. But the more who listened to me, the more stories I told, the more they began to hope again. Hope that we actually had a hero out there, protecting not only us but the rest of the world, heck, the rest universe, too. Hope that one day the Doctor would come knocking and would save us from this hell hole. Hope that he would stop the war and the Daleks just as he has stopped them before. It was the only thing I . . . _we_ had left any more. The stories of the Doctor, the brave man with the blue box, kept us from drowning in despair and believing he would somehow find a way to save the children of Gallifrey. Years later, I realized then that I made myself believe he could have saved us. That he _would_ come and save us. But I know now that . . . nothing could have saved us. Nothing.

"Of course the Doctor travels to the waterworlds. He can go wherever he wants silly," I went on telling the boy sitting in our small family.

"Can you tell us about them again. Oh, please! Can you?" one little girl pleaded, giving me her best big-eyed look. The waterworlds were everyone's favourite.

"There's big glass domes right at the bottom," I began telling in my best dramatic story-telling voice, "and the water is so clear you can see the sky perfectly above. Then there's the fish who light up in the brightest blues, reds, and yellows you've ever seen." Standing up, I began to make gestures in the air while describing the worlds. "The plants underneath are a rich blue, while the sand is sort of red like our grass here in Gallifrey. The people who live there don't really need to live in air domes. They have both gills and lungs and are more agile swimming in the water than walking on land. But their technology doesn't work the best in water, so—anyway," I moved on, facing my audience more theatrically, standing in a way that I knew the Doctor would, full of confidence and conviction.

"—there he was, face-to-face with the Devolved Ones. They had successfully taken over all of the main dome capitals. They had sent the pathogen through the air ducts, making so most of the population had devolved into the likes of them. They had full control of all weapon systems and the access to the main surface. All they had to do was to kidnap the Council Man of Zene and make their way to the mainland under the disguise of peace. The whole world was going to fall if the Doctor didn't stop them. But what could he do? He was outnumbered. All he had on his side was his companion, Sarah Jane Smith, his sonic screwdriver, and the Council Man himself. What could he possibly do with such odds?"

"He can blast them!" shouted one boy, bouncing while he sat in anticipation.

"No, he wouldn't! The Doctor never kills," countered another boy.

"That's right," I replied, grinning largely. "The Doctor always uses his wits. He always has a plan up his sleeve. He already saw the water and air ventilation next to him and his group where the Devolved Ones had them cornered, so, he whips out his sonic in a flash," I made the same motion as the Doctor had done on that day, thrusting my arm outwards to point towards the wall, "making the whole system malfunction. Water sprays everywhere, evaporating into a mist from the air overheating. The Doctor grabs Sarah Jane's hand and they bolt in the confusion. At the same time, K-9, who had managed get into the main controls of the domes, sending through the antidote to the pathogen through the air systems. Oh, but the Doctor knew they weren't through the worst of it yet. So he rushed off to get to the leader of the rogue group, knowing he had to keep to his wits if he wanted to change them back to normal, too. But it was going to be tough without resorting to a fight."

I kept telling my dramatic story of the Doctor saving the day, managing to stop the villainous plan and cure everyone of the waterworld domes. All the while I noticed how Shelly sat away from the group, crossing her arms and pouting as usual. I could tell she was trying hard not to listen but was glancing over intently during the more exciting moments. After I finished my story, the group of kids cheered and clapped, happy to hear another epic tale of the Doctor before splitting up and going to their hay beds for the night. Ready for a good night's sleep before the experiments tomorrow.

"I don't know why you keep telling those stories," Shelly grumbled after I walked over and sat down next to her in our bed area. "They're just a bunch of fairy tales. He probably isn't even alive anymore."

"It gives them hope," I retorted crossly, frowning heavily at her. "And don't say he's dead. He's alive and fighting out there somewhere, maybe even fighting to find us." Shelly scoffed, turning away from me while I rolled my eyes. "Besides, I'd know if he was dead. And what are you mad about? You used to love the Doctor's stories." Staring at her for a bit, seeing how much she grumbled and pouted, it dawned on me. Smirking slyly, I slide up to her, hugging her from behind. "You're jealous."

"No, I'm not! I just think it's stupid to keep pretending some random guy we know nothing about is going to save our butts."

"Jealous," I sang in her ear.

Shelly huffed. "You keep talking about him like that, why don't you go marry this Doctor, huh? Apparently, he's much more exciting than the rest of us."

I chuckled softly, kissing her neck slowly. "He's got nothing on you." I gave her cheek a quick peck, earning a small smile from her. "That, and he's _way_ too old. I mean, ugh, could you imagine?"

"Gross," she agreed with a laugh. We both smiled in content, cuddling up in our hay for the night. Shelly sighed, smiling as she wrapped arms around my middle. "I love you."

"Love you, too." I smiled warmly, so glad to have her in my life. Where would I be without her? If there was anything good that came out of this whole thing, it was me finding the love of my life. I wonder how we continue on after leaving this place. Once the Doctor found us, would it be okay for us to still be together? I was certain they would be as Time Lords, from what I have gathered in my timeline searching, were never much for judging those based on age, gender, sex, etc.

"Do you really think the Doctor can come save us?" Shelly asked curiously, frowning as she stared up out of the small window in our chamber.

"If anyone can, it would be him," I replied. I watched as she hummed in thought, still gazing off to nothing in particular. She had been asking me a lot about the Doctor recently. I knew it was partly because she was indeed jealous that I was so fond of someone other than herself. But also because she too had hope in this mysterious man drifting through time and space. A hero we could keep wishing for. It was better than the alternative, at any rate.

Looking away from the window, Shely gazed at me in interest. "So, any new developments for today?"

I shrugged. "Nothing much. Still the same as yesterday. And nothing to report from the outside, either." Shelly would ask me this every night, keeping track on any new powers, abilities, or side-effects I received in the harsh new experiments the Daleks were putting me under. So far, the only abilities I kept gaining were with my insight to the worlds around us. Nothing more. Then again, I never thought to keep track of any outwardly changes.

As for outside reports, this was me keeping track of the ongoing war. The Time War, as I have learned to call it. This was another good thing which came from my ever expanding powers. I was the key to the outside universe, keeping us all informed of what really went on beyond our hell hole. I could see many new timelines and events clashing about, watching as many others struggled just as much as we did. I actually felt useful for once in being able to keep track for everyone here in what state of the universe was. Able to help many in gaining some peace of mind knowing what happened to their families and such. Many families had been lost the same day each child had been brought into the Station Alpha. Just like Shelly's and mine. Though, knowing one's family was gone is not all bad. It also gave peace of mind in knowing if our families had not suffered from the war. The end had been . . . quick for our parents.

We lay there together in the hay, enjoying the warmth and peace each of us gave the other. Staying up through the night as, now that we were in our nineties and finally looking like teen Time Lords, there was not much need for sleep every night anymore. The next morning came too quickly for us, and the Golems stormed in as usual, getting everyone up for the new day. Shelly gave me one more kiss before we departed our separate ways.

As per usual, the Daleks had me break apart large objects of their choosing. Whether it be through my powers of turning things to dust or simply using my bare strength. It was surprising in just how strong I was becoming over the years. Was it normal for Time Lord teenagers to be this strong? I did not think so. The Daleks continued on in pushing me. Then testing me on anything else they could push my body through. Strangely . . . it felt nice seeing how far I could push myself in speed and strength. Almost like a nice exercise. In the end, I finished up by receiving a small dose of Time Vortex energy into my eyes from the Daleks before departing. Though not before I was asked by Dalek Sec if there were any changes to my mind. As always, I answered 'no' as I did not wish to let them know of my powers of insight. Best not give them any sort of advantage in the war. Especially using me in doing so. It always seemed to displease them, making them talk of putting me through even more tests. I did not care. Let them do as they wished. I would never help the bastards of my own free will.

I followed the Golem down the dark corridor, ready to go lay in Shelly and my bed of hay for the night to relax. However, when I went to turn down the one way towards the direction of the experiment chambers, I was shocked when the Golem escorting me yanked my arm to steer down the opposite path. I was still blinking in shock when the Golem pushed me into a smaller room. Different than any sleeping chamber than I had been in before, I was surprised to see . . . beds. There were actually beds in here. Beds! I had not seen a real bed since the day I had been taken away from my home. The beds made out of rusted, thin pipes and the mattresses were made of a thin cotton that had been stuffed with hay. Each sat low to the ground, maybe only an inch up from the dirty floor. Then when I examined around more, I saw a small toiletry area, including a small, yellow-white tub (again low to the ground), a small toilet, and a tiny sink connected to the wall. No windows this time in the room, but still . . . this was more than I would have ever expected from the Daleks.

There had to be a catch.

"What kind of place is this?" I heard the voice from Shelly coming behind me. Turning around, I saw a Golem slamming the door shut behind her while she stood by the entrance with her arms crossed. She eyed the place warily, looking at me for answers. "Did you know this place even existed?"

"Never thought the Daleks kind enough to even consider giving us this kind of comfort," I responded, frowning as I took in the room once more. "Looks like this was all placed in here recently. But why?"

"Better question is . . . why is it just us in the room?" Shelly pondered aloud. Both of us glanced at the other, expressions shifting to worry as it hit us. We were all alone. We have never been alone before. All Time Children have always been placed together. At least, that was what I had always assumed.

"I swear, if those bastards are trying some kind of new stunt," I heard Shelly mutter under her breath. I just grunted in agreement, not really knowing what to say about our current situation. In the corner of my eye, I watched as Shelly huffed and walked over to the beds, staring at them cautiously. Then, she plunked herself down, slowly laying back onto the mattress. She let out a long groan of relief as her whole body relaxed into the mattress. "Damn, this is blissful. I forgot what actual comfort felt like."

Laughing, I walked over to the other small bed, slowly lowering myself onto it. Instantly a sigh of content left me as I sunk into the bed. I knew that anyone else might be uncomfortable by the very thin mattress stuffed with hay and laid across metal bars held together by rusted pipes. But to me, it felt absolutely fantastic. It had been decades of sleeping on cold, hard floors with only hay to help keep warm. Now my muscles eased from tension, my body sinking in with delight as though the bed was made of clouds.

"Ah man," I sighed.

"I know," laughed Shelly, she turned on her side, wiggling her brows. "You know what would make this even better?" She stood up from her small bed, pushing it over to mine. Once each bed was pushed together, she got on her side, scooting right up to me. "There we go. Comfort and snuggles." I chuckled, happily snuggling up to her. Each of us holding the other close as we pressed our foreheads together. Our smiles slowly faded, as we knew this room was not meant to be a happy place. This was not meant to be a moment to be laughed at.

"What's going to happen to the others?" I questioned quietly.

Shelly shrugged sadly. "I don't know. I just hope they'll be strong enough to make it."

"Of course they will," I said strongly, not even wanting to think for a second of any child being hurt.

Shelly puffed out a breath. "I just hope they don't freak out when we don't show up tonight." She absently played with my hair as she glanced around the room. "It's so weird. Why put us into a separate room?"

"We are the oldest. Maybe they have something new planned for us?" I snuggled up closer to her, pressing my face into her chest as I sighed heavily. "I really don't want to think about it at the moment. Let's—let's just enjoy this, shall we?"

I could tell Shelly wanted to talk about our situation more. To be more worried than I wanted to be. But I refused to look at her, keeping my face buried into her chest while she rubbed my back, trying to remain in denial as an unsettling chill crept up behind me, at the ready to pounce.

XxXxXxXx

Things became so much worse from that day. The experiments intensified tenfold. For both me and Shelly. The Daleks would have us together during many points, testing us at the same time for strengths and powers. Harsh chemicals pumped into the air for us to breath, making us choke while we performed many tasks. Other days where we would be pumped so full of injections and bits of Time Vortex energy, that by the end of the day each of us were hurting so bad we could hardly do anything but lay in our beds in pain and cry. It came to the point where I barely wanted to wake up in the morning anymore. I just wanted to die. However, Shelly kept me going. I loved her too much to give up. I wanted to be there for her, just as much as she was for me. So, I pushed on.

During all of this, after having days alongside Shelly during the Daleks tests, I never realized Shelly had many new abilities as well. Though hers were more strength based than insight through mental powers like me. She could crush things in the palm of her hands without so much of a blink, lift almost anything the Daleks placed in front of her, and speed around large rooms in a flash. While I could also lift heavy objects, I mostly could simply continue to control atomic particles, turning things into dust and shaping things at will. It was my mind that was expanding even more day after day. I never told Shelly, but it was hard for me to even stay aware of who I was, let alone my surroundings. The noise in my mind . . . it was unbearable. Like roaring waves crashing onto me at random. Sometimes, the jumbled mess of timelines and expansion into thousands of peoples' emotions was nothing more than white noise that I could push away and ignore. But other times, it was so crippling I could barely even move a single muscle. I was glad that most of these times happened at night, or else the Daleks would have begun to become suspicious. Or even worse, it would have upset Shelly.

I found the one thing that kept my mind in check, the one thing that helped me focus on the universe and myself, was holding onto the one timeline I loved to watch. The Doctor's timeline. His story, his life, was my lifeline. I could grasp it like a guiding rope, hold onto it, and walk along my path. It made all other noises in my mind grow to a quiet breeze. As long as I heard the whispers and voices from the Doctor, of all his many voices, then it helped. I never wanted to admit it, to Shelly or even to myself, but the Doctor was becoming my hero. A person I could look to for direction on where to go and what to do. He had so much hope for the universe, it was hard not to feel it too. It was becoming a clutch for me, I would admit. Not very healthy of me to cling onto some stranger's timeline in such a starving way as I was doing. However, given the situation, I believe even Shelly would agree it was best for me to find some sort of stability to keep myself sane.

Currently, I sat in the bath, trying to let the lukewarm water ease my muscles. As well as clean off the grim from the day. Shelly sat behind me in the bath, pressed against my back, using the small bit of soap we had to massage into my hair. It was nice having such a bath and privacy. In the past, the Golems would always throw all us children once a week into a large washing area where we could be hosed and scrubbed down before given new clothes that the Daleks had somehow gotten. At least now it was just me and Shelly bathing together instead of the whole bunch. True, we could still not have full private washes since there was only enough warm water for one bath a night. So, sharing was much easier than one of us dealing with a freezing cold wash. As well as . . . well, to be honest, we both secretly enjoyed being so close together. As intimate as we have ever allowed ourselves to be besides an occasional kiss.

"Damn bastards injected me so much together I thought my whole left side went numb at one point," Shelly told me as I hummed. "But I showed them. Took that extra loaf of bread, didn't I?"

"Oh, yes. They'll never know what hit them when they realize they lost a valued piece of moldy bread," I joked lightly, laughing as Shelly tickled me down my sides. She laughed a bit as well, enjoying assaulting me with tickles. But then began to cough badly, letting go of me to cover her mouth as she gagged a bit. I tried turning my head around to see her, but the way we were situated in the bath I could not view her fully. Especially in how she turned herself away so that I could not see her. "Are you okay?"

"Psh, I'm fine. Just got a tickle in my throat is all," Shelly laughed, patting me lightly on the shoulder to assure me she was okay once she turned back around. I let it slide while she started massaging my head again. Though not without a tinge of worry go through me. She had been coughing a lot lately. I noticed she was trying to hide it from me. I was not sure why. Maybe she was worried that I would be anxious about her getting sick? There was also the other day when I saw blood on the front of her shirt. She told me that it was just from her biting her lip during some training. I wanted to believe her, but . . .

"So, you were saying earlier about your training. What was it they made you do again?" Shelly asked me suddenly, interrupting my thoughts. My mood shifted to that of solemn guilt, as well as a little fearful of even telling her. I had been debating on whether or not I should confine in her on what had occurred. In the end, I decided to tell her.

"They had me kill some animals they had brought in," I mumbled quietly. I tensed as I felt her halt in her massage around my neck.

"They've never done that before," Shelly muttered, sounding uncertain. "Did . . . did you really—?"

"Yes," I responded, knowing what she was going to ask. "I killed them all . . . just like the Daleks wanted me to. Every different way I could, they ordered me to do so. And I—I couldn't fight their orders."

Shelly hummed quietly, gently rubbing my shoulders. "That must be why they've started testing us together like this. Why they separated us from the rest. We're almost complete with whatever they've done to us. Now they're just testing to see if our 'programming' is complete." She sighed, then hugged me from behind. "It's all right, Alpha. I'd rather you play along than get yourself killed. Even I have to stoop to their orders sometimes. Have to play it safe until our rescue, right?"

"But, Shelly, you don't understand . . . when I killed those creatures, I . . . I felt happy that they died." My whole body shivered as a few tears leaked down my face. I was unable to look around, to face Shelly, and see her reaction to my words. To see how horrified and terrified that I knew she must be now. "I felt relieved that they were dead. It's like all the pain suddenly went away when they were dead. I knew I shouldn't have liked it, but I did!"

Hands stayed still on my shoulders as Shelly seemed to take in these words. She finally whispered, "It's all right, Alpha."

I shook my head rapidly, pushing her hands away. "No, it's not! It's not all right! I've been following their orders for months now, and I haven't been able to even fight back like I used to. Not even for a second." Burying my face in my hands, I tried to get a grip on myself, trying to hold back my tears as I felt so sick of myself. Finally, my shoulders slumped as I let my hands fall back down into the water, staring dejectedly at my murky reflection in the bath. "I . . . I'm going to lose myself to them. I'm going to become just like the Golems, aren't I?"

Shelly swiftly grabbed me by the shoulders, turning me to face her fully now as she stared hard at me. "No, don't you dare say that." She gripped my chin, making my eyes meet hers. "I'll be here. I'll keep you sane. Keep you, you. I promise." Cupping the side of my face, she thumbed my cheek lovingly. "As long as I'm here, I will make sure that you always stay just the way you are. The kind and strong woman I love." Her promise was sealed with a gentle kiss, making me warm inside from her love and devotion.

Even though I have done a horrible action on this day, just in knowing that she still loved me gave me hope for myself. "Okay."

I smiled, pecking her on the lips briefly before stepping out of the bath. She followed after me shortly, draining the water away before joining me next to our bed. Each of us drying off the other with a few large rags that had been given to us for towels. Once we were dressed, we fell together onto the bed, snuggling right up to help warm the other up.

"We're going to get out of here," Shelly whispered as we lay in bed, not wanting any of the Daleks hearing as we both knew they had surveillance in the room. "You mark my words, I'm going to break us out of here. Soon, too. I'm tired of waiting for the Time Lords to save us. About time we did something ourselves."

"You think we can make it?" I breathed quietly.

"You watch me. I'm gonna rip those Daleks apart," Shelly said firmly, nodding in determination. I smiled at her, nodding as well. Knowing that, if there was anyone other than the Doctor who could save us, it would be Shelly. Smiling at me, Shelly gripped my hand firmly. "And then you watch us end this war. The Daleks will wish they've never experimented with us. We'll help the Time Lords put a stop to them once and for all."

I laughed, wishing that her words to become true. It seemed impossible to me for us to ever get out of here and the war ending. But I smiled nonetheless and nodded firmly. "And then we can finally get that little cottage on the hilltop like we said we would."

Shelly snorted. "I never agreed to that. I'd say we travel the universe in our own TARDIS."

I gave a pout, poking her in the side. "Fine. We'll have a cottage for summer visits. Deal?"

Laughing, Shelly shook her head fondly. "Deal." We then sealed our promise with a kiss.

XxXxXxXx

When I woke up again the next day, I found myself alone for the first time in decades. The realization hit me when I felt the empty spot beside me. I groggily tried to feel around the cold mattress, trying to feel for Shelly's warmth, my body curled up towards her side of the bed. Brows furrowing, I sat up sleepily, blinking away my foggy vision. Upon noticing the rest of the room was absent of Shelly's presence, I began to worry. This was not normal. Since they have moved us into this room, we had always been taken out together for training or more tests. When had they even come into the room? I do not remember the Golems even coming into the room to get her. Shelly would have woken me up, would she not?

I jumped when the door suddenly slammed open. Two Golems came in, marching right up towards me. I flinched as they each grabbed onto my arms, yanking me off the bed and out of the room. Not unusual of an awakening from the Golems. But something about it felt . . . off—as though this was not a normal day of training. Everything felt tense, from the air around me to the Golems themselves. The cold grip of their dead fingers seeped into my skin, sending a chill down my spine. The metallic, stale air of the facility made my stomach churn as I glanced at the passing doorways. These cold hallways have not affected me for some years. Now, they felt just as haunting as the first day I arrived here.

Before I knew it, the Golems pushed me into the large training room where the Daleks would monitor the Time Children experiments from above. I glanced around the room, seeing the different equipment that was either used to inject, spray, zap, or stab at us during whatever exercises each of us had to do for the day. Looking upwards, I saw the glass windows up above, with the large computers and the four Daleks behind the glass. I watched as Dalek Sec turned to the glass and stared down at me, the blue glow of the eyestalk staring me down. As my mouth ran dry, I straightened to attention, awaiting any command. Best I just go through the day as normally as possible. Maybe they would answer my questions about Shelly once I did all their tasks.

"Subject Alpha, today you will fight Subject Upsilon," barked Dalek Sec from the intercom. I gave a brief bow, my body doing so in obedience, before I faced the direction where I heard a door opening from the other end. On their own accord, my feet marched forward while my mind began to race. I had to fight? I had never done that before. And which subject did they . . . No . . . Oh, no, no, no, no.

My eyes went wide as I saw Shelly being pushed into the room by two Golems. The door slammed shut behind her, leaving us all alone. I halted in place, standing a few paces away from her as I took her in. I saw how her shoulders shook while she coughed. Blood was coming out of her mouth. She gagged a bit before wiping away the blood and rubbing it on her ragged clothes. Soon, she noticed me standing there and seemed to freeze on the spot. Each of us stared wide-eyed at the other, unable to say anything.

"Subject Upsilon, you will fight Subject Alpha," came the order from above. "Initiate!" My body jerked slightly as it wished to obey, but I forced myself to stay put. Refusing to move as I shook my head slowly while keeping my eyes locked on Shelly. She stared back at me, horrified by what she had heard Dalek Sec commanded. She then promptly shook her head and glared up at the Daleks.

"Hell no! You can't—," she began to shout.

"Silence! You will obey!" yelled Dalek Sec, gazing down at us harshly. "You will initiate! You will fight!"

"S-shelly," I whispered as my body jerked into motion, slowly walking towards her. "I'm so sorry. I can't . . ." Shelly looked at me, seeing how much I shook from trying to fight back. Then, smiling and nodding, she stood straight as she stared at me with an expression of understanding.

"It's okay, Alphie. Just do what you have to do," she assured me.

I shook my head as tears began leaking down my face. "I-I-I don't want to."

Shelly nodded firmly. "You have to. And don't worry, I'll fight back. Just think of this as sparring, okay?"

I knew she was trying to lighten the mood, to make this seem less horrible then we both knew it was going to be. Truthfully, her trying to make me feel better only made my gut twist as we started towards each other. Before I could stop myself, my fist swung forward and connected with her chin. I felt sickened as I watched Shelly stumble back and groan, holding her face. My body did not stop there as it moved and kicked her right in the gut. She rolled on the ground quick, only allowing this to stop her briefly as she got up and came at me. As she and I hit each other, I could tell she was holding back immensely. Her strength had always been far above anyone else's. Even Boogie's. But she barely left a mark on me as we both hit the other. While I . . . I could not hold back. Even as I tried to all my might, each hit had my full force behind it. Soon, her face was bleeding badly, her arm was broken in a sickening twisted way, and she coughed so loudly as she tried staying upright. Eventually, it all just became too much for her.

I cried as she fell to the ground, gasping for breath, wheezing as she lay in defeat. I shook as I stood over her, seeing how she stared weakly back. Blood came leaking out of her mouth as she hacked in her coughs. I heard, in relief, the Daleks ordering us to stop fighting, having to need time to make evaluations. I was just relieved it was all over and done with. Now all I worried about was getting Shelly to bed for needed rest, planning to help her wash up and giving her all the bread she could eat.

"What did they do to you before?" I whispered to her, needing to know if anything else had been done to her.

"More . . . injections," she managed to gasp out. I could hear her lungs rattling through her rasping breathes. Coughing more, she stared urgently up at me. "Alpha . . . t-there's been . . . something I-I n-n-n-need . . . t-to tell you. Should have . . . told you . . . s-s-so-o-oner."

I shook my head, desperate for her to stop talking and save her breath. "You can tell me later, okay? Let's just worry about getting you better, all right?" I tensed as I heard the booming voice of Dalek Sec speak over the intercom.

"Subject Upsilon is inferior, defective," Dalek Sec stated harshly. I looked up, seeing all the Daleks gazing down at us. My eyes watered as the blue eyestalks stared us down as though we were insects. Dalek Sec's eyestalk moved up and down as he seemed to take us both in. "Subject Alpha, exterminate Subject Upsilon."

"NO!" I screamed on the top of my lungs, shaking as I felt my body jerk, wanting to obey. I would not! I will never kill her! I forced myself to turn, facing the windows. "You can't do that! She's—she's fine! Just give her another chance!"

"Subject Upsilon is defective! You will exterminate!" ordered Dalek Caan.

"Subject Upsilon is dying. We no longer have a need for her," spoke Dalek Sec monotonously, giving no thought to my plea. I shook as my body forcefully turned back around, facing Shelly once more. Tears streamed down my face as a sob escaped me. Shelly stared up at me, smiling.

"Alpha . . .," Shelly panted, barely able to get her breathes out. Our eyes met, hers trying to convey something to me while I cried. "I l-love you."

Another sob left me, my arm raising up. "I love you, too, Shelly." My hearts raced, my fear increasing as she gagged and spat out more blood. Her breathes raspy, barely able to suck in any air as her lungs rattled with each intake. My hand came up, grabbing onto my arm, holding it back. "Please, don't make me do this! PLEASE!" I pleaded to the Daleks one last time.

"Exterminate!" they began to chant, forcing me to obey. I shook my head rapidly, using all of my will to fight back. I fell to my knees hard and my body quaked, tearing in two from the internal battle of obedience and love. My arm still raised high with my hand barely able to hold it back. I flinched as I felt Shelly touch my cheek, wiping away my tears. I gazed at her, my vision blurr from my tears as I saw her staring back, eyes swirling with a mixture of emotions.

"Alpha . . . please . . . don't . . ." She cupped my cheek in reassurance with a trembling hand. She smiled feebly at me. "I . . . promise . . ." Then, quite suddenly, my arm came slamming down onto her chest. Her body shook from impact, her breath whooshing out in a rush. Her hand fell into my lap as her eyes dimmed. Her beautiful hazel eyes still gazed at me, though there was no life within them. Blood trickled out of her mouth slowly as I stared at her in horror.

"Shelly? . . . S-shelly?" I shook her, trying to get her to respond. Tears began to stream down my cheeks as my breath hitched. "Shelly, come on . . ." Shaking her harder, I began to sob in despair, my hearts ripping apart as I gazed at her. I turned to the windows, screaming on the top of my lungs. "HELP! PLEASE! Please, save her! Save her! Save her!"

I kept screaming until I could not any longer. Begging for someone, anyone, to save Shelly. I rocked in place as I held her against me. Holding her so tightly, stroking her head, I talked gently to her the best I could. Trying to soothe her. Trying to keep her warm as she grew cold. She . . . she would be fine. I knew she would. They would save her. She was too valuable as an experiment for them not to. They just had to help her. She would be healed in no time. Then—then we could laugh about this whole day.

Eventually, I heard a door opening. Footsteps marched over to where Shelly and I sat. Rough hands grabbed at Shelly, trying to yank her from my grasp. I held on tighter, locking my arms around her as I sobbed. I . . . I did not want her to go. She—she needed rest. I knew that was all she needed. I needed to stay to help her sleep and get better. The Golems would never understand that. They would just make her worse. Eventually, they pulled her limp form savagely out of my hold, dragging her by her arms out of the room. While I was dragged back the other way.

"No! Let me go! I have to help her! She needs me!" I screamed, kicking my legs and fighting to get out of their grasp. I was hysterical, hyperventilating in my panic as I fought to get back to Shelly. Soon, I was thrown into my sleeping chamber. I ran to the door the moment it was closed, slamming my hands onto it.

"Bring her back!" I wailed, sobbing in desperation, pleading with all I had. "Bring her back! Please, bring her back! Don't let her leave, please! Don't let her leave m-me!" I fell against the door weakly, slumping against it with my forehead pressed into the metal. My hand still shakily pounding onto the steel as I sobbed in anguish.

XxXxXxXx

I spent that night in a rough state. Screaming and crying at the door until my vocal cords could not take it. Slamming my hands into the metal door so much that my fingers bled. I threw things around the room, hoping, praying, that the Golems, or anyone else, would come to let me out. To let me go to Shelly. Did they not understand that Shelly needed me? She needed me. I needed her!

When the Golems came to retrieve me the next day, I practically threw myself out the door, in a rush to get back to Shelly. Even though they forced me back into the training, I still frantically looked for her. I begged to the unlistening Daleks, crying for them to give Shelly back. It hit me with full force when Dalek Jast finally answered my pleas.

"Subject Upsilon's body has been incinerated with all other inferior experiments," stated Dalek Jast strictly before ordering me to complete new tasks.

The words from Dalek Jast crashed down upon me. A cold chill of dismay and disbelief slowly trickled down me from head to toe. I could only stand there . . . the words from the Dalek echoing throughout my mind. Robotically, my body moved, doing all tasks ordered upon me. While I withdrew internally, staring off into the blackness that filled my soul, unable to comprehend what was happening. My thoughts echoed the same mantra over and over again: Shelly was gone. Shelly was dead. And . . . I had killed her.

At the end of the day, when the Golems had pushed me into my room, I merely stood there, unblinking as tears slowly ran down my face. I stared at the two thin beds pushed together in the room, seeing how barren it was without the presence of Shelly lying there. My mind envisioned a faint ghost of Shelly, sitting there smiling at me and ready to talk all about our dreams together. As I let out a silent scream, my body fell back onto the floor, weak and unable to move. I gazed at the ceiling, in a daze as the universe around me tilted and swayed. The noise in my head from all the timelines and other such things began to overrun me as I let my defenses down. I was gripped in crippling pain, allowing it to wash over me without any resistance. A just punishment for I had committed.

Three days went on with this. Every day I would be taken away, doing all tasks mechanically. While every night I would lay on the floor, allowing pain to flow through me like heated lava. All the while I never ate anything they served me. I never slept each night, too afraid of what nightmares would be if I dared to close my eyes for too long. On the fourth day, while I rested and suffered from my mental pain, the Golems brought in a new child. It was a small girl. About as young as I was when I first arrived. She was weak, feeble as she stood there quivering by the closed door. The rags of clothing hung loosely on her from how skinny she was. Her mousy brown hair hung lifelessly around her face. Her sunken eyes just peeking out from around her locks.

I lay there for a bit, dulling blinking as I took in the sight of her. At first, I did not wish to move, wanting to wallow in my sorrow. But, as I had been envisioning for these past days, I saw the ghost of Shelly standing next to the child. I saw her nod to the small one, encouraging me to push onwards and help the young one. Just as I had always helped the other children in the past. Just as we both had. So, I slowly stood up and walked over to her, keeping my mind in focus enough to complete the task at hand.

"Hello," I said to her as I crouched down to meet her gaze, "I'm Alpha. Who are you?" The girl gazed back at me mutely, looking as though she did not know what I was saying. I gave her a strained smile, patting her on the shoulder. "It's okay, sweetie. You don't have to say anything. Why don't you come to the bed? A good night's sleep is always the best."

And so, I took to my new ward. Keeping to the old task of helping any young Time Lords, trying to give them any kind of peace, I fell into a routine. It kept me occupied, distracted from the pain my hearts felt. Though my hearts did not feel to console or be kindly as I had been in the past. Now, I only felt numb. Doing so kept me busy at nights, while training preoccupied me during the day. Not once did I allow myself to sit still for even a moment. Too fearful to mourn in silence.

The little girl did not last long. Only a week went by before she never came back again. I felt saddened but moved on robotically as training and programming continued. It went on like this. For how long, I did not know. Months maybe? Years? It all blurred as more children were brought in, training with me through the day. Or tested and experimented on separately as I was placed into the room, force-fed Time Vortex energy into my veins or pierced at my eyes.

As time went on, I felt more and more numb to my environment. To the point where many times, when a new child was brought in crying, I stopped going to them to console them. Sometimes I found myself merely sitting in my bed, watching them blankly as they cried. As they wept for relief. As they pleaded for their lives as they slowly withered away. I pitied them at first, feeling sorry for the loss of life. Then . . . I envied them. I wished I could follow in their footsteps. Wish I could embrace death like an old friend. Why did they fight it so? Why did they beg to live? Did they not understand that death would be a release from this hell we call life?

Soon, I began to realize the reason the Daleks brought in other experiments alongside me. They were the fodder to enhance their ultimate weapon— _me_. I was their main experiment they focused all their resources on now. All this time . . . they only wished to bustle my abilities. To increase all my powers for their use. Even more so now that they knew about my mental powers, my incredible insight which had been discovered by them after they had ordered me to tell them all that was changing about me. It did not matter any longer in trying to keep secrets from them.

So, in knowing that these children were nothing more than fodder, I gave up caring for them. Why bother when they would be dead shortly anyway? Instead of going to them, or even acknowledging their existence, I would stay in my bed, pretending they were not even there in the first place. They were nothing to me in the long run. It was hard ignoring them sometimes as during many occasions the Golems brought in the children as they were dying. Screaming in pain from whatever had been done to them that day. I would lay on the bed, annoyed at how they cried. Sometimes covering my ears trying to drown out the noise with my timelines flowing in my head. A few times I would even snap at the children, yelling at them to shut up.

Could they not just hurry up and die? Giving me some peace and quiet that I deserved?

Eventually, over time, it became just me in the room. I was finally alone. The experiments and training even wound down to days apart, leaving in my room to silence and darkness. The Time War ramped up tenfold, making the Daleks begin focusing more on battles for once instead of creating weapons. While I laid in bed, staring at nothing as I was left alone with my thoughts. Out of boredom, I searched through the timelines and explored what I could of the universe that had been opened to me. The pain was so crippling at times, making me unable to even blink from how much it hurt. Pain became my friend. Pain became my everything. It became the only thing I felt anymore. It reminded me that I was indeed alive and not some Golem just mindlessly walking around, completing tasks.

I became lost to my senses as days went on with nothing. Hallucinations became normal for me as I saw images of dead bodies all around me. Trapping me within. Blood oozing and crawling down the walls, trickling into my eyes from the ceiling. I hyperventilated so many times, passing myself out from pure terror. I screamed for death. Pleaded for anyone to kill me. At some points the Golems came in, tying me down to the bed so that I could not harm myself. I tried. Oh how I tried to end it. But they would not let me die. Not now nor ever. I cried. More than I ever had in my life. I laid there in my bed all day, sobbing my hearts out as my vision of the universe blurred. Time flowed through my head, making it so I barely knew who I was anymore. I barely remembered what I was doing. Who I had been in the past. I grasped whatever memories I had, keeping them locked in my conscious.

One day, as the timelines flowed forcefully through my mind, I came to the horror, the realization of something . . . deplorable. As I looked through the lives of others outside my realm, I searched into the High Council. I had never bothered in the past. Or perhaps it was more I have never been able before now. Either way, as I looked at their lives, their actions throughout their existence and that of the Time War . . .

They had known. From the first day I arrived they, they knew. They. Have. _Known_. All this time, they had the information about us. About the children being taken after the battles by the Dalek Cult (a name of these four Daleks I now knew) and of what the Cult was doing to said children. They knew of all the experiments and hell us children, their own children, were going through. They did not know about the reasonings of the experiments, or the exact details. But they knew enough to know what cruel ways were done to us. They knew all this time from devices they had planted on children, purposely placed for the Daleks to pick up. They used children . . . as fodder. Just as the Daleks had done. But at least the Daleks never used their own kind against any's will. I knew this for a fact. If any Dalek was to be used in heartless means, at least the Daleks had value enough never to lie to each other. They had those willing to be mindlessly sacrificed.

The worst of the Council, Rassilon, made my blood boil. I watched in the timelines as he dismissed the very idea of trying to perform a rescue when it had been suggested. He had stated how 'It would be pointless and a waste of soldiers' time and energy that could be spent for the war.' He had dismissed the notion of anything coming from the experiments the Daleks performed on us. So arrogant in his beliefs that the Daleks would never be able to do anything meaningful with us children. That no child could ever possibly survive such trails. And the rest of the Council had gone along with Rassilon's orders. Never questioning them as they too believed it best we children just be forgotten about. What would they do with us once rescued anyway? Best the forgotten children be left as they were. Forgotten.

I sat there in my bed for days, unable to wrap this new information around my head. Then . . . anger began to build. It festered. Bubbling away at a slow boil. Then it burned. Into rage. Into hate. Into fury. I gripped my head as I screamed, seething from what I saw those Time Lords did. What they did not do. What they were still never doing. It was never even just me and the other Time Children. It was the rest of the universe as well.

We were all pawns to the Time Lords.

I continued to scream as memories flashed before my mind. No, not just my mind. Memories that became living and real before me. I saw all the children, from all these years, in the room with me. Bleeding, dying, screaming, pleading. Tina, my sister, on the floor, broken and defeated. My Shelly, dead by my hands. My hands that would have never hurt her if it were not because of the Time Lords. I see that now. They were the cause of all this. Not the Daleks. They were only doing what they must. To rid the universe of this evil, corrupt species and any others who wished to follow them.

The timelines scattered as my mind seemed to shatter. A blur of images went through my head, showing me of every cruel act of the Time Lords. All the people they had left to die. All the death and destruction that came because of them. Even the Doctor, a man who I considered an idol, was not free from these crimes. He too was just as corrupt as them. He too had death follow him wherever he went, and never once looked back to help those who he ruined. All these things could have been preventable. And yet, because of them, all horrors had happened by their doing. Their lacking.

"The Masters will see you now."

I looked up from my curled stature on the bed, staring at a Golem standing in my doorway. Standing up slowly, I followed the Golem out. I kept my gaze, locked ahead, awaiting whatever the Daleks wanted of me. The Daleks, all of them, have been right all along. I just never realized it until now. Too corrupt from what I been taught to believe in the past. Too naïve. The Time Lords were the true evil in this universe.

I walked into the main room of the Station. The very first place where I had been gathered to with all those children from my village. A room I had not been within since the day I arrived here. I saw the electronics in a buzz as different Golems started up whatever the Daleks had ordered them to. The large glass globe was still as impressive as before, with the Time Vortex energy swirling around as vicious as ever. I watched blankly as Dalek Thay came up to me.

"Your development progression has ceased," Dalek Thay stated strictly to me. "Prepare to be processed. Prepare to become our ultimate weapon."

I merely nodded, shifting my gaze back to the giant globe of golden mass. I listened as the Daleks discussed what must be done with me next. My powers had plateaued. It was time to reach the next level. To push my body to the limit for the final results they were looking for. The goal they had been trying to reach all this time with everything had been doing with the Time Children.

I felt the Golems push me towards the giant globe. Forcing me to step into a large glass box. Stepping into the box, the glass door snapped shut behind me, sealing me in. I turned back around, facing the room dully. I watched as the Golems and Daleks continued to set up equipment around me, seeming ready to start the processing operation. The Daleks then proceeded to turn to each other as they seemed to discuss something. I could hear them from within the glass case, but I hardly cared to listen in. I could tell it was Dalek Sec making some sort of monolog about how powerful the Daleks would become, etc. I hardly cared. Nothing mattered anymore.

Machines began to whirl to life, bringing me out of my stupor. I watched as the Golems worked hard, doing as their Masters told them to do. The golden light within the globe began to boil, swirling viciously in a chaotic mass. It moved around anxiously, with intent to launch itself out of its cage. I watched as the energy was sent down into tubes connecting to the glass case I stood within. Soon, the energy was surrounding me, spinning around me in a storm. I could no longer see the outside world. Only the golden light churning around and around my body. It was . . . beautiful.

I felt no fear in that moment. For the first time in a long time, I felt at peace. I heard it whisper to me as it moved about, as though it were taking in my presence. Observing my very being. The whisper branched off into a thousand voices. All barely breathing in their light murmurs. I knew this energy would kill me. Surely as it had killed all others who the Daleks had subjected to this power. And I welcomed it. I closed my eyes as the voices increased, as the images began to rapid fire through my mind. I embraced it like an old friend. Unflinching as the energy shot into me, forcing its way inside of me. It kept coming, overwhelming everything that I was, will, and could be. My entire being was on fire from it. Bombarding me with a fury.

Soon, the energy calmed. It became soothing as it too welcomed me. Then, it began to sing. A song meant for only me. A song explaining . . . everything to me. What it was. What I was. And what we were both meant to accomplish in this life. I felt myself removed from the rest of the universe . . . as the universe itself entered my mind. Showing me its pain. Its torment. It was screaming in pain from all this chaos and destruction. The wars that ravaged through it for so many centuries. It never wanted this. Any of this. It had only ever wanted the lives it created to live in happiness and harmony. Now it wanted nothing more than for it all to stop.

And so, I would do just that.

As the energy and I became one, I began to see myself as separate from the rest. Separate the Time Lords, the Daleks, the Golems, and from anything else living in the universe. I was alone. An isolated being who watched all these creatures, these . . . insects, crawling around behind the glass I observed them from. I was the being who monitored them, watching how they scurried around, struggling to survive and repopulate. As well as fighting in a needless bloodbath day in and day out. And I was the one being, able to shake the entire glass jar they all lived in. Making everything start over again from scratch, hoping for a change in the next rebuild of the universe these creatures desired to live in. I realize that the Daleks choose this name of mine for a reason, even if they themselves did not even begin to understand what the universe has been planning all along. For I was Alpha. The one above them all. The one, and only, who could hear the universe's call, and it wanted me for its doing. I saw it now. What the Time Lords had meant to become in the beginning. They were meant to be what I was now. A being ready to do as the universe wanted. To be there, ready to undo any havoc done to the universe by the other occupants. However, the evolution had gone wrong, making the Time Lords unable to hear what the universe wanted from them. Unable to do as the universe wanted. Unable to help in its anguish for peace. But I . . . I could be its . . . weapon.

As the golden light turned into a gentle white glow, I felt myself move from the glass case, taking my first steps into my new life. I stared around the room, seeing how the Daleks all observed me. Seeing how the Golems stared at me as though wary. As much as blank stares could convey being wary. They all appeared to be uncertain about me, taking in the sight of me as I stood in front of them. I glanced down at myself, seeing the fading white light recede from me. Staring back at the Daleks, Dalek Sec moved closer to me, addressing their Alpha weapon.

"Process completed," stated Dalek Sec in victory. "Subject Alpha, are you ready to fulfill your creation? Are you prepared to win us the war and help the Dalek supremacy?"

I blinked slowly, staring at them all carefully. The timelines swirled within my sight, showing me of my path. "Yes."

"Alpha, as protocol Delta-Five of war actions orders, you will initiate!" cried Dalek Sec, seeming pleased by my response. "You will destroy all life forms! The corrupt of the universe! The inferior!"

I took in the sight of them. These Daleks who had controlled me since my youth. Who had shaped me into what I was today. Their orders processed and calculated within my mind, showing me their logic. The universe agreed. Slowly, I nodded and bowed to them.

"Yes, my Masters."

XxXxXxXx

Well, there we have it. The story and life of Alpha. Was it good? Just okay? Absolutely awful? Please let me know in a review if you have the time. :) Because remember, the reviews are just not for the writer, but for other fellow readers as well.

Reviewers:

 **Guest(a)** : Yep! I hope you enjoyed the change in perspective. :)

 **TheGirlWhoWept** : Oh yes. Especially for this chapter I think. :( I hope that you enjoyed the read at least. Even while on board the feels train.

 **Authora97** : Woo! I'm so happy that you enjoyed the read. :) Yep, Shelly and Tina were always real. Memories locked away, waiting to be remembered again. You're exactly right. Wanda needed the good memories of Shelly and Tina to be who she is and be happy. Really hope that you enjoyed the newest chapter! Until next time!

 **Guest(b)** : lol I'm just so happy that you're enjoyed it so much! Can't wait for you to read the new one. :)

 **N7SpaceHamster** : Aww, thank you! That means so much to me. :) Though I know I can always still be better as a writer. Don't mind me. I always worry when I don't see readers around for a while. I'm just a worry-wart at heart. lol ;) I know what you mean. I've been very busy lately as well. Truthfully, most of it is all in my head for what I had planned. But I did make a timeline first thing and a character chart to help myself along. I also did a ton of research on the show lore and I would watch every episode while writing as well as watching the episodes again while editing. Just to be double sure I was doing everything correctly. It also helps writing the first two parts in advanced before actually posting them on the site itself. :) No problem! I'm always happy to answer reviews! It's also no problem for long reviews. I just love being able to interact with you and other readers. I really do like your process. It helps me know exactly what you're talking about for each chapter, and is also fun seeing your thoughts before you've reached certain parts because I'll secretly go "oh, just wait til they get to _that_ part" haha ;) Yep, the Doctor and companions are witnessing all of this. But that'll be something to be explained in the next chapter to come. Truly, war is a terrible thing. Especially for the innocent. :( Well, as we saw from this chapter, the Master, as well as the High Council, know exactly what happened to Alpha and the others. They simply did not care. Tina and Shelly are what truly helped shape Alpha through the years. Before it all went downhill, of course. I think you might be right there. ;) I'm sorry. It's going to be a long time before we reach happy chapters again. :( Exactly. The Doctor knowing how horrible of a life Alpha/Wanda had before, it truly makes him want everyone to see the true person she is. Not as the weapon she had been forced to become. I hope you enjoyed the new chapter. Even if it was terribly sad. Can't wait for you to see the next chapter! Until next time and take care!

 **swimmjacket** : Sorry again about the mishap with the notifications. Though I do like to spoil all of you. ;) Well, more of Alpha's backstory, but yes you could see it that way. Both Alpha and Wanda deserve to be snuggled. Even if one would not like that much. haha. I hope you enjoyed the newest chapter! Take care!

 **Momochan77** : Yep, much longer. She lost both of those who she loved. A sister and one she loved with all her hearts. Spoiler for now about remembering names. ;) It was truly horrible what had been done to those children. Just as I think all wars do to the innocent. Hope you liked the new chapter. Until next time!

 **bored411** : It only gets rougher in this chapter, unfortunately. :( Yes, he has to watch all of this. Though he has already seen this before as he mentioned. To relive it twice is just so sad. Can't wait to see what you think of the new chapter. :) Hope you enjoyed!

 **heroherondaletotherescue** : Sorry. No fluff for us. Not for a while at least. :( I'm sorry. I hope it was still a good read at least. I promise there will be fluff later. But it might take a while.

 **All The Stories Are True 24601** : Woo! I'm just happy that you enjoyed it! :D

 **Whovianeverlark17** : Oh, yes. Very, very sad. :( I hope it was still a good read, though.

 **NerdWithAPencil** : I'm there with you. I secretly love to suffer sometimes. haha. Yep, they're watching all of this unfold. But that will be explained in the next chapter. The Doctor has already seen all of this before, though it will be so hard for him to see it all twice. Hope you enjoyed the new chapter!

 **Isanxd** : I know. Things like this are just . . . unimaginable. I did plan it all from the beginning if you can believe that. From day one I sat down and made out timelines and character charts to follow. I also did tons of research on the show lore, would watch every episode while writing and editing, and I wrote out both parts one and two before posting them on the site. But quite a lot I just have all in my head. That's why I kept reassuring everyone that it would all work out in the end and that not everything as what it seems while reading it. :) Oh, I'm sorry I annoyed you with that. I just wanted a way to help readers not only interact with me but with each other as well. I feel like many forget that reviews are not just for the writer, but for fellow readers as well. Plus, I wanted to bring in more of a community feeling to the story. So that way we all felt like family while on the journey through the story of Wanda. :) If there's ever a time you would like a quicker response through a PM, though, just let me know! I love to always talk with all readers. :) I hope you have a wonderful day/night! Take care!

 **normandy1701** : I actually never thought of it that way. The fact I never thought of how two are alike makes me feel like an idiot. haha. I hope this chapter was just as good. Even if it was sad to read. Please, have an amazing day/night. Take care!

Thank you all so, so much for everything! I love you all and only wish for the best in your lives. :)

~Tinker~


	53. Ch 53: A Wanderer's Sorrow

Helloooooo, readers!

I hope the week has been kind to you. Not so kind to me, but here's to hoping the next one will be even better. :) No warnings for this chapter. So . . .

Enjoy!

XxXxXxXx

Chapter 53: A Wanderer's Sorrow

The Doctor and his three companions watched all of this unfold silently. Each observing in their own silent horror in seeing the life of Alpha play out in front of them. In a strange, almost holographic, visions. As though they were actually there and present, though none they watched could see them in return. For it was nothing more than memories being relived. The three companions were each wishing none of it were true. Even though each knew that this story of memories was nothing but truth. The Doctor . . . he watched it all in solemn silence, composed through it all. At least outwardly. The only emotions anyone would be able to see where the storm of sorrow visible in his eyes.

After witnessing the transformation of Alpha, turning into the completed weapon of the Daleks, the memories seemed to blur together, shifting to blink by in brief segments. They watched as Alpha began to be the weapon the Daleks had created her to be. She was tested at first, killing different people the Daleks brought to her. Time Lords that the Dalek army had captured and given to the Cult of Skaro upon their request. Alpha killed each without remorse, or even to hesitate. She merely stood their blankly, her eyes cold and unfeeling as she held out her hand and turned her victims to dust. Then, the real job for her began.

The Daleks sent her out into battles. Secret battles. Covert missions which she would infiltrate certain areas which the war was heaviest. Killing off any who might be a cause of concern for the Daleks later in the future. They would have her convey any information she had of advanced knowledge on certain aspects of the war, resulting in them having her use the teleportation powers she grew to possess after the day of being processed fully into a weapon. She would jump into the heart of the battles, kill her target, then leave again without any side knowing she was there. For the Cult wished to keep her secret from both sides. Daleks and Time Lords alike. For one reason of not wishing their enemies knowing what sort of advantage they had over the war. As for the other reason, the Cult believed some things were best kept away from all other Dalek knowledge. For only Daleks were superior, after all. What would they think of a warped Time Lady doing their battles for them?

They watched as years seemed to skip by. With each passing year, Alpha seemed to grow more animal-like, drifting away from who she had been. The anger she held for the universe only grew still. She would laugh at those who tried to beg for life, merely rolling her eyes and ending them even quicker. Sometimes, when she was alone in her cell, after a long day of being the killer for the Daleks, she would stand in front of the mirror above her sink, just staring at herself so dully and blankly. Gazing at herself as though she barely recognized the person who stood before her. At times, she would sob, then laugh maniacally, then weep some more. All the while gripping at her head as though she could barely hang onto her sanity. But she did hold on, and, slowly, she seemed to fight back against the Cult's programming.

She started by letting a few live during her kill missions, laughing cruelly at them and telling them to spread the word of her arrival into the universe. Seeming almost gleeful when telling them to warn the rest of the Universe's Weapon, as she liked to think of herself as. Sometimes also calling herself the Alpha Wolf. And soon, many that she came across did seem to know of her presence, fearing upon the sight of her on the worlds she interacted with. Then, the Time Lords began to intervene. Many soldiers of the Time Lords came in to put an end to her. But each time they failed and were killed by Alpha. At one point, the Doctor witnessed, with a twist in his hearts, of the Master and Alpha going through a long battle of wits, strength, and power for a long while. Only for the Master to be left alive by Alpha during their final battle together, to be used as a messenger for her to tell off the High Council for their sins of war. But of course, the Doctor knew the Master would never go back to the High Council after this day.

Soon, the memories halted, coming to a stop to one in particular. The group of four looked around the memory. The memory showed a large room where the Golems and two of the Cult were busy working on a strange sphere in the middle of the room. The Doctor recognized it as the void ship. He frowned for a moment, wondering why the Cult were making it when obviously they thought they were winning the war through the use of Alpha. He glanced around, trying to see where in fact Alpha was since this was her memory. She should be here somewhere. He finally spotted her standing far off into the corner, staring emotionlessly at the ship. Her eyes were glazed over in a way he recognized as her looking into the flow of time around her, of all the timelines she saw.

While he gazed at Alpha, the only thing he could think of to describe her would be tired. She looked so tired. So worn from all these years. Everything about her looked dreary, gloomy, and gray. She barely held any emotions anymore within her. Nothing more than a cold stare is all she could muster to give. Her hair hung limply around her face. Her clothes slumped on her body. Dark circles were around her eyes, making her face look sunken. It was as though she were fading away, barely able to keep going on. He frowned as he did not recall this particular memory. Then again, Wanda had not shown him all her memories of the past. Only the ones which had left the biggest impact.

"Subject Alpha," boomed the voice of Dalek Sec as he whirled around the void ship, facing towards where Alpha stood. "Step forward. We have a new mission for you."

Alpha stayed where she was, remaining in her mind-numbing state. It was only after two more times of the booming orders from Dalek Sec did they watch as Alpha finally blinked out of her daze and stare at her masters. The Doctor saw how she grimaced, eyeing the Daleks coolly as she stepped towards them. Doing so only briefly before she placed on her blank stare and stood before the Daleks.

"Yes?" she asked, her voice monotone.

"We received notice of Quadrant Zeta needing assistance," Dalek Sec told her, eyeing her up carefully, seeming to have noticed her delayed response in answering his call. "You will initiate. Infiltrate and exterminate all enemies of the Daleks." Alpha simply stood there in silence for a moment. Staring at the Daleks so blankly, she appeared to have not heard them at all. Then, her gaze hardened.

"Why?" she asked quietly. The Daleks seemed to pause, not certain on why she asked this. They turned their eyestalks towards each other, as though questioning on why their creation was not doing as ordered right away. Then, the four looked back at Alpha.

"You do not question your Masters," Dalek Caan stated harshly.

"But why?" Alpha retorted, her eyes swirling as a white glow began to grow in her irises. "Why does it all matter anymore? Why does it not just end?"

"You will initiate and—," Dalek Sec began to bark at her.

"No," Alpha growled now, glaring at them. She looked past them, gazing out the one window up high that showed the stars outside. Her anger faded, leaving sorrow in its place. A few tears slowly slid down her face as a sad smile grew on her face. She raised her arms up ever so little as she closed her eyes. "No more."

There was a slow build of a white light around her. The Daleks began demanding for her to stop, backing away from her, confused as to what she was doing. The white light still built up, blinding even the four watching the scene of the past. Eventually, the white light disappeared, allowing the four to see Alpha standing in a barren land. The ground was an almost rust coloured sand, with miles of nothingness around. Only a few brown mountain tops were seen in the distance. A lone howl of a creature, a wolf, was heard from far away. A strong gust of wind swept through, making Alpha drop her arms as she gazed around in confusion. Frowning heavily as she stared around, looking for answers as to why she suddenly transported to another plain. She turned so suddenly, it made the four observers jump a little. She tilted her head, staring right at them. Her eyes showing uncertainty as she straightened significantly.

"Who the hell are you?" she questioned in a bark.

Then, quite swiftly, the memory came to a halt.

There was a quick flash of light, wiping the memory away completely. Then, they saw how they were now standing within a dark room, with a wooden door opened ajar from across their way. Each of them, the Doctor and companions, stood there in stunned silence. Still processing what they had stood by and witnessed. River turned to the Doctor suddenly, staring at him with a mixture of emotions. Either sad or angry, she simply shook her head as she saw him refusing to meet her eye.

"You knew," she breathed shakily. "All this time, you knew about all this. Why? Why did you never tell us? Why did you never tell _me_?" Amy and Rory were staring at the Time Lord, appearing just as conflicted.

"Because . . .," the Doctor began softly, turning to face his three companions. His eyes weighing heavily with gloom. "I didn't want any of you to see Wanda differently. I wanted you all to keep loving her the way you have been. I feared if you knew . . ."

"What, that we would suddenly hate her and run off?" Amy scoffed. She gulped as she looked at the dark room they stood in, crossing her arms tightly around herself as she knew the memories she watched would haunt her for a long time. "We can't hate her, Doctor. Just as much as we can't hate you. Dark past or not."

"Did Wanda ever know or . . . remember any of this?" Rory questioned suddenly, waving his hand around the room, pointing out what they had just witnessed.

"No," the Doctor replied.

"Why is that, then? Seems like something hard to forget," Rory stated, dropping his arm back to his side.

"She never told me how her memories had been locked away. Just that they had been." The Doctor looked at the ajar door, swallowing thickly as he feared in what they would see next. What else had Alpha had in store for them? He walked to the door, pausing at the threshold in hesitation, feeling his companions' tense, in whatever would come at them next. "Stay behind me," he ordered them before pushing onwards, stepping into the dim hallway.

They all sort of blinked in confusion when realizing they were back into the hallway that led them to the door of memories. Startled by the door slamming shut, the Doctor looked back to see it had closed the moment Rory had finished walking through. The lock clicked into place, sealing it tight. The Doctor hurriedly pushed past the companions, pulling out his sonic screwdriver to unlock it. Try as he might, it simply would not budge. Growling in the back of his throat, the Doctor stormed down the hallway, going back into the room of Bad Wolf. The entity sat there on her sofa, staring distantly at the fire crackling away.

"So . . . I take it you've finished memory watching?" she asked calmly, keeping her eyes locked on the fireplace. The Doctor stood beside the sofa, glaring at her.

"You promised that we would be taken to Wanda after we went through Alpha's little trials," he said, his tone rough in his ire. "So where is she? Where is my wife?"

"I never promised you anything of the sort," Bad Wolf replied smoothly, eyeing him through the side of her eyes. She sighed, shaking her head. "But yes, Alpha was supposed to take you straight to Wanda afterward. I suppose she's being stubborn again." She scooted over, patting the seat beside her. "Take a seat. This will be a good time as ever to finally have a chat."

The Doctor narrowed his eyes. "I want my wife back."

"And you'll get her back, as long as you're a good boy and listen." Wolf and Time Lord stared hard at each other for a moment. Soon, Bad Wolf's eyes softened. "Please, Doctor. I want to help you understand."

"I understand plenty," retorted the Doctor, shaking his head in frustration. He then stared at Bad Wolf, eyes wavering. "Please. Please, I just want my wife."

Bad Wolf nodded. "After we talk. You," she glanced over to the silent companions who hovered in the doorway, "and your companions need to understand. Even if you think you do, you don't. There's much that you still don't know."

The Doctor sighed heavily, nodding slowly. "You're right. I don't know everything. But . . . I'm not sure I even want to."

"Well, too bad. I'm telling you either way. Here, why don't we venture to somewhere more comfortable?" Bad Wolf stood from her seat, nodding to them all to follow her. She led the four of them out of the room, walking down the long hall back towards where they had just come from. They noticed strangely how all the doors that had just been there only minutes ago were now all gone. Leaving them with nothing more than wooden walls painted light blue on either side of them. Bad Wolf stopped shortly, turned to the left to face the wall. "This should do."

She placed a hand on the wall, waiting for a moment. When she removed her hand, a pink door grew from the wall. It popped open with a click, swinging forth to show them a beautiful garden on the other side. They saw strangely shaped hedges that twisted and turned in many directions. The grass was cut neatly, looking healthy with its bright green colour. A stone gazebo sat in the middle of a flower bed, with so many bright colours that it looked as though the plants had been painted. Birds chirped and sang through the blue sky, or at least they heard birds. Maybe it was just noises that had been placed there?

"Wait a minute," Rory spoke up. He pointed at the garden, frowning as he and the others took in the sight. "Isn't this . . . Isn't this that garden from . . ." He trailed off as the harsh memories came back to him. It had been a place he wished to forget.

"Apalapucia?" Amy offered, only remembering the place to be a brief nuisance instead of that of heartbreak as the Doctor and Rory recalled it to be.

"No, it is only a replica," Bad Wolf stated calmly as she walked over to the gazebo. She sat herself down at the round white table. There were many teapots streaming peacefully with an arrangement of cakes and biscuits for them to nibble on. A cup of tea sat right in front of Bad Wolf, making wisps of steam swirl around her face.

"How is all of this even possible?" River questioned as she chose to sit down next to Bad Wolf. "I mean, for such a small cottage it seems to hold quite a lot inside."

"It's a TARDIS, isn't it?" the Doctor spoke up, walking around the table to sit across from Bad Wolf and River. He laced his fingers together, staring the entity down carefully. His eyes more questioning than that of frustration as he had been earlier. But still, a bit of urgency could be seen in his demeanour. "You grew a TARDIS when you arrived to the pocket universe."

Bad Wolf hummed, "Yes. Grew it a while after I stopped Alpha from activating. There was an old TARDIS broken down and crashed here. Found the pilot, too. Already dead, I'm afraid. Seemed to be an escapee from the Time War. Idiotic of them to think they could escape the Time Lock. So, I buried the TARDIS and the pilot, took a cutting, planted it in the middle of the world, and grew the new TARDIS from there. She can't ever leave sadly. But she does help us live at peace in this world."

"How can a cottage be a TARDIS?" Amy asked skeptically as she and her husband sat down on the opposite side of Bad Wolf. "Aren't TARDISes supposed to be, I don't know . . . smaller on the outside?"

"Chameleon circuit. TARDISes can look like anything," the Doctor stated, waving a hand to dismiss Amy's question. He leaned forward a bit, staring carefully at Bad Wolf. "What I want to know is: What was that last memory? What happened after what we saw?"

Bad Wolf smirked slyly, using a spoon to stir the tea in her cup lazily, "Spoilers, my dear Doctor. Spoilers. Now, each of you needs to drink at least one cup of tea. One full cup should do."

"And why's that?" Rory asked, staring at the steaming cup in front of him carefully. "To be frank, I'm not really one to trust random tea given to me by . . . pocket universe people."

"Since we've gotten into town all any of you has done is offered us tea. Why?" River added, picking up her own cup and giving it a sniff. She raised a brow as she eyed Bad Wolf, noticing how the entity was not taking a single sip. "Are you trying to drug us?"

"Yes," Bad Wolf answered evenly, "that's exactly what we've been trying to do."

"Oh, well, are they fun drugs, then?" River asked playfully, smiling at the entity though still not taking a sip.

"You'll need the drugs to be able to face Alpha fully without her . . . going savage on you," explained Bad Wolf, tapping her spoon on the table. "I'm giving you an advantage when finally facing her since none of you drank any tea earlier. Obviously."

"What are the drugs?" questioned the Doctor as he picked up his cup, giving it a strong sniff to analyze the chemicals within. His mind processed the components quickly. "Ah. I see. Telepathic reducers." He took a long gulp of his drink, grimacing slightly. "Could use a bit of sugar."

"What are—?" Rory began to ask as he saw River drinking her own tea as well.

"It denses down your brain waves. Makes it so Alpha hears a little less noise coming from you lot," Bad Wolf spoke over him, giving the nurse a side glance. "So, best drink up." She watched as the Ponds took their cups and down the drink. The couple each frowning in disgust from the tea. "Doctor-Donna made it herself. Just in case any needed to confront Alpha personally. Not that any ever had to. It was made more of a kindness for her, really. So that way she wouldn't feel overwhelmed by our thoughts. She has to deal with the whole universe running through her head when she's back in your world. Best give her a break when she's finally in a place much quieter."

"No one can possibly have the whole universe in their heads," scoffed River, shaking her head in denial. "They'd die."

"And yet she's alive. Funny how that works," Bad Wolf replied coolly. She eyed River for a moment before letting out a sigh. "It's not always the whole universe exactly. More like a whole bunch of timelines, and people's thoughts and feelings, mixed together from all across the universe that hit her at random. Not all at once. Just large bunches punching her mind at unsystematic intervals. She can calm it down to a small hum of noise in her head when she's alone. But around a city, or a large crowd, being so close to other life forms, it overwhelms her. Makes her become savage in her wild nature." Bad Wolf let this information digest in the companions' minds as the sounds of birds continued to chirp peacefully around the garden. The entity looked at the Time Lord across from her, seeing how none of what she spoke fazed him. But, of course, he already knew all of this. Gazing upwards, Bad Wolf sighed. "The only true place Alpha finds peace is here in this world. Or in your TARDIS back in your world. Only those with the Time Vortex can help others of the same nature."

Amy frowned, speaking up, "Alpha . . . You mean, Wanda right?"

Bad Wolf sighed, "No, I mean Alpha. Wanda isn't affected the same as Alpha is."

"I don't understand. Alpha is Wanda, isn't she? She just changed her name after—after she came here . . . Right?" Rory offered, trying to see if the others understood the same about Wanda's situation as he did. Bad Wolf glanced at Rory, then looked to the Doctor. The Time Lord had his hands pressed tightly together; his gaze locked on the table in uneasy. He glanced up when feeling the entity's eyes on him.

"Care to explain this one?" she asked politely, nodding as though she wished to give him the reins on at least one thing to be answered today. His hands tightened more as he swallowed thickly. He kept opening his mouth to speak, but closed it again, as if his voice had left him. Finally, he sighed heavily, leaning back in defeat in his chair.

"Alpha . . . and Wanda . . . they're both . . .," he swallowed, ". . . they're not the same. Alpha is the darkness that lives inside of her."

"But how is that possible?" River questioned immediately, eyes growing wide in shock. "We saw those memories. They're Wanda's memories. Aren't they?"

"Yes," breathed the Doctor, staring down in remorse. "I wish they weren't. But they are."

River frowned heavily. "Then how are Alpha and Wanda not the same?"

The Doctor did not answer for a long moment, frowning as he stared at the table. "I don't know. She never explained it to me how it happened. Only that she was once Alpha, and now she is separate." Slowly, his eyes looked up to Bad Wolf, seeing how the entity stared back calmly. ". . . What happened? What happened in that last memory? Just tell me what you can."

"Well," Bad Wolf started, adjusting in her seat to begin her story, "as I've said, I knew she was going to allow her powers to overrun everything. Starting a chain reaction to destroy the universe. Not all at once. More like a reality bomb, making all the atoms break down over time. Though, unlike the reality bomb—."

"—it leaves the matter behind in dust, ready to form again through time into new worlds, new life," finished the Doctor, stating this gravely with a heavy heart. "She was going to restart the universe."

"Yes, well, that is what the universe wants. Or, what she thinks it wants. Remember, she is in touch with the universe on a different level." Bad Wolf adjusted herself once more. "You already know that once I gained my new form I had to come straight to this pocket universe. Would have died if I hadn't. But I still needed to get back to her and just a projection of me wouldn't do. I had to have some help. So, after persuading some _help_ I sent a more solid projection of myself to Gallifrey and transported her to me there in that desert. Then, after some more _persuading_ , I told her where she could find me and she transported herself to this plain."

Bad Wolf reached across the table, hitting a large red button that the group just now noticed. A sound whirled from the table as a silver plate covered in sweet cakes suddenly flipped around, like a small trap door, flipping over for a silver mirror to replace it on the other side. The mirror was strange, swirling as though it were made of liquid. The Doctor stared at it in interest, knowing exactly what it was. A TARDIS memory bank. The liquid mirror shivered as it projected an image up, showing them another memory of Alpha. It was hazy as it showed them the images of the past. They saw Alpha standing there, within a dead, barren forest. Next to her was Bad Wolf herself. Both were looking out towards nothing in particular.

"So . . . this is the new home you were talking about?" Alpha asked Bad Wolf quietly, her voice coming out muffled and distant from the memory projection.

"Yes," replied memory Bad Wolf, gazing sideways at Alpha next to her. "I know it's not much—"

"It's perfect," breathed Alpha. She slowly began to smile, her lips wavering as tears rolled down her face. "It's so quiet. It's just so quiet." She let out a small watery laugh. "I can finally hear myself think."

Bad Wolf in the memory smiled lightly. "I suppose that's the first time in centuries. Having your mind to yourself."

Alpha nodded softly. "Four hundred years." She slowly stared down at the ground, shaking as her hands tightened into fists. Tears dripped from her face to the ground as she sniffed. "I want to forget. Forget it all." She looked up, her eyes watering as she stared at Bad Wolf next to her. "Please . . . help me forget. I want my life back. All those years . . . I don't want to remember them anymore. Please."

"You know what you're asking, right?"

"Yes." Alpha walked over to Bad Wolf, taking her hand, pleading to the entity now. "Please, I want to start over. I don't want to be . . . _this_ anymore."

Bad Wolf stared at her for a moment longer. Not showing any emotion. Simply observing the crying Alpha. Then, the entity slowly bowed her head to Alpha, speaking softly, "As you wish."

The memory faded after this. The projection receded back into the strange mirror and remained still. The group remained silent, thinking about what they had just seen. The current Bad Wolf reached forward, pressing the button once more. And once again the table whirled as the mirror flipped and was replaced by the silver tray of food as before.

"What happened after that?" River asked Bad Wolf quietly, breaking the silence and everyone's stupor. "Did you erase Alpha's memories?"

"Yes, and no," Bad Wolf replied calmly, placing her hands together on the table as she stared at the Time Lord across from her. As though she were answering him instead. The Doctor remained silent, gazing back evenly as his mind whirled. Slowly, he pieced together what had been done.

"You used the chameleon arch," he concluded carefully. "She didn't just want to rewrite her memories. She wanted to rewrite herself." He swallowed, slowly slumping down into his seat as he realized in horror what had been done. "Did . . . did you use the TARDIS that had crashed here?"

"It was the only TARDIS here at the time, yes," Bad Wolf replied easily, nodding to him. The three companions jumped when the Doctor suddenly slammed his hand on the table, glaring at the entity across from him.

"Do you have any idea what you've done?!" he shouted, growling as he stood up and began to pace back and forth behind his chair. "No, of course, you know _now_ as it's already been done. But did you think, even for a moment, to tell her _not to do it_?! The consequences of using a chameleon arch incorrectly, especially from a broken TARDIS . . ."

"No . . . She didn't," River breathed, eyes wide in disbelief as she understood what the Doctor was saying. Amy and Rory both frowned looking at their daughter and Time Lord.

"What's a chameleon arch?" Amy asked.

"What did she do?" Rory questioned.

"She tried to change to a new species. She tried to undo what the Daleks had done to her," River said quickly as she watched the Doctor halt in his pacing, his back facing them as he tensed. "That's what she did, isn't it?"

"Correct," Bad Wolf nodded, smiling grimly. The entity looked to Amy and Rory. "A chameleon arch is a Time Lord's way of modifying the biology of an individual, essentially changing that individual's species. One normally only uses it when in need of a quick escape, later to go back to being a Time Lord when the fob watch, a small device which holds the Time Lord's full essence inside, is activated and opened once more. It's how he became the human John Smith before." She nodded to the Doctor.

"Time Lords . . . only ever used the chameleon arch when they had no choice," the Doctor spoke up, gaining their attention. He turned to face them slowly, gripping the back of his chair in a tight hold. "It is a dangerous device . . . things could go wrong. Terribly, disastrously, wrong. I've only ever heard stories in the past, mentionings, of what happened to those who undergo a bad chameleon arch. They'd be torn in two. Their entire being, everything that makes them, them, split right down the middle. They'd become half of what they were." He let out a heavy breath. A storm of emotions swirling within his green eyes. "No wonder Alpha is so feral. Unable to do . . . or say anything. Trapped within her own mind for all eternity while another walks around . . . It'd be like living in the Void."

"My, Doctor, are you perhaps feeling sorry for Alpha?" Bad Wolf said, gaining the Doctor's attention. He frowned immediately. Half of him wanted to say 'of course not!' for his love of Wanda outweighed his pity for Alpha. But the other half, of course, felt completely sorry for Alpha. He always felt torn in how to view and feel about Alpha. She was a part of his Wanderer, yes. But she was also everything that he tried to stand against in the universe. Most times, he only viewed her as some . . . _thing_. Rather than someone. Because he never understood (nor really wished to understand) in how Wanda could have ever possibly been Alpha. But understanding it all now . . . Though the outcome did give him the love of his life . . . it was still hell to think about.

"So . . . Wanda is the outcome of a bad chameleon arch?" Rory said carefully, trying to wrap his head around all this information. His brows furrowed as he thought this over. "Is Wanda . . . even real then?" Immediately he knew he had said the wrong thing when met with the furious expression of the Time Lord and the disapproving one of River.

"Of course she is!" River said angrily, firm in her belief in Wanda.

"Wanda is real. She's the creation of what came when Alpha tried to rewrite herself," Bad Wolf said, quite calm as though she were a teacher giving a lecture to a class. When she saw the still unsure expressions on Amy and Rory, Bad Wolf hummed in thought. "Think of it this way. Rory," she pointed to the nurse, "if I suddenly erased all your memories, put you in a new life: Would you still be Rory, or would you become a new man with new memories you've created? It has happened before on Earth, hasn't it? Cases of amnesia or brain trauma. People become someone completely different after an accident.

"Wanda is the real Alpha," Bad Wolf continued, "the Alpha that would have been if she had never been subjected to those four hundred years of torture in a way you could view it. And the Alpha within her, well, you could see her as the old Alpha that was." Seeing the still confused stares from the companions, Bad Wolf shrugged lightly. "Look, if it makes it easier for you, think of Alpha as the pure hatred and anger of the body while Wanda is the pure love and kindness."

The Doctor tapped his fingers on his chair while everyone else remained quiet as they contemplated on what Bad Wolf had said. Clearing his throat, he spoke up, "The time Wanda became Alice Rivers . . . that shouldn't have been able to happen, then. She would never be able to become a human individual if she . . . if she wasn't her full self to begin with. So how—?"

"That was the TARDIS's doing, actually," Bad Wolf explained. "Your TARDIS, that is. She knows, of course, what Wanda's situation is. So, she merely worked with Alpha, writing enough of Wanda to place a part of her within the watch along with her memories, then placed Alpha as well in the watch, implanted simple memories like that of John Smith, and then masked her sense into making her and all others believe she was a human being. It's the same as it had happened here, her being convinced enough that she was human."

"Why did she think she was human?" questioned Amy, curious to know how anyone could have been convinced they were a different species entirely. "In this world, I mean."

"It's easier to believe something you're not if you're trying to hide from painful memories," Bad Wolf replied smoothly, tapping her fingers on the table as she gazed down at her now cold tea. "Though, in truth, Alpha had always been fond of humans. Even before she went insane with power and became a feral being. Humans lead such simple lives. Simplicity was something Alpha always craved and dreamt about. Why not have Wanda believe to be human?"

"And how did Alpha take it . . . being split in two?" Rory asked carefully, still trying to understand and wrap his head around all of this.

Bad Wolf sighed, "At first, not so well. The body that hosted Alpha and Wanda was at odds with itself for the first year. The body fighting over who had control over the consciousness and such."

The Doctor hummed, nodding, "Yes . . . That's why they say most never survive when going through that sort of accident. Victims' bodies would usually end up tearing itself apart before a day had passed." He slowly sat down back in his chair, eyes staring gravely at the white table top. "It had always been seen as certain death. I never even believed anyone could survive it if they had gone through something such as that." His hands gradually went up to his hair as he gripped his head. His voice coming out low. "When I first met Wanda, I thought maybe she acted and believed in what she did because of memories after a chameleon arch use had not come all the way back to her. Then over time, I thought over a million different ways that she and Alpha became this way. But this? Never this. I would have never wanted . . . for either of them . . ." He soon, very carefully, lowered his hands to the table as his eyes swirled in their storm of emotions. "I should have seen it, though. Should have realized it when she told me she was dyslexic."

The group stared at the Time Lord as he seemed to grow remorseful, weeping for what had been done to Wanda and Alpha. Bad Wolf frowned, tilting her head as she stared at the Time Lord in his sorrow.

"You act as though they're in pain and in suffering," spoke the entity strictly, shaking her head in disproval at the Time Lord, earning his attention. "But they are far from it. Yes, that first year Alpha, and Wanda, were at odds. But soon, each became happy. Alpha even more so than Wanda. Alpha could be at peace with where she was. No more war. No more universe always in her mind. And she was happy, overjoyed, in what her actions created. At least, that is what she has concluded and told me." River frowned as she leaned forward, gaining the entity's eye.

"But why would she be happy about it?" asked River, skeptical that anyone would be okay in that kind of situation.

"Hmm . . .," Bad Wolf sat back in her seat, pondering the best response. "I'll explain it as I've come to understand it. Alpha, as I've said before, is half of what Wanda is, in a way. Only, after the split, I have noticed that this side of Wanda sort of developed into something more than simply a piece of herself. Alpha became a sort of protective entity. She saw Wanda as what could have been. Or rather she saw Wanda as something of her own creation. She even likes to think of Wanda as a sister or daughter. In finding nothing more to love, Wanda became all Alpha could care for. She wanted to see Wanda happy in a life she herself could never have. It became her obsession to bring Wanda happiness. That's why you see all that is before you in this world.

"It was very shocking for me the day I came across one of Alpha's first creations," Bad Wolf went on. "You see, after the first month, I grew the TARDIS and tried to make it our home. But I," she paused, sighing, "regrettably was not suited to help her. I did not know how to sooth Wanda or help her to grow. She was nothing more than a child after being rewritten. The only thing I could bring in was the television show from another universe for her to watch. It was the only thing that kept her calm and busy." She smiled playfully at the Doctor when he showed interest in hearing about the 'show.' "Yes, there really is another universe with your life on television. Not exactly what Alpha had witnessed of your timeline. But close enough. It's a universe relatively close to yours and our small world here. It was easy enough making it a show for her to watch.

"Anyway," Bad Wolf waved a hand, moving on, "Alpha began learning to project herself out of Wanda's consciousness. I would watch her keep a protective eye over Wanda. Trying to keep her comfortable in her new life the best she could. I saw how Alpha tried doing other things, testing her powers even more now that she had the freedom from the Daleks to do so. Then, next thing I know, one day, the barren forest had developed into a beautiful landscape. Then, boom, there was Amy and Rory, blinking all confused and standing next to Wanda, who acted just so delighted in seeing her 'parents' once again. And each time Wanda wanted someone new to play with, there they were, ready for this world and Wanda. But, all of you already know all that."

"Okay, so if Alpha is half of Wanda . . . how did Wanda become, well, what she is now?" Rory asked the entity, still trying to keep up with what was being explained to them.

"Yeah, I mean . . . how did Wanda give herself that name if she wasn't aware of how she was 'brought to life,'" Amy added, nodding along with her husband as it just seemed so crazy in what they were being told. She knew, from what the Doctor had explained to them before, Time Lords would give themselves titles when making a promise for themselves, or something like that. But Wanda would have had to be aware of herself and that she was a Time Lord to give herself a 'title,' right? Amy, Rory, and River both looked at Bad Wolf as the entity stared carefully at the Time Lord across from her. Soon, all three companions' eyes lingered on the Doctor, seeing how he had remained eerily silent now. His hands gripped so tightly together as though he feared to speak, or even move.

"Would you care to explain it, or shall I?" Bad Wolf asked the Doctor lightly, her eyes locked on the Time Lord as she observed him shifting in his seat and swallow heavily.

"What's in a name, eh?" he sighed forlornly, shaking his head. Silence rang loudly as the Doctor hesitated in talking. Soon, he swallowed and worked himself into talking. "She . . . Her name was never about who she is. The name was for _what_ she is."

"It was a name she heard before coming here. A name she thought fit perfectly for what she had become," Bad Wolf nodded, continuing on with the Time Lord's explanation. When seeing his three companions gaze at him in confusion, bewildered by Wanda being anything more than a Time Lord, the Doctor bowed his head in defeat.

"She named what she evolved into. She named her species," he said softly, letting the revelation sink in. "She's not a Time Lord. She's a Wanderer. _The_ Wanderer. The very first of her kind." He let the information sink in for his companions. Not wanting to meet any of their faces in knowing that Wanda was, and never had been all this time during their travels, the species that he had told them, his species. Once again, he had led them into believing a lie for so long. Far too long.

"So, all this time when we thought she was a human turned Time Lord, she was actually a Time Lord turned . . . Wanderer?" Rory finally spoke up. He let out a long sigh. "I think I'm having information overload right now."

"When you say first of her kind . . ." Amy said slowly, trying to see if she was getting this all together and clear. Rory was right. It really was a lot to take in, all in one day.

"She's a species that isn't supposed to _be_ ," the Doctor said quietly. "The legend was there, put in place by the Time Lords or someone from long ago—I don't even remember who now—in warning for a reason. It's why people feel fear when they see Wanda using her full powers. I felt it myself when I came face-to-face with Alpha the first time. It's an instinctual fear. For no being in the universe should have those powers that she does. She is an impossible creature and something that should never have existed." He sat back in his seat, staring up at the fake blue sky above. "Any other creature in the universe with that kind of power would just be seen as more of a nuisance than anything. But to make a new species like that out of a Time Lord? They'd be a vengeful god."

"A vengeful god?" River breathed, staring at the Doctor in disbelief.

"A vengeful goddess," sighed the Time Lord solemnly, thinking of his Wanda . . . his Wanderer, and all that she was.

"And that's why you've never been able to except Wanda for what she is," stated Bad Wolf calmly, her eyes staring almost in frustration at him. "That's why you've tried so hard to convince yourself and others of her being a Time Lord, correct?" The Doctor sat up straight with a start, staring at the entity with eyes in disbelief. His mouth opened in shock upon her snide words.

"What?" he gasped, shaking his head. "No! Absolutely not! If anyone has ever except and welcomed her for what she is, it's me!" He stood up, ready to prove his point. "I've only kept others from knowing because . . . because I was afraid of what they would think of her. For her friends, I never wanted them to have any fears of her. I saw Rose's reaction on the day we met Alpha, and how much if hurt Wanda. I didn't want repeats with future companions. And for all the rest, could you imagine how many species would want to get their hands on her? To use her for wars, or other atrocities? I had already quite a few enemies who figured out what she was, thank you! I wasn't about to let others find out the same!" He shook his head, his hands tightening into fists that laid on the table. "It's not only that . . . The universe has never been kind to new species. Especially those who had evolved from other, already well established, species in the known cosmos. I didn't want her to suffer the same prejudice and hate as others had."

"Then, tell Alpha that, because for all she knows you hate both her and Wanda for what they are," Bad Wolf told him strictly, eyeing him sharply for a moment.

"I will . . . in her, ah, _their_ future," the Doctor confirmed, nodding firmly at her. He tapped his fingers on the table in thought. "Though, I suppose, I could do a better job of helping them see that. My prejudices towards Alpha . . . do tend to come out from time to time."

"Yes, you could do better. But you're only a Time Lord, after all," Bad Wolf agreed, nodding. Glancing up at the fake sky briefly, she looked back at them all, standing up. "It's almost time now. Best we get a move on. Though, before we depart, are there any more questions? I'm sure there is, knowing you lot."

"Yeah, a million more questions that I'm sure will never be answered," River joked humourlessly.

Bad Wolf smiled, nodding to the woman. "Regrettably so, yes."

"Timeline!" exclaimed the Doctor, snapping his fingers and pointing at the entity. " _I_ want to know why Wanda is connected to my timeline. Alpha said she had no part in it. So, by all accounts, I'm assuming it was you."

Bad Wolf, for the first time, showed a bit of embarrassment. "Ah, yes, um . . . about that." Pausing for a moment, she then cleared her throat. "You see, while Wanda was still here, besides her powers starting to build up to dangerous levels, her timeline was beginning to catch up with her. She began hearing voices, your voice," the entity nodded to the Time Lord, "in her head. You know how that goes for Time Lords."

"Yes." The Doctor nodded, understanding immediately. A Time Lord could begin to hear bits and pieces from their own timeline if they were trying to avoid a certain day, or even did not realize of what part they played with the time stream. It happened to him not that long ago when he tried to avoid his so-called death at Lake Silencio. A natural way to help a Time Lord avoid paradoxes and all that.

Bad Wolf nodded. "I knew her time was short and . . . I worried for her. I was afraid she wouldn't always have someone nearby to help her out. Especially during her first years there." She shifted on her feet, looking away from the Time Lord and companions now. "So, I and the TARDIS bonded her timeline with yours. A fail-safe to keep her locked to someone close, someone she already knew pretty decently. That way no matter where she ended up, she would always be with friends." Shifting even more, she glanced at them before clearing her throat. "It worked a little _too_ well, I'm afraid. I will admit, I'm rather humiliated that my work was so well done that she would _die_ from it." She glanced at them when seeing their critical stares. "At least it helped keep Alpha in line."

"Is there any way to break it?" River asked quickly, hoping for a way to keep Wanda from ever dying.

"No, not really," Bad Wolf shook her head. "But it will run its course, reaching the end point for I only placed her timeline to bond up to a certain point in time for the Doctor's. So, once she reaches past that point, the timeline bond will break and then, yes, she will be able to survive without the Doctor. She could even travel about as she pleases with her powers." There came a beep and low hum from the ceiling as the bird songs quieted down and the sky above dimmed to look as close to sunset. Bad Wolf glanced up and nodded. "Yes, Beauty, I know. We're moving along now."

"Beauty?" questioned the Doctor as he and his companions walked away from the table when Bad Wolf began to head towards the exit.

"The TARDIS. She likes that name," Bad Wolf explained, waving a hand over the shoulder in dismissal. They followed her out of the garden room and back into the hallway, going down back towards the very end of the hall. Soon, a white door came up. The very same they had seen before. And just like before, they heard the sobbing of Wanda inside. Just as the Doctor started to step around to run towards the door, it shifted and turned into a deep, red-wine stained door. The Time Lord huffed, glowering as they reached the new door for them to enter. Bad Wolf stepped to the side, seeming to allow them to move onwards on their own now.

"I suppose this is where I take my leave once again," Bad Wolf told them gravely, nodding to them. "Good luck." With that said, the entity walked away, leaving the four of them to their work. None made a move towards the door, hesitating as each began thinking over all that they have experienced and learned while being in this world. So much had been thrown at them on this day. What else must they face now? The Doctor shifted on his feet, at the ready to get to his wife and help her as everyone in this world had been begging him to do. But to face Alpha again?

"Doctor . . .," River said carefully, earning the Time Lord's gaze, "is there anything else we need to know before we face this . . . whatever _this_ is?"

"This," the Doctor said quietly, his voice stern, "is a piece of Wanda. It is her darkness, yes. But is still . . ." He sighed heavily, shaking his head, staring at the door. "I know, it's hard. I've had a long time trying to understand and come to terms with Alpha myself. She isn't Wanda, but she is a part of her. A part we . . . _I_ have to accept."

"It's like the Dream Lord, yeah?" Rory suggested.

"Right. We've accepted that part of you, Doctor. We can do the same for Wanda," Amy agreed, nodding firmly. The Doctor smiled at them, touched to see how resolute his companions are in believing in Wanda and him. He knew River would immediately accept Wanda for what she was. But seeing Amy and Rory just as willing to understand and endure, it just showed him how amazing of companions they truly were. How lost he would be without them.

Pushing the door open slowly, the Doctor muttered, "Stay behind me and let me do the talking," as he stepped inside the room.

It was a strange setup the TARDIS, Beauty, had put together. Or, perhaps Alpha had done this? It was a room which appeared to be a dark forest, or rather a dead forest. The grass around their feet was shriveled, making a crackling sound as they made their way through. All of the trees were black, with the bark stripped away and the branches twisted into sinister shapes. A cracked, blackened marble path came up to them after they rounded a large tree, leading them into an opening. The broken path circled around a crumbling, round fountain laid bare with no water inside. Wilted hedges and flowers looped around the fountain's edges, as well as along the path's way. The Doctor, after a moment to take in the sight, recognized it as one of the crystalline fountain gardens from Gallifrey. Another faded memory from Alpha's childhood.

It took another moment before any of them realized that Alpha was there. She sat in front of the fountain on the ground. Her legs bent up to her chest as she had her arms loosely wrapped around her knees. Alpha's chestnut hair laid around her face in a mess, covering almost all of her features. She wore a red robe dress, much like Time Lords had worn in the past, though the dress was torn up and ragged. The Doctor felt shocked to see that she resembled First Wanda's appearance instead of Third Wanda when last they had come face-to-face. Then again, this was what she had looked like all her life before Wanda existed.

Her eyes glowed maliciously as she stared each one of them down, the white light within her irises burning as she narrowed her gaze. She bared her teeth slightly as her upper lip curled. The Doctor heard a faint growl come from her. The dark wolf was beginning to come out of her already. He had always wondered in the past why Alpha had identified herself with wolf behaviors. Today, after viewing her memories again, only this time up close and personal, he began to wonder if she believed herself to be a wolf-like creature because of what she had become. Admittedly, new species have always been violent and unstable during their first stages of evolution. If this was any representation of this side of a Wanderer, it would be Alpha.

"Hello, Alpha," the Doctor spoke calmly as he and the others stood a few feet away from her. He smiled, trying to be cheery. "How have you been? Good being back in your world I suppose?" Alpha closed her eyes and grimaced, burying her head down into her arms.

"Go away," she growled.

"Ah, see, I'm afraid I can't," the Doctor said, shaking his head in a grave manner. "See, you're keeping my wife away from me and—."

"She isn't yours," Alpha spat immediately, raising her head to glare at him heatedly. "She does not belong to you! Nor will she ever!"

The Doctor raised a brow, staring back firmly. "So she belongs to _you_ , then?"

Alpha narrowed her eyes, not answering him for a moment. "She's safe with me," was what she replied.

"Ah, yes, 'safe.' She's safe being here, locked away in a world of fantasy. Safe being put to sleep over and over again, memories erased, kept in the dark and away from actually having a _life_."

Alpha stood up slowly, her glare intensifying as the white glow increased in her eyes. "I keep her happy. She's happy here."

The Doctor took in the sight of Alpha fully now, coming to notice how she was not all physically there. She was almost translucent, like a hologram, or projection . . . or a ghost. "Is she really though? Happy? I feel as though she'll always be miserable now knowing that this world is a lie. Especially now that you can't make her forget. Because that was you, wasn't it? After being split you placed up all those barriers, trying to give Wanda a fresh start. But the barriers aren't closing up again. And they never will." He stepped away from his companions, going towards Alpha. "You can't keep her here living a lie. You'll be practically sentencing her to death!"

There was a sudden rush of wind. The Doctor and others stumbled back as the air pushed so swift, yet brief against them. Alpha had disappeared completely. But hot breath and a sinister whisper brushed against the Doctor's ear.

" _We are never leaving. And you can't make us._ "

All hell broke loose after Alpha breathed these dark words. The Doctor stumbled down to his knees as the ground beneath rippled under his feet. Screams came from behind him, making him look quickly around to see his four companions being separated and pulled away from him. River was trapped behind large trees that blocked her in a cage, Rory was struggling as roots from the hedges pulled him into the brush, and Amy screamed as dead vines wrapped around where she stood, making a dome around her.

"Doctor!" the companions seemed to shout together as each one was taken away. The trees finished forming their wall around River, making it look as though all that had ever been there were tightly packed trees. The vine dome around Amy was so thick that it looked like a strange bubble formation, leaving no sight of the redhead within. Rory was nowhere to be seen having been taken away by the roots into the hedges as if they had swallowed him up. The Doctor stood back up onto his feet, glaring around at the area, still not seeing any sign of Alpha.

"Bring them back!" he shouted angrily.

"No," came the growl of Alpha, her voice echoing sharply around him.

"Don't you dare harm them! They haven't done anything to you," the Doctor retorted harshly, jabbing a finger in the air.

Alpha's voice began to boom around the area. "Amelia Williams—human. Crime—broke Wanda's hearts when she betrayed her with that kiss. Judgement—guilty. River Song—Time Lord. Crime—killed Wanda by pushing her off a building. Judgment—guilty. Rory Williams—human. Crime—would have hurt Wanda in other possibilities if he had the chance. Judgement—guilty." Alpha appeared again by the fountain, the image of her twisted around as though in between a constant state of fluctuation. "I think they've done plenty."

The Doctor watched as she disappeared once more, but a strange white mist swirled around aggressively, circling the area. He knew the reason she always said all this was because of how her mind twisted and developed over time. She believed herself to be the judge over all of those in the universe who had done wrong. Which, in her mind, was _everyone_. Everyone was guilty. Not that he could not disagree with her, but he would argue that everyone had the potential for good and a second chance if necessary. Shaking his head, he narrowed his eyes as he tracked the movement of the strange mist. Glancing over towards where he knew his companions would be, it eased his mind to know that Alpha would not actually hurt any of them. Her need to keep Wanda happy would ensure of this.

"How are you controlling the room like this?" the Doctor decided to ask, trying to resume the conversation, in hopes of talking some reasoning into the wolf.

"Beauty does as I ask. Nothing more," Alpha replied sharply, an unease in her voice as she circled him.

"Ah, well, I'd like to compliment your decorations, then," the Doctor said, trying to keep his tone light, though his body remained on edge and ready to run if necessary. His eyes scanned the area, looking for any sign of an exit. In the corner of his eye, he saw a small glimpse of white, hidden within a tangle of vines. Looking over past the fountain, he realized it was the white door from before—the room which held Wanda within. He saw how vines slowly crept around the door, trying to keep it from sight and to bar any who try to enter. Forming a quick plan, the Doctor locked his eyes once more on the white mist swirling before him.

"Alpha, really now, what are you going to do?" the Doctor inquired. "You can't keep Wanda asleep forever. And you most certainly cannot keep her in this world forever, either. What are you planning?"

Alpha formed once more in front of him, narrowing her eyes as though she knew he was up to something. However, he knew she would not be able to read his thoughts so clearly with the help of Bad Wolf's tea. It became obvious this frustrated Alpha to no end as she gritted her teeth.

"I don't care what you say. We are not leaving," Alpha rebuffed. "She'll be happy here. She was before, and she will be again. Now leave us!" Suddenly, the ground rumbled and the marble under his feet shifted as Alpha tried to get him to move backward and further away. However, he jumped and rolled in the opposite direction, heading towards the white door instead.

The Doctor stood and faced her with the door to his back. "I'm not leaving without her! No matter what you do to me. No matter how much I have to fight you, I will get her back!" He jumped back as a rock flew at him from the fountain, sailing over his shoulder. "I'm just here to help her! Let me help her!"

"No! We don't need your help! We don't need _anyone_!" Alpha turned into mist once more as the ground rippled towards the Doctor.

The Time Lord allowed this to push him more towards the door. He shifted on his feet, readying himself. He knew that if he got his sonic screwdriver to the right setting he could make the TARDIS's plant life malfunction, for everything here was nothing more than an integrated system connected to the ship's mainframe. Though he hated to hurt the ship, he was desperate to get to his Wanderer. As he raised his screwdriver to begin his plan of action, a vine came up from the ground and grabbed his hand, jerking it to the side to make him drop his tool. Before he could react, vines were wrapping around his legs and torso. He fell violently to the ground and was being dragged away from where Wanda was. He managed to reach out and snatch his sonic, sending a few pluses at the vines. The vines released him and withered away. When he moved to stand up, Alpha appeared before him, sending another wave of energy out to throw him back. He hit the vine dome which held Amy, making him groan in pain. Alpha stood in front of him, her glare piercing.

" _Leave me alone_ ," she spoke in her echoing voice. She turned away. He watched as she retreated. The wheels in his head began to turn as a realization hit him.

"I'm getting too old," he sighed, shaking his head as he slowly rose again. Alpha whipped around sharply, baring her teeth as she sneered at him. He faced her down calmly, his expression etched with pity. "I'm rather thick at times. I'm an old and stupid man, set in my ways. But I get there in the end, I think."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Alpha spat, tightening her hands into fists.

"You said 'me,'" he stated. "All day people have been telling me to 'help her,' but I got it wrong who I was supposed to help." He sighed, shaking his head before gazing evenly at her once more. "Tell me, Alpha, is this really all for Wanda? Or are you doing this for yourself?"

Silence fell heavily around them as Alpha blinked and the Doctor stared on. Alpha narrowed her eyes, shifting backward slightly. "For her . . . Of course."

"Maybe." The Doctor nodded a little, noticing Alpha's expression turn wary. "Maybe this _is_ all for Wanda," the Doctor began to pace, "I mean, you care for her, right? Why isn't it all for her? But," he turned pointing a finger at her, "what if it isn't just that? What if _you_ want to use her as a means to start over?"

Alpha glared heatedly, shifting back from him more. "I—We did start over. We are happy here."

"You wanted to live _through_ her. Her happiness. Her life. To you, that was what you wanted. What you've never had a chance at," the Doctor spoke over her, taking a step towards her. "Or, maybe it's the other way? You wanted to keep Wanda from taking the same actions you took during the war. You wanted to keep her from becoming what you had."

"Shut up," snarled Alpha, the white glow in her eyes beginning to burn. The wind around them began to pick up.

"You've been trying to forget," the Doctor spoke louder over her. "But you can't. You can't forget. So you made Wanda forget." The wind whipped around them and he squinted when dust flew up into his face. "You can't erase your past, Alpha!"

"Shut up!" she screamed, the ground beginning to shake with her anger. Whirling wind threw itself at him.

The Doctor stumbled back but was able to hold his position. "I know why you're angry. I _know_. And you have every right to be! But you can't keep Wanda prisoner! You can't erase all those horrors you've done and lived through!"

"I said, SHUT UP!" Alpha disappeared in a whirl of white mist. It swirled viciously around, making the Doctor unable to see anything as it encircled him.

The Doctor held firm, staring around in the mist. "You've killed, Alpha! You've killed and you've killed. And even though you've grown cold through the years, grown distant and less caring, it still hurts knowing what you've done. Because every time you close your eyes, you see all those you've killed. You hear their screams and you see all that horror every waking moment."

"I SAID SHUT UP!"

The mist drew closer around the Doctor. This time something hit him. He fell forward, only to be thrown back again when something hit his chest hard. He rolled as sharp jagged stones began shooting up from the ground. He jumped up and vaulted over a few, stumbling as he pushed his way through the mist towards the fountain. He leaped into the fountain, splashing through what remained of any water as he turned around and faced the mist once more. It circled ferociously around him and the fountain, luckily not getting any closer.

"Get out of the fountain and leave!" Alpha's voice barked angrily around him.

"No," the Doctor said calmly. "I'll never leave. Not as long as I know there is someone who needs help, who needs healing. Someone who hates themselves so much, who has committed so many horrors, that they see no hope in their lives anymore."

"I don't need _your_ help! GET OUT!"

Rocks were flung at him, but the Doctor easily dodged them, standing in the centre of the fountain now. "Because you did such things, I know what you see yourself as now . . . a monster." He eyed the mist as it swirled more erratically around, twisting into strange forms as though it were not so much angry but more frantic.

"I am a monster! I am _the_ monster! I am the—"

"Alpha. Yes, the alpha monster. The alpha being. Largest killer of all. The true monster of all monsters. The monster that leaves nothing but death and destruction in its wake. I mean, why shouldn't you be an alpha monster? An alpha wolf? You've practically written yourself in all the history books, through all of time and space, to be the one being all should fear. Even if you've tried to rewrite this, to make yourself better in a farce for some few to believe . . . you know that you can never erase the past. You'll always be a monster." The Doctor paused for a moment, holding a solemn expression. "And that's why I must help you. Because . . . I know _exactly_ how you feel. Because I, too, view myself the same."

The mist slowed down in its movement. "What?"

"I'm a monster, too." The Doctor held out his hands, staring at them. "I have more blood on my hands . . . than most could ever dream of. I've killed . . . I've destroyed lives . . . I've written myself into history as a destroyer of worlds . . . Though I try to be a healer of others. I try to convince myself I can be a good man. I know deep down I'm not. I'm careless, ruin lives, and try to forget each time and pretend that everything will be fine in the end, hiding like a coward behind companions." He looked up and Alpha now stood solidly in front of him. She stared at him warily, seeming to be confused by his words. But yet, he saw recognition, understanding what he was saying, knowing she felt analogous to him. He gave her a sad, yet very kind smile. "From one monster to another . . . I want to help you."

He stepped towards her, continuing to speak. "I want to help because I want you to know it's not all your fault of what happened in the past. Even if you like to believe that—even as I like to think of everything being my fault—we both must understand that there are some things in this universe that we cannot control. Somethings just happen." He stepped closer. "Please . . . just let me help you." Slowly, he raised his hand, reaching out to her. Just as he was about to touch her, she blinked out of her stupor. The mist erupted around them. The white, vicious glow came back in full force, her eyes burning bright as she snapped her teeth at him.

"NO! GET AWAY FROM ME!"

The Doctor was flung out of the fountain, slamming into trees. He fell to his knees briefly, but then stumbled back onto his feet. Facing the full gale of wind that whipped at his body, he tried shielding his face with his arms and began walking slowly towards her again. She stood in the middle of the clearing, her eyes tightly closed as she held her hands in tight fists at her side. Her body shook as tears streamed down her face. It was clear she was desperately trying to drown out all noise from around her. Then, she began to shriek.

"The Time Lords did this to me! They did this! It's their fault! Their fault!" she cried. She continued to repeat her claim.

"Alpha, please! You have to stop!" the Doctor shouted over the roar of the wind.

"No, no, no, no, no, no!" Alpha began gripping at her head, pulling at her hair. She shook her head rapidly as the Doctor got closer. "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!"

"Alpha—." The Doctor reached out towards her, hoping to be able to touch her even though she still looked translucent.

She jumped in surprise when she realized he was right in front of her. "Don't—!"

He reached out swiftly before she could get away, grabbing onto her wrist and pulling her towards him. He winced as her white light burned him. Her skin beneath his hand felt like fire. Yet, he held on tighter, pulling her against him with his other arm in a tight hug. "I forgive you," he whispered into her ear.

Alpha froze. Everything around them suddenly went still and quiet, freezing in place. Dead silence hit them hard. Alpha swallowed a lump in her throat. "W-what?"

The Doctor held her even closer still. "I forgive you. For everything you've done . . . I forgive you." Letting go of her wrist, he wrapped his arm around her in a tight embrace. He began to rub her back soothingly. "None of it was your fault. You know that. I know you've killed . . . But you never wanted to. You still don't. Even though your mind and body are programmed to kill, and the urge is still too great, you still want everyone to live. Even if you try to convince yourself otherwise, I know how you feel, Alpha.

"It's okay," he continued to breathe. "It's okay. I just want you to know that. To know that, even though we're monsters . . . it doesn't mean that we have to be bad ones. Even monsters can be good." His fingers came up to caress her head. He felt her body slowly relax in his hold as she slumped against him.

". . . It's my fault," she whimpered. "I killed them. I killed Shelly. It's my fault."

He sighed, holding her tighter still. "No, it really isn't. Alpha, please . . . you have to learn to forgive yourself. It'll be the only way you can find peace."

She did not answer him at length, simply breathing as evenly as she could as her body trembled. It was surprising the Doctor could even hold onto her at all seeing how she was basically still a ghost. Even as he touched her, the physical sensation of her form was lacking as he ran his fingers through her hair. It felt like more a memory of when he embraced First Wanda the same way so long ago.

"Why did they abandon us?" Alpha finally spoke in a hushed whisper. Her voice sounded so vulnerable, so confused as to why she had been left alone for so long, like a child wondering why her mum had died so suddenly.

"War," the Doctor said regrettably. "It makes people do terrible things. Things they know is wrong . . . but they're just so scared and desperate that they do it anyway. Rassilon was never a good man to begin with, but the others were so desperate that they ignored their instincts and followed along with his ideals. And it being a war doesn't make their lack of morality excusable. It never will. They should have done better for you children." He rubbed her back soothingly. "You'll never forgive them for that, I understand this. And that's okay. It's okay to never be able to forgive someone. But we _can_ learn to move on. No more anger. No more hate. Just acceptance of our past, knowing that there will be a better tomorrow. For that, I promise you, I will make certain you will have a better tomorrow.

"I'm sorry. From all Time Lords, I'm sorry," the Doctor finished. He pressed his lips right up to her ear. Through soothing hush of breath, he gently uttered a name into her ear—a name that had long been hidden away within the deepest parts of her memories, unable to ever be spoken by her.

And then, at that moment, Alpha broke down. It was as if she had been waiting to hear that name, a reminder of who she had once been, for so long now. She wept as she fell to her knees. The Doctor fell with her still holding on; his only desire was to comfort her. As she pressed her face into his chest, curling in on herself, her tears soaked his jacket and shirt, and the garden around them shifted. The dead vines receded, turning a bright shade of green and hanging around the trees and fountain at a normal healthy growth. Flowers lifted up, blooming back into full colour once more. The blackened bark of the trees faded away and silver leaves began to grow. The fountain turned to full crystalline, sparkling as water gently flowed within. The blackness which stained the marble paths melted away and left behind beautiful gray and white patterns. The fake sky above them changed from its dark night to a bright day, filled with an orange hue, and the grass thrived, brightening to a brilliant rusted red.

A weight had been lifted. What was broken . . . could finally mend for the first time in centuries.

Alpha continued to sob against the Doctor, muttering 'I'm sorry' as he gently hushed her, stroking a hand through her hair. Eventually, her crying receded. She simply laid against him, sniffling every so often. Then, slowly, she pulled away from him, blinking in wary awe in seeing the new vibrant garden around them. A tender breeze hugged them as they sat there. The silver leaves flashed brightly as they caught the light from above, with a song coming from the trees made by the wind. Alpha took in the sight, her eyes sad as she stared at it all. Gradually, she stood up, turning to the fountain. The Doctor stood up next to her, unsure of what he should do for her next.

". . . My mother and father used to take me here," Alpha finally spoke. She swallowed, staring at the clear water splashing within the fountain. Slow tears ran down her cheeks, her eyes filled with old sorrow as she gazed on. "I can't remember anything about them. What they look like . . . or their names. What life was like with them is a blank. But . . . I remember mother's gardening . . . father's music . . . and the fountain gardens."

The Doctor watched her as she walked over to the fountain. He went over to stand beside as they both stared at the waters within. Soon, Alpha turned herself around, sitting down by the fountain. She leaned her back against the crystalline basin, folding up her legs to wrap her arms around herself. The Doctor sat himself next to her, wishing to wrap an arm around her but uncertain if she wanted him to touch her. So, they sat in comfortable, solemn silence, staring at nothing in particular.

"You used to bring your family to the gardens, too, right?" Alpha asked him quietly. The Doctor blinked, staring at her in surprise.

". . . Yes," he answered her after a bit of hesitation.

"You loved your children and grandchildren so much . . ." Alpha closed her eyes tightly as a few tears slipped through.

The Doctor swallowed heavily, turning to stare away as a mass of emotions swept through him. ". . . Yes, I did," he said through a thick voice.

Alpha slowly opened her eyes once more, looking at the Doctor. "You used to sing them a lullaby. The same I recall my mother singing to me."

Humming, the Doctor nodded. "Yes, it's a song most parents used to sing to their children on Gallifrey." He glanced at her, wondering why she brought it up. "I remember Wanda humming it every so often. Was that you? Remembering them?"

"Yes and no. It was both of us." Alpha paused, shifting and looking away shyly, as though suddenly unsure of herself. "Could . . . could you sing it to me?"

The Doctor stared at her for a moment. Her eyes were big, sad, and child-like in the way as they gazed back at him. A small hint of innocence lingered within. Tainted innocence, but still . . . such a child. It was at this realization that the Doctor knew he had gotten it wrong once again. Alpha, yes, wolf-like with the evolutionary process of her new species making her such a wild animal and unstable, but . . . this was not all the reason why she behaved in such a way during her tantrums. No . . . it was because of the fact that she was never allowed to grow up into a proper Time Lord. She was stuck, trapped in a childhood she never been able to grow out of. Alpha was just a Time Child, trapped in a Time Lord's body and mind.

The Doctor smiled gently, nodding softly and holding out an arm, inviting her to scoot closer to him. "Of course," he assured her.

Alpha hesitated for a moment, unsure if she could accept his warmth, but soon cuddled up right to him. She clung to him as tears slowly rolled down her face. Small whimpers escaped her as more sorrow slipped through her. The Doctor quietly sang to her, holding her close and rubbing a soft hand in circles on her back. The whispering silver leaves of the trees and splashing fountain waters joined in chorus to the melody. Creating lullaby just for her. After some time passed, and the Doctor had ended his song, Alpha moved away from his hold. Though she remained close, sitting right next to him. Each of them stared out towards the garden, taking in the beauty of it all.

"Thank you," Alpha whispered, grateful that he would be so kind to her.

"You're very welcome," the Doctor replied, nodding gently to her.

Alpha let out a soft sigh. "I hope you know that . . . I don't hate you."

"Oh? That's good to know." The Doctor smiled lightly. "I hope you know that I don't hate you, either."

A small smile grew on Alpha's face. "Yeah . . . I know." Then, she frowned, looking more serious. "I still don't like you, though. And . . . I think Wanda deserves better."

"Yes," the Doctor sighed, nodding in agreement, "I think so, too."

"But . . . you make her happy. And if she's happy, I can be content with that." Alpha sucked in a shaking breath. "I don't know what to do."

The Doctor turned to her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "What can I do for you, Alpha? How can I help?"

Alpha shook her head. "Ha. I'm beyond the point of help. No . . . I don't know what to do for Wanda." She looked over towards the white door; her eyes filled with such sadness. "I didn't want her to leave this world in the beginning because I didn't want her to see cruelty. I didn't want her to have friends because I didn't want her to feel the loss of their absence. And I didn't want her to fall in love with you because I didn't want her to get her hearts broken like mine had. And now . . ."

"Your fears have come true?" The Doctor had a feeling of dread seep through him as he saw Alpha's troubled expression. He wanted to push her for answers. To know what had been done to his Wanda. What could have possibly happened to make both her and Alpha so upset?

"Yes." Alpha looked as though she wished to say more, but could not bring herself to. She looked away from him, staring off once more. Her demeanour solemn as she curled in on herself, wrapping her arms around her knees pulled up to her chest. "I can't help her. I've tried . . . but I don't know how. Can . . . can you help her?"

"Of course." His face fell, staring at her in concern. "But . . . will you still let me help you?"

Alpha laughed shakily, tearing up a little. "Don't worry about me. Like I said, I'm beyond help."

"Now, don't say that. If anyone is beyond help it'd be me, trust me."

Alpha sighed. "No . . . Though I will admit . . . You have helped me in many ways today. And I thank you." She gave him a small, weak smile. "Tell you what, you help Wanda first, then you can worry about me later. Okay? But be warned, I won't be as stable as I am in here. I . . . I won't be able to control or help myself in my . . . aggressions. Please . . . don't take anything I do or say to heart. Deal?"

"Deal." They both smiled faintly, still unsure in how to live with one another in their lives, but willing to try for their Wanda.

Alpha looked over her shoulder, sighing heavily as she stared at the white door in the distance. "Go to her. She's waiting for you."

The Doctor looked over quickly, seeing the vines moving away from the white door leading to Wanda's room. He stood up immediately, wanting nothing more than to be there next to his wife. But he paused, looking back at Alpha. "Are you sure there's nothing more I can do for you?"

Alpha hesitated before finally speaking. "Just tell me . . . Do you fear me?"

"No," the Doctor answered her firmly, wholehearted in his response. "I'll admit . . . I used to be. But not anymore. I promise." He crossed his hearts, giving her a boyish smile.

Alpha laughed lightly, returning a very small smile. "Thank you, Doctor."

The Doctor's smile brightened as this was the first time she ever called him by his name. It made him feel truly hopeful that one day they could see each other as friends. Slowly, he watched as Alpha looked away and closed her eyes. As she let out a long sigh, she gradually disappeared, leaving behind a bare space of where she had once been. The Doctor stood there, unmoving, as wave upon wave of emotions mixed around within him. One which stood out the most was somber. There was a rush of running footsteps coming from the way. He looked over to see his three companions hurrying over to him.

"Doctor!" Amy called in relief.

"What happened?" River asked the Time Lord as soon as they were next to him.

"You won't believe where we ended up," Rory said, shaking his head as though their adventure had been somewhat crazy.

"Nothing bad happened," the Doctor assured his companions. "Me and Alpha just had a chat."

"Where is she?" River asked, staring around warily as though Alpha would suddenly appear and send them away once more.

"Gone. I think she's gone back into Wanda's mind," the Doctor replied, looking away to stare over at the white door. He started towards it, with his companions hurrying along after him. He reached the door, lifting a hand up to grab the doorknob. He hesitated with his fingers just brushing against the bronze knob. With eyes closed tight, he felt dread in facing whatever state Wanda was in. He would be willing to help her through anything and heal her, of course. But he remembered the time of her past coming back to haunt her. It had been . . . heart-wrenching, then. Just as he knew it would be now. Perhaps even more so. Gulping, he finally grabbed the knob and pushed.

The door creaked open, allowing the group to step into a small, quaint room. The Doctor blinked as much of it looked just like his and Wanda's room back on their TARDIS. Only much smaller, built for just one instead of two. The soft glow of the setting sun shone through the window, making the room light up almost orange. Seen in the distance from the window was the Wandering Village, seemingly so small laid down in a valley. The Doctor walked towards the lilac covered bed when seeing a moving shape underneath the blankets.

"Wanda?" he asked quietly. The shape frozen, refusing to move. The Doctor walked around the bed to the other side, crouching down to be level with the twin bed. "Wanda, I'm here. I'm here, talk to me." The covers moved, allowing him to see a red-eyed, worn Third Wanda poke her head out from beneath the blankets.

"Doctor?" she said in a hoarse voice. As the Doctor took in the sight of her, all he could think was how miserable and despondent she appeared to be. There were dark circles under her eyes, giving her an exhausted look. Her hair was a mess, looking as though it had not had a wash in a while. He reached forward, gently brushing away her limp and tousled hair from her face.

"Yes," he breathed, smiling at her in reassurance, "I'm here. I'm here now. Tell me what happened? How can I help? Are you hurt? I know you remember now . . . How can I help you?"

Wanda's lip trembled for only a second before she burst out into loud weeps, tears immediately streaming down her face. The Doctor grabbed her and pulled her into a tight hold. Shushing her as gently as he could, he rocked her in hopes of calming her down. But then, as she began to speak, he stiffened.

"Theta, I'm sorry. I-I-I'm s-s-s-o sorry," she wept. She gripped at him as though he were now her lifeline. As if any moment she might fall apart. Maybe she would. "I couldn't keep my promise. I broke my promise."

"Wanda?"

"She's gone, Doctor. There's—There was nothing left of her."

The Doctor pulled her away, holding her shoulders tightly as his world began to crumble. "W-what are you—?"

Wanda's eyes remained tight, though tears still poured down her face. "The Master—he killed her, Theta. Whatever he did to me . . . She's gone. She wasn't in me anymore. She's gone." Her arms wrapped around her stomach tightly as her body wracked through the sobs. "I'm so sorry. I let our daughter die." She continued to weep as the Doctor stared at her in pure horror and disbelief. He only faintly heard the gasps of the companions in the corner. Everything tilted as his gaze focused on the despaired Wanderer in front of him.

". . . No. No, please . . . Don't—don't say that," he began to beg her. "Don't say it's true." But her sobs told him . . . it was. Tears sprang to his eyes as he pulled Wanda into a constricted hold of dismay and desperation, break downing alongside his wife.

XxXxXxXx

. . . I have no words. I'm just too sad for the Doctor and Wanda right now. :( If you have any words you wish to share, please leave them in a review. Might help me come out of my sad bubble.

Reviewers:

 **Silently Resigned** : Thank you! I'm so glad you enjoyed it. :) Aww, thanks, I'm so glad that I wrote well. I really wanted to bring a shift in tone for the story, so I always tried to make the tone more light for everything previously. I was terribly worried it was going to be horrible. Glad it wasn't though. Welp, as we saw in this chapter, Alpha and Wanda will always be separate. Which isn't really a good thing . . . but that's spoilers for now. ;) Hope you liked the new chapter, and to see you again in the future!

 **4EverFallen** : They really we're horrified watching it all. It's a hard thing to watch. :( I'm glad you liked it though!

 **normandy1701** : It really does help seeing someone's backstory to see where they're coming from. Shelly and Alpha were really in love. It's so sad at what happened to them. :( Sorry I didn't mean to make you misunderstand me, I knew what you meant and that it wasn't your idea directly. I was just saying that it's a neat idea that someone had to make a comparison between the two. The more I think about it, the more I see how similar the two are. Thanks for the review, and I hope you enjoyed the new chapter! :)

 **All The Stories Are True 24601** : I'm just so happy you enjoyed it! Agreed, poor Tina and Shelly. :( Cant wait to see what you think of the new chapter. :)

 **Needy Nancy** : I'll try to do a nice closure. Though I will say now that we won't get full closure until part four. So I hope that's okay. Please let me know what you think of the rest of the story to come. I would love to hear your thoughts on it all. :) Take care!

 **SakuraRcoa** : I'm so sorry that it made you cry. :( But I'm glad it was still a good read for you. I truly hope that the rest of the story is just as enjoyable. :) Thank you so much for your kind words!

 **Books-and-Cleverness-394** : Thank you so much for taking the time to review. :) I'm just so happy knowing how much you enjoyed the story so much so far! Honestly, I just sort of came up with it when Ten talked about what would happen to a Time Lord if they ever absorbed the energy of the Time Vortex. Of them being a 'vengeful god' and all. And I thought it'd be neat to see how that would work. Then, welp, here we are now. :) I really hope that you will enjoy the rest to come! Even though I'm sorry to report, it does not look as though we will ever get to Bill. Sorry about that. But who knows, maybe that might change in the future. ;) Take care until next time!

 **Authora97** : haha I hope that means you enjoyed it. :)

 **swimmjacket** : I just wanna wrap up both Alpha and Wanda, too. And as we saw in this chapter, it was not actually the Doctor who put up the barriers but Alpha. She truly never wanted Wanda to remember that sort of sadness and pain. The chapter with Ten and the Master will be arriving next time. So I hope you'll like it! Oh, you have no idea how nervous and excited I was to show you all the recent chapters. But I'm just so happy that everyone seems to have enjoyed them so much. :) Until next time!

 **mjahappy** : Glad to see you so excited. I hope that means you enjoyed it. :)

 **TheGirlWhoWept** : They really were cute together. It's so upsetting to see what happened at the end for them. :( Sorry we got to only see Wanda briefly in this chapter. I promise there will be more of her in the next. Until next time!

 **Miss Amarillys Ren Harasakai** : Thank you! The Doctor and Wanda met in this chapter, as we saw here. As well as his reaction. I hope you enjoyed it all!

 **Momochan77** : Woo! Glad you enjoyed it all! How and why was actually explained in the last few chapters, with Alpha using the atoms from the barren land to reconstruct things and taking many memories and other things from the cracks in the universe. Sorry if it was not conveyed very well. If it's still not conveyed well enough just let me know whatever other questions you have and I'll be happy to answer them. :) Hope you enjoyed the new chapter, and can't wait to see you again in the next one!

 **Isanxd** : I'm so happy that you've been enjoying the last few chapters so much. I really did want to keep things together so that way there was a stronger emotional connection. So you're absolutely right there. :) Sorry about the misunderstanding. I'm very happy that you've come to love the replies! Hope it helps bring in a sense of community to the story. :) Also hope to see you again in the future! Take care and have an amazing day!

 **NerdWithAPencil** : The plot always thickens. ;) Their romance truly was tragic. Oh, if only they could have been together. But then again, if they had we would have never gotten Wanda and the Doctor together. *sigh* Well . . . at least everything for those two is fine. Hopefully. Anyway, hope you enjoyed the new chapter!

 **bored411** : Yep, Wanda remembers everything. But we'll find out more on that in the next chapter. Hope you enjoyed the update! Eager to see how you'll like it. ;)

 **fireman12468** : Glad you liked it! Hmm, well, unfortunately, we don't get to see any of the actual war here. But maybe if I ever do an outtake series of sorts I'll add some things there about Alpha and the war. ;) And thank you so much for reviewing!

 **Whovianeverlark17** : Agreed. So much. :(

 **N7SpaceHamster** : Oh, I know. It was so frustrating how long the site was down. I feel like there's been a lot of crashes with the site lately. Anyway, it's not as hard as you might think to keep things straight. I bet you'd be able to do it even better than me. ;) I think the blaming part is what we see with Wanda a lot. Which just shows how much Wanda is the Alpha that would have been if she had never turned into a weapon. Alpha was there the longest of all of the experiments, which was four hundred years being a weapon for the Daleks. It really was an endless cycle for all of them. Poor children. :( Tina used to slap the kids around if they were misbehaving, so really Alpha/Wanda picked it up from her. Shelly and Alpha were truly meant for each other I think. :) It's so sad what happened to them, never being able to be together in the end. *sigh* Also, yep, everything is coming together. As we saw in this chapter, Alpha did not want Wanda to get her hearts broken like she did with Shelly. Yeah, Shelly kept it away from Alpha that she was slowly dying, as we saw when she started coughing up blood. So either way, Shelly was going to die whether it be by Alpha's own hand or not. Which then made Alpha gain such a hatred for everyone and everything. That, and what the High Council did, or rather didn't, do. Now, Alpha's only goal is to rewrite the wrongs that has gone through the universe for so long. Which is doing what the universe wants her to do, be its weapon and all. I really hope that you enjoyed this chapter just as much as the last. I cannot wait to see what you thought of it and to see you again in the next time. :D Take care!

 **alwaystherereading** : I understand your hesitation, but no worries. I'm actually much better at first person than third person. But I choose which one goes well with the tone and narrative for the story. Just as we saw with Alpha's memories. It just fit too perfectly not to do first person, which you're close it's called first person perspective or first person view in English. :) Which makes me curious, what is your native language if English is your second? I'd love to know! I like building up to backstories before just letting it all out. Don't usually like the bits and pieces style myself. So glad you liked it. :) Actually Time Lords age normally in childhood like that of a human. But once they reach about adolescence they stop aging and are considered a teenager until they reach about 200 or so. So after they get about sixteen, they stay looking like that for a while and only slowly get to about 'twenty' looking on the outside when they get about 100 years. At least, that's what it says in the research I've found. But the canon of the show is always changing as we know. Alpha is very much doing what the universe wants. At least, the dark side of the universe. It just wants the pain to stop and throws all that pain onto her. Yeah, she was mostly using the Daleks to get her revenge, though she did struggle in gaining 'freedom' from them as they could still control her with the programming they did to her. And as we saw in this chapter, Alpha and Wand will always be separate. I hope you enjoyed the new update. :) Can't wait to see what you think of it! Until next time!

 **deadflowerseverymorning** : I'm happy that you enjoyed it. Even if it was so sad. Well . . . it's more of Alpha who went through than Wanda, but Wanda remembers it all now so . . . I suppose they'll both need help getting over it now. Nah, thank you for leaving such lovely reviews and giving such great support for the story. :) Take care!

 **Light** : Good question! I actually identify more with First Wanda than any other. I'm just too nervous and anxious of a person not to be. haha. So glad you're enjoying the story!

Welp, that's all for now! Take care and have a fantastic day! Hugs for everyone!

~Tinker~


	54. Ch 54: A Wanderer's Revenge

Welcome back, my lovely readers.

I hope everyone's week will be a good one. Enjoy the new read.

XxXxXxXx

Chapter 54: A Wanderer's Revenge

A gentle warm breeze moved over the land, making the grass around swish and sway. The sound of the grass rustling against each other, sounding much like gentle waves upon a seashore. Wanda sat underneath a lone silver tree, onto a hilltop of red grass. She had her back leaning against the tree, staring out towards the valley down the way. The tall buildings reflected the morning light peacefully as the people within the strange, otherworldly village were going about their day in cheer. Well, as cheery as they tried to be, anyway. Wanda stared at it all blankly, her eyes glazed over as she seemed to just be within her own mind. A small patch of flowers stood out from the red grass right next to the tree beside where Wanda currently sat. A small stone leaned right against the tree in front of the flowers, with a name engraved on the white marble.

 _Here Lies Ember_

 _Our beloved daughter_

Wanda closed her eyes tightly for a moment, sucking in a breath as though she were trying to hold back a wave of emotions. Soon she slowly let out a shaking breath, relaxing as she opened her eyes once more and stared out into the village once again.

"Why didn't you go back with them?"

Wanda slowly glanced over, seeing the sudden appearance of Shelly . . . of Bad Wolf right next to her. It was still hard for Wanda to keep reminding herself this all was not what she remembered it to be. The Shelly in her mind from the past . . . had been nothing more than a dream. No, this was Bad Wolf. Still Shelly in some ways, but not the Shelly from her 'past.'

"I don't know. Mostly, I suppose, I wanted to be alone for a while longer," Wanda replied softly, looking away to stare off once more. The Doctor and companions had left some hours ago. They had spent a good few days here with her in this world as they all mourned the loss of Ember. Each one went through their ways of grief. River and Rory both choose the quiet compassion of being there for the others. While Amy practically clung to Wanda, torn up in what happened just as much as the Time Lords were. And the Doctor . . .

Wanda closed her eyes once again. His grief hurt her the worst. He seemed to go through wave after wave sadness. He had remained reserved during the whole stay, never once letting go of Wanda's hand through the days. He followed the Time Lady wherever she went, staying quiet as they were visited at the cottage by different people from Wanda's past. Never once would he break down in front of others. But when Wanda and he were alone . . . It hurt. It hurt so much seeing him cry in such a way. It was like the time in his Ninth incarnation after the Time War all over again. And Wanda felt there was nothing she could do to help him this time.

The different people who visited had come in waves. Tina was the first, almost immediately hugging the Time Lady and was ready be there for comfort. Then came others who had been a part of Wanda's 'past.' They were all wonderful, being so supportive and caring. It helped . . . in some ways. But in the other ways . . . it hurt in seeing so many faces which Wanda held only memories that were nothing more than fake, creations from Alpha herself. Then, today, they held a funeral ceremony for Ember. Flowers had been planted in the one small spot in the pocket world which held red grass and a silver tree. The Doctor himself made the headstone and engraved the words. Then the ceremony had been small, with nothing more than the small group standing around in solemn silence.

Eventually, people had trickled away, leaving only the companions and Time Lords. Then, a fleeting time later after that, they heard the TARDIS, _their_ TARDIS, sounding off to them from the distant cottage where she had been moved to days previous. It was time for them to go. She could only stay here for so much longer before she really would be in trouble by being within a pocket universe. The only reason she had not been in trouble before now was because of the help from this world's TARDIS, Beauty. But Beauty could only do so much before the natural effects of a pocket universe hurt their Sexy. The Doctor had sighed after this, glancing at Wanda when seeing her rigid posture, her eyes never wavering from staring at the headstone of their child and her arms wrapped tightly around her middle.

"Go to the TARDIS," he had then instructed the companions, ". . . we'll be there shortly." There had been some reluctance from the companions, but soon both Time Lords had been left alone on the hilltop. The Doctor had then wrapped an arm around Wanda's shoulders, holding her gently against him. Still, she had remained rigid.

"Go with them, Theta," Wanda had whispered after a long moment of silence between them. "Get them back home. I'll be back in the TARDIS later."

The Doctor had stared at her for what seemed like a long time, seeming uncertain by her statement. ". . . Are you sure?"

"I'm sure. Bad Wolf and Beauty can help me get back to you. I prom—." Wanda had then winced when almost saying this. Promises are how they had gotten to this point. It was something she should have never eluded herself and others to believe they were something that could actually be kept. Even someone with advanced knowledge . . . could never keep a true promise. "I'll be back before you know it. I just . . . I just need some time alone. Please?"

"Of course." It had taken him a moment to actually leave, lingering there with her for some time as though he were unwilling to let her go. But eventually, in the end, he had indeed let go and moved on.

Now, here she was. Still by the silver tree, dreading the moment when she would have to leave this world and face reality once more.

"Are you done reminiscing yet?" Bad Wolf asked her, smiling kindly at the Wanderer. She waited patiently, watching as Wanda had trouble regaining her voice. Wanda swallowed heavily, looking away to stare at her hands.

"I just needed some time. To myself. I don't get that very often," Wanda whispered. Her hands remained limp in her lap; only every once and a while a finger would absently twitch.

"Understandable," Bad Wolf said, nodding. "I'm certain you need time to process everything you've gone through recently. Take as much time as you need. This is your world, after all. You may come and leave as much as you like." The entity looked away, staring forward towards the village. They sat there in silence for a good while, watching the sun rise higher as the day moved on without them. Finally, Wanda broke her silence.

"How could I have not known?" Wanda asked aloud. Whether this question was meant for Bad Wolf or for herself, it was not clear. The Wanderer gripped her hands tightly together for a second before relaxing again, still staring at them blankly. "All these years . . . I should have realized what my hidden memories meant. All those hints . . . All those mentionings . . . I had all those clues right before me, yet I never thought of . . . How could I have been so blind?" She sighed, letting her head lean back hard against the tree as she stared up towards the sparkling, silver leaves above. "And now that I know the truth, it all seems so obvious now. I really am an idiot." She closed her eyes tightly as another wave of emotions. "I'm a moron. I never even realized that Ember . . ." She stopped herself from saying anything more. Sucking in a sharp breath, she opened her eyes once more and looked back towards the village.

"What am I now? Who am I?" Wanda breathed as a single tear slid down her face. "I'm not a human. I'm not a Time Lord. I'm not even Wanda. I'm just . . ."

"You're not Alpha, Wanda," Bad Wolf stated evenly, firmly. "Really, you're not. You are someone new. Someone different. When Alpha rewrote her mind, it made the whole life start out fresh again. She wanted to give herself a second chance. Though, not realizing that her past self could never be rewritten."

Wanda looked at her, seeing how the entity seemed to wish to console her in some way. The Wanderer swallowed, feeling another mixture of emotions. "Those are still my memories, though. Even if I . . . even if I didn't really live through them personally . . . But I did live through them . . ." Wanda let out a frustrated breath, tightening a hand and hitting her leg lightly. "Ugh, this is so—"

"Perplexing? Yes, it is." Bad Wolf nodded gently. "The best way I have been able to explain it to others was to think of it like the life of John Smith. He was, yet wasn't, the Doctor. They were both separate, yet the same. If John Smith suddenly had all the memories of the Doctor, yet did not have his Time Lord self back, would he still be John Smith? Or would he be the Doctor? Or would he be an even newer person because of the change? Who knows, really. Best thing I say is we except what it is and deal with it as we go."

Wanda thought this over, knowing the entity chose this analogy because she herself thought of John Smith and the Doctor in the same way. So, in the end, she was Alpha's Alice Rivers. It was a hard thought to swallow. Still, something she felt she would have to come to accept. But, in the end, Bad Wolf was right. Wanda needed to just grow up about it and push onwards. ". . . Yeah. I suppose. I mean . . . I'm not the same Time L—Wanderer I was before . . ." Wanda agreed in the end. There was a long pause between them. Bad Wolf twiddled her thumbs lightly while staying quiet, letting Wanda come around to talk when she felt up to. Wanda appreciated this from the entity, glad that Bad Wolf seemed so understanding. In many ways wise in how she talked and behaved. It brought up memories of Shelly. Not the fake dream ones, but the ones from the past.

"You know . . . you're a lot different . . . Shelly," Wanda eventually said to the entity.

"I'm not Shelly," Bad Wolf replied, smiling and shaking her head lightly. "Not really. You know that."

Wanda smiled softly in return. "Yes, you are. You just . . . grew up is all."

Bad Wolf snorted, shaking her head in amusement. "Ha. Yes . . . I suppose I have." They sat in silence once again. This time it was much more comfortable than it had been before. Bad Wolf finally looked back at Wanda, smiling mostly sadly now. "Though, I may not be the same Shelly as I was before . . . I want you to know that I still love you."

Wanda matched her smile, nodding slowly. "I know. And I'm sorry, but I . . ."

"I know. It's okay. Truly, it is. I'm just content that the new you has found new love. Besides, in this new form of mine, I'm not too fond of the whole lovely-feely, ah, thing other normal persons do. Seems too foreign to me now that I have 'transcended' into a new consciousness."

Wanda nodded slowly, glad that they were okay with where they were in life. She pinched her thumb and began twisting it around. "What should I do now? I-I don't know . . . I know I have to go back, of course. But how do I face the Doctor after all of this?" She glanced at Bad Wolf, seeing how the entity stared back calmly. Wanda sighed and nodded. "You're right. I'll just have to leave and find out how to handle it all when I face it head on." Once more, they sat in silence. Bad Wolf let Wanda sit there in peace, thinking over on where her journey should head to next.

Soon, Wanda let out a heavy sigh, standing up from the tree. She glanced over, seeing Bad Wolf already up and facing her. The entity held a grim expression, still remaining quiet in letting Wanda choose on whether to talk. The Wanderer glanced over briefly towards her daughter's grave before hurriedly looking away. She looked at the entity once more, taking a very deep breath.

"I'm ready to leave," Wanda whispered. "You can send me off like you did last time." She frowned for a moment, thinking over what had happened last time. "How . . . How did I leave last time? Am I correct in thinking the whole light in the woods scenario was a fake memory?"

"Correct," Bad Wolf nodded, smiling gently. "Just another memory Alpha made for you. And, like last time, it's merely up to you to let the powers guide you back to your universe. You can always stay here longer if you choose. Just know that, eventually, you will have to go back."

"Though it is tempting," Wanda said, shaking her head softly, "I'm afraid I might not want to ever leave this place if I stayed too long. Not only that but . . . I could never leave behind the ones I love in the other universe." She gazed towards the village, smiling when seeing the beautiful place before her. With a heavy heart, she looked away and gave the entity once last smile. "Goodbye, Bad Wolf."

"Goodbye, Wanda. And good luck."

And with this, the Wanderer was gone with a flash of light.

XxXxXxXx

Screams of terror and firing shots ran out from everywhere. From the whole world, it seemed like. The sky above was ripped into two. A scar placed there from a paradox. The worst kind of paradox committed. It made half the sky shaded in red, matching the bloodshed which was happening down below on Earth. One-tenth of the population, all being slaughtered at once.

This was the scene which met Martha Jones when she used the Vortex manipulator to escape the _Valiant_. She slowly pushed herself up from the cold grassy field, shaking as she stared at the horrors occurring around her. From the horrors she witnessed not even minutes ago on the _Valiant_ , done so by the Master. Her family . . . The Doctor . . . Jack . . . Wanda . . .. . . Martha felt the heartbreak for them all. She just stared in disbelief, numb by all what was happening around her, as the Toclafane, by the billions, came raining down from the red scar in the sky to kill everyone. Fire erupted from London far in the distance from where the young woman stood. Some fire even burned away at the trees and grass near her. All of it said one clear message: The end of the world.

Suddenly, a blinding white light flashed next to Martha. She jumped a little, startled for a moment in fear it was someone coming after her. Then, relief went through her as she saw it was Wanda. The very same Wanda that she saw only minutes ago. Some very horrible minutes ago, mind, but still . . . At this thought, Martha felt worried. Wanda had been in the worst state the doctor had ever witnessed. She looked carefully at the calm blonde woman, watching how Wanda stood very still, facing forward with gloom in her eyes. The woman appeared clean, dressed similarly as she had been before. Though Martha picked up very quickly that there were some differences. Wanda no longer wore a bright blouse as she normally did. No, this time there was only a gray shirt seen from beneath the maroon overcoat the woman wore. But other than that . . .

"Wanda?" Martha asked hesitantly, stepping towards the woman.

"Hello, Martha," Wanda spoke quietly, sounding grave as she stared towards the burning city before them. Martha expected the blonde woman would say more than this. Maybe something comforting. Maybe something sad, yet positive, assuring Martha that everything would be okay. But Wanda continued to stare off at the city, no showing a sign of turning to the companions next to her.

"Are you okay?" Martha asked quickly. "What happened? What did the Master do? You were screaming . . . and then he aged the Doctor. . . and the Toclafane . . ." Martha trailed off, staring off as well towards the destruction. "What are we going to do?" She looked back at Wanda, searching for answers.

"Did the Doctor tell you his plan?" Wanda asked, still not looking at the companion.

Again, this felt strange for Martha. Wanda always seemed ready for a hug to console her and others in the past. But now . . . Something felt wrong. "Wanda . . . are you okay? What happened?" Martha tried placing a hand on the blonde's shoulder, but Wanda shrugged it off. This time Wanda turned, facing Martha.

The companion was taken back. Not because of the blonde's expression, which was still gloomy as before. But it was Wanda's eyes. They were . . . older. Like Wanda had aged drastically since Martha last saw her. There was not a single bit of glee or giddiness. The emerald eyes which always seem mystical before now had a worn look to them. It was like looking at the Doctor's eyes. As though a heavyweight, years of being run down, had been placed upon Wanda since the time Martha had seen her.

"Did the Doctor tell you his plan?" Wanda repeated, her voice still as calm as ever.

"Yes, but—," Martha replied, trying to still push for answers. But Wanda turned, signally the end of any questions.

"Then, we do as all companions must. As we're told," Wanda said quietly, staring off towards the burning city once more before looking away. She walked around Martha, heading to the forest which lay behind them. "Let's go, Martha. We have a long journey ahead of us. Might as well get a head start."

Martha glanced back towards the city one last time, burning the image of it all in her mind as she grew determined. She nodded curtly when she looked back at Wanda, marching quickly to catch up with the blonde, knowing that they would be back.

XxXxXxXx

It was not until a month later, of hardships and running, did Martha finally learn what happened to Wanda that day on the _Valiant_. Of what the Master did to her. She learned of it after many nights she heard Wanda waking up screaming from nightmares. Martha tried to console Wanda whenever they happened. But Wanda would just give her that blank smile she always had on nowadays, saying everything was fine, and walking off into the night to be alone. It was not until Wanda woke up sobbing and yelling one night in such a bad state, in the middle of a night terror, did the blonde finally break down after Marta managed to wake her up.

Then, as Martha held the crying woman in a tight hug, Wanda told her everything.

After all was said . . . they both held each other through the night in solemn sadness. Martha felt devastated for Wanda. Of what the blonde had gone through in her past. Of what she was. Of what happened to the child Martha never knew that had almost been. Then she felt just as bad when realizing the Doctor would never know now. At least, not until far into the future. He would be built up with such hope only for it to come crashing down. And there was nothing she could do about that fact. But, if there was anything Martha _could_ do it would be to be here for Wanda. To be some source of comfort as the best she could. As a doctor in training, she knew of some of the grief a mother could go through after a miscarriage. All she could do was to try her best to help Wanda through it.

The next morning after this, Martha woke up alone within their makeshift tent, which consisted of nothing but a few sticks and a worn tarp. Making her way out of the tent, she looked around the quiet forest for Wanda, hoping to see her somewhere nearby. It was not long before Martha spotted the blonde sitting around by the small stream they had made camp by. When she came up to Wanda, Martha stopped in shock. Wanda sat there, looking down at her reflection in the water, with long locks of blonde hair clutching in her hand. She kept tugging at her now short hair with her other hand, taking in her new look. Her hair barely made it down past her ears now. It was even shorter than Second Wanda's style. It was a mess as Wanda appeared to have just cut it all at once without bothering to really take time to keep things neat. Perhaps she even just tied it back and cut it all at once.

Wanda glanced over her shoulder when realizing Martha was there. She smiled weakly, glancing back down towards her reflection.

"Sorry . . . I thought I'd try something new," Wanda spoke quietly. "I wanted a change." Martha crouched down beside the blonde while Wanda stared at her meekly. "Do you like it?"

"Hmm," Martha hummed thoughtfully for a second before smiling and began messing with Wanda's hair, fixing it up a bit so it did not look so messy. "There! Now you look perfect." She gave the blonde an encouraging smile, showing support for anything Wanda did.

Wanda smiled back weakly in response with watery eyes. Looking back at her reflection, she sucked in a deep breath before standing up with an expression filled with determination. She clutched the long strands of hair in her hand tightly. Martha watched in awe as Wanda's hand glowed white for a moment before the hair turned into gray dust and fell from her grasp, falling into the water below to be swept away.

"Was that . . . your powers you talked about?" Martha asked curiously.

"Yes," Wanda said, brushing her hands together to rid herself of the dust completely. "Couldn't leave behind any traces of me here. Time Lord DNA . . . ah . . . well, my DNA would stand out like a sore thumb to the Master, since he's surely searching for us and all that. Or, at least, searching for you at the moment. Not sure if he knows I'm here . . . yet." Wanda let out a sigh before turning and heading back to their camp. "Better head out, Martha. There's a troop of Toclafane heading our way. Perception filter or not, I'd rather we not stick around for them."

From that day onwards, things became rough for them. Though through even the worst of it all—the death, tortures, and horrors they saw—each one of them learned to depend on each other to survive. They grew stronger with each other's support. Changing for better . . . or for worse.

However, there were some changes Marta grew concerned about. Wanda seemed to grow more and more reserved as time went on. There were times Wanda would wander off at night, wishing to be alone for a time before coming back the next morning. Many occasions Martha would watch her anxiously as she saw Wanda seemed close to snapping when they would run into any roguish humans along the way. Especially the Toclafane. After everything Wanda told her, Martha knew what signs to watch out for. The white glow in her eyes was the one most prominent. It would appear so often when confronted by these obstacles. Wanda always seemed to snap herself out of it before she lost control (or, at least, lost control completely). With just a quick shake of her head and a muttering to Alpha, Wanda would keep pressing on with their mission without resorting to (too much) violence.

And so, a full year passed. With it, came their return back to Britain.

Cold waves splashed against Wanda and Martha's legs as they walked through the shallow waters of the seashore. Martha tightened the traps of her black pack on her back, keeping in step with the blonde next to her. Wanda adjusted the hood around her face, glancing towards the shore ahead of them where the light from the white lantern shone. Each female wore black clothing to help conceal themselves in the night. While Martha's outfit consisted of a hiking jacket, pants, and boots, Wanda's made her look very much like a wanderer. Her coat was more of a cloak, with it draped on her in waves, stopped just above her knees, and the large hood shrouding most of her face in a shadow. Though, like Martha, she also wore hiking boots and pants.

Wanda glanced at the man holding the lantern on the beach while Martha waved to the two men behind them who had brought them to shore by rowboat. The Wanderer saw that it was Tom Milligan, peripatetic medical personnel who was allowed to travel. Once she recognized who he was and recalled his timeline, Wanda stared back down towards the ground, keeping her face in the shadow of her hood as she and Martha drew closer. She listened to Martha and Tom making quick introductions, with Tom already knowing all about Martha through her famous travells. Only briefly did Tom glance at Wanda.

"Who's your companion? I didn't know I was supposed to be picking up anyone else," Tom questioned curiously.

"She's nobody," Martha dismissed, nodding curtly. "Shall we get a move on, then?"

Wanda listened as Tom kept naming off all of Martha's great feats through the year, surviving so much that many considered either impossible or suicidal to even thinking to attempt. Upon the mentioning of Japan, however, Wanda lowered her gaze even more, not wishing for Martha to see her hardening eyes. Afraid for a moment a white glow might escape in the rage she felt over remembering the burning land as she and Martha had escaped. Wanda's tensing and shift in demeanour did not go unnoticed by Martha. The woman glanced at the Wanderer briefly before looking to Tom.

"Look, Tom, though I appreciate your enthusiasm, I'd rather not talk about all of this, okay?" Martha told him curtly. "Me and my companion are tired and hungry. I'd rather we rest before going to Professor Docherty." Tom nodded firmly, leading them to where he had parked his vehicle.

Tom made a small fire for them to sit around, hoping to keep themselves warm and to make some decent rations to eat. He even provided a few sleeping bags for them to use for the night. After each of them ate out of a can of rations, Tom began questioning Martha once more, still curious about her journeys that took place in a year of travells. The young doctor could not help but humour him, smiling patiently as she told him of a few places she had been to. She actually began to feel fond of the man when hearing his story of how he survived over the year, touching to hear how he always seemed to help so many through medicine and kindness. Both of them forgot about Wanda, who still remained as silent as ever. She sat away from them on the other side of the fire. With her legs pulled up to her chest, she rested her chin on her knees, gazing intently at the flickering flames. The glowing embers which fell out of the fire pit sat just before her feet, emitting a gentle glow. The first spark, which had helped create the life of the fire, refusing to die off.

Wanda quickly pushed dirt over the embers before turning over to lie on her sleeping bag, placing her back to the fire. She stared off into the darkness of the night, trying to relax her mind in knowing what would come in the next days to come. She heard Martha tell Tom goodnight. Martha then laid out her own sleeping bag beside Wanda, blocking the blonde's view of the dark night as the young doctor turned and faced the Wanderer.

"You okay?" Martha asked, keeping her voice quiet as they heard Tom getting some things packed into his vehicle. Wanda nodded, choosing to stare at her hands. Martha reached forward and grasped one of her open hands, holding it in comfort. "It'll be okay. We'll get through this."

"Of course," Wanda whispered, looking up to give her a very brief smile. "If we can get through an entire year, then we can last a few more days, right?"

"Right." Martha nodded, feeling even more determined in completing their task. Since day one, Wanda already explained to her what would happen with their quest and the Master. She knew of their journey being erased to never have ever happened after their reversed the paradox. Though Wanda never promised that things would go smoothly all together as the Wanderer has not made any promises in a long time. But Martha knew to trust her when she said it was a fixed point in time. No matter what, the Master's reign will fall.

Wanda held Martha's hand through the night, allowing the companion to get some much-needed rest. She even heard Tom on the other side of the fire snoring lightly. Turning to lay more on her back, Wanda made herself comfortable as she stared up towards the night sky. Starlight twinkled above, shining hope towards the Earth below. In the corner of her eye, she could see the scar from the paradox ripped across the dark sky, emitting an almost peaceful red glow like that of the aurora borealis. The rolling waves on the distance shoreline created a soothing melody, companied by the crackling of the small fire next to her. All the while she still held onto her friend's hand, unwilling to let go. Little things like this gave her solace. Though Martha never knew, things like this were the only barriers Wanda had now from keeping losing complete control lately.

Though there were still two barriers left in her mind which kept her from completely losing it. The one barrier which kept most of her powers locked up from overriding her. And the other . . . which still held Alpha away. The two things which had not actually be created by Alpha like the others had. No, these two barriers were the dividers between them. The consequences of the chameleon arch. The two things which made Alpha and Wanda both separate yet equal.

 _Only because that's how it must be. How it must always be._

Wanda sighed, nodding slowly when hearing Alpha's voice. _I know._ she responded.

 _I could deal with this, you know. Let me handle it. I'll make them suffer. Make them pay._

Wanda held a scolding expression. _That's not the way and you know it._

 _But it_ is _a way you've thought about._

Wanda ignored this, staring up at the stars and letting herself relax once more. But the stars seemed so much duller now, tainted by the swirling thoughts hatred. The memory of brown eyes surfaced, making the wolf inside her growl darkly.

XxXxXxXx

Morning came all too soon for Wanda. Before she knew it, they had already arrived at the shipyard. It was at Tom's request that he wanted to show Martha what he had been monitoring from the quarry. Martha obliged, of course, as she wanted to see just how big this shipyard was compared to the others she and Wanda had encountered over their travells. The trio made their way up a hilltop, almost to the top where they would be able to see the construction of the many rockets ready to launch in the coming days. Wanda trailed behind when seeing the enormous statue of the Master, carved from stone, towering over the landscape around them. She narrowed her eyes as she stared at the statue, gritting her teeth.

"You two go on. I'll catch up," Wanda told them curtly before diverging onto her own path.

"No, I wouldn't do that—," Tom began to protest, but Martha stopped him with a hand pressed to his chest, pushing him back from going after the still hooded blonde.

"Don't worry about her. She can handle herself. Trust me," Martha told the man, nodding for them to keep going.

While those two continued onwards, Wanda climbed up the hill towards the statue. Rocks slid down the sides of the hill as she climbed, giving her some trouble getting close to the stone figure. But soon, she stood beneath the shadow of the monument, gazing at it with disdain. Debating with herself for a moment, wondering whether or not it was a good idea, she finally said the hell with it and placed her hand on the foot of the statue. She watched as the white glow from her hand radiated outwards. The stone began to hiss as it cracked. Dust trickled from the cracks, falling to the gravel below. Removing her hand from the stone, she then turned and walked away, holding a satisfied smile as she turned the rest of the statue cracking. She was a good distance away, almost back to where Martha and Tom stood by his truck, when the gigantic crash of the statue was heard off over the hilltop. Tom jumped in shock while Martha raised a brow of interest.

"What was that?" Tom asked in alarm. He looked over the horizon, realizing in disbelief when seeing the statue no longer standing. He then stared at Wanda in astonishment. "Did you . . . What did you do? How did you do that?"

"Feel better?" Martha asked Wanda in humour, smiling slyly when seeing the satisfied expression from the Wanderer.

"Yes," Wanda stated proudly, not necessarily smiling about it, but looking more happy than usual.

"Good. 'Cause that certainly makes me feel better," Martha laughed, grinning at her friend. "Anyway, are we ready to go, Tom?" She hopped into the vehicle first with Wanda getting in beside her. Tom soon sat down in the driver's seat, still staring at them both in disbelief, but hurriedly drove them off as he knew the Toclafane would be searching the area soon enough for reasons of the statue's demise.

"Aren't you both worried that he might figure out it was you two who did that?" Tom finally said after a while of them driving towards the Nuclear Plant Seven. Martha and Wanda both glanced at each other before looking at Tom and shrugging. They knew it was a risk, but at this point neither really cared. Either way, they knew sooner or later he would find them anyway. It was only a matter of time now. Besides, seeing the statue crumble had been something both needed at the moment. Especially after the year they had been through.

XxXxXxXx

They arrived at the Nuclear Pant repair shed where Professor Docherty was faster than Wanda realized they would. Things were moving on so fast now. So fast that, before she knew it, they met the Professor banging on an old television set, trying to get it to work for a transmission from the Master. Then, there he was on the screen, giving his arrogant speech to Martha Jones and the people of Earth. A small gasp of breath managed to escape her when the Master brought the Doctor in front of the screen. With eyes of horror, all she could do was stare at the television as the Master aged the Doctor to nine hundred years of his lifespan. In the end, the screen showed them the Doctor had become a small, weak, feeble being of what he had once been, lost within his clothes that were wrapped around his body like a tent.

"Received and understood, Miss Jones?" the Master said darkly from the screen, grinning like a maniac. Martha, Tom, and the Professor stared at the screen in disbelief, taken back by what they had witnessed. The three of them jumped when suddenly the telly sparked wildly and the screen cracked in two. Martha looked over when she saw Wanda making a quick exit outside. Hurrying after her friend, she made way around many different tin sheds and crates before finding Wanda. The blonde was pacing on the spot, with her hood down and gripping at her head. Martha heard her muttering rapidly under her breath, breathing so quickly to the point of hyperventilating.

"Wanda. Wanda, you need to breathe," Martha said, trying to calm her friend down. Wanda continued to pace, slapping at her head.

"I'm fine," Wanda muttered, her voice coming out in almost a growl.

"No, you're not. Just breathe." Martha watched as Wanda halted in place with her back to the doctor. The Wanderer shook as rage built through her. Then, Wanda let out a loud yelling snarl. Her fist latched out and slammed into the side of the tin shed next to her, leaving a large dent. Martha walked up swiftly after this when seeing the white glow beginning to build around the Wanderer. She grabbed the blonde, turning her around and holding her upper arms tightly. "Wanda, look at me. Breathe. You need to calm down."

Wanda sucked in a breath, pushing back her anger. "He's hurting, Martha," she cried. "I felt it. He's hurting and I'm not there with him."

"But we will be soon. Then you can help him. Until then, you need to calm down and get a hold of yourself, okay? You're not going to help him by letting your powers get the better of you." Martha then gave Wanda a firm hug before pulling the blonde's hood back over her face. "Now, let's get back to our plan. Let me do all the talking, and you just sit and relax, got it? Doctor's orders."

Wanda snorted lightly while Martha gave her a small grin. "Whatever you say, doc. You're the boss," she joked.

Martha laughed along with her friend as they made their way back to the repair shed. Professor Docherty was busy trying to somehow fix the telly while Tom stood stiffly by the entrance, waiting for Martha's return. Wanda moved away from Martha once they were back inside the shed, scooting around to go sit herself in a corner. She listened as Tom questioned what happened to make her run off, but Martha dismissed his question curtly, saying that everything was fine and to worry about how to handle what they had just seen from the transmission. The three humans began discussing of the rebel plans which had been very weak over the year. Nothing strong enough to even make a dent in the Master's reign. All because of the Archangel Network still broadcasting telepathic signals into everyone's minds. Only this time it was to fear him instead of giving him a vote in the elections. It was around when the discussion turned to the Toclafane did Wanda sit up straight.

"I've got this," Martha said, pulling out a cd from her bag, holding it up for the Professor to see. "No one's been able to look at a sphere close up. They can't even be damaged . . . by normal means." Martha could not help but glance over towards Wanda, seeing how the Wanderer had her head lowered enough for the shadow of her hood to complete block her face. There had been a few times during the year where Wanda had lost it enough to have killed a few Toclafane that had gotten too close. And through all this time, no matter how much Martha questioned her, she would never say what exactly the Toclafane were. Each time only growing sad and stating that Martha would only wish to have never known the truth to begin with.

"There was a lightning strike in South Africa that brought one down, though," Martha went on explaining, handing the cd over to the Professor. "I've got the readings on this." The Professor quickly to the cd over to her computer, beginning to analyse the data from the lightning strike.

"So is that why you travelled the world? To find a disc?" Tom asked Martha curiously.

"No, just got lucky," Martha replied with a shrug.

"I heard stories that you walked the Earth to find a way to build a weapon," Docherty mentioned, glancing at the woman next to her to see her reaction to these words. But Martha gave no reaction to this, merely staring towards the computer screen with a steady expression. And as the three humans began their discussion on what to do in using the readings from the lightning strike the Professor managed to analyse, Wanda shifted in the corner where she sat. Her hands tightening together in a hard grip. The word weapon echoing through her mind as the image of brown eyes came to taunt her.

XxXxXxXx

"You should have told me."

Martha stayed in step with Wanda as they travelled through the dark streets carefully, heading to the slave quarters in Bexley. Tom led the way while the two females stayed a little ways behind so that they might be able to chat without him overhearing.

"And what good would it have done? You suffer from the truth sooner?" Wanda replied sadly, shaking her head. "No, I didn't want you to know so soon. I didn't want you suffering in knowing the things we had to fight were once human."

"Once human?" Martha questioned. "They still are human."

"No," Wanda said firmly with a shake of her head, "they gave up their humanity the moment they decided to cannibalize themselves. Now, they're nothing more than lost souls desperately clinging to their last hopes of life. They're only prolonging the inevitable death of the universe in their future. Not realizing that, by finally dying in peace, the universe will once again be reborn. Restarting time itself and creating a whole expansion of life that even the Time Lords could never imagine."

Martha frowned as she thought this over, glancing at Wanda curiously. "You really think that's true."

Wanda smiled lightly. "Well . . . where do you think this universe came from? It had to have been born from something, right? There's no life without death, just as there's no death without life."

"Heh. That almost sounds like wishful thinking."

"Well, isn't that what you humans are all about? Wishful thinking and all that?" They gave each other small grins before their bit of humour fell away, leaving them both with grim expressions.

"Think Docherty fell for it?" Martha asked Wanda tensely, her hands on the straps of her pack tightened. The so-called 'weapon' hidden within the pack.

"Of course," Wanda replied, nodding. "He'll be here soon enough."

"Then we best get a move on," Martha sighed, tightening the straps of her pack before she and Wanda sped up in their pace to catch up to Tom.

Eventually, they finally reached their destination, building eight of the slave quarters. Tom managed to get a person from behind the door to open up for them before any passing patrols caught them. The door shut tightly behind them the moment they slipped inside. Both Martha and Wanda stopped in their tracks the second they set foot inside the hallway to the slave quarters. No matter how many times they saw it, it always hurt them witnessing the pain and misery the Master caused.

The small flat was packed full of people. All of them dressed in clothes that were close to being nothing more than rags on their bodies. Each person appeared weak, skinny from lack of nutrition. Many were clearly sick from the way they coughed and shook on the spot. There was barely enough heat to keep any of them warm from the cold night, either. All together there were a hundred people packed into just the one flat they stood in. With every other house around the place having the same number within. Like animals pushed into cages, only to be used a labor for the Master's plans.

The moment people in the small house realized Martha had arrived there, they all began questioning her. Each of them eager to hear of her bravery and what she planned to do to help them all. The whole room filled with chattering, making none of their questions really be heard properly.

"Come on, just leave her alone. She's exhausted," Tom scolded them loudly, making them all go silent.

"No, it's all right," Martha assured him, nodding kindly to the people around them. "But really, it's not me you want to hear from." Martha looked at Wanda, nodding to her friend.

The group of humans stared at the Wanderer curiously as none of them had noticed her presence until now. Her face was still hidden in the shadow of her hood, with only her mouth and chin seen. Just as she always appeared to all those through her and Martha's travells. For she was nothing more than the companion to famous Martha through this journey, and all she ever wanted to be. But if there was one thing both she and Martha shared in their quest, it was the stories they told. Each of them taking turns in spreading their tales carefully. Though Martha always enjoyed allowing Wanda to take the role of storyteller. For one, it acted as a therapy of sorts of Wanda through the year, allowing her to relive in the memories of love and kindness she shared with her beloved Doctor. As for the other reason . . .

Wanda nodded slowly as the humans stared at her curiously, reaching into a pocket of her cloak to pull out a small, silver, hexagonal device. The only one other precious thing she made certain to never part from beside her sonic screwdriver and three necklaces she always wore. She waved a hand, indicating for the group to gather around for a story. Everyone slowly sat down in a makeshift circle around the strange woman, staring at her confusion as to why some weird companion of the great Martha Jones could ever have something so important to say. Martha made herself comfortable amongst the others on the stairs, smiling as she watched Wanda begin her tales.

Carefully, Wanda placed the silver device onto the floor by her feet. She stepped back a little, allowing the device to begin its work. It opened in the centre, allowing them to see light building up from within. Gently, it projected a large holographic screen of images, all which were of the Doctor. Each piece a memory of him which Wanda held dear. And as the images shifted, showing the Doctor's heroics from Wanda's past, she began her story.

"There is a man, far greater in legend than even Martha Jones herself," Wanda said calmly, gesturing towards her friend. "He's one of the greatest men to have ever walked this Earth. He's travelled farther than any could have dreamed. Seen wonders beyond imagination. In his very name do we get our words for healer. For teacher. For wise man. And this man . . . is the Doctor." Wanda stared at the image of the Doctor smiling kindly, her eyes watering as she felt a mixture of emotions. "The Doctor is someone who has always been there for us all. Yet he never stops. Not once. To ever be thanked or take praise for his accomplishments. For in seeing you all living in joy and happiness, to know that you as humans find your own way into the universe and experience so much then he ever could . . . that is all he could ever hope for. All the while just know that he will always be there, ready to catch you when you fall and to help you back on your feet once more. Even if you never realized he had been there in the first place."

The way she passionately spun her tale about the Doctor was touching to the group of humans. Martha smiled, feeling the same warmth of hope spread through her as she always felt when Wanda told her stories of him. The way her eyes sparkled and each word danced off her tongue made it clear to Martha just how much Wanda admired the Time Lord, and she hoped to instill the same joy in everyone else that she felt when thinking of him.

"But who are you? How do you know this man so well?" one person spoke up. Others seemed to wonder the same, muttering quietly in agreement.

Wanda paused, staring at the group of humans carefully. By this point, she would always simply smile and say she was nobody. However, this time, she reached up and slowly lowered her hood, allowing them all to see her face for the first time. Martha felt taken back as not once had Wanda ever allowed others to see her face during their year of travelling. Mostly because both of them had agreed it was best not to allow the Master to know she was with Martha. For if he did, he would have tripled his efforts to track the companion down, not wanting the Wanderer to help the human cause in any way. But now, close to the moment where they would have to finally face him, Wanda let her guard down and stared everyone face-to-face. The rich green emerald eyes seemed to take everyone back as they stared at her.

"I am the Wanderer," Wanda spoke carefully, her voice full of resolve. "I am the Doctor's wife. I have travelled with the Doctor to the ends of the universe and back. I have stood by his side, watching worlds and stars born from nothing. I have seen empires collapse only for him to help raise them up more brilliant than they'd ever been. I've watched that man send armies running by the mere mention of his name, all the while holding a grin on his face and never lifting a single weapon. For over a hundred years I have been with this man of miracles in his impossible blue box. He is a madman, yes. But he's _my_ madman. Just as I am his madwoman. And when I'm there for you all, just know that he will never be too far behind. For I will always be his Wanderer. Just as he will always be our Doctor." The group of humans stared at Wanda in awe. Even Martha gazed at her amazement.

The spell was broken when a woman came running into the house yelling.

"It's him! It's him! My god, it's him! It's the Master! He's here!" the woman ran in shouting with a panic, alarmed by what she had witnessed approaching outside. The humans instantly reacted with alarm and terror, jumping up from where they sat.

"Quick," one woman said, grabbing Wanda and pulling her towards where Martha sat frozen. But Wanda stopped the woman gently, patting her hand in reassurance.

"It's fine. Please, everyone, be calm," Wanda spoke to the group, making everyone halt in their hurry to hide their two guests. All stiffened as they heard the Master speaking loudly outside from the street.

"Martha! Martha Jones! I can see you. Out you come, little girl. Come and meet your master," they heard him mockingly taunt the all the houses. Wanda stiffened as she felt an immediate reaction within. A rush of red-hot hatred boiled away as the wolf bared her teeth, howling for blood. Swallowing down her anger, she slowly lifted her hood to place it over her head once more but paused in doing so before letting it fall back on her shoulders. She then stood tall, looking at the humans around her.

"Martha . . . it's time," Wanda said evenly. She glanced at Martha as her friend came over to her. Briefly, they held hands, giving the other a firm hold in knowing they had each other's back before letting go. The Wanderer then looked around to the humans once more. "Thank you all for your bravery and kindness in keeping us safe. But we all know the two of us cannot stay without harm coming to you all. Just remember, even though we will not be here for you, when the time comes, remember the Doctor. When the Master is ready to wage war with the universe, think of the Doctor and only him. And make certain to tell everyone to do the same."

With that said, Wanda scooped her silver device up, closing it firmly and placing it into a pocket. Then, both she and Martha walked together, unwavering as they came up to the door. Tom reluctantly stepped aside to let them through, allowing the two women to finally face the Master. They walked into the cold streets of the night, bypassing the garbage that littered the ground as they stopped a short distance away from the grinning Master. Armed guards pointed their weapons at the two females, keeping them away from getting too close to their master.

"Oh, yes! Oh, very well done! Good girl!" the Master said sardonically, clapping with wicked glee. "He trained you w—." The Master stopped his mocking abruptly when realizing who stood beside Martha. Brown eyes met cold emerald. He narrowed his eyes, glaring sinisterly. "Well, well, well. I should have known the Doctor's dear Wanderer would have shown up eventually."

"I've never left," Wanda said quietly. She saw how the Master appeared greatly annoyed by this statement. She knew it would bother him with realizing he never knew about her travells with Martha. That somehow, through all his brilliance, she had outwitted him. Even in a small feat of merely staying under the radar of his knowing. If there was anything that angered the Master to no end, it was being outsmarted. Especially by one who he deemed beneath him.

"Bag. Give me the bag. Throw it on the ground," he said gruffly, pulling out his laser screwdriver while Martha took off her backpack and threw it towards him. He then lasered the bag, destroying any contents that had been held within. All the while never once did his eyes leave the steady gaze of Wanda's. Slowly he gripped his screwdriver in his hands, staring at the Wanderer carefully. "So, tell me, is that all you had planned? Using some weak human invention against me? All that power you have at your fingertips and that's all you thought to manage with? Hmm?" He received no response as emerald eyes remained as steady as ever. Never once even blinking as they gazed into his brown irises. He gritted his teeth briefly before giving her a smug smile. "Or is it that you _still_ don't remember? Even after the little heart-to-heart we had? Oh, I'm hurt. I was so sure you'd remember for little old me." He waited for her to speak. Still, he was only given a cool stare. Once more, his gaze hardened. "Hmph. Pity. Power is wasted in the hands of the weak." He turned on his heel, waving a finger in the air. "Let's load them up! We're on a tight schedule, people, and if I'm late, heads will roll."

Martha and Wanda were grabbed roughly by the armed guards, pushed forward towards the convoy. The women glanced at each other as they were separated, taken to different armoured vehicles for transport. Wanda sat stiffly on the floor of the vehicle while guards trained their weapons on her, looking out for a brief second to see a pair of dark brown eyes staring at her smugly before the doors of the van were slammed shut.

XxXxXxXx

The white walls of the cell in the _Valiant_ glared at Wanda as she sat in a metal chair in the middle of the room. Her posture was straight as she held completely still. Not once had she made a move since being placed in her holding cell. She remained staring blankly at the metal door in front of her, waiting for when she would be dragged out into the flight deck for the inevitable time of her and Martha's planned execution. She watched as the door opened suddenly with the Master practically waltzing in.

"No, please, don't bother getting up for my account. Just here for a little chat," he said haughtily, grinning like a maniac as two guards stood behind him. One pulled out a folding chair for him, placing it down in front of Wanda. The Master swung it around, straddling the chair in a backward sit. He grinned ever so arrogantly at her. "Feels like it's been _ages_ since our last get together. Love to catch up in all that time we've missed." He seemed to wait for her to say something, staring at her in expectancy. However, she remained in her even gaze, staring at him blankly. This seemed to annoy him as he frowned. "Oh, now, don't start that. That's all I ever get from the Doctor. Just blank stares and silence. What fun is that? Neither of you knows how to play along."

Still, Wanda said nothing. This only seemed to agitate the Master more as he shifted in his seat. His fingers tapped on the back of the chair for a moment before he gave her a wide grin.

"Oh, but Martha is very good at chatting. Even if she is too stupid to realize it," the Master went on. "Humans, they never know how to keep secrets, do they? Even if they don't say it outright, they end up giving it away through other means. For example," he leaned closer to her, grinning like mad now, "I know that you remember." He said this in a sing-song voice, smirking in glee. "Old Alpha is back and ready for action. But it seems the old wolf has lost her bite. Now, why's that? Hmm? Has the lack of war tamed the beast?" Again, he received no response. "You know, I figured if anyone wanted to play along with me it would be _you_. You were so adamant to toy with me through all those battles in the past. Why so reclusive now? Come on, it'll be like old times! You toy with me, I toy with you. Let's put on a big show for the Doctor and let him see what sort of creature you really are!"

When still not getting a reaction from her, he frowned for a moment before smiling once again. "Oh, I see. It's because of that pregnancy of yours, right? Look, I was doing all of us a favor. Parenthood is a _bore_. Really, you should be thanking me." He patted his knees, grinning ever so feverishly in his wicked delight. "I had thought about telling dear old Doctor for a while now. But then, I thought, why not wait until I had you back here again? Then you could tell him the happy news! Or, even better, maybe after I have him watch you executed, I could break the news to him. I think that'd be much more fun, don't you?" He flipped up his sleeve, looking at his watch. "Well, would you look at the time. Things sure do fly by when you're having fun. Would love to chat some more later, but," he shrugged, "you know how it is. Schedules to keep, wars to start, empires to rise. What can I say, I'm a very busy man. Ta! Be seeing you shortly!" The Master rose from his seat and turned towards the door.

"Eight months."

The Master froze in place, slowly turning back around to face her. His brows furrowed as he stared at Wanda curiously. "Excuse me?"

"That's how far along I was," Wanda spoke evenly, her emotionless eyes locked onto his. "Not two months. Eight months." The Master just stood there in stone silence as he digested this information. His demeanour shifted significantly as his body grew rigid and tense.

"Out!" he suddenly barked at his guards, pointing for them to exit the room. The two guards nodded and walked out of the room, leaving the two aliens alone. The Master made certain the door was shut tightly before turning back around to face the Wanderer. He walked forward carefully, grabbing his chair and turning it to face around properly this time. Though he did not sit in it. Instead, he kept one hand gripping the back of the chair tightly.

"You're lying," he finally spoke, his voice being kept very composed. "There is absolutely no way you could have been that far along. I would have felt it. The Doctor would have felt it. We would have _seen_ it." His eyes narrowed sinisterly. "You're trying to toy with me again."

"I was wearing an advanced perception filter," Wanda said. "The Doctor never knew. He never felt the bond. And neither could you."

The Master gnashed his teeth together in anger. "You're lying!" When seeing the blank stare of emerald eyes, he knew she was not. And then a cold chill went down his spine.

Wanda watched as the Master turned and began to pace. The shock of what he had done hit him hard. Though the Master may be many horrid things, there was one thing he would never be able to ignore. For no Time Lord could. The instinctual need for protecting a Time Child. Yes, if she had only been pregnant two months, he could have just shrugged it all off. But eight? His instincts would be reeling now, kicking into high gear with just thinking about it. And that only drove him mad in feeling it. She knew he wanted nothing to do with such feelings. But the fact that they were still there and present only made him even more angered by it all. Not only this but the crime he committed by doing this to her and the child . . .

The Master let out an enraged scream, grabbing the chair and throwing it across the room. Seeing how Wanda did not even flinch made him even more livid. "Why didn't you tell me?! No, don't answer that, because it doesn't matter. It wasn't a Time Child. I killed a monster, that's what I did. I got rid of abomination."

"If it had been only two months, he might have forgiven you. I might have as well," Wanda spoke unsympathetically, keeping her cold gaze on him.

"Shut up," the Master growled.

"But eight months is an unforgivable crime by Gallifreyan law."

"I said, shut up."

"You murdered a Time Child in cold blood, Koschei."

"I said, SHUT UP!" The Master towered over her now, panting from his feverish demeanour. "That wasn't a Time Child! Only a child Time Lord deserves that title. Your spawn was nothing but a mistake!"

"Time Lord or not, you still killed the Doctor's child." Wanda's icy words stopped him cold, making him stare at her with wide eyes. "We both know what he did during the Time War when his family had been killed. Just think what he'll do when he finds out you killed his only other chance at having a family again. For if there is any Time Lord out there the universe should fear in the wake of their fury . . . we know it's the Doctor."

The Master slowly backed away from her, blood draining from his face as he ran through his options in his mind. ". . . He doesn't know. He doesn't ever need to find out. I'll make certain of it." Wanda merely stared at him with a stony expression, making him internally panic. ". . . He doesn't know, I know he doesn't. If he knew, he would have . . ." He let his sentence trail off, unable to finish that thought.

"He knows in the future."

"Then I'll make sure that never happens."

"That will only create a paradox."

"I have a paradox machine! I can do whatever the hell I want!" He paced again, wringing his hands together with a wide-eyed expression of a madman. "That's what I'll do. I'll kill you and Martha. Then he'll never know." He stopped when seeing Wanda still holding a cold, even gaze on him. Slowly, he eased his demeanour, giving his usual arrogant smile. "Heh. I see what you were trying to do. To scare me." He gave a fake fearful expression for a moment before laughing in spite. "But once you're out of my way, I won't have anything to fear ever again. And the universe will be a better off without you." He turned to leave, but once again her chilling words stopped him.

"Ten minutes," Wanda spoke, her voice as impassive as ever.

"What?" the Master responded, glaring at her in ire.

"That's how long you'll have after the clock reaches zero. Ten minutes." Emerald and brown stared stonily at the other. As the Time Lord stared the Wanderer down, the same cold chill came creeping back down his spine as he saw no emotion or remorse in those icy green eyes. He then left in swift motion without another word.

Wanda sat there in uneasy silence, slowly letting a shaking breath. The wolf inside her continued to snap and howl in rage, barely being held back by her in its fury. Her hands shook as she gripped them hard together, trying with all her might to keep herself steady.

The guards came into her cell what felt like only minutes later. They grabbed her roughly and forced her to stand, pushing her out into the corridor to head towards the flight deck. She ended up being pushed next to Martha as they were brought to the door leading into the command room of the Master. Then, once the door slid open, the two were pushed inside, marching forward. Martha's family stood in line at one side of the room, and on the other was Jack handcuffed in chains. Wanda glanced at Jack briefly, seeing how grimy he appeared to be, worn through the year of being tortured and killed repeatedly by the Master. Her eyes soon slowly travelled over to the cage in the corner of the room. Immediately, her hearts twisted at the sight of seeing the Doctor in his small, weak, aged state the Master had put him in. He gazed back with his large cloudy eyes while gripping the bars of his cage, staring at her as though he would give anything to be able to hold her once more. The small spark of their bond flared within Wanda, making her avert her eyes from his and quell the bond between them. Pushing it away before she had a chance to feel him within her mind after so long. Though she wanted nothing more than to do so. She wanted to feel connected to him. She wanted to feel eased by his warmth. But she knew she could not.

So, her eyes locked onto the Master as she and Martha stood at the bottom of the stairs of the flight deck. He stood towering over them from above, keeping a harsh gaze on them both.

"Kneel," he ordered rigidly. He watched as Martha obeyed and got down on her knees. His expression darkened and eyes narrowed as the Wanderer stayed standing firmly. Not once blinking as she kept her eyes locked on his. He took a few aggressive steps on the stairs, leaning forward as both hands gripped the rails beside him. "I said, _kneel_." He watched as Wanda ever so slowly kneeled on the ground. He smirked wickedly, though still felt the strange queasiness in the pit of his stomach as her emotionless eyes still refused to leave his. He looked away from her, smiling in triumph as he addressed the room around him.

"Down below, the fleet is ready to launch," he said as he flipped his laser screwdriver lazily in his hand. "Two hundred thousand ships set to burn across the universe." Turning around, he went up the stairs and to a control panel, hitting a button to open transmission with those down on the Earth. A worker down below confirmed that the fleet was ready, making the Master smile, depraved in his joy of bringing death. As he looked at his watch and saw only three minutes till the blackhole convertors aligned, he started the countdown on a digital clock which hung on the wall on the flight deck.

"I never could resist a ticking clock," he told the room, grinning at them all. He then raised his voice so that he heard over the transmission to the Toclafane. "My children, are you ready?" Toclafane responded in a death chant, ready to bring death just as much as their Master wanted. "At zero, to mark this day, the child Martha Jones, and the monster Wanderer, will die. My first blood." He chuckled darkly. "Any last words?" He smiled at the two women below him, seeing how Martha just stared back coolly and Wanda . . . His smile dropped somewhat when seeing how she still held her emotionless stare. Still yet to have blinked. The Master quickly plastered on an even bigger smile. "No? Such a disappointment. I had expected more of a fight from the likes of you, Wanderer. And Martha?" He laughed in spite, looking at the Doctor. "Days of old, Doctor, you had companions who could absorb the Time Vortex! This one is useless!" Aiming the laser screwdriver at the two, glaring at them. "Bow your head."

Martha did as he ordered, though reluctantly. Wanda, however, refused. Never once wavering her eyes from his. Eyes narrowing briefly, the Master had half a mind to go down there and force her head into a bow. But he let it slide. At this point, what did it matter anyway?

"And so it falls to me, as Master of all, to establish from this day a new order of Time Lords," boasted the Master, feeling victory just around the corner. "From this day forward—." He stopped abruptly when hearing Martha beginning to laugh softly, staring at her in confusion. "What? What's so funny?" Martha looked up at him, staring at him as though she could not believe him.

"A gun?" she said.

"What about it?" he retorted.

"A gun in four parts?"

"Yes, and I destroyed it."

"A gun, scattered in four parts, scattered across the world? I mean, come on! Did you _really_ believe that?"

The Master glared at the smug looking Martha, becoming greatly irritated by her now. "What do you mean?"

"As if I would ask them to kill," came a voice from the side of the room. The Master looked over to see the Doctor staring at him. Sneering, the Master rolled his eyes.

"Oh, well, it doesn't matter. I've got them exactly where I want them," he snapped at his old friend.

"But we knew what Professor Docherty would do," Martha explained. "The resistance knew about her son. We told her about the gun so she'd get us here. At the right time." An edge of fear began to creep through the Master. He looked in uneasy at the woman beside Martha. Still, Wanda stared at him. Her eyes as cold and unwavering as ever.

"But you're still gonna die," he retorted, tightening his hold on his screwdriver, directing this statement at Wanda without the others realizing.

"Don't you want to know what we were doing, travelling the world?" Martha replied smoothly.

The Master looked at her now. "Tell me."

"We told a story. That's all. No weapons, just words. We did just what the Doctor said. We went across the continents and everywhere we went we found the people and we told our story. We told them about the Doctor. And we told them to pass it on. To spread the word so that everyone would know about the Doctor."

The Master was truly confused now, staring at the companion as though she were mental. "Faith and hope? Is that all?"

"No, 'cause we gave them an instruction." Martha slowly stood up, smiling in pride now. "Just as the Doctor said. We told them that if everyone thinks one word, at one specific time—."

"Nothing will happen!" The Master leaned forward a little as he stared her down, gripping each railing beside him tightly. "Is that your weapon? Prayer?"

"Right across the world," Martha continued as though she were never interrupted. "One word, just one thought, at one moment, but with fifteen satellites."

The Master was now truly taken back. "What?" He stared at her in pure disbelief, glancing over when seeing Wanda slowly getting up, standing steadily next to her friend. His hearts sped up.

"The Archangel Network," they heard Jack say confidently.

"A telepathic field binding the whole human race together," Martha said, her voice building in proud joy of the accomplishment she and Wanda had achieved in. "With all of them, every single person on Earth, thinking the same thing at the same time. And that word is 'Doctor.'"

Upon this word, the countdown on the wall reached zero and the brilliant white glow began. The Master flinched from the white light, glancing at Wanda hurriedly in fear of her. But when realizing it was not Alpha building power, he looked over to see the Doctor within the cage glowing in a dazzling light. The cage disappeared completely from the energy, turning into swirling mist as the Doctor slowly grew back into his body's original age. They heard millions of people from television screens which monitored the Earth below chanting the Doctor's name. The people throughout the room on the flight deck closed their eyes and said the Time Lord's name repeatedly. Even the people who had once been on the Master's side. The Master shouted, yelling at the Doctor to stop. But nothing he said made any difference. He looked wildly over towards the Wanderer. Only she alone remained silent. Her cold and calculating eyes still trained on him, with a white glow flashing momentarily through her irises.

The energy still swirled around the Doctor, making him levitate. He explained how he had a year to tune himself into the psychic network and integrate with its matrices, making himself stronger than even the Master using it. The Master tried fighting back, even firing his laser screwdriver at the Doctor. But the energy protected the Time Lord. The Doctor even used said energy to stop the Master from killing Martha and her family when seeing the group had reunited during the Doctor's transformation. The Master shouted, threw a fit at what was happening. He backed away from the Doctor as the man got closer to him. When the energy finally went away, the Doctor back to his normal appearance, and he bent down to tell the Master of his forgiveness. The Toclafane came upon the Master's call, trying to protect their leader and the paradox machine.

There was more shouting as the Doctor ordered Jack to get to the paradox machine. People listened to the Doctor and the others now, abandoning the Master all together as he sat hunched in the corner. Defeated. And all through this fast pace in victory and triumph for the Doctor and companions, for the human race itself, the Master felt the cold chill of dread creep through him even worse than before. Standing there, as still as ever, was the Wanderer. Emerald eyes locked onto him and him alone. He glanced at the clock, seeing the number zero. Looking at her once more, he saw the white flash in her eyes. Hurriedly, he used the Vortex manipulator he had taken from Martha earlier, ready to run. The Doctor grabbed onto him just in time to get taken away with him.

Everyone on the ship scrambled, taking control of the _Valiant_. They stopped the rocket fleet from launching. They watched in fear as six billion Toclafane came to rush the ship, ready to kill everyone on board. Everyone continued to press on and fight for the day. Through all of this, Wanda slowly sat down on the floor, staring off towards nothing in particular. It was only when the Doctor and the Master reappeared, the ship rocking all around them and the wind howling as time reversed, that she moved her gaze to stare at something. She and the Master locked eyes, staring at each other through the entire time of the reversal process. He gazed back at her in fear. The same look in her eye as before sending a shudder through him. The cold and calculating eyes of the wolf.

Eventually, time slowed back down, coming to a halt. The papers around the room fluttered peacefully back down to the floor. Everyone slowly, shakily, stood back up. The Doctor was the first to actually get to his feet, announcing to the humans that the paradox had been broken. Time was back to normal. Nothing of that year they still remember had ever happened. The only thing anyone on Earth would remember would be of the President of the United States being assassinated. As the Doctor announced all this in triumph, as the group of people came to their senses of what had just happened to them all of the year that had never been, there remained the two still locked in a gaze. Never once moving. Never once blinking.

The Master, with fear coursing through him, finally got up from where he had fallen and ran to the door. But he was caught by Jack who had just walked in, grabbing the Time Lord before he could make an escape and cuffing his hands behind his back.

"So, what do we do with this one?" Jack asked the group of survivors of the year that had never been, wanting to debate what they should do with the rogue Time Lord. The Doctor and others got in closer to the Master and Jack, staring at the Time Lord who had started this all.

"We kill him," said Clive, Martha's father.

"We execute him," grounded Tish, Martha's sister.

"No, that's not the solution," the Doctor said firmly to the family.

"Oh, I think so," Francine, Martha's mother, said curtly, ready to kill the man who had put them all through so much hell. The man who had almost killed one of her children right in front of her only moments ago. "Because all those things, they still happened because of him. I saw them." The mother looked furious, ready to kill.

"No," the Doctor said strictly, eyeing the whole family hard. "We're better than that. You know that." Turning, he then eyed the Master coolly. "He's my responsibility for now on. One of the last Time Lords left in existence." Jack moved away from the Master, going up the Doctor angrily.

"Yeah, but you can't trust him," argued the Captain.

"No," the Doctor agreed, nodding as he eyed his old friend strictly. "The only safe place for him is the TARDIS." He thought on this, knowing things would have to change for him now. For Wanda, too. But he knew he needed to do this. As the last of their species, they had to. Though he knew it would be hard, he also knew it would work out in the end. It had to. For all their sake.

And then, his naïve hope was shattered upon the deafening sound of a gunshot reverberating through the room.

The Master doubled over as the bullet hit him in the stomach. The whole group jumped in surprise, searching for the source. The Doctor whirled around, looking to see who had taken the shot. His deep brown eyes widened slowly. His hearts skipped a beat in horror. His stomach dropped, churning at the sight of his Wanderer standing there, breathing heavily as she held the slim, black pistol tightly in her grip with a finger still over the trigger. Her eyes were wide as she stared at the Master. Her expression unhinged.

There was no time to reflect on what had just happened. There was no time for any of them to comprehend what they were witnessing when another shot was fired. This time right into the Master's chest. She stormed past everyone, her feet stomping hard on the ground as she fired again, and again, and, again, and again. Each shot hit its target dead on. It continued, even when the Master hit the floor with a thud, his body no longer showing any sign of movement. His eyes were staring wide as they had been when he still drew breath. Wanda still fired. Until the gun was completely empty.

She stood over the body. Each repeated click of the gun echoed hauntingly through the room. Her body shook. Tears rolled slowly down her face. Her eyes were locked on the Master. Her breath left her in rasps. And still she pulled the trigger. Still it clicked on. It was not until a warm hand was placed over hers that she froze completely. Her unwavering gaze still did not look away from the dead Master as the hands gently pushed her arms down, slowly taking the gun from her hands. Once the gun was removed and her arms hung limply by her sides, strong arms wrapped around her and pulled her in for a comforting hug. She stood there in dead silence. Staring blankly off into nothing. Tears continued to roll gradually down her face.

"It's okay, Tink," Jack whispered soothingly into her ear, hushing her as he caressed her hair softly. "It's okay. It's over."

XxXxXxXx

. . . Um . . . So, leave you thoughts in a review. You know how I always loving hearing from you all. I think I'm just going to sit in the corner now and be sad for a while. Contemplate life and all that.

Reviewers:

 **SakuraRcoa** : Welp, I'm there with you in crying. I know I was doing a lot of that while making these chapters. Really, the story just likes to take over sometimes and do its own thing. I'm so happy that you're still enjoying the story so much. Really hope that through the rest to come and even into part four you'll still like it all. :) Thank you for such kind words. Hope to see you again in the next update. Take care!

 **TheGirlWhoWept** : I know. I'm sorry. I feel bad to make people upset. At least we can cry together through all of this. ;-; Yep, we will be seeing that adventure towards the end of this story. Which won't be long now. It's coming up real fast. I'm not ready. :(

 **Notary Sojac** : So glad you enjoyed it all! Really hope the story continues to bring you joy through the future, and to see you again in the next time. :)

 **Momochan77** : Yay! Glad that it's all good there. I feel you. I was crying, too. In fact, I cried with this chapter as well. I'm just so glad that I was able to bring out the emotions from everyone. I have been worried that I wouldn't get this chapters good enough. Glad to see otherwise. Hope you enjoyed the newest chapter! Until next time!

 **FictionalBoysAreBetter** : Nope, neither was I. Nor for this chapter. I'm very happy that you enjoyed the last chapter though. :) Welp, you got your wish. He's 'dead.' Yep, totally dead. Yeah, okay, we know he's not really. But at least we got some 'justice.' I feel you. Doing some curling up into a ball moments myself. Hope your day/night is amazing! Take care until we meet again. :)

 **Authora97** : Truthfully, I don't know how to feel, either. I hope you liked what came next in this chapter. Even if it might be a little emotional like the last. Hmm, not sure what to call all three. Let's just say a ball of the feelings for now. Can't wait to see you again in the future!

 **Wicken25** : I know. I'm the worst. :(

 **alwaystherereading** : Woo! I'm very happy to hear that. :) Alpha was never 'evil.' Just a wolf trying to survive. But yes, it is nice finally seeing all that she is. The Daleks ended up taking everything from her. Her parents, her love, her childhood, and her life. If only things could have been different. :( Not really a split personality. Wanda and Alpha are two completely separate people, with Wanda sort of being like Alice Rivers and John Smith. A personality piece created from the chameleon arch. But you can always view it as a split personality if you'd like. :) Welp, I've always been better at first person than third. So I'm glad that I've managed both good for this story. Nice! Always wanted to travel there myself. Nah, you're much more amazing than me. ;) You are truly brilliant and I hope you have a wonderful life wherever you go!

 **X-Lisa-Anne-X** : . . . I'm so sorry. :(

 **Guest(a)** : Hi! I'm so happy you've enjoyed the story so far. :) They might, but . . . at this point in time, they need a lot of healing before even considering something like that. Take care!

 **Wyvernhandler** : Yep. I like to suffer at times. Though I hate to bring suffering to all of you as well. Glad this all gave you some ideas! I bet your stories will be ten times better than this one. :)

 **Needy Nancy** : Yep! Part four right after this one. Well, maybe not 'right' after. I might take a break for a bit to gather up some written material for the next story. But it will come out pretty soon after the end of part three. :) So glad that you're excited for it! I really, really hope that you'll like part four just as much as this one. :D

 **lautaro94** : Eh, the universe is sort of 'alive' according to the Whoverse when I did research on it. It's not really any kind of entity. More of the collection of good vs bad things that have gathered throughout the universe over the years of the existence of life itself. So when people in the story, even in the show itself (at least in the new canon), say the darkness and the light of the universe, they usually mean the bad and good things that people have done through life. That's what I am using for my story, at least. :) Hope that you like it!

 **AGBreads** : I know. I very sorry. I hope that it was still enjoyable at least.

 **The Early Precambrian** : Woo! I'm just so happy that you've enjoyed it all so far. :) Really hope that your enjoyment continues throughout the rest. Alpha and Shelly were very cute together. Just wish they could have had more time together. :( Aleena . . . such a mystery that one is. Not at all! Your English is perfect. :D I know any other language I do isn't all that great when I do it, so I know how you feel in being uncertain in how your communicating. But just trying something new just makes you more brilliant! :) So glad you feel like family. That is always my goal when it comes to the community of this story. I always hope that you'll continue to enjoy the rest to come, and to see you again in the future. :3 Take care!

 **Saragosa** : I know. I'm sorry, I'm the worst. They might meet her someday. Or might not. No telling at this point.

 **singingKatelyn** : haha. Glad you're liking it so much. I think that's a good warning for anyone reading the reviews before reading. ;) Hope your finals went well! Thanks for the awesome review. :D

 **swimmjacket** : Agreed. Poor everyone at this point. The Doctor . . . I'm worried what he will do if, or rather when, he comes across the Master again. *shivers* Glad you like it all. Even if it did make you cry. Trust me, it made me cry as well. ;-; Keeping my fingers crossed that you enjoyed the new chapter. Until next time!

 **bored411** : Agreed. I think it might take time, but I'm hoping they'll move onto better things. Though after this chapter . . . yeah, it might take a long while. Heres to hoping you enjoyed the new chapter!

 **deathelk** : Yep. I've always loved stories that come full circle, so it was always a goal to do so with this story. :) Hope you enjoyed the new update!

 **Whovianeverlark17** : Glad you liked it! Doctor and Alpha . . . I think they'll always have a rocky relationship, but here's to hoping things between them can get better from here. You're definitely right there. Especially in seeing how effected Wanda was in this chapter, I think the healing is much more painful for her.

 **KingPenguinJG** : Aww, thank you! Glad it was sort of a good sad in a way. Hmm, I'm not certain. I think Alpha only really calls the Doctor 'omega' when being spiteful. But if things between them get better, than she might just call him by his name or something less wolf-like. As for Thirteen, I know neither Alpha nor Wanda will care. For Wanda loves the Doctor no matter what. And Alpha just doesn't care. She hates everyone equally. haha. Again, not too sure about the Valeyard. Since I don't think they'll bring that back anytime soon in the new series, it might not be a situation Alpha and Wanda will have to face. Thanks for all the great questions! :)

 **KylieWinchester** : Aww, I'm glad that you like it so much. Though I hate to make you so sad. :( Nah, thank you for being so amazing and leaving such lovely reviews. :) You're the best!

 **jaz7** : There will be a sequel to this. A part four that ties into the Wanderer Trilogy. Though it will also be more of its own story, too. I hope that you'll like it. :)

 **normandy1701** : It is nice seeing them have a sort of peaceful moment together. Don't know if that'll always happen, but at least they had that time together. :) We'll be seeing the 50th adventure coming up soon. For the end of this story is drawing very near now. ;) See you in the next one!

 **Toushou-sama** : I'm sorry. I know that I'm horrible. But I hope that maybe this chapter made up for that? Or maybe not considering . . . Anyway, hope to see you again in the future at least. :) Take care!

 **Ruby Slippers** : Thank you!

 **TheMidnightwolf15** : Aww, I'm so happy to hear that! Even if the emotions are all over the place. Yeah, I have a thing with cliffhangers. Which is terrible of me I know, but I just love doing them so much. haha. Actually, it really depends on which Wanda I'm writing for. As what you probably notice with the story covers, I enjoy writing the Tenth Doctor with First Wanda, Nine with Second, and Eleven with Third. Mostly because of how each Wanda is in personality, and where they are in their developing stories. So, in this part of the trilogy, since Eleven and Third Wanda are so completely in tune with each other, it comes off in a better flow for this part of the trilogy. :) Hope that makes sense. And to see you again in the future! :3

 **Isanxd** : Everything will come full circle in the end. Something I've been planning for this trilogy. I hope you'll enjoy how it ends. :) Sorry for the cry. I hope it was still a good read at least. Many people guessed extremely close. Though I don't recall if anyone got it spot on. It was so hard not just giving out spoilers to people. You have no idea how hard. But I'm so glad to finally be here with everything coming clean for all to see. :) I'm just so happy that you're liking everything so far! Can't wait to see what you think of the rest to come. Take care!

 **NerdWithAPencil** : I'm sorry. I feel the same there with you. ;-; I hope this chapter wasn't as bad . . . Though the next few might be. Um, here's some tissues for now. And a few hugs. Hope it was still a good read in the end!

 **N7SpaceHamster** : It's been a little better. I've just been sort of bummed lately. But I'll be okay as long as I know you and all other readers have a better time. :) Thank you! I'm just glad it all came together nicely and that everyone seems to be enjoying it so far. Now I'm just super nervous about part four. haha. They did indeed. They knew she was slowly dying and wanted to test Alpha and her to see which experiment was worth keeping around. As we saw, it was Alpha. They made the perfect weapon. Too perfect. Something that they, and no one else, can ever control. Way to go, Daleks. You screwed everyone over. *sigh* Yep, it was Bad Wolf. And I suppose we'll find out about all that in the 50th adventure. ;) Which will be coming up soon as the story is now drawing to a close. I did not find anything about that sort of tea in the research I've done. So, it was just something I made up. Hope that's okay. Umm . . . well that's a hard question to answer there. But some of that will be answered in the next chapter to come. So stay tuned for now. ;) Glad you liked that! I always wondered what would happen if something went wrong with the chameleon arch. So this is what we got here. I think at that moment Alpha was only focusing on protecting Wanda. Plus it was sort of a retort to what the Doctor said. Correct. The Doctor will never give up on Wanda, or anyone else he loves for that matter. There are many similarities between Alpha and the Doctor. More than they would like to admit. Which is why I think they clash so much sometimes. We know how Wanda is. Always blaming herself for these things. :( You're absolutely right on that. The Doctor is torn up knowing what he didn't know, and what his old friend had done. Especially when he had forgiven the Master for everything that had happened on that day. Now all there is to wonder is what will the Doctor do if, or rather when, he runs into the Master again. It's going to be a while before any 'happy' chapters. But I hope that they'll still be a good read until then. :) Take care and have a wonderful day/night!

*still sitting in the corner and contemplating life*

~Tinker~


	55. Ch 55: Aftermath

Hiya, readers!

It feels like it's been forever since we last saw each other. Had a bit of a sort of 'break' as things just kept getting thrown at me. You know how life goes. ;) But back at it again with a new chapter! Hopefully it's a good one!

XxXxXxXx

Chapter 55: Aftermath

Fluffy white clouds, so peaceful in colour, drifted against the clear blue sky, swirling around the _Valiant_ as it sailed high above the Earth. The hum of the ship's engines felt muffled to Wanda as she stood in front of a large window, staring out distantly towards the sky. She stood rigidly, unmoving as she kept her arms crossed tightly together over her stomach. Her expression blank as she watched the clouds swirl and drift by. She heard the movement of people all through the corridors behind her. With muttering and shuffling around, she knew they were most likely getting things prepared for when the _Valiant_ finally landed.

The world below already sent word through of their plans to arrest those who have worked with Saxon on his plot to assassinate the President of the United States. There was also word sent that the Cabinet of the United Kingdom had been found all dead in the Cabinet Room in 10 Downing Street. Everywhere on the news—which the _Valiant_ showed on broadcasting networks—people were calling Saxon a horrible madman who never had any right being Prime Minister in the first place. Now, they all wanted justice for what Saxon did. Even though they already been told that he was dead, with Jack coming up with the story for the news stations to run that Saxon had killed himself once he had been found out. So, the next best thing for the people of Earth to blame was Lucy, Harold Saxon's wife. And so, Lucy had been handcuffed by the authorities of the ship, taking her away to the same holding cell Wanda had been placed in earlier. There Lucy would stay until the _Valiant_ was close enough to the United Kingdom for them all to depart.

Wanda had not been there on the flight deck when this had all been said and done. She had left everyone there almost immediately after Jack had hugged her. She wandered aimlessly through the _Valiant_ in a daze until she came up to the large window overlooking the clouds and sky. And there she had been since. Quiet and reclusive as everyone else did what they must. The only reason knowing of all what was happening because of the echoing sounds of the news broadcast coming down the corridors. She even heard a few guards marching Lucy off just behind her. Only giving the woman a small glance, Wanda saw how Lucy stared down at the ground in a daze, with the woman appearing so lost and worn down from the Year That Never Was. The dark bruises left behind by the Master were still clearly visible on the woman.

That had been the only time Wanda looked away from the blue sky. Just to see what had been done with Lucy. Anything else, she refused to look at. She even knew at some point Martha and her family had walked by just behind her. But she dared not look at them. Even when she felt eyes gazing at her. No. Best not spoil the family's reunion after so long. Martha deserved her time with her family. They had been through so much. They needed the young doctor more than ever now.

When she heard things beginning to quiet down, and the familiar footsteps approaching her softly from just behind, she tensed. Her hands tightened on her arms where she still kept crossed over her stomach. Her eyes closed slowly as she inhaled and exhaled a wavering breath. She knew eventually he would have come for her. Nothing she felt could prepare herself for it, though. After all, she had broken his hearts. From both present and future. How _could_ she face him after what she had done? After everything? Nothing she could ever say or do would make up for what she had done to them both.

However, she was taken back, shocked, when she felt him trying to reach out to her through their bond. She felt his mind gently prying at hers, asking to be invited in so that their bond would connect as strongly as it had been before this forgotten year had happened. But she withdrew with a wince, closing off her mind and blocking the bond. She made certain to place up a barrier between them, making it so it was like being back in her first incarnation. Before he had opened the connection for them. They were now as separated as humans were. She heard him sigh after this. Whether it was a forlorn or frustrated sigh, she could not tell. She only remained tense, ready for whatever he wished to say to her now. But he stayed quiet and still. Minutes ticked by, making her become more and more anxious by the second.

"Wanderer," he finally said. She flinched at him speaking, tightening her arms around herself. The way he said her name, so calm and steady . . .

"Wanderer . . .," he said again. She felt him stepping closer to her. She tensed as he placed a hand on her shoulder. Slowly, he had her turn around and face him. She kept her eyes locked on his chest, unable to bring herself to look at his face. Too afraid to meet the gaze of his beautiful brown eyes. Afraid to see the anger or resentment that she was certain would be there. He did not make her look at him like he would have in the past. Instead, he let his fingers trace the edge of her face carefully. Lightly he touched her blonde hair which came just below her ears now.

". . . You cut your hair," he finally said. Her eyes looked up at him quickly after this statement. She saw how he stared at her hair curiously. Even giving it a small smile. "I like it. It looks nice on you." She stared at him in utter disbelief, mouth even opening in shock. Her mouth snapped shut and eyes narrowed. She scoffed as she brushed his hand away, backing up from him.

"My hair? With all you could say to me, you commented on my hair?" she said, shaking her head angrily. "Don't you have anything else to say to me?" She stared at him, watching how he placed his hands in the pockets of his brown, pinstripe suit, staring at her calmly. No humour or smile to him. Just a blank expression as he watched her steadily as she began to pace. She muttered heatedly under her breath, seeming confused "Out of anything you could . . . there are a million reasons you should . . . and yet you just . . ." She halted in her pacing, turned on her heel to look back at him. "You just . . . just say what you're really thinking. Tell me how much you hate me. Tell me how much I disgust you. Tell me how you want to—to throw me out of the TARDIS and be done with me. Tell me!"

She stormed up to him, pushing at him when she grew cross upon seeing his still calm expression. He rocked on his feet but remained fixed on the spot, still staring at her with such a placid demeanour. Angry tears began to roll down her face as she continued to hit him in the chest with her tight fists, yelling now.

"Shout at me! Yell your hearts out! Hit me! Hate me! Tell me you hate me!" she shouted. "Tell me you hate me! Tell me!" Her hits grew weak as he just stood there, taking it all. Slowly, he wrapped his arms around her, bringing her closer to him. Her lip trembled as more tears rolled down her face. "Just—just hate me. P-please."

"Never," he said soothingly right into her ear, making her freeze. "I could never hate you. No matter what you do. Because I'll always forgive you. I promise."

Upon these words, Wanda broke down. She went limp in his hold, all but collapsing to the floor. Racking sobs left her as she trembled. The Doctor fell to the floor with her, keeping her locked to him. He managed to get himself seated with his back against the wall, never once letting go of his hold of the crying Wanderer while doing so. He pulled her right up into his lap and held on tight. That was where they stayed. For almost twenty minutes of her crying against his chest, weakly begging him to hate her, yell at her, or hit her. Just anything to punish her. But all he did was hold on, letting her cry. Letting her get all her tears and pain out. Letting her sob 'sorry' repeatedly as guilt ate her up inside. He let her go through all of this as a way to let out and heal. Even if she thought of how horrible she was after what had happened . . . he knew that truly she had not wanted to do that. Not ever. But everything had just snapped for her at that instance. Everything had just become too much, and she had lost a piece of herself in that moment. And he forgave her for it. Just as he always would. For he had done the same in the past when everything had been too much for him as well. How could he ever be angry for someone to lose control over themselves and their emotions when he too was just as guilty of that?

Eventually, Wanda's cries lessened. Until there was nothing left in her to cry with. Her tears had all but dried up.

Finally, once she had calmed down, the Doctor broke their silence.

"Tell me . . . what did he do to you?" he asked her gently. "That day . . . _this_ day, when he hit you with that beam. You didn't age. You didn't die. So, what did he do?"

Wanda stared blankly off at nothing; her hands pressed over her stomach. She knew it would be hard meeting up with younger versions of the Doctor. Doctors who she could never tell about . . . about Ember. But she never imagined it would be _this_ hard. She wanted to scream about what had happened. She wanted to beg for him to change it. To go back in time, grab a younger her who was still pregnant, and lock herself up. To ensure what happened to Ember would never come to pass. But she knew this could never happen. For it was already locked in time, now. The death of their daughter.

So, she strengthened her resolve, pushing down what she wanted to tell him and decided on the one thing she knew she could talk to him about. She scooted away from him, facing him while sitting on her knees. Though, it took her a moment to actually speak. She kept opening her mouth before shutting it with a snap. The way he gazed at her . . . it made her hard for her to gain her voice. Finally, she managed to speak.

"The Master, he . . .," she sighed, gripping her hands together tightly over her bent knees. The truth laid just there, ready to burst out. But she swallowed it down, telling him what she knew she could. ". . . He made me remember."

The Doctor slowly tensed. He stared at her, nervous now when seeing how she refused to meet his gaze after she said this. Her words echoed in his mind, making him feel uncertain if he wanted to proceed after this. Half of him wanted to tell her to continue, to let him know everything. Hell, this was something he had been wanting to know for so long now. He wanted to know everything about her past: who she was, how she came to be, how Alpha was created, and so much more. It would finally be a mystery to be solved, and he could never help but crave for the unknown. He never could stand to be left out of the loop. The Master had known this as well. Practically torturing him off and on through the year about what he knew over the Doctor about Wanda.

But the other half of him was fearful of knowing what she finally remembered. Would it change them from knowing? Would it change their relationship? Would it be too hard for Wanda to move on with this knowledge? He slowly reached forward, grabbing her hand. He held it firmly, rubbing soothing circles with his thumb over her skin. He felt her tense under his hold, wary even. Had she really expected for him to hate her and to think so little of her after all of this?

"I want to know," he told her gently. "Tell me all that you can. Everything that you remember. Please, after all that's happened . . . I _need_ to know."

". . . Doctor . . .," she seemed to try to say, swallowing heavily. "I—I don't think I can."

He nodded, understanding that it might all be too hard at the moment. "That's okay. You can tell me later when you're ready."

Wanda sighed, shaking her head. "No . . . No, I need to tell you now. If I don't, I'll just lose my nerve later. Then we'll just be back to secrets and lies."

"Tell me, then."

Wanda's lip trembled as she looked at him. She closed her eyes and shook her head. "I _can't_."

"Then, don't use words. Show me." Getting closer to her, he took her hands and placed them at his temples. He was shocked when she ripped her hands away from his head and out of his grasp. He watched as she scooted away in horror, shaking her head rapidly.

"No. No, I-I won't. I can't. I-I-I don't want to hurt you." She wrapped her arms around herself, pulling up her knees to bury her face away from him. "With what I am . . . With what's inside me . . . Please, I've already hurt you enough today and in the future. I don't want to hurt you anymore."

"You won't hurt me." He pulled himself over to her, gripping her shoulders steadily, in comfort.

Wanda shook her head rapidly, trying to deny his comfort. "But with what I am . . . with what's inside of me . . ."

He rubbed soothing circles on her shoulders, running his hands up and down her arms to relax her. To bring her some sort of ease was all he cared about at the moment. "Wanda . . ." He let out a heavy sigh. Reaching forward, he directed her gaze up to meet his. His brown eyes stared at her emerald in remorse, wishing that perhaps he had told her this sooner. Then maybe . . . all of this would not be so hard on her. But . . . "Wanda, I know what is inside of you."

"I know you know about Alpha, but . . ." Wanda looked away, uncertain now.

"I know about the Time Vortex."

Wanda stared at him quickly in shock, eyes blinking for a moment. Then, she sighed, nodding her head. "I should have known that you would know. You're far too brilliant not to have figured it out."

The Doctor laughed lightly, giving her a cheeky smile. "Far too brilliant for my own good. Too foxy as well, I might add." And, for the first time since their reunion, Wanda let out a very small smile. The Doctor felt his hearts beat happily, glad to have brought a smile to her face. It was a wavering smile, but still . . . he was merely happy to make her feel some sort of happiness again.

"How long have you known?" she asked him quietly, her smile dropping as she grew serious once more.

The Doctor hesitated now, letting go of her arms as he sat in front of her. Finally, he replied, "Since the beginning. Since that first day I did a scan over you. The TARDIS didn't stop me in time to see it. It was there in your DNA. I didn't even believe it when I first saw it. I kept thinking maybe the scans had been wrong. But then I saw Jabe's scanner with its readings . . . and then again in the TARDIS when I checked over your wounds from the Slitheen . . . and when I finally met Alpha I couldn't be in denial any longer. It only confirmed what I thought, what I knew. That you were a Time Lord, at one point."

"'At one point'?" Wanda a jolt of disbelief, staring at him in awe. "You've . . . All this time . . . you've _known_ that I wasn't . . . You've known that I wasn't your species?"

"Yes."

"And yet . . . you still bonded with me? I thought that—."

"Those were more traditional Time Lord beliefs. Old-fashioned." The Doctor reached forward, cupping the side of her face, thumbing her cheek in a caress. He smiled softly. "I wasn't going to let my species' old prejudices get in the way of what I felt." His smiled dropped somewhat as he gave an apologetic expression. "Though, I will admit . . . that might have been some of the reasons I was so . . . obnoxiously hard on you back in the past when we first met. Again, sorry about that." Getting even closer to her now, he cupped her face with both hands this time, staring deeply into her eyes. "Is . . . Is that why you've been fighting against our bond? You don't have to feel ashamed of what you are, Wanderer."

Wanda winced when he said this, knowing he was right. A bond was (in most practices) a sacred thing between two Time Lords who wanted to devote their lives to one another. The bond would only break unless the Time Lords decided to do so. It was, or at least had been, frowned upon to have a bond with any other species. And she felt ashamed because she had thought that they had created their bond in a lie. That he would not want her any longer in knowing what she was. "I don't deserve to be with you, Doctor. We should have never bon—."

"Don't you dare say that," the Doctor grounded out, tightening his hold around her face as his eyes flashed angrily. He relaxed upon seeing her wince. Sighing, he leaned forward, kissing her forehead. "I don't regret it, Wanderer. Not one second of it. And don't you dare regret it, either."

"I don't regret it," Wanda whispered, placing her hand over one of his. "Not now, not ever." She let her hand drop, leaning away so that his hands let go of her face. "But you regretting us wasn't the only thing was I afraid of. I didn't want your bond with me to hurt you."

The Doctor felt confused by this. He raised a brow, frowning at her. "Hurt me? How could our bond hurt me?"

"Because of . . . my abilities. Of what I am."

"They haven't hurt me in the past. Why should they now?" The Doctor reached forward, gripping her hand. He squeezed it in reassurance, hoping to ease her worries. "Even with you remembering, there's no reason for your abilities to hurt me. Not unless you did so on purpose." He watched as Wanda shifted, still appearing uncertain and uncomfortable. Humming, he realized the other reason why she was trying to keep away from him. Both physically and mentally. "Ah, I see. You're afraid to let me see your memories. You don't have the barriers anymore in your mind, do you?"

She kept her gaze averted from his, nodding. She closed her eyes as she felt him beginning to rub soothing circles on her hand with his thumb. She felt him waiting in anticipation but was also being patient. He wanted to give her the choice when to finally show him all of what she was. They both knew she would have to, eventually. But it was just a matter of _when_ she had to that the Doctor wanted to give her the choice of. Sighing, she moved to sit on her knees again, straightening to face him once more.

"Before I show you all that I am . . . there are a few more things I need to tell you, Doctor," Wanda began to explain, pushing herself into what she needed to do. For them both. She watched as the Doctor readied himself, nodding for her to start. "First, I need to explain Alpha. She isn't what you probably think she is. She was never something created by the Daleks."

"Alpha wasn't implanted into you?" the Doctor wondered aloud. He had always assumed as much. It seemed logical for the Daleks to have done something like that to a Time Lord of the past. Use them as a weapon and such.

"No. Alpha and I . . . I was her, in the past. But we became separated over time. Now she and I are different. We just share the same body, is all." She saw how, out of everything they discussed today, this is what shocked him the most.

He pulled away from her for a moment, before seeming to catch himself and taking her hands once more. Taking a moment to gather his words, not wanting to make her think that learning of this meant he valued or loved her less, he gave her a sort of wavering grin. "Well . . . I suppose this changes my plans in figuring out a way to extract her from you somehow," he tried weakly joking.

 _Oh, I liked to see you even_ try. _I'll rip your damn throat out!_

Wanda jerked her hands away from the Doctor's. Mentally berating herself for letting her blocking of their bond begin to slip. She saw how the Doctor's eyes widened, alarmed by what he had just heard from her mind.

 _Alpha,_ Wanda sighed at her other half. _He wasn't being serious._

 _Like hell he was! Kick his face in!_ Alpha sent the mental image of doing so to the Doctor, making Wanda feel sick.

 _Stop it. Please._ Wanda felt relief when Alpha stopped imagining what she wanted to do to the Time Lord. _Just be reasonable. He doesn't understand yet. This is young him, remember? You haven't even given me a chance to explain to him yet._

 _Don't care, don't care, don't care._ Alpha was practically stomping around in Wanda's head now. Throwing a tantrum like a child.

 _Alpha, you're losing sight of yourself again. Relax. Be calm._

 _Yeah, yeah. I'm calm. Just tell him to stay the hell away from me._

Wanda mentally rolled her eyes at Alpha. _Kind of hard for him to when we share the same body._

 _You know what I mean!_

"Wanda?"

Wanda blinked herself out of her thoughts, wincing when she felt a massive headache come along. Always something which happened after she and Alpha talked for too long. It was like using the possibilities. Too much of them combining in powers and it hurt their body. If they stayed separate, no big ill effects. For the most part. But place themselves together as one and it would be like what happened to their body when Alpha had still been working for the Daleks. Barely able to move or even think by the end of the day with how ill she became.

"Sorry," she apologized to the Doctor when seeing his anxious and worried expression. She wondered how long she sat there in a daze in front of him. It had scared Martha the first time Alpha and she had gone into a discussion, too.

"You and Alpha . . . Were you two talking?" he asked her carefully.

"Yes," Wanda sighed. "With the barriers gone, she has more freedom to come forward than she had in the past. Always in the past, she would only awaken when feeling my life threatened, or when I became very emotional. Though, as we both know, there were also those times in the past when we grew too close that she tried to intervene as well. But now . . . there's not as much keeping her asleep as there had been before."

"And you're letting her be a part of your mind freely?"

"Yes. I don't see why she can't. Besides, we've come to an understanding, her and I. And . . . I feel sorry for her, being trapped inside, unable to have her own life. Even if she can't stay awake for long without it causing ill effects to us both, I want her to enjoy freedoms that she hasn't had in so long."

 _You're too good to me._ Alpha sounded sad now, ashamed that Wanda gave her such kindness. _I'll just . . . leave you two alone now. Sorry for the earlier outburst._

 _Thank you._ Wanda sent her gratitude to Alpha as she felt her other half slowly recede away and go back into deep slumber.

"So, she's a piece of your past?" the Doctor questioned, earning Wanda's full attention. He gave a puzzled frown, trying to get his mind wrapped around this new revolution. "But how? How are you two separate now? How is that even possible? Is it some kind of temporal anomaly? Time distortion? Timeline conversion? No, no, that couldn't be it." Wanda watched as the wheels began whirling away within the Doctor's mind, muttering to himself as he began to theorize what Alpha was to her. Again, there was him trying to think of a way to place how they came to be together so that he might someday separate the two of them. Sighing, Wanda reached forward, grasping his hands tightly together to stop him from getting out his sonic and doing scans.

"Doctor, listen . . . you'll understand everything in the future. I pro—," Wanda began to explain to him, stopping short from a promise. Swallowing, she gave him a wavering smile. "Let's just leave it at spoilers for now."

The Doctor out a breath in a huff, disappointed that he was still left in the dark with 'spoilers.' "All right. I suppose I can wait on that. Is there anything else I need to know?"

"My name."

Stiffening, the Doctor felt his hearts skipping a beat. Name? She—she had a name? Well, of course she did. She must have had a name before choosing 'The Wanderer' for a title. But once a Time Lord chose a title as a promise, they made the agreement to shed their old life to begin a new one. Their past names became something so sacred, so cherished, that the only time they ever dare let it slip out was for two reasons. The first was if they were about to meet their final death, allowing their names to be passed on for a new generation perhaps. And the other reason . . . was to mark the bond between Time Lords. Neither of them had done so themselves. The Doctor . . . for certain reasons, as he knew how dangerous his name could be. Though, as for Wanda, he always assumed that . . . well, that 'Wanda' was all that her name had ever been. But now?

"Your name?" he breathed. He glanced around them swiftly, suddenly realizing they were in a rather vulnerable place. Anyone could come by and listen in on their conversation. Mentally scolding himself for not realizing it sooner, he knew he needed to get them somewhere more private. He stood up swiftly, pulling her up with him. "Hold on. Let's get to the TARDIS." He held her hand tightly, anxious to get back to the TARDIS. A few occasional eyes glanced their way as they passed by different doorways. Soon arriving to the TARDIS where it had been parked all year long, the Doctor opened the door, swiftly pulling Wanda inside the ship.

He began to lead her down to the corridor when he was pulled back by Wanda suddenly halting in place. With a glance, he saw her frozen in place, staring wide-eyed towards the console. He looked over quickly to where she was staring to see what had her so unnerved. Sucking in a quick breath, it dawned on him that he had been rather crass not to have warned her, or at least moved the body first. For he had done it right after Wanda had left the flight deck . . . and after he allowed himself to calm down in having witnessed his old friend die, and after his lover having killed said old friend. He had gathered a white sheet, wrapped the Master's body up, and placed him in the control room. Ready to lay the Master to rest later once everything had been settled. Though he would have to do it sooner than later. Time Lord bodies did not last long before they began to decompose. And well . . . no one wanted that to happen.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly, coming up to wrap an arm around her shoulders, gently guiding her down the corridor. "I forgot to warn you."

"It's okay," Wand breathed, leaning against him. "I'm sorry, too." She glanced up, seeing the TARDIS had made their room appear quickly. The old girl wanted to help them as best she could. Wanda was just glad Sexy was not in pain anymore from being a paradox machine. The control room even looked like normal once more with the old girl having repaired most of herself. The moment they stepped into the room, Sexy even turned off the lights and allowed their star-filled ceiling to glitter above. Each of them stood there for a moment, taking in the sight of their room. For the first time that day, true peace settled around them. Both the Doctor and Wanda physical relaxed, they bodies easing away from any tension they had. Neither had even realized they had been so longing for old comforts of their ship until finally being back in their beloved room.

"She's helped me, you know," Wanda spoke up, earning the Doctor's attention. "The TARDIS all this time as made certain to keep the barriers up longer. They would have most likely broken in my mind much sooner. Without her . . . I think Alpha would have lost control more often in the past, too." Wanda moved away from her Doctor to pat a wall, thanking the old girl. She smiled as she heard a gentle hum from Sexy, a warm blanket of energy wrapping around Wanda for consolation. "Without her, I think I would have been lost a long time ago."

"Yeah. Me too," the Doctor agreed softly. Clearing his throat, he ran an anxious hand through his messy hair. "So . . . about your name?" Wanda turned to him, staring at him carefully. He stared at her in uncertainty for a moment before relaxing as his worries began to melt away. Staring at her now, within the soft glow of their starry room . . . it made him realize right there and then of just how much he missed her from over the past year. A warm smile appeared on his face as he walked up to her. Softly, he took her hands into his, holding them ever so lovingly. "I'm ready to tell you mine, too. I think we've waited long enough, don't you think?"

"Theta?" Wanda gasped in surprise, staring at him in awe. "Your—your name?" He brought up a hand, caressing the side of her face. She grasped his hand quickly, holding onto it tightly. "But I thought—."

"I was selfish to keep it from you," he assured her, nodding that he was certain. "Being away from you over that year . . . I thought of you every day. I thought of what I'd do for you the moment we got back together. I thought of all the adventures I would take you on. I thought of how after we got together again . . . that I'd give you everything to you that I haven't already. That includes my name, Wanderer." He blinked when Wanda backed away from him quickly, her head shaking rapidly.

"No, Theta, you don't understand," she breathed in a rush. "I—I wasn't talking about that sort of name. I meant my title. The reason why I'm called 'The Wanderer.'" She stared at him with wavering eyes. "You never did ask me why I have that name. And I never thought to ask after that one time as my First self. You tried to explain it to me then, you in the future, but I remember you hesitated and said that it was a different reason than why you, or most Time Lords, chose their names. It's because I wasn't giving myself a title as a name." Wanda sighed heavily, looking away. "It's because I was giving my species a name. I'm not the Wanderer, Theta. I'm _a_ Wanderer." She let this information sink before stepping closer to him. She reached up slowly, placing her fingers on the side of his head. She watched as he gazed back, appearing just as nervous as she felt in what they knew would come next.

"Are you ready?" Wanda asked him gently, wanting to be absolutely certain he wanted this. She actually hoped he would say no. Nothing hurt her more than knowing that once she showed him all of her memories . . . it would be so painful for him. And she never wanted to put him through such sorrow and agony.

Swallowing, feeling his mouth go dry, the Doctor straightened as he finally felt ready for what Wanda remembered. Placing his hands over hers, he pressed her fingers firmly into his temples, locking his eyes with hers. "More than ready," he confirmed. He saw her falter. Felt the wavering bond of theirs trying to connect, but still she held back. Pressing their foreheads together, he gave her another warm smile. "It's okay, Wanderer. You've always known all that I am and will be. And now, I want to know all that is _you_." He frowned, uncertain that she still wanted him to call her that since he now knew the reason she gave herself that name. But to him, she would always be his _Wanderer_. Determined to still see her as such, and to help her gain the confidence for what they were about to do, he pressed their lips firmly together in a rush, pushing into their bond in hopes to help her gain the strength to open up to him.

Wanda let go, allowing her to connect with him for the first time in a year. She practically melted into his touch as their bond connected. For the first time in a year, she felt safe, loved, and whole. It was as if a part of her was finally back in place. Her body screamed in joy, elated to have her Theta, her Time Lord, back. She never even noticed how empty she felt until this moment. And now the universe was right again. The Wanderer and the Doctor were back together once more, and they would both make certain never to part again. That is, not until . . . Brief sadness went through Wanda so quickly, the Doctor never even felt it. She kept it away, instead, finally allowing him fully into her mind. Everything that she was and would be, there for him to see.

It was at this moment he tensed, going rigid in her hold. Wanda gazed at him sadly, in remorse, as she watched him shake. His eyes glazed over in a haze of horror as the memories were shared between them. A few stray tears managing to fall down his face. She wanted to pull away immediately, to stop his pain. But he wouldn't let her, holding on even tighter now to her hands. Soon, as the memories faded, he practically leaned against her and let out a small sob. Being pulled into a death grip, he held her so tightly against him.

"I'm sorry. So sorry," he whispered hoarsely, voice filled with grief.

"I'm sorry, too. I didn't mean for any past emotions to leak out as well," Wanda apologized, feeling guilty that she had not been careful enough to keep past griefs from affecting him.

"No. No, I needed to know everything. Emotions and all," he assured her, holding her even tighter still.

Eventually, they moved to the bed, laying down on their sides so that way they could face one another. They held onto each other, refusing to let go now that they were together once more. It made the Doctor sad when Wanda retreated away from their bond again. But he understood why. It would take some time for her to come back into their relationship fully. To be accepting of herself for what she was. And he would wait for that time, as patient as ever. But it made him feel hopeful that she would heal soon when she still stayed close in his hold. Even sharing a passionate kiss every so often, just to let them both bask in the glow of their warmth.

They talked what felt like hours. Discussing everything that had been of that year. At least, the Doctor told her everything that he experienced. There were some things he could tell Wanda was not telling him. Perhaps some things that she was ashamed of. Again, though, that was okay. He understood ones need to hold secrets of things done in the past. He understood more than anyone else in the universe. So, instead, he listened to her explaining some of her memories when he had questions. He felt her sorrow for Tina. Her grief and woe for her lost love Shelly. And all her shame and guilt of what she had done for the Daleks. He took it all in, glad to help ease her burden in some ways in allowing her to share all of what she was.

Another hour passed with them lying in silence. The joy they felt with just being together in peace was all they wanted. The Doctor watched as Wanda's eyes drooped. The day had worn hard on her. Hell, the whole year that had been must have drained her more than even him. At least he had been in one place the entire time. But to travel the entire world by foot? As well as going through universe knows what?

"Wanderer, it's getting late. I have to go take care of the Master's body," the Doctor said softly, rubbing her arm to get her attention as he saw her about to drift off. Wanda's eyes darkened upon the dead Time Lord's name, making her close her eyes quickly so he did not see. He hesitated to ask. "Do you want to—?"

"I'm sorry. I can't go with you," Wanda told him curtly, her voice gruff. "I hate that man too much to ever send him off." All he could do was stare at her in concern, wary of this change he was seeing in his Wanderer.

"What did he do to you?" he asked her, trying to be gentle in his prying. When feeling her become stiff, he rubbed her arms to soothe her. "I know you. You wouldn't hate someone just because of memories. So, tell me, what did he do to you?"

Wanda opened her eyes, staring at him with such woe. Her eyes watering for a second before she quickly closed them again. She then buried her face into his chest, holding him tightly. The Doctor soothingly rubbed her back, wishing he could pry more for an answer, but decided to simply let her be. As he felt her drifting off and fall asleep against him, his mind continued to whirl in question, trying to think of every possible thing the Master could have done to her to have broken her so completely.

XxXxXxXx

It was a day later. After the Doctor had his funeral for the Master, burning the body on a pyre in a traditional ceremony like that of what would have been done on Gallifrey. After Martha brought her family back to their home and helped them settle somewhat back into normal life. And after Wanda had a long night's sleep, trying to rest her worn body. Now, it was nothing more than a calm morning, with Wanda slowly wandering through the TARDIS, waiting for when the Doctor decided it was time for them to leave. Currently, he was getting things settled with UNIT and such, trying to help get rid of whatever else the Master might have left behind. Knowing that Time Lord, he might have had some sort of backup plan that could kill a lot more if he were to die. Wanda already knew of such backup plan but did not tell the Doctor. As it was not the time for that yet. It would come to pass one day. And just like the Doctor, she would have to face the Master once more. Just the idea of that alone sent a cold chill through her.

Wanda walked out of the TARDIS, adjusting her large black blouse as the long sleeves of the shirt tried rolling up her arms. She placed on a gray overcoat, wearing this instead of the maroon as she had in the past. She still wore mary jane shoes and capris, though each of these was a duller colour than what she had worn in the past. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear when a breeze blew around her. The distant call of seagulls echoed off from the bay, not too far away from Roald Dahl Plass public space in Cardiff. The place where the TARDIS was parked, gaining more energy from the Rift close by. It was also to drop off Jack, per his request. The falling water heard from the water tower (Torchwood Tower) nearby. Wanda walked away from the TARDIS, coming over to some railings that line around the walkway of public space. Leaning forward against the railing, she rested her arms on the top of the metal bars, staring off at nothing in particular. Humans causally strolled about, enjoying their peaceful life, none of them having a care in the world.

"Well, this sure does feel like déjà vu."

Wanda glanced over, seeing Jack coming up beside her. He stared off towards the water tower, the spot which held the secret location of his headquarters to Torchwood, smiling vaguely.

"Where's Martha? Still in the TARDIS?" asked Wanda, looking back off at the sights around them.

"She's having the TARDIS help her find the number to someone she knew in the Year That Never Was," explained Jack with shrug.

"Ah. I forgot about Tom," Wanda replied, nodding as she remembered Martha's future fiancé. Comfortable silence laid between the two by the railing. Each one just waiting for the other to say something first. Finally, Jack sighed.

"Wanda . . . there's something I need to talk to you about," he said carefully, earning Wanda's full attention now. He stared at her in remorse, regret clear in his eyes. "I know about what happened. I know about Ember."

Wanda did not reply to him for a long moment. She instead stared off once again, not showing much sign of how she felt about his words. Finally, she let out a small, humourless, laugh. "Of course you know. You're just like River. You two always seem to know these things."

Jack reached out, placing a firm hand on her shoulder. His blue eyes swirled with guilt. "I'm sorry. I wish I could have said something . . . "

"But you could have never done it. Even if you tried, time wouldn't allow it. We both know that." Wanda continued to stare off. The wind around them picked up, sending a strong breeze around them. Blonde hair tickled around her face as it swayed with the breeze. Once the wind died down again, the Wanderer spoke. "Do you also know about . . . what I am and all that?"

"Yeah," sighed Jack, clasping his hands together as he leaned on the railing with his arms, "I've known about that for a long time. You told me all about it when I was still with old Big Ears." Jack let out a quick breath, chuckling as he remembered their past with the previous Doctor. "Man, never thought I'd miss him. Though, I will say I miss seeing you two dancing around. Think you and Skinny here could give me a show in some more 'dancing'?" A half-hearted smile was sent the Wanderer's way as the Immortal Man wished to make her laugh. Even for a little bit. When he received no answer, he sighed once more, looking out off again. "Yeah . . ." It was another long time before either one of them spoke again. Both of them stood there, enjoying one another's company. Even though neither said a word. It just simply felt nice for them to be there with each other. A rarity that happened for the two.

"Jack . . .," spoke Wanda quietly. This earned the Immortal Man's attention, making him look encouragingly at her for help her gather her words. Wanda swallowed, giving him a weak smile. "Thank you. For everything you've done. Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Just keep being my Tink. That's all I can ask of you," said Jack. He even winked at her, smiling in hopes to cheer her up. Then, he grew a serious expression. "Though, there is something you can do for me." Struggling with words for a moment, he soon grabbed her hand, holding onto it tightly. "Keep fighting, Wanda. Whatever future you think is set in stone, please, fight it. Find a way around it. I know the Doctor has done the impossible before. Just—just tell him and I know he can do it again."

Wanda sent him a forlorn expression, staring at him in remorse. "You know that can't ever happen, Jack."

"What are you two up to?"

Wanda and Jack dropped their hands the moment they heard the Doctor coming up to them. The Time Lord strolled calmly to them with hands in his pockets, looking as though he had accomplished all he came to do today. Wanda gave her Time Lord a small smile. While Jack gave his usual grin like always. Neither showed any sign of turmoil.

"Just catching up. It's been a year, you know," Jack joked lightly. The Doctor came up beside Wanda, leaning on the railing the same as the two were.

"Talking about anything in particular?" he asked curiously.

"Nah. Just the usual jokes. You know us," shrugged Jack.

Wanda merely remained silent staring off again at nothing. It was almost as though their voices became distant for her. She barely even heard them as her mind drifted around aimlessly. Every once and a while she heard the Doctor or Jack making a note about what they would do now and such. Then eventually Martha joined them, talking along as well. Soon, Wanda heard the Captain part from them, going back to work with Torchwood. Snapping herself out of her stupor, she looked up to see Jack waving at her, giving her an encouraging smile. She nodded in return. Not really giving a full smile to him, but letting him see that she would indeed miss him and hoped to see him again one day. Glancing at the two next to her, she saw each the Doctor and Martha's expressions of awe, eyes wide as they watched the retreating Jack Harkness.

"Let me guess. 'Face of Boe'?" laughed Wanda, smirking at the two of them.

"No," said the Doctor. He blinked repeatedly, looking back and forth between the retreating Jack Harkness and the smirking Wanderer, trying to get his mind wrapped around the revelation they just discovered.

"Can't be," gasped Martha, also in the same state of shock.

"No. Defintiely not. No," said the Doctor.

"Most definitely is," Wanda stated, laughing lightly at them.

"No!" the Doctor exclaimed, grinning in excitement. He never saw this coming and he loved it! It was always wonderful getting a truly astonishing surprise in his life. He and Martha both laughed, reeling in this new information. Wanda gave a small smile, seeming to enjoy their shock of finding out who exactly the Face of Boe was. But as the Doctor stared at her, he saw that the smile never reached her eyes. Something that he noted since them reuniting. Her smile was not the same as it had been before. And . . . he did not think it ever would be, either.

It was later that they brought Martha back to her family home. Together the aliens stood outside the TARDIS, watching the family talk and hug within the household. Leo could be seen appearing very confused by his family's need to be so comforting. This being because, unlike the rest of his family, he would never remember the dreaded year that had been. But the brother seemed to just go along with what was happening as Francine and Clive were getting back together. Wanda ended up going back into the TARDIS first, walking over to sit down at the captain's chair. Eventually, the Doctor walked in after her. He threw his overcoat onto a coral pillar before slowly walking up the grated stairs to the console. He stopped by the console, staring at Wanda as he saw her sitting there, gazing blankly at the grated floor with her arms cradled around her stomach.

Before he had a chance to say something to gain her attention, the TARDIS door was heard creaking open. Both of them looked up to see Martha walking in, staring at them warily. The Doctor immediately saw that look in their companion's eyes. The look that said . . . goodbye. Swiftly he looked away, beginning to hit random buttons on the console in avoidance.

"Right then! Off we go. The open road!" he exclaimed in forced delight. "There is a burst of starfire right now over the coast of Meta Sigmafolio. Oh, the sky is like oil on water. Fancy a look? Or back in time. We could . . . " In the corner of his eye, he saw Wanda getting up, going over to their companion. And still, he rambled. "I don't know, Charles II? Henry VII? I know, what about Agatha Christie? I'd love to meet Agatha Christie, be she's brill—."

"Doctor," said Wanda, interrupting him. He looked over, seeing the way Wanda held Martha's hand in a tight grip. Staring back at him with such sadness as Martha gaze back softly in understanding. The Doctor just sort of stood there, rocking a little on his heels as he tried to avoid their sad eyes. But soon he let out a sigh, nodding as he looked back at them.

"Okay," he said softly, knowing the time had come. He should have seen it, really. Why would any companion want to stay with them after all of that?

"I just can't," Martha said quietly, nodding sadly.

"Yeah," agreed the Doctor.

"I've spent all these years training to be a doctor, and now I've got people to look after. They saw half the planet slaughtered and they're devastated. I can't leave them," explained Martha. She looked at him as if she were truly sorry that she had to leave them. As though, yes, she still wanted to travel through time and space, adventuring away to her heart's content alongside her most best of friends. But family came first. They always would.

"'Course not," agreed the Doctor once again. The Doctor nodded, understanding her reasoning completely. If he could . . . he probably would, too. Give up all the travelling just to let him and his Wanderer be off somewhere and retire. Or something like that. But then again, what if 'retiring' only hurt her more? He frowned in thought, thinking of what would be best for Wanda right now. He would try to keep things the same as always. Perhaps that would be best. After all, it was what she had done in the past as Second Wanda, pushing him into adventuring again to help him heal. And it had worked brilliantly for him. So . . . it would have to work for her, too. Right?

"You're going to be the best doctor, Martha," Wanda spoke up. She hugged Martha tightly, patting the woman's back. "Thank you for everything. For more than you even know." Martha hugged her back just as strongly, smiling softly.

"You're always welcome," she said. They stepped back, smiling at each other while holding their hands together. "Don't think this means goodbye forever. You have my number. I expect phone calls _at least_ every decade or so."

"Oh, don't you worry. We'll visit you as often as we can. Whether it be I'm with a Doctor's face you know or not," assured Wanda. She even gave Martha a sly wink, smiling lightly.

"Um, actually, Martha," the Doctor spoke up, earning the two females' attention, "I can talk to you? In private?" Martha and Wanda glanced at each other, but the companion nodded at the Doctor all the same.

"Sure," said the companion, ready for whatever talk the Time Lord wanted.

"I'll just be outside," said Wanda. She stepped away from the companion, going out the doors of the TARDIS. The moment the door closed behind her, the Doctor walked up to Martha. He stopped right in front of her, rocking on the balls of his feet in uncertainty while still holding his hands in his pockets. Martha raised a brow at him, waiting for him to speak first.

"First off . . . Thank you," he said, smiling at her with such sincerity. "Wanda's right. You've done more for us than you could ever know." He paused then, growing more serious. "But . . . there's something I need to know. Martha, what happened to you both during that year? Besides the travelling . . . Did you ever know that Wanda would—?"

"I never knew, Doctor," sighed Martha. She shook her head, looking sad and regretful. "She never told me that she was going to do that. If I'd known . . .," Martha paused, staring off past the Doctor's shoulder in thought, appearing very uncertain now when she gazed back at him, "I don't actually know what I would have done. Truthfully? I would have most likely let her do it anyway."

This truly shocked him. Martha Jones admitted she wanted someone dead? He would never have thought he ever hear her say something such as that. He could only stare at her, trying to read her solemn expression. "Why though? Do you—do you know what he did to her?" He saw it cross her face. The pained expression. The same expression he had seen on Jack back in that warehouse when they had been on the run. The same expression he had seen on Wanda a thousand times in the past. The expression that said they knew, but they could never say what they wanted to. They could never give a warning, or even a word in comfort of what was to come, or even what had been. The Time Lord stepped closer to Martha, pleading to her now. "She won't tell me. Please, Martha, I _need_ to know."

"I'm sorry, Doctor, but that's something you'll have to find out for yourself." Martha gave him one last expression of remorse, of pity, before turning and walking back towards the TARDIS doors. But before she left him, she turned back, looking grimmer this time. "Just promise me one thing, before you go . . . Be a doctor for her, okay? She needs a lot more healing than she's let on. A _lot_ more. I did I all could for her during that year. Now it's your turn to heal her the rest of the way." With that said, Martha walked out the door, leaving the TARDIS as a companion for the last time.

Wanda came in a moment later, walking up to the console. She glanced at the Doctor, seeing him slowly push down a lever. The ship rocked a little, travelling away from the planet's surface and into orbit instead.

"Did you and Martha have a good chat?" Wanda asked him curiously, wondering what the Doctor could have possibly wanted to discuss with Martha in private. Well, Wanda did have a feeling on what exactly he wanted to talk to the old companion about, but . . .

"Yeah. Yeah, it was good. Nice chat," the Doctor said, drumming his fingers on the console as he let out a puff of air, staring at the time rotor as the cylinder inside moved up and down.

"Liar," Wanda replied, smiling softly at him as she walked up closer to the console. The Doctor turned, leaning against the console as he stared at her, watching as she sat in the captain's chair. She sat straight, staring at him steadily. "There's something you want to talk to me about, too. Right?"

"Yeah. There's a whole shelf of things I want to say. Things to ask, questions to be answered. Not that you can actually answer any of them." The Doctor drummed his fingers lightly on the edge of the console, frowning as it truly did irk him in all this unknowing. He thought after Wanda's memories were revealed that there would be no more secrets and spoilers. But, sadly, it felt like there was even more of that between them than ever.

Wanda gave him a sad look, nodding apologetically. "No, probably not. But maybe I can answer any questions that you think might not be spoilers?"

Thinking this over, the Doctor wondered what else there might be left unsaid between them. There just seemed so much . . . Then, it hit him. The one thing he realized he forgot to ask her. "There is something, actually. You never showed me any memories of your past . . . before the Daleks . . ." He could not even finish it. The memories she showed him of her past still felt unreal to him. As well as painful to reflect or dwell on. And if it pained him to recall them, he hated to think of what Wanda felt in remembering all of that after so long of being forgotten.

"I . . . I don't actually remember anything." Wanda gazed down gloomily. "I can't even remember my parents. I can recall my mother loving to garden, and my father's music . . . and being a carpenter of some kind. But I can't remember anything else about them. Not even what they looked like. I don't remember anything about myself before the Daleks took me. All my memories of before . . . are gone." Letting out a slow breath, she stared back at him. "The Daleks did that to me and the others. They 'reprogrammed' our minds. Taking out the bits and pieces of us they didn't like or wanted to control. That's why Alpha is called what she is. It isn't by choice . . . even if she does consider herself an alpha now."

Feeling her sadness from that, the Doctor did not say anything for a long moment. He stared at her, seeing how it truly pained her in not remembering her past, her parents. But there was still that one thing he wanted. It had been toying with him since that other night in the TARDIS. He wanted to ask her then . . . wanted for them to complete the bond . . . but he also had wanted her to sleep and rest. Now that she had rested . . . were they ready for this leap in their relationship? ". . . Do you remember your name?"

Wanda looked at him curiously, frowning lightly. "Why do you wish to know?"

Getting up from the console, he walked over to her, sitting down beside her. He took her hand in his, gently thumbing the smooth skin. "Because . . . there's something I want to do for us. If you don't know your first name, that's fine. I can still at least give you mine."

"W-what?" For the first time in a long, long passing since she had been travelling alongside the Doctor, she felt stunned. Beyond belief, really properly, stunned and breathless. Her eyes stared at him in amazement. His—his name? _The_ name he always kept hidden? Was he being serious? He never told anyone his name. Not even . . . "Your name? Why—why would you tell me your name?"

He stared at her lovingly, bringing up a hand to stroke her cheek with his thumb tenderly. "I meant what I said when it was time I told you my name. If anyone deserves to know, it's _you_. I want there to be no more secrets between us. Ah, well, at least the _right_ us, that is. Suppose there'll still be secrets with past us and all that." He paused, frowning thoughtfully. "Do you remember your name, though? I thought I might have gotten a glimpse of something when you shared your memories with me. Was I wrong?"

Wanda sighed heavily, shaking her head. "No . . . I remember my name. It's just . . . it's not something I ever _want_ to remember. And it's not exactly something I can say out loud, either." Her eyes darkened. "The Daleks made certain I could never say it." Her eyes softened once more as she gazed at the Doctor's warm eyes. "Theta, don't worry about my name. It's best left forgotten. That part of me is long dead anyway."

The Doctor frowned at her, shaking his head. "Don't say that. Just because it's a piece of your past doesn't mean it needs to be left forgotten. A Time Lord's past is just as important to them as their future. It's actually sacred in a way."

Wanda moved her hand away from his, shaking her head firmly as she looked at the console with a hard gaze. "But I'm not a Time Lord anymore. I don't count in that special sacred importance. It's best I just be left forgotten."

The Doctor watched her, seeing how her gaze wavered and watered up, tears just there as she thought over the past she could not recall. He felt his hearts twist for her, wishing there was something he could do. But, in the end, he knew what he could give her. If it would help her in some ways, showing that even if her body had changed into a new form of Time Lord, into a Wanderer, it did not mean that she was still not a Time Lord to him. He would always consider her one, no matter what.

Breathing deeply, preparing himself, he wished that he could have done this in a more special moment. Normally, something of this magnitude was done in a ceremony of sorts. But he did not want to wait any longer. He had learned his lesson before when wanting to put off something so important for them. He was not going to lose her without letting her know his full love again.

Wanda was surprised when the Doctor suddenly grabbed her firmly by the shoulders. She blinked as she was turned to face him on the chair, staring at him as he looked at her with this gaze that took her breath away. The gaze that said he wanted to give her the universe and more. And so, he did.

Wanda sat there in utter shock as he leaned forward and pressed his lips up to her ear. A gentle word was breathed from him. So soft. So warm. It caressed her ear, her mind, her hearts. Tears came to her eyes, falling down her face. She smiled warmly, a true smile on her face that truly reached her eyes this time. She let out a sigh, leaning on him as they hugged strongly together. He ran his hands up and down her back, letting her know it was okay. It would always be okay.

"It's so beautiful. I'm so sorry you have to hide it," she whispered, regret lacing in her hearts for him. To have to hide such a name from the universe . . .

"I hide it because it's a name meant for only those I care most about," breathed the Doctor, tenderly holding her even closer still. "And now, it's a name meant just for you. You and only you, Wanderer. Forever." Wanda closed her eyes tightly, feeling guilty. He was willing to tell her such an important part of his past. And yet she . . . Damn. She was so selfish sometimes.

Leaning up to him, she tried to say it. Tried to whisper a caress into his ear like he had done for her. But no matter how much she tried, her mouth went stiff. Her mind laced with pain and it refused to come out. Even after all this time . . . the Daleks' programming was still so fresh in her. She let out a cry, hating herself even more for it.

"Wanda?" he whispered, confused why she would cry. He tried pulling back to look at her, worried now. But she buried her face in his chest, shaking in his grasp. Soon, he went rigid when she shakily pressed a hand up to his temple, allowing him to see what she wanted to say. His body practically melted as her name wrapped gently around his mind. It was so . . .

"Magnificent," he sighed, closing his eyes as he felt pure love for his Wanderer. The elation of knowing she had been willing in the end to give him that piece of her.

"I can't ever say it," Wanda breathed, pulling away from their hold to stare at him sadly. Then, she gave him a wavering smile. "But you can say it for me . . . Okay?"

"Always." He gave her the brightest and warmest smile yet, kissing her in joy. She did not return his kiss back in full. Just as she had yet to truly give back in his affections as she had done so before in the past. But just as he thought before, it would simply take her time to move on and heal.

She leaned against him as he held her close, slowly caressing her head. She stared off blankly, feeling at a loss. Even though she knew she should feel elated . . . which she did briefly at first. But the feeling never lasted. Nothing seemed to last anymore. Her happiness, her joys, her sadness even. It all led back to her feeling . . . nothing. She felt broken even. She might be. And this idea . . . terrified her. She did not want to be broken. She wanted to be fixed. To give her Theta the love and joy he deserved. But what if she could not give him that anymore? This idea scared her even more so, making her shiver and hold onto him tight.

"Wanda?" he questioned gently, confused as to why her moods seemed to shift so suddenly. Wanda closed her eyes tight, wishing she could give him more. But she fears got the better of her. She pulled away from him, standing up to back away.

"I'm—I'm sorry," she said shakily, staring at him in regret. The warmth and light picked up around her, making her feel relief in her ability to escape. It had been a whole year. She almost forgot that she did jump through his timeline. She shook her head in remorse, guilt spreading through her as she saw the hurt expression on her Time Lord. "I'm so sorry."

And with that . . . she was gone.

XxXxXxXx

Aw man, Wanda does not seem like in a good place right now. Hate to see if she ends up in a messy adventure. She needs a long break. :( Welp, I hope that everyone enjoyed! Even if just a little bit. :) Let me know how you thought of it in a review. Love to read all your thoughts and support for the story. Even if it's telling me how horrible of a writer I am. ;)

Reviewers:

 **TheGirlWhoWept** : Hope you enjoyed the new chapter! I feel like many people feel the same way you do there. I have mixed feelings, but I do feel some pity for him with a few things. But that's spoilers for now I suppose.

 **Fruityloops87** : Hope that it was a good 'wow' moment. :)

 **swimmjacket** : Glad you enjoyed it! Even if it was all rather sad from here and there. Oh, you have no idea. She can never tell them, and many moments have to pretend to still be pregnant or just be completely ignorant of Ember's existence. I couldn't even imagine what that feels like for her. :( Um . . . just gonna say spoilers for that. As for the Thirteenth Doctor, I don't think we'll ever get there. Not even in part four. But I know Wanda. She would totally love the Doctor no matter what he/she looks like. :) Hope you enjoyed the new update! Until next time!

 **singingKatelyn** : I know. I feel you. Hmm. Good theory. Guess we'll just have to wait and see until then. Hope you enjoyed the new chapter! :)

 **Rixelated** : There might be more Wandas. Or there might not be. Who knows until we get there. ;) As for Aleena . . . let's just say spoilers for now. Really hope that you enjoyed the newest chapter and to see you again in the future. :) Take care!

 **NerdWithAPencil** : haha I'm just glad you seemed to have enjoyed it so much. Even if it did tear your hearts apart. Trust me, it tore up my hearts as well and I needed plenty of tissues and hugs through these chapters. Fingers crossed that you enjoyed the new chapter. And to see you again in the next one. ;) Take care!

 **bored411** : Oh, yes, did she snap. Even the most gentle people can be pushed to their limits. And Wanda had been pushed far too much for far too long. Sadly, Wand can never tell him about Ember. So she had to live with that any time she meets a past version of the Doctor. :( Hope to see you again soon!

 **Momochan77** : I feel you. I cried, too. Hope you liked the new chapter! And if you want to share your theory, go right ahead. I'm always happy to listen to everyone's thoughts. :)

 **SakuraRcoa** : I'm there with you. Cried so bad when it was written. I'm such a baby when it comes to those I love getting hurt. And I love everyone a part of this story. In the end, he had to get shot. Either by his wife, or by someone else, he had to 'die' at that point. It's just so hard knowing that Wanda was the one to pull the trigger. I hope you enjoyed the newest chapter. I feel like it's not all that great, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that you'll enjoy it at least. :)

 **mjahappy** : Yay! So glad you did! :)

 **heroherondaletotherescue** : It was an ending that needed to be. Unfortunate that it had to happen, but it did. It was the only way. :(

 **X-Lisa-Anne-X** : I'm not so sure I am, but I'm glad that you're satisfied by it. At least I hope that things will get better from here. Hopefully. Anyway, keeping my fingers crossed that you enjoyed the new chapter! :)

 **FictionalBoysAreBetter** : Trust me, I cried as well. It's a hard topic to deal with. It was the one time Wanda lost control. Not Alpha, but Wanda. It's hard knowing just how lost she's become. :( Not that many left now. But I'm going to give specific numbers like the last few parts as I want it to be a surprise this time around. Nah, they won't ever 'merge' but Wanda will now have more loss of control as her powers are very highly unstable and would make anyone who had them lash out from time to time. It's just Wanda only comes to use of a few of the powers while Alpha controls the majority when she takes over. Can't wait to see what you think of the new chapter. Until next time!

 **All The Stories Are True 24601** : Glad you like it all! Hope you enjoyed the new one. :)

 **alwaystherereading** : Glad you liked it all. True, until he shows up, which won't be a fun day for anyone. Surprisingly, the Doctor just sort of . . . accepts what happened. He wasn't 'okay' with it, but he doesn't wish to hold any anger or hard feelings towards Wanda. Things had just been too hard for them all during that year, and he only wishes to simply move on and forget about it all. So being 'angry' with her would just be pointless. Plus, as he said in this chapter, he had many moments just like this in his past. So why hold that against her when he had done the same? Quite a bit of chapters, but not a whole lot. Luckily, still part four to come for us all. :) Until next time!

 **The Early Precambrian** : It truly does hurt. So much so. :( I still can't believe what she had done. It's hard to ever see her doing such a thing. Don't worry, I know that she'll pull through. It might take time, but I believe in our girl. She'll be the Wanderer we love once again. :) Martha truly was a brilliant companion for them all. Thank you so much for the lovely review. I really hope to see you again in the future! Take care and have a amazing day. :)

 **Authora97** : When Wanda has enough, she really has enough and just snaps. Glad you enjoyed it all!

 **AGBreads** : Glad you liked it! Agreed, very sad. Hopefully things get happier from this point. But I'm not going to hold my breath on that. Can't wait to see from you again! :)

 **Toushou-sama** : Glad no shredding of the heart this time around. Can't promise for the future, but hopefully no more hearts tearing apart for us all. :) That's a good question. Suppose that's just a spoiler waiting to happen for those two. Happy you enjoyed it! Really hope to see from you again in the future! Take care!

 **Kat** : You mean if she still lost her child but yet somehow didn't get her memories back? Hmm. That's a good question. I think Wanda wouldn't have done so as she would have not been so far to snap like she had in that chapter. Though most likely she would have still helped along the Master's seeming death as she probably would have given Lucy the gun to pull the trigger instead. Hope that helps answer your question. :)

 **lautaro94** : Trust me, I'm not fond of Wanda doing that, either. But sometimes people can only be pushed so far until they break. :(

 **normandy1701** : Nah, Wanda would never go that far. This is about as far she would ever snap. Which still isn't a good thing. But at least she wouldn't ever become _that_. I understand that it's seen as overkill, but it's sort of something that really needed to be to show just how far Wanda's been broken. Truthfully, I took the idea from a movie I once saw as a young child. This woman had been tortured far beyond measures, and when finally confronted with the man who had done it to her, even though she was so kind in nature, she just snapped and released all her pain, sorrow, and anger in that gun she held. Just going into a sort of trance and kept shooting it until a friend gently snapped her out of it before she finally broke down into a sobbing mess. I don't remember the movie, but I remember it left a huge impact on me seeing what that woman went through. It was such an emotional scene and I really wanted to bring something like that here for this story. I hope you'll still like it even knowing I sort of took the idea from another source. :)

 **N7SpaceHamster** : Not so much active revenge, but it just became that in the end when Wanda lost control of herself finally. It's great having Bad Wolf and Wanda getting a chance to really relax and talk together. Wish they could have more moments like that. haha I actually love putting lines like that into stories in moments where I know people are probably thinking that. It just makes it so much more enjoyable to read a story that just knows readers well enough. :) Bad Wolf really didn't send her there. Wanda just let her wanderings take her away and that was where she had ended up. Where she was meant to be. Martha truly was the best companion for Wanda there. She needed a doctor in many ways. It did affect her. Just like it affected him. Not just become of their bond, either. When you're with someone all the time for so long and then suddenly being yanked apart like that . . . Plus, Wanda really needed a chance to heal properly and being away from him and being placed into war for a year only set her back even farther from healing. :( Well, since almost everything is out and revealed now, there's going to be many moments that will be explained right away. So no more long waits for explanations. Martha didn't really tell him. She just said a few things that he was able to tell what was happening. You know how people will say things that they're trying to hide the truth but you can still pick up on what they're trying not to say? It's kind of like that. Sort of a psychological mind twist the Master did. Something did just break in Wanda. But fortunately, nothing broken between the Doctor and Wanda. At least, not for the most part. Yep, that was all Wanda. She finally lost control and snapped. Our poor girl. :( Also, yep, going to be a part four after this one. But this next part will be sort of its own story and much different from the rest of the trilogy. So keeping my fingers crossed that everyone will enjoy it. Super worried how everyone will take it as I'm trying something new with the next story. Thanks again for the wonderful review! Can't wait to see from you again! Take care! :D

 **Lorah Raye** : Yay! Glad that it was such a good read. I hope the rest of the chapters are just as enjoyable. :) Until next time! Hope you'll like!

 **Whovianeverlark17** : I know I could never, but I don't think Wanda would ever think she would, either. So who knows. Unfortunately, Ten can never know. Not until he gets to the right point in time. :( Hope you enjoyed the newest chapter!

 **Isanxd** : Yep, 100% her. You're exactly right there. That's why it just had to be that way, because it truly shows just how lost our Wanderer has become. :( Our poor girl. I just hope things can get better for her. Actually, you're right. Ember would have been born only days from then. We were so close to having our little Ember with us. And now . . . I hope that this chapter was just as enjoyable. Even if it's still really emotional. Until next time! Have a wonderful day/night!

 **ACH20** : Yep, going to make many more from here. I hope it will still be enjoyable. Even if it might be just as emotional.

 **Madeline** : Welcome to the story! I'm so happy to have you here with us. :) Sorry that you came into the story in a rather emotional time. I hope that you'll continue to enjoy it throughout the rest to come!

Thank you all so much for giving time to the story. You all are amazing and deserve the best. So, just imagine I gave you the best present ever. Something you always wanted. ;)

~Tinker~


	56. Ch 56: Dark Times in Victorian London

Hiya, readers!

I hope everyone has been having a great time since the last update! Please enjoy the new chapter. :)

XxXxXxXx

Chapter 56: Dark Times in Victorian London

Bells tolled through London streets. Horses neighed from the carriages that they pulled, rolling by the different shops and houses. People were singing merrily as the holiday spirit fell through a cold breeze throughout the city. Christmas of 1892 was just around the corner and everyone was getting ready for it with glee. Everything down below from the clouds above was just so . . . cheery.

The Doctor frowned as he stared at it all, trying to think of how to be cheery like them all. Humans. They always found ways to be so cheery and merry all the time. He used to be able to. But now . . . Lately, he felt rather lacking in the whole 'cheery' department. He twirled his top hat in hand while he pondered this all over. All the while listening to the distant, slow and sad, violin music from the ajar TARDIS door. His legs dangled from the point on the cloud he sat, swinging in tune with the music as he listened.

She had been playing that same song often lately. He wondered if she was working on it. He thought she had stopped composing a long while ago. Suppose maybe she picked it up again. That was a nice thought. Nice that she might begin picking up other old habits from before. Maybe she might start picking up other old habits? That was a very nice thought.

Even with all these nice thoughts and ponderings, the Doctor could not help but sigh and still feel saddened. Violin playing was not something she needed. She needed _more_ than that. She needed . . . He did not know _what_ she needed anymore. Anytime in the past he would have known instantly what could have cheered her up. But those had always been small problems of sadness in the end. How did one help another cheer up after something like four hundred years of pain and torture suddenly coming back with a force? How did one help a mother who had lost a child? He might have known _something_ to do if he still had the Ponds with them. But now . . .

He patted his hat harshly, almost squishing it together as he let out a heavy sigh. Ponds gone. Child lost. Memories in ruin. Sadness all around day in and day out. He was a terrible doctor. Doctors were supposed to heal. This—this was not healing. This was wallowing in misery and avoidance. But what. Could. He. Do? Dammit! He slapped himself in the head, wishing he could jumpstart his brain into knowing what to do for his Wanderer. He would do anything, _anything_ to get her back to her old self. But he could think of _nothing_ , and he felt like a failure for it.

Standing up, he walked back into the TARDIS, away from the outside world. He closed the door harshly, storming back up into the control room and to the console. The silver chrome from the new control room layout seemed to tease him. Calling him a failure over and over again. The names of all his past companions written in Gallifreyan that lined the console above said this all too clearly. All his failures . . . written in stone for him to always see. He gazed up, hearts dropping as he saw Amy and Rory's names hanging just above him. Failure. That's what he was. A big, whopping, failure.

His eyes gazed with sorrow at the console. The music of the violin tried to soothe him. But all it did was remind him of his failure to his Wanderer. To his wife. He could not make her happy. He could not help her heal. What good was he to her anymore? Nothing. That was it. Just nothing. She was better off without him. Sighing, he lightly hit the console, making it clang. He would give anything, _anything_ to happen that might actually help him finally heal his Wanderer.

Just then, at that moment, there came the knocking.

XxXxXxXx

Wanda ended up arriving to a grassy field when she left Ten behind. She fell to the ground as she stumbled. She shook as she gripped herself around her middle. The barrier inside that held most of her powers at bay cracked a little. It let through pain throughout her mind and body. She heard the cries and screams of different timelines from the universe hit her in waves. She cried along with them, shaking even more. Make it stop. Make it stop! Shut up! She pounded at her head, feeling herself slipping. She heard Alpha waking up, trying to hurriedly close up the barrier. Alpha wanted to be the only one who ever felt all that pain from the universe. It was usually how it worked for them. If Alpha ever woke up fully and took over their body, then the other barrier would be open for her to use. But sometimes . . . it all just seemed to leak through.

"Wanderer?"

Someone touched her. It shocked her, scared her. She cried out, throwing out an arm to push away whoever tried grabbing her. She fell back to the ground on her bum, scooting away from whoever tried to grab her. White energy flew out from her when she did all of this, hitting whoever had tried to hold her. She stared with wide eyes of horror when seeing Eleven being thrown backward by the energy. He landed on his backside not too far away from her, staring at her in shock.

"Oh, god, I'm sorry!" she cried, standing up to go over to him. But the pain in her head, the ringing in her ears and the tilting of the world around her, made her stumble. It was hard to even stand. Tears streamed down her face as another wave of timelines, thoughts and feelings, hit her. "I'm so sorry, Theta."

"It's okay. It's okay, Wanderer," assured the Doctor. He stood up, going over to her to help her keep steady on her feet. "You're okay." But when he touched her again, her body reacted in a violent shake. His thoughts and feelings screamed through her as well, mixing in with all the others. She panted, wheezing in her quick breathes as she tried to hold onto herself. Tried to keep sane. Keep sane. Keep control.

Her gaze shifted around, seeing that they were in Central Park. They were back to the same day and place where they lost the Ponds. The TARDIS was parked close by. She heard the old girl singing to her. Calling to her. Trying to get her to come back where it was safe. The TARDIS would keep her safe. Keep her sane. Keep her in control.

She pushed away from the Doctor, running to the ship. The doors opened for her before she even had to snap her fingers. The TARDIS was ready to get her inside where there was comfort. Wanda stumbled up into the ship, falling to her knees briefly at the opening before getting back up and running the rest of the way in. The moment she was up next to the console, she felt the noise in her head stop. Everything went quiet in her mind, making her feel at peace. The blanket of energy, of warmth and comfort, surrounded her as Sexy sent a humming lullaby just for her. Wanda let out a small sigh, slowly sitting on the floor as she felt back to her normal, sane self. She stiffened when she felt hands on her, but relaxed when realizing it was the Doctor. He crouched down beside her, looking worried.

"Are you okay, Wanda?" he asked gently. Wanda stared at him, seeing the redness in his eyes, knowing he must have just lost the Ponds only moment ago. She gazed around, expecting to see River somewhere nearby.

"Where's River?" she asked, looking back at him.

"She left, not too long ago," explained the Doctor. He shifted, sitting down beside Wanda carefully as he pulled her close to him with an arm of comfort around her waist. "Would you like me to go get her? I . . . I could do that if you'd like?"

Wanda did not answer at first. She looked around the control room, wishing she knew what to say to him. She knew she should most likely comfort him since the Ponds were now gone. She wanted to. But . . . how could she? This felt like something so easy for her back in the past. Now she just felt lost to it all.

"Are . . . are you okay?" she asked him softly. Not really looking at him as she said this, keeping her eyes averted. But she still pushed herself to make certain that her Theta was taken care of first. If there was anyone she could be of use to in this universe . . . she hoped it would still be with him.

"I'm all right. I'm always all right." The Doctor smiled tenderly, giving her a light hug in reassurance.

"No, you're not. I felt your emotions out there. I heard your thoughts. You're devastated about Amy and Rory." She snapped her mouth shut when she said this, fearing she had said too much.

"Well . . . yes." He let out a sad sigh, looking away to stare off for a moment before gazing back at her. "But that's just something we'll have to take one step at a time. First, I want to make certain that _you're_ all right. Where did you come from? What have you done recently?" With gaining no answer from her, he moved to be crouched down in front of her. He gripped her arms firmly, trying to get her to look at him. "Talk to me, Wanderer. Please?"

"I've . . . I've . . . I've just been . . ." Her lip trembled as she felt her emotions bubbling away. She closed her eyes, trying to think of what to say to him. "That year, the Master, all of that. That's where I've come from." Finally, she looked at him. Regret and sorrow were clear in his eyes as he gazed back. So much misery all for her to see. She felt her hearts drop as it dawned on her. This day, the way he had acted around her past self when she was still . . . She let out a humourless laugh, tearing her eyes away from his. "I should have realized it then, but I was too blind to see it. That's why you and the Ponds were so sad this day. All of you had just been with me in that pocket universe. You just learned about . . . Ember." Her eyes closed tightly. "God, Theta, I'm so sorry. You've lost the Ponds and your child all in one day. And it's all my—."

"No. Don't you dare say it." The Doctor hugged her tightly to him, holding her in a strong grip. "None of this was ever your fault. I should have realized . . . I should have seen the signs from the past . . ."

He stood them up, keeping her against him. He reached around her, fiddling with the TARDIS controls to send them off. To where it did not matter. It was not important. All he cared about was getting far away from New York as possible and to somewhere safe for his Wanderer. She stayed slumped against him. Her body weak and limp. Her eyes just stared blankly around, with no sign of emotion coming from her. It was like her whole being just wanted to give up. Though internally she still kept trying to fight. To fight for herself and him. But the rest just wanted to quit.

"Wanderer—," he began to say.

"I just want to go to bed, Theta. I'm—I'm tired. Is that okay?" she spoke softly, closing her eyes as she practically rested against him. "I just want to sleep."

"Of course," he assured her, helping her walk down the corridor towards their room.

Everything became a daze for her. She felt him held guide her to the room. He even helped her get undressed and into a nightgown. But after that, all she did was sleep. For how long she slept, she did not know. Every time she woke up, she would either use the toilet or drink some water before going right back to sleep. A few times she felt the Doctor holding her from behind when she woke up. But she forced herself back to sleep when she felt him near, too afraid to face him right away.

It was like all her energy had been drained away from her. No matter how much she slept, it never seemed enough whenever she woke up again. Perhaps that year of travelling the world had taken more out of her than she realized. Or it could have also been that she had forced herself from wandering away from Martha off and on. It had been hard holding back the energy to travel away. Extremely difficult, almost like refusing to breathe. It had hurt so much each time. It was a wonder she had even managed to do it to begin with.

Eventually, though, her body and mind finally seemed completely rested and whole. Everything felt just a little better. Not completely, but . . . better than what she had been. Sitting up from the bed, she sniffed as she stretched her body, trying to work out all the kinks in her muscles. Feeling rather grimy, she felt a nice warm shower would do the trick in freshening herself up. Soon, after she got herself all cleaned and well groomed, she made her way to the TARDIS control room. With a fluffy robe wrapped around herself and comfy slippers on her feet. She would get dressed but . . . best see where exactly the Doctor had them at first.

The control room was empty when she arrived to it. This confused her as she knew the Doctor was not anywhere else in the TARDIS. Sexy would have told her so. So, where was he? Wanda went over to the console, checking the scanner for where they might be. Perhaps he was adventuring outside? The scanner told her nothing, however, leaving her puzzled as to where her husband had gone. Shrugging lightly, it seemed that perhaps he was too far away from the TARDIS to tell her anything. Maybe she could go eat something in the meantime. She was rather hungry.

It was an hour later after she had a good meal and a nice cup of tea that she began to worry. Still, the Doctor was not in the TARDIS. Where was he? Worriment coursed through her as she walked briskly back to the control room. Just as she was about to exit the door, the Doctor came in. He looked worn, wearing a very dark purple-brown coat, over a similarly coloured vest, lighter cream coloured dress shirt, and very deep brown trousers and boots. He even had a top hat that matched the colour of his shoes. Wanda could not help but notice this outfit was very . . . Victorian.

"Ah! You're up," the Doctor said with a start, seeming taken back that she would suddenly be up. He wrung his hands together as though nervous, shifting on his feet. "Ah . . . Would you like me to—to cook you something or . . .?" He trailed off, seeming at a loss on what to do.

"I've already eaten," Wanda replied, her voice subdued as she felt anxious to see him so nervous. Was . . . Was he nervous to be around her?

"Good. Good. That's good," the Doctor replied quickly, walking around her to go to the console. She trailed along after him, stopping by the other side of the console as she watched him fiddle with controls. His nervous tick. Always trying to occupy his hands with something when he was avoiding something. Was it her? She felt her spirits drop at that thought. But she tried pushing it away, reminding herself that he must be still unsettled by everything that happened over the last few . . .

"Doctor, how long was I asleep?" asked Wanda curiously.

"Asleep? Oh, I'd say, about, a week or so? Yes, that seems about right."

"A week?" Wanda was stunned. She never slept that long in her life. Well, besides the time recovering in the pocket universe. But that was not by choice. "What have you done in a week while I was out? Why didn't you wake me?"

The Doctor winced for a moment before smiling nervously at her. "Ah . . . I thought maybe you needed the rest?"

"For a week?" She stared at him, skeptical that he would actually let her sleep that long. Was there something wrong with her maybe?

The Doctor gave another nervous smile. "Yes, sorry, I-I should have woken you sooner. I'm sorry for that. I was just preparing somethings and was deciding on what to do for us." He smiled more confidently this time, bouncing over towards her. "I decided we should take a break. You know, from travelling and such. Think of it like a holiday."

Wanda nodded slowly, taking in his appearance once more. "Where are we, then?"

"London, 1887." He bounced forward, grabbing her hand in delight. "You should probably get changed. Don't think good old Victorian London will like seeing you running around in a nightie. Not that you don't look good in it!" His eyes widened before his last statement, worried that he might have offended her with his nightie joke.

Wanda laughed softly, her eyes not quite lighting up in merriment as it used to. But it was a start as she did seem happy. "Okay. Help me pick a dress?"

"Of course!"

They walked down the corridor, hand-in-hand, just enjoying each other's company. Wanda smiled, feeling hopeful that things would indeed be okay for them in the end. Maybe a while off travelling was a good idea. They never allowed themselves to relax and mend in the past. Perhaps this would actually help them recuperate. The Doctor seemed to think so judging by the way he rambled. He went on and on about going to Victorian London, at the right place and time where they had friends to visit if they grew too lonely. This being Vastra, Jenny, and Strax. Friends they never had time to visit much in the past. But always had been very close with the two TARDIS travellers.

It made her feel uncertain, though, when the Doctor mentioned telling the Paternoster Gang . . . everything. As in _everything_. What she was. What her past had been. What happened to the Ponds. What happened to Ember. It made her uncomfortable that he told them all this without her. She would have liked to have been there for that. It also made her nervous about how the three friends would view her after knowing about all that. But she trusted the Doctor. Even if he was trying to figure out a way to help them both heal and move on, she knew he would do everything in his power to help their lives get back on track.

He helped her get into a modest Victorian black dress. With ruffles skirts, corset, and all. Even a black hat and shoes to boot. There was some rich purple colouring hidden here and there on the dress. But for the most part . . . she rather not have colour around her clothing for a while. She felt her tastes had changed some since the Year That Never Was. She could not help but noticed a sort of disappointed look cross over the Doctor's face when they finished lacing up her corset. But he gave her a smile all the same when she turned to show him how she looked.

The Doctor took her arm in his, guiding her gently back to the control room. Wanda noticed how he treated her like she was a delicate thing now. Perhaps she was. She was an unstable freak of nature, after all. This thought made her spirits sink considerably as they stepped out together into the cool weather of spring. But she plastered on a small smile all the same, hoping to please him. She had to push herself. Keep moving forward. That was it. It would not do wallowing in misery and all that.

The dusk of evening settling over the city around them as they strolled out of the park where the TARDIS had been placed by the Doctor. Iron gates guarded around the park to keep out any unwelcomed guests. But the Doctor easily had a gate opened for them, allowing Wanda to leave the area without having to resort to climbing over the fence in a dress. Not that she wouldn't have in the past. But corsets did restrict movements quite considerably. So, he held her hand tightly, leading her through the streets as they strolled along. She noticed with unease in how quiet he was with her. How wary he was, too. Was it all because of her, or was it something else that made him act so differently? Again, she had to remind herself of what loss and pain he had felt recently. It was because of her that he lost his chance of starting a family again. Of course he would be upset with her still over all of that.

She kept her gaze lowered as he pulled her along, leading towards some destination or another. She did not pay attention. Things began to feel rather blurred together for her at that point. Her emotions swirled like a storm within. Nothing that she could grasp onto properly. A headache began to form. This only made her uneasy, afraid to press onwards. But the Doctor wanted to move about, so . . .

"Ah. Doctor. Wanderer. A pleasure as always."

Wanda glanced up when seeing Madame Vastra standing beside a carriage. From under the thin, black veil, Wanda could see the Silurian detective giving the two travellers a kind smile. Next to her was her wife/maid Jenny, and by the horse was Strax. When Wanda made brief eye contact with Jenny, she saw the maid give her a look of pity. Wanda quickly lowered her gaze, feeling her face grow red. She did not want pity. She just . . . wanted to be normal again with her friends.

But normal was not something they seemed to have in mind. Sure, they were all kind. Vastra seemed to not take any matter of it at all. Being completely understanding, acting all the same as though they were well past the issue and were moving onto better things. Though, she still seemed rather hesitant when it came to certain discussions and such. Jenny behaved much more differently. She always had this look of pity when she and Wanda shared glances. Like she felt sorry for a child, or someone that had found out they were sick with a deadly disease. Wanda knew the maid did not mean anything by it. Jenny was much more thoughtful and gentle compared to the other two in her household. But this is what made it feel all the more awkward for Wanda. As for Strax . . . Well, Strax was Strax. He was the same as always. Never once acting as though any new information he learned of Wanda even bothered him in the slightest. And most likely it did not. Wanda never felt happier to have a friend like Strax. With the way his mind worked, it helped her in just having a friend who acted absolutely normal in every way.

"So . . . there was this case we were workin' on," Jenny began to say as the group strolled down the streets. "We were wonderin' that maybe—."

"—you would like to join us in the investigation?" finished Vastra.

"Ah . . . maybe," mumbled the Doctor, sending an uneasy side glance at his wife beside him.

This look did not go unnoticed by Wanda. Even though he did try to hide it. It made her even more uncertain, with sadness bubbling away and a headache pounding lightly against her mind. The Doctor had never passed up an opportunity to do an investigation before with the gang. Or with anyone else in the past. Solving mysteries had always been a blast for him. For her, too. She would have liked to help Vastra and the rest. But with the Doctor hesitating . . . Did he think she would not be able to do so anymore? She remembered later Elevens were more than happy to have adventures like that with any other version of herself. By now, maybe, with what happened in her new body . . . Their days of adventuring just might be over. And the very idea broke her hearts. He loved travelling. He loved adventuring. Because of her, he just might give that all up. It was her fault. Just like everything else that has happened.

As the Paternoster Gang and the Doctor rambled on here and there, Wanda slowly began to trail behind. The Time Lord never even noticed when she had let go of his arm. It was possible that he did not even really care. So, she fell behind them some ways, just walking a few yards from them, wanting to be alone with her thoughts at the moment. She kept trying to think more positively. But it was hard with the way her emotions kept tumbling in her and the headache that just made it hard for her to think. She _had_ to get better control over herself than this.

 _Good for nothing._ Wand heard Alpha hiss in her mind.

 _Yes, I know. Don't remind me._ Wanda sighed, shaking her head.

 _No, no. Not you, Wanda. Never you._ Alpha assured her quickly. _It's_ him _. He doesn't even notice you're not with him. Stupid, brainless, Time Lord. Tell me again_ why _you love the bastard?_

 _Alpha. I thought you were past this with the Doctor? Didn't you two have a nice conversation back in your garden?_ Wanda tried saying soothingly, hoping to make Alpha be more reasonable and calm.

 _I don't recall._ Alpha all but grumbled in a pout.

 _Your memory is just as bad as mine._

 _Not our fault. These powers in our head and body don't help at all._ A loud shout came nearby, earning Alpha and Wanda's attention. It looked like an argument between some men down an alleyway. Alpha sneered in disgust. _Why are we even here? What's the point?_

 _The Doctor thinks—_

 _The Doctor thinks a lot of things. Doesn't mean he knows best for us._ I _know what's best._

Wanda let out a small puff of breath. _Okay then, tell me, what's best for me. Be my guest._ When no reply came from Alpha, Wanda rolled her eyes. _I thought so._

 _I'm working on it, okay?_

The argument seemed to be getting louder now. Wanda stopped short as she was about to move away from the alleyway, meaning to catch up with her friends and husband. But the small cry from a child made her freeze on the spot. She looked down the gloomy alleyway, seeing a scuffle coming from far down the way. Walking forward steadily, she headed down the large alleyway, lined by brick walls from the buildings surrounding, avoiding the trash laid about as she wanted to find out where the child's cry had come from. As she neared the dead end of the alleyway, she saw two men holding tightly on either side of a little girl.

The child seemed to be caught in the middle of their quarrel as each brutish man had a hold on one of her arms. The girl was in a bad state, wearing nothing but rags on her body and appeared quite dirty. On one side of her, a man dressed similarly held a disgusting sneer on his filthy face with hardly any teeth left in his mouth. The other man was dressed more wealthy, with a rich gentleman's suit on. Wanda was confused at first in why these two seemly opposite men would be fighting while holding onto a little girl. Then, when she finally caught their words, she understood with horror in what they were quarreling about. They were arguing over who had the _rights_ over the child. She was being sold into . . .

Wanda felt her hearts speeding up rapidly. The ringing in her ears began and the world began to tilt as the little girl met eye contact with her. Wanda felt a fiery fury spread through her. Everything went blank after this. Before she knew it, someone was grabbing her arm and pulling her back.

"Wanderer, enough. It's okay," came the gentle words from the Doctor. Wanda blinked out of her daze, trying to remember what she had been doing. She came down the alleyway for the child and then . . .

Her eyes widened in horror when she saw the two piles of gray dust at her feet. A gentlemen's top hat sat right on top of one pile. She looked over to see Vastra and Jenny comforting the little girl from earlier. The child looked back at Wanda, shivering upon the sight of the blonde before avoiding to stare at her any longer. Wanda felt as though she were going to be sick. She had killed two men, just like that, and she could not even remember doing so. She felt the Doctor trying to rub soothing circles on her back. But his touch was not comforting. It only reminded her how much she hurt him being the way she was.

Gathering up her skirts, she took off before anyone could say or move to stop her. She ran back through the streets of London, passing by or pushing her way through many people. It was not until she reached the TARDIS did she finally let her hearts and breath settle. She broke down by the console, falling to her knees as she wept. She did not know how long she sat there crying. Soon, however, she halted in her tears when feeling a strong arm helping her up, guiding her to stand.

"I'm sorry. It was too soon for you. I should have realized . . .," the Doctor tried to say kindly, but she could hear a tremor in his voice. What she had done had upset him greatly. She just knew it.

"I just . . . I just want to go back to bed," she said hoarsely, wanting to hide away in her room for the time being.

"Of course," said the Doctor. He led her tenderly down the corridor to their room. Or was it rather cautiously?

"How is the girl?" Wanda could not help by ask, wanting to know if the child was okay.

"She'll be fine. Vastra and Jenny have her," the Doctor assured her, making sure that there was nothing to worry about.

He guided her back into their room, gently helping her undress from the many layers of clothing she had on. So many layers a lady had to wear in this time period. It was ridiculous. Once she was back in her nightie, she cuddled up under the covers, snuggling down deep from the world around her. She peeked from around the covers, seeing the Doctor standing hesitantly by the bed. Was . . . was he nervous being around her? Did she really scare him that badly? He had always said in the past that she never scared him . . . but that had been past her. New her might just terrify him now.

"Theta, is it all right . . . if I could be alone for a while?" she asked quietly, avoiding his gaze in shame.

"Whatever you'd like, Wanderer," he replied, his voice as kind as ever. She closed her eyes as she felt him come over and tenderly kiss her forehead. He lingered there for a moment longer, seeming to wish to say more. But eventually, he left, allowing Wanda her sleep-in peace.

Her mind drifted off before she had time to dwell on what happened in the small amount of time she had actually been awake. All her worries began to trickle away, making her hopeful that things would get better. They just had to. _She_ had to. For her Theta. But her hope was diminished the moment her nightmares began.

She had nightmares during that forgotten year before. Always of her being a cruel monster, hurting others and such. Of losing control over herself. This one was different. For none of her nightmares had ever been this . . . personal. This terrible. She watched herself as though she were in third person, seeing how she became a savage beast. Her powers and programming had taken complete control, causing her to run around in a killing spree. Any that stood in her way . . . were killed. Then, the nightmare shifted to where she was seeing it all through her eyes. No matter how much she screamed within for her body to stop, she just could not. Then, eventually, it shifted again. Now the ones she was killing were not mere random beings. They were her friends, her family. Those she loved most. They pleaded with her, begging for her to stop. Inside her mind she cried, wishing to plead with her body to stop as well. But outside she heard herself laughing cruelly before striking each person down. Then . . . it was the Doctor.

" _Wanderer, please, you have to stop!_ " The dream Doctor would beg, holding up his hands to soothe her. It did not matter which face of his it was. For in her dream it would shift between them all. And dream her simply laughed in spite, striking him down all the same. Striking him into dust. Or cutting at him in horrible ways. And internally, the part of her that did not want to be a part of this, was screaming. She screamed, and screamed, and screamed, and screamed, and screamed, and—

"Wanderer! Wake up! It's just a dream! You're dreaming!"

"NO!" she screamed, flailing her hands and arms about. Her whole body thrashing in the covers of the bed. She felt the warm energy lashing outwards, trying to protect her in the panicked state she was in.

"AH!"

She gasped as she bolted from the bed, falling to the floor in a daze. She was not even fully awake, but her body was ready to go into a flight response. Blinking away the haze of sleep, she tried looking around to see where she was. It took her a moment to remember that she had been asleep. That what had happened was nothing more than a nightmare. All of it had been in her head. She began to try and untangle herself from the blankets when a groan of pain got her attention. Looking over quickly, a strike of utter horror and dismay hit her when seeing the Doctor curled up on the floor.

"Theta!" she cried, stumbling out of the tangled blankets. She rushed over to his side, checking him over to make certain he was okay. He sat up just as she got to her knees beside him, staring at him in concern. Her hearts froze and a cold chill washed over her when she saw his hands. They looked burned. As though he had touched something extremely hot. But she knew what he had touched. She knew what had been done to him. The outer layer of his skin had been killed off because he had touched _her._ It was just like back from that time at Canary Wharf. She had hurt him badly once again.

When he saw her dismay, saw her backing away from him quickly as she gripped at her head in a panic, he stood up quickly. "No, Wanderer, it's all right. You didn't mean it."

"I hurt you." Wanda trembled, backing away from him even more when he tried to reach for her. "I hurt you just by you touching me. What if I kill you next time? Oh, god, I could have killed you!"

He reached out for her as if to soothe her. "Wanderer—."

But she shook her head rapidly, running around him as tears began to stream down her face. She ran through the TARDIS, placing herself as far away from the Doctor as possible. It was the only way. The only way to save him. For she would rather die than to ever hurt him again. Never again.

XxXxXxXx

"And so, you're saying that she's locked herself away? Have the other times you two strolled about helped at all?"

"No," grumbled the Doctor. He leaned heavily against the door of the carriage he, Vastra, and Jenny rode in. Strax was currently on top steering the horse. The carriage rocked as it made its way down the streets, making the Doctor reminisce of the rocking of the TARDIS as it flew through the Vortex.

"But I thought things were going well?" Jenny asked curiously, frowning at the Doctor's reply.

The Doctor shifted uncomfortably on the spot before answering, "She may have lost control once . . . twice . . . Okay, make that twelve times. But I managed to stop her before any damage was done!"

"It's a good thing I managed to procure a memory worm for your use, then," said Vastra smoothly. The Doctor merely grunted in response. Not necessarily glad that he had to use a memory worm on people, but was rather helpful to make people forget about him or Wanda when needed. Vastra eyed him steadily. "So, she's locked herself away in the TARDIS in fears that she may harm more people."

"Me included," the Doctor grumbled, staring dejectedly down at his hands. It had taken him a week to heal from the burns he received from Wanda that one night. And ever since that night, his Wanderer has shied away from him each time he tried to touch her, or hold her hand, or show any kind of affection towards her. At this point, he had given up trying to be anywhere near her. He wanted to give her time. To let her be. However, some part of him believed that it might be more than because she accidentally hurt him. It might also be because that she blamed him for what happened to their daughter. It was his fault, after all. If he had not been so damn merciful, then the Master could have been stopped. Their daughter could have been saved from being lost. His mind kept trying to assure him that his Wanderer would never outright blame him for such a thing. But the other stronger part of his mind said this must be true. For he felt he had betrayed his wife in his lacking to protect her and their daughter.

"The poor dear," Jenny said sadly, getting the Doctor out of his sad stupor.

"She just needs more time," said Vastra confidently. "Let the Wanderer come out at her own pace. If we try to force her, it will only lead to her excluding herself from us, from the universe itself, even more so."

"The universe," the Doctor all but growled. His eyes darkened as he glared out the floor. "If it wasn't for the universe, Wanda wouldn't even be in this mess. It chose her to be its weapon, not even caring about what it would do to her. Damn the universe."

"Don't be so quick to scorn, Doctor," disputed Vastra. "It was the universe that brought you and the Wanderer together, was it not?" When she received nothing more than a grunt from the Doctor, Vastra sighed in exasperation.

"I'm sure she'll cheer up once we get there," Jenny said, trying to help ease the tension in the cab. "She always likes my tea and cakes. I could make her some."

"That sounds lovely, my dear," Vastra agreed, smiling warmly at her wife. They all rocked to the side as the carriage came to an abrupt halt.

"Doctor, have you moved your box to another location?" they heard Strax ask loudly from outside.

"What?" responded the Doctor, greatly bewildered by what Strax was on about. Though, to be honest, it would not be the first time the Sontaran had gotten lost or confused. The Time Lord stepped out of the cab quickly, blinking through the fog that laid around the city night. They had arrived at the park where he had parked the TARDIS months ago. Just as Strax had said, there was no TARDIS to be seen. He jumped out of the cab swiftly, followed closely by the three others as he pulled out his sonic and began to scan the area. His mind racing, in a panic over what happened to his ship. Or, importantly, his wife.

"Stolen by the enemy! We must make an evasive strike before they attack us again!" Strax said confidently, ready for battle. But he huffed when Jenny shushed him.

"Did the Wanderer leave with the TARDIS?" questioned Vastra.

"No. No, it's still," the Doctor began to say, slowly following the scan of his sonic, gradually pointing upwards to the sky, ". . . here." He dropped the sonic to his side, frowning greatly in confusion. "It's up above us."

"How?" Jenny wondered, squinting up at the night sky, seeing nothing but fog.

Just as the Doctor was about to respond, there was a clatter of metal from above. The Doctor had just managed to jump away when a ladder fell from the sky, landing with a thud at his feet. It stood there rigidly, obviously indicating for him to proceed up it. However, where it led to seemed a mystery still as the upper part of the ladder was invisible. Climbing up the ladder quickly, the Doctor was surprised to find a large spiraling staircase going high into the clouds above the city.

"Doctor?" called Vastra from below, wondering where the Time Lord had gone too. The ladder disappeared the moment he climbed up them, leaving the other three behind.

"Shall we call for reinforcements?" asked Strax.

"Just give me a moment," sighed the Doctor, shaking his head as he realized this must have been the work of the TARDIS. Only his ship had that kind of technology. Not that he had ever done something like this. He never thought to do so in the past. Now that he thought about it though . . .

Marching up the stairs quickly, going past the clouds and fog, he came to the top to see a large cloud surrounding the bottom of the TARDIS. The ship hummed pleasantly, with the lights glowing peacefully from the blue box. The Doctor crouched down briefly to inspect the cloud around the TARDIS, seeing how it was no ordinary cloud. The density was much different than that of an average Earth cloud. Perfectly okay to hold a ship up in the sky, and more than suitable to allow a person to walk around on the cloud. So, after this observance, the Doctor walked across the swirling cloud and to his ship, going inside as fast as he could.

Once inside, he paused by the doorway briefly when seeing Wanda by the console, absently twiddling with the TARDIS controls. He went to her after a brief bit of hesitation. His need to make certain she was all right outweighed his fears of upsetting her.

"Wanda, are you all right?" he asked her carefully. He noticed she was still in her nightie from earlier. She seemed to never want to change out of sleep clothing anymore.

"I'm fine," she replied quietly, keeping her gaze averted from his. "I hope you don't mind the change with the TARDIS. Sexy thought . . . it would be best for us." She let go of a lever, looking ashamed at what she and the TARDIS had done, guilty that she had not asked him first to do so. "I'm sorry. I can change it back if you'd like."

"No. It's fine," the Doctor assured her. He frowned heavily, trying to think of a reason the TARDIS would go to such lengths. Then, it dawned on him. Wanda was terrified of heights. Something she feared more than going outside around people at this point. Was this a way to keep herself from hurting others? Before he could voice his concerns, Wanda turned and began walking towards the corridor.

"I'll—I'll just be in my room. Goodnight, Doctor," said Wanda, hurrying away from him.

The Doctor let out a heavy sigh the moment he could no longer hear her footsteps. He stood there by the console, tapping his fingers as he thought on what to do next. It was set then. This was it. This was the moment where he knew what he had been contemplating for a while now was the right choice. It was the only best option for him and Wanda at this point. Turning with a determined pace, he marched back out of the TARDIS and down the spiraling staircase.

The moment the Doctor jumped down from the ladder, the Paternoster Gang knew something was wrong. The Time Lord looked grim, deflated. As though he had finally accepted defeat. Though one could also see a dark storm stewing within his green irises.

"What is it, Doctor?" asked Vastra, concerned by the darker shift in the Time Lord. There was no answer from the Doctor right away. He adjusted his top hat for a second before looking steadily at the trio in front of him.

"It's something I should have done a long time ago," he said gruffly. "It's time Wanda and I retire. I see now that I should have come to that decision years ago. I should have done it the moment Wanda was pregnant. But I was too stubborn to change my ways. My fault, I know. But I'm not making that mistake again." With this said, the Doctor turned back around, getting ready to go back up the ladder.

"But, Doctor!" said Jenny, alarmed that the Time Lord was ready to leave the world below just like that.

"You cannot be serious," Vastra agreed with her wife, astonished that this was happening. "You can't just lock yourself and the Wanderer in the TARDIS forever." The Doctor paused, pondering this.

"You're right. I'll come down for supplies every so often. And you lot are free to visit if you'd like. But no more travelling, no more interfering, and absolutely no more investigations. We are not getting involved anymore, so don't bother asking," the Time Lord answered gruffly before climbing up the ladder. The trio below watched as the ladder went back up into the air, disappearing from view. The three of them were stunned to say the least. Though, Strax was more confused than stunned.

"He's not serious. Is he?" Jenny wondered aloud, staring at her wife for answers.

"I don't know, my dear. I suppose we must wait and see," Vastra sighed.

XxXxXxXx

"I'll expect you to be properly dressed the next time we meet."

"Huh?" Wanda blinked out of her stupor, looking up from her cup of tea.

Currently, she and Vastra were having a small get together with some of Jenny's tea and cakes. This had been a regular appointment between Wanda, Vastra, and Jenny. They would come at least once a week or so, showing up with treats to enjoy while chatting in one of the small gardens the TARDIS made for them. With gazebos for them to sit within, tables to set their spread of treats and drinks on, and flowers growing throughout the garden for them to enjoy. It was always so peaceful, and it was one of the things Wanda looked forward to the most. It was the only time she actually got to interact with someone.

Since she had made the staircase from the TARDIS . . . she had yet to step out of the ship. Well, no, that was a lie. There had been that one time. About a month after the staircase from the cloud was made, Wanda tried to push herself to venture out. She even got herself dressed up. She had thought she might be ready to try to interact with the ground below. Even for a little while. It was practice, really. Testing to see how well she had control over her mind and her powers. But she never made it past the third spiral of the staircase. She ended up clinging to the railing, weeping softly as she froze in terror from the height she managed to place herself in. The Doctor actually found her there an hour later in a shivering mess. She had tried explaining to him that she just wanted to be normal again, but he kept shushing her as he led her back to the TARDIS. He ended up telling her how it was okay and that the world below did not need them anymore. This only lowered her spirits more. They were not needed anymore? Did . . . did she make him think that? Oh god, what had she done to him?

She had all but given up at this point in her and the Doctor's relationship ever being normal again. She wanted it to be. Universe knows she did. She wanted nothing more than to hold him, kiss him, let him know how much she loved him. Yes, she did not want to touch him for a long while, unconsciously flinching whenever he tried to in the past. But now that she felt stable enough, she wanted to hold his hand again. She wanted to have the close contact. But it seems he now did not want such affections from her. He had left their bedroom a long while ago, going off somewhere else in the TARDIS when he needed sleep. He would even avoid eye contact from time to time. Wanda found herself passing him by in the corridors of the TARDIS, pausing a moment after he passed her by in silence, staring at his back longingly. Her eyes begging him to turn back around and just . . . talk to her. But he never would. She was alone. So alone.

She had done this to him. She had broken his hearts. So, now the only question was how could she help heal him? Who could help her? There was only one person she knew might be able to help her at this point. But they were still a ways off. Until then, Wanda would just have to be patient and wait for they arrival.

"Your clothes," Vastra spoke again, earning Wanda's full attention. The Silurian frowned in disproval when taking in the gray soft trousers and gray jumper Wanda wore. "If you're going to keep wearing clothing you sleep in, then I won't be coming back. Not until you're wearing proper outfits."

Wanda smiled, not really correcting Vastra that these were not the clothes she slept in. Wanda usually wore nightgowns for sleeping. What she wore currently was more of her lazy clothes to be comfortable in. True, in the beginning for a time Wanda did feel almost lacking in energy to even change out of her nightie. But after she heard Vastra and Jenny were going to visit, she pushed herself to be more active in taking care of herself. That way she did not make them uncomfortable when they would meet up. However, Wanda knew Vastra was right. She could do more to help boost her energy and spirits. Dressing up was shown to help in the past, after all.

"You're right," Wanda agreed softly. "I need to take better care of myself."

"That you do. And if you find trouble caring for your health, I'll be certain to come back to guide you in the right direction." Vastra eyed her firmly but smiled kindly all the same.

Wanda smiled in return, knowing this was Vastra's way of trying to help. The Silurian was always good at giving her a push when the Wanderer needed it. If she did not have a friend to give her the right push here and there, then where would she be?

"So, how have your powers been coming along?" Vastra questioned her curiously, setting down her teacup after taking a sip.

"Good," Wanda shrugged, not really wanting to discuss the issue. She was learning (as was Alpha) in controlling her emotions and keeping herself calm. That is, in the comfort of the TARDIS. She still feared in how she would do outside.

"Are you still losing control like before?"

Wanda shrugged once more, not really looking Vastra in the eye. "Being in the TARDIS keeps me stable. She even gave me medicine, so I wouldn't have nightmares anymore."

"But you don't know how you'd do outside with others?" Vastra watched as Wanda shifted in her seat, clearly uncomfortable and ashamed that she had still yet to manage being back to her old self again.

"That's the thing, Vastra," Wanda sighed, gripping her hands together tightly on the table top, "I had control at one point. For the most part, anyway. But after . . . after I . . ."

"After you killed the Master," said Vastra quietly, trying to encourage Wanda to talk out her feelings.

Wanda released a slow breath. "Yeah. Everything just seems to have gone downhill after that. I just can't stop killing."

Vastra scooted forward, gripping Wanda's hands gently. "Wanderer, you cannot assume that because you killed one person while fully aware means that you're now a full-fledged killer. I should know. I hunt killers on a daily basis." Vastra then smiled and gave Wanda's hands a kind pat. "Now, let us discuss something else. I have some documents on a case Jenny and I have been working on recently if you would like to give them a look."

Wanda smiled, her mood lifting a bit as she saw Vastra pulling out files from her bag. "Sure. I'd love to help." Even though the Doctor had given up helping others, Wanda still wanted to do her part in the universe. As much as she could, she wanted to help. It the most she could do before the inevitable. Until then, she would make it her so goal to bring the Doctor happiness once more. Even if that meant her own joy became a thing of the past.

XxXxXxXx

Wish I could go in there and help those two feel better, finally moving on from their pain. But I suppose it takes time for people to heal. Hopefully next time it gets better for them all. :)

Reviewers:

 **normandy1701** : Glad you liked it! Nah, I could never do that. The greatest thing about the Doctor is the mystery behind his name. It's not something for anyone know except those who the Doctor loves more than anything. At least, in my opinion, that's how his name works. :) Oh yes, there's going to be quite a few Clara episodes to come. As we sort of saw in this chapter. There was a reason why there's been so few. But we'll just have to wait and see why in the next few chapters to come. ;)

 **mybrainexploded** : I'm so happy to hear that! :D Really hope that the updates continue to bring you joy! Especially with the next part to come after this one.

 **All The Stories Are True 24601** : I feel you. I am, too. :( Nope. Can never tell. Not even Wanda's name. ;) I hope that you enjoyed the new chapter just as much as the last. Until next time!

 **AGBreads** : Yay! I'm so glad you enjoyed it so much!

 **setsuna1415** : Hmm, well I do have at least the first season of the Sarah Jane Adventures planned for part four coming up. But as for the later seasons I'm not certain. Part four is still a work in progress at this point. I'm trying many new things with it. I hope you and everyone else will like it. :) Hopefully this new chapter had no crying involved. More happiness this time around. Until next time!

 **swimmjacket** : I just feel so sorry for the both of them. Things as of how Wanda will handle moments like the Doctor knowing of her pregnancy will be answered a bit later. But as we see in this chapter, things are not going well for our two time travellers. :( Though happy news in them knowing each others names. Now they are truly bonded. It's just so beautiful in a way. :) Hope you enjoyed the new chapter and to see you again in the future. Take care!

 **Authora97** : Well . . . that was kind of what happened here. haha. Hope you enjoyed it! Agreed, very cute. :3

 **Littleperson930** : Well, they talked it out at first. But now they're stuck in a rut again. Those two I swear. *sigh* Anyway, hope you enjoyed!

 **Read14** : Well, sometime after we get done with part four, I was thinking about writing some stories about Churchhill and Jessica Jones. All with OCs as well. Though that's just a light idea at this point. Nothing set in stone. But I hope that if I ever do get around to writing those stories that you'll enjoy them just as much. :)

 **The Early Precambrian** : Agreed. Poor Wanda. And poor Doctor as well. You could say that was a bit of foreshadowing way back then with what Wanda wished for. ;) They are truly perfect together aren't they? Welp, you're correct there. Wanda needed to be with Eleven. It worked out a bit. But now things just seem so much worse. No worries. I was kind of keeping the announcement of part four a surprise until later in part three. But those who review and read the replies got an early surprise. ;) Aww, thank you! Though I'm nowhere near perfect. My writing can always get better, trust me. Can't wait to see you again in the next update. Until next time!

 **Whovianeverlark17** : She is in a good place. It would just help if those two actually talked things out every once and a while. But what can you do, eh? Glad that happy moment helped get past some of the sadness. :) Hope you enjoyed the new chapter!

 **bored411** : Very rough. Unfortunately, that can never happen. At least, in this part. Who knows in the future. Here's to hoping for a bright tomorrow!

 **Momochan77** : Just so much for them. Glad that they had more time for a quiet life in this chapter. Too bad they're not really talking or healing much, though. Take care until we see each other again! :)

 **SakuraRcoa** : I'm keeping it a surprise in how many chapters we got left. So that way no one knows when the end will be. But at least we have part four to look forward to after part three is over. :) Indeed, Wanda did get a break. Though if only it were a more happy one. Though you are right, both the Doctor and Wanda are like those superheroes who never have a day off. I suppose that's just how they are.

 **NerdWithAPencil** : Yay! I'm glad for that. :) And that you enjoyed all the other parts of it as well. Hope that you enjoyed the new chapter just as much. Until next time!

 **jp** : Aww, thank you very much! That means the world to me. Though I know that there are many stories out there much better than this one. This story could always be better. I'm just so happy to hear that you enjoy the story so much. :) I hope that you'll continue to find enjoyment throughout the rest to come!

 **Victoria** : Hello! It's so good to see you again! :D How have you been? Sorry that you came back at a bad time. Things truly did get rough for our Wanda. I know you've probably heard this a million times, but I'm very sorry for your loss. And for all your friends as well. I could never imagine the pain of it. I love children so much, so writing that was truly painful for me as well. ;-; However, I am very happy to see you again. I hope that the future chapters will be more pleasant of a read for you. Until next time! Take care of yourself and have a wonderful life. :)

 **Isanxd** : Aww, I'm sorry for the cry you had. Truthfully, I played sad music when writing it. It really does fit. In fact, if you would like to know what songs I sort of use as references to the songs Wanda writes, I would love to share them with you. :) Until next time! Enjoy the new chapter!

 **LegandsOfTime** : Thank you so much for your kinds words! Though I know that I can always be a better writer for you readers. :) I came up with the idea after hearing the Doctor saying what would happen if a Time Lord ever got the Time Vortex adsorbed into them. That they would be a vengeful god. I just kept thinking what that would be like. And, well, here we are now. :)

Farewell readers! Until we meet again! And enjoy April 23 of Doctor Who day! ;)

~Tinker~


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